Introduction One of the many ways a company can engage with JMU is through the charitable sponsorship of university projects, programs, and events. This toolkit, along with the CFR Charitable Sponsorship Agreement were developed in collaboration with the JMU Foundation and in line with Sponsorship Policy 30200. If you have questions or need help during any stage of the charitable sponsorship process, please contact Carrie Combs, Senior Director of Corporate and Foundation Relations, at teicheca@jmu.edu or (540) 568-4122.
Sponsorship or Advertising? When developing your sponsorship package, it is vital to understand the distinction between a charitable sponsorship and advertising. A sponsorship is charitable when a company pays for part of or all a program or event’s costs and receives recognition (e.g., logo placement, signage, verbal recognition, a featured speaker, etc.) for its support. • The IRS defines a sponsorship as any payment made by a person engaged in a trade or business for which the person will receive no substantial benefit other than the use or acknowledgement of the business name, logo, or product lines in connection with the organization’s activities. ‘Use or acknowledgement’ does not include advertising the sponsor’s products or services. The organization’s activities include all its activities, whether or not related to its exempt purposes. Advertising the sponsor’s products or services include: 1) messages containing qualitative or comparative language, price information, or other indications of saving or value 2) endorsements 3) inducements to purchase, sell, or use the products or services. The use of promotional logos or slogans that are established as part of the sponsor’s identity is not, by itself, advertising. In addition, mere distribution or display of a sponsor’s product by the organization to the public at a sponsored event, whether free or for remuneration, is considered use or acknowledgement of the product rather than advertising.
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James Madison University CFR Charitable Sponsorship Toolkit
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