Co-Sponsorship Payments

Policy

Dell Medical School (Dell Med) may receive requests for co-sponsorship of a function or event being held by another organization, such as a conference or reception. As defined by University of Texas at Austin (UT-Austin) policy, a co-sponsorship is “funding for a specific event or function that is planned, hosted, and sponsored by an outside entity, where the University of Texas at Austin receives a benefit as well as recognition for the co-sponsorship.”

Dell Med domains may participate in a limited number of co-sponsorship activities annually, provided that (1) such activities fall within the budget parameters designated for this purpose,1 and (2) the proposed co-sponsorship activity meets all of the following criteria:

• UT-Austin/Dell Med will participate in and have a strong presence at the event;
• UT-Austin/Dell Med will receive a benefit from co-sponsorship; and
• The event aligns with Dell Med’s mission.

In addition, co-sponsorship requests must be approved by the Dell Med Co-Sponsorship Committee. The Co-Sponsorship Committee consists of representatives from:

• The Dell Med Dean’s Office;
• Finance;
• Communications; and
• Development.

Current Co-Sponsorship Committee members include:

• Lori Cook, Chief of Staff (lori.cook@austin.utexas.edu);
• Susie Scheffler, Director of Finance (susie.scheffler@austin.utexas.edu);
• John Daigre, Executive Director of Communications & External Affairs (john.daigre@austin.utexas.edu); and
• Kristin Tommey, Associate Director for Annual Giving and Donor Impact (kristin.tommey@austin.utexas.edu) 

As part of the annual budget process, Dell Med Finance allocates $2,500 to each domain for co-sponsorship. Before using this allocation, however, the Co-Sponsorship Committee must review and approve co-sponsorship requests to ensure they meet policy requirements.

For those requests meeting Dell Med’s baseline criteria, the Co-Sponsorship Committee will generally give priority consideration to events that:

• Are open to the public;
• Focus on the populations of Austin, Travis County, and/or Central Texas; and
• Do not require more than $2,500 or its equivalent to co-sponsor.

The Co-Sponsorship Committee may still consider and approve events that fall outside these priority areas. The committee may also pace the distribution of funds to ensure co-sponsorship of appropriate events throughout the year. (E.g., Dell Med would likely not spend its total co-sponsorship budget in one quarter.)

Requests for co-sponsorship must be made at least six (6) weeks in advance of the event and require a Dell Med champion (described more fully in “Procedure”).

By mutual agreement, Dell Med and Seton Healthcare Family will not co-sponsor each other’s events in exchange for money. Dell Med does not generally co-sponsor the events of its donors.

Procedure

Identify a Dell Med champion. Organizations seeking Dell Med co-sponsorship must identify a Dell Med leader willing to champion the event and act as sponsor. Such leaders will typically be those at the executive-level or those who head Dell Med domains: departments, institutes, and other functional areas of expertise. The Dell Med sponsor or his/her designee will:

• Navigate and monitor the request throughout the selection process,
• Communicate the Co-Sponsorship Committee’s decision to the requesting entity,
• If approved, complete the required paperwork and assure the appropriate transfer of funds,
• If approved and relevant, manage event invites in coordination with the Co-Sponsorship Committee,
• If approved and relevant, oversee volunteer recruitment and management, and
• Perform other aspects of co-sponsorship oversight as needed.

The identified Dell Med champion or his/her designee will submit the co-sponsorship request, in writing, to any member of the Co-Sponsorship Committee. The request must be made at least six (6) weeks in advance and include:

• Event name and sponsoring organization;
• Event purpose, geographic focus, and beneficiaries;
• Date and location;
• Costs of sponsorship (including allocated budget funds and in-kind costs, such as those related to the use of Dell Med buildings);
• Audience make up (who and how many people);
• Relevance to Dell Med’s mission;
• Benefits of sponsorship (e.g., brand visibility, expo space, etc.); and
• List of other event co-sponsors.

Within two (2) weeks of receipt, the Co-Sponsorship Committee will:

• Ensure that sufficient funds exist to support the request (Finance Representative).
• Vet the request against Dell Med’s baseline criteria and align on whether to approve.
• Communicate the decision outcome to the appropriate Dell Med champion. The champion bears responsibility for communicating the decision outcome to the requesting entity.

If a request is approved, the Dell Med champion will, within two weeks (2) of decision notification, work with Dell Med Finance to issue the payment. Specifically:

• Submit the following to dellmedfinance@austin.utexas.edu, copying Charlotte Harris (charlotte.harris@austin.utexas.edu):
  • Invoice from vendor;
  • Proof of approval from Co-sponsorship Committee (e.g., email indicating approval);
  • Co-Sponsorship Payment Form; and
  • W-9 from the event’s host organization if UT-Austin has never engaged in services with the entity prior to the co-sponsorship request.
• Charlotte Harris will obtain the dean’s signature approval and return it to the Dell Med champion.
• The Dell Med champion submits a Payment Request via the Request Forms System and assigns to Group 00179 – DMS Finance with all attachments uploaded.
• Dell Med Finance processes request and issues payment to the event’s host organization.

NOTE: Approval of an event in one year does not guarantee Dell Med’s co-sponsorship of the same event in subsequent years. Committee approval is required each time.