Corporate Sponsorship & Donation Resources

Corporate Sponsorship & Donation Resources 

University policy governs all fundraising activities for cash, goods or services done by departments and student groups targeting off-campus entities including local businesses, corporations, foundations or individuals. 

The Office of Development and Alumni Relations (DAR) is able to provide clubs that host officially recognized conferences at Columbia Business School with company contact information, samples of sponsorship outreach letters, corporate speaker solicitation letters, and information about past sponsorship and donations. Once a club has secured a sponsorship pledge, DAR must invoice all committed donors. Sponsorship funds are then deposited directly into the club’s University spending account, and must be spent on the event the funds were requested for.

CORPORATE SPONSORSHIP

WHO IS ELIGIBLE FOR CORPORATE SPONSORSHIP?

Columbia Business School student organizations that host annual conferences that advance the mission and goals of the school, as well as the individual student group. Funding for other non-conference events and general club support should be facilitated through membership dues and club accounts. Students are not to solicit monetary sponsorships or donations for club activities or general support outside of conferences. 

PRIOR SPONSORSHIPS: On rare occasions, a student organization might have previously obtained sponsorship from a corporate partner that was not related to a club conference. If you suspect that your club has received such sponsorship in the past and are looking to continue, please reach out to Quadri Olanlege.

CORPORATE SPONSORSHIP ELIGIBILITY RATIONALE

When looking for corporate sponsorship opportunities, companies often look for the following determining factors that impact their ability to appropriately budget and offer funding:

  • Event purpose and takeaway (how do company goals, mission and vision align with an event)
  • Event longevity and sustainability (can the event be a successful and sustainable return on investment)
  • Event planning and timing (is this event planned out with enough time for a company to factor into their annual budget)
  • Event participation and visibility (can sponsoring companies have a clear connection to an event such as keynotes, panels, etc.)
  • Event marketing (how will the company be promoted in the marketing for this conference/event)? Which audiences will this group be appealing to and how?

HOW TO OBTAIN CORPORATE SPONSORSHIP

For student organizations that are qualified based off of policies noted on this website, the following must occur:

  1. Review the Steps to Corporate Sponsorship One-Pager
  2. Contact Quadri Olanlege for questions and next-step information

All potential sponsorships and solicitation must be approved by DAR prior to any communication from a student organization. 

NOTE ON LOAN COMPANY RELATED CORPORATE SPONSORSHIP

Fundraising from student loan related companies and/or refinance lenders is prohibited to avoid any quid pro quo assertions.  

The companies impacted include, but are not limited, to:

  • Citizens Bank
  • College Ave
  • CommonBond
  • Credible
  • Discover Student Loans
  • Earnest
  • EDvestinU
  • First Republic
  • SoFi (or Social Finance)
  • Juno (formerly LeverEdge)
  • Laurel Road (formerly DRB)
  • LendKey
  • MPower Financing
  • PNC Bank
  • Prodigy Finance
  • Quorum Federal Credit Union
  • ReliaMax SouthEast Bank 
  • Sallie Mae
  • SoFi (or Social Finance)
  • Sun Trust Bank
  • Wells Fargo Education Financial Services

DONATIONS

ALUMNI DONATIONS

Students are not to solicit donations from individuals for general club operations and events. Alternatively, individuals can contribute to the Columbia Business School annual fund or scholarship fund to support the institution. In the rare case that an individual would like to give a gift to your club, contact Quadri Olanlege.

IN-KIND DONATIONS

Funds for items such as food and merchandise should be sourced from your club's membership dues and club accounts. In the rare situation a club secures a sponsor to provide these types of items.

  • If the in-kind donation sponsor requires official recognition, please contact Quadri Olanlege to initiate a discussion on the correct procedure for tax receipt purposes. 
  • In-kind donations that do not require official recognition are allowable, but must be reported to DAR for awareness. 
  • Any in-kind donations that are offered by alumni must also be reported to DAR prior to acceptance. 
  • All in-kind donations must be used as intended. Any deviation from original use may impact your club’s ability to accept any type of corporate sponsorship or donations in the future.