Guidelines for Seeking and Accepting Outside Sponsorships

  1. It is appropriate to seek or accept sponsorships from commercial vendors for the purpose of defraying the expense of an event or activity.  Sponsorships should be limited to commercial vendors whose business complements MCCCD's mission and vision, and that would not impair MCCCD's reputation as a public institution of higher education.
  2. Seeking or accepting sponsorships of MCCCD events or activities by commercial entities, either through financial payments or in-kind support, should be done in a way that ensures that the selection is an open process.  Selection should not done in a way that suggests an inappropriately close relationship between the sponsor and MCCCD.  Documentation of the terms of the sponsorship is key.  See Paragraph 5.  Additionally, sponsorships should not be sought only from vendors from whom MCCCD purchases items or services or from one vendor.  Moreover, a sponsorship initiated by one vendor should not be accepted without offering the opportunity to other vendors.
  3. Sponsorships are appropriate for the support of educational activities.  Examples are conferences or scoreboards for athletic fields.   They are not appropriate for activities in which MCCCD is unable to engage due to legal or policy constraints, such as sponsorship of a bar at an MCCCD event.  Additionally, they are not appropriate for food, drink, or gifts where the purpose of the sponsorship is to engage in activities or procure items that would not meet the requirements of an official function expenditure under MCCCD's Official Function Administrative Regulation.
  4. An MCCCD employee's or officer's acceptance from a commercial vendor of food, drink, gifts, valuable commemorative items, tickets, discounts, or other items of more than nominal value under the guise of a sponsorship or otherwise is inappropriate when those are offered because of the employee's or officer's connection to MCCCD.  It strongly suggests to those outside of MCCCD that the employee or officer is being provided something that will impair his or her independent judgment on MCCCD's behalf, regardless of whether it is true or not. MCCCD specifically directs vendors doing business with it not to offer such items.  See http://business.maricopa.edu/purchasing/employee-purchasing-guide/gratuities-and-conflict-of-interest, which says: "Purchasing staff and all other MCCCD employees are prohibited from accepting gifts, gratuities or favors, though the intent may be customary or honorary in practice. All MCCCD employees and vendors are subject to appropriate civil and criminal statutes related to conflict of interest, bribery, and other similar offenses."
  5. The terms of the sponsorship should be made clear before MCCCD accepts the sponsorship through a written agreement like the one available at: https://district.maricopa.edu/sites/district/files/documents/pdf/legal/Sponsorship.pdf.
  6. Payments or other value received that don't meet the requirements of Paragraph 7 are generally considered income to MCCCD and are subject to federal income tax reporting.  Individual questions of judgment or interpretation will be addressed on a case-by-case basis by the Legal and Tax Departments at the District Office.
  7. MCCCD acknowledgement or public recognition of a sponsor must stay within the standards specified below.
    • The sponsor may not receive a significant amount of goods, event passes, services, etc. from MCCCD in exchange for their payment.
    • In addition to the sponsor's name, acknowledgments may include only the following:
      •  A non-promotional slogan that identifies the sponsor 
      • A value-neutral description of a product line or service
      • Trade names, product or service listings that aid in identifying the sponsor 
      • A reference to the time in business or service (i.e., since 1954) 
      • Business location (specific or general) 
      • A telephone number and/or website address
    • Acknowledgments may not include any of the following:
      • Comparative or qualitative analysis of products or services 
      • A call to action to consume a product or service 
      • Inducement to buy, sell, rent or trade 
      • Pricing information, interest rates, etc. 
      • Music bed or identifying audio signature 
      •  A non-Maricopa voice (i.e., no company spokesman allowed)

Page Updated 04/05/18