SPONSORSHIP & DONATIONS

Approval Process

In an effort to maintain a consistent message and a good professional relationship with all potential donors, Viterbi has developed a Donor Solicitation Approval process for all student organizations to obtain sponsorships.

The approval process works in conjunction with the Viterbi Advancement Office, who are responsible for all solicitation. Many areas of Viterbi and USC solicit funding from corporations and individuals. This funding is vital to the life of the Viterbi and USC. Because of the sensitive nature of donations, it is important for us to present a unified front when approaching corporations and individuals for money.

Student organizations wishing to solicit funding from corporations or private donors must complete and submit the Donor Solicitation Approval form. If you are planning on contacting multiple potential sponsors, you can submit the form one time with a list of your potential donors. Student organizations can begin contacting a company or individual directly only upon approval.

USC Taxpayer ID

Many corporate and private donors provide gifts to indicate their support a student organization and take advantage of potential tax benefits. If you are approved to solicit funding from a corporation or individual, USC must be involved in coordinating receipt of these funds.

Viterbi Admission & Student Engagement staff will work with you on behalf of USC to obtain these donations, keeping the benefits to both your organization and the donor in mind. A Gift Account Coordinator will provide the USC Taxpayer ID number to the donor and is the only person who has the authority to sign off on a contribution statement (often provided by the donor). The Gift Account Coordinator in the Viterbi Advancement Office will also ensure proper bookkeeping regarding each student organization’s individual gift account status.

Gift Accounts

Viterbi has established a gift account for recognized student organizations to deposit their donations from company or individual donors. All donations from a corporation or individual must be deposited into the gift account. Depositing funds into this account accomplishes the following:

1. Provides the donor the eligible tax benefits through the required documentation on behalf of the University.
2. Removes all tax liability and filing requirements from an individual student or student organization.
3. Ensures acceptance of these funds as the responsibility of the University rather than an individual student or student organization.
4. While most university gift accounts require additional fees on gifts to be paid, we have established one gift account for use by all student organizations that have these fees waived.
5. Individual account ledgers for each student organization available for review upon request.