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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 Medical School might Med domains may participate in co-sponsorships and individual departments (acting as Dell Medical School) might also want to participate in co-sponsorship opportunities for events or functions specific to their departmental activities.  Each Department is allowed to spend $2,500 per fiscal year for sponsorship-related activities.  Spending against the limit will be tracked by both departmental personnel and the Dell Medical School Finance Office.  This amount should also be managed within the bounds of current budgets as requests for increases to departmental budgets will not be approved in order to cover co-sponsorship activities. To confirm available budget amounts, please contact dellmedfinance@austin.utexas.edu.After the Finance Team confirms in writing that there is funding available in a co-sponsorship budget, a co-sponsorship request needs to then be approved by the Communications office.  To request approval from Communications, please provide the following information to Stephen Scheibala 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
• Courtney Manuel, Executive Director of Development (courtney.manuel@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 goals 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 for that event

Once approval from Communications has been obtained, please submit the following information to dellmedfinance@austin.utexas.edu in order to process a co-sponsorship payment:

• Description of the planned event or function and supporting documentation stating how the funds will be used
• Statement of the benefit of the co-sponsorship to the University of Texas and the Dell Medical School
• Statement of how the University of Texas and the Dell Medical School will receive recognition
• Signature from the President, Provost, a Vice President, or Dean for approval on co-sponsorship form
• Verification with the accountant assigned to the account that co-sponsorships are allowable
• Appropriate Co-Sponsorship form(s) attached to payment document

• .

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.