Marketing Sponsorship Policy

Application

All members of the University involved with outgoing and inbound sponsorships.

In scope of this policy are all outgoing sponsorships and inbound second and third-party sponsorships.

Note - Any funding/grants provided to student groups or media partnerships, and funding sought by Alumni Relations and Development (such as for scholarship funding, student events, research, programmes and facilities funding) are out of scope.

Purpose

To establish principles that must be consistently applied when assessing and approving requests for outgoing and in-bound sponsorship, in order to maintain the University’s reputation and brand.

The policy objectives are to:

  • coordinate the University’s sponsorship activities
  • ensure that the University enters into suitable sponsorship activities
  • ensure sponsorships have measureable outcomes
  • help staff assess sponsorship proposals fairly and equitably
  • promote understanding of the value of sponsorships
  • ensure the University maximises the full potential benefit from any sponsorship arrangement entered in to.

Introduction

Sponsorship is the payment of monetary value, or the provision of services, rights or any type of property including goods and real estate, to the University where the payer or provider receives a consideration for such payment or provision in the form of advertising, logo use, publicity, naming or such similar rights but is not intended to mean or include normal day to day commercial transactions in which the University, in the ordinary course of business, purchases or otherwise acquires goods and services from another party.


Note - Sponsorships can be outgoing, i.e. the University providing money or in-kind support to an external organisation, or inbound, i.e. an external organisation providing money or in-kind support to a University faculty or service division.

Policy

1. The University views its sponsorship contributions as investments that reflect its commitments to the community and/or its partners and only proposals that are consistent with the University’s current strategy and values will be considered for sponsorship.

2. Prior to entering into a sponsorship agreement, the Communications and Marketing Manager (or equivalent) from the faculty/service division involved will complete the Sponsorship Assessment Form.

Note - Members must identify and disclose any actual, potential or perceived conflict of interest that may affect, or may be seen to affect, their impartiality when entering into any sponsorship arrangements as required by the University’s Conflict of Interest Policy and Conflict of Interest Procedures.

3. The University will not support sponsorship activities:

  • that do not reflect the University’s mission, vision and policies
  • that are closely tied to registered political parties
  • that may adversely affect the reputation of the University
  • that are inconsistent with the maintenance of the highest ethical standards and the need to permit public scrutiny
  • that are likely to adversely affect the University’s autonomy or academic freedom
    that are illegal

4. The faculty/service division involved must have approved agreement terms for all sponsorship arrangements and must require activities to be regularly reviewed and measured.

5. These agreements must have clear ownership and management responsibilities.

6. All sponsorships must be approved as follows prior to any agreement being finalised:

  • Sponsorships up to $500 in value may be agreed without prior approval, but are to be registered in line with item 10 of this policy
  • Sponsorships between $501 and $5,000 in value must have written approval from the relevant Director of Faculty Operations
  • Sponsorships between $5,001 to $10,000 in value must have written approval from the relevant SLT member or the Associate Director, Marketing
  • Sponsorships over $10,000 must have written approval from the Vice-Chancellor or their delegate.

7. The GST treatment of any sponsorship must be determined and explicitly stated in the sponsorship agreement.

8. In the negotiation of any sponsorship arrangement, the commercial value of any in-kind support must be clearly identified and acknowledged by the agreeing parties.

9. If two or more University faculties or service divisions are sponsoring the same event or project, the University of Auckland logo must be used instead of faculty logos.

10. All new and renewed sponsorship agreements (inbound and outgoing) from March 2019 onwards must complete the Sponsorship Acknowledgement Form to ensure there is a complete central register of all University sponsorships.

11. The register will be held by University Marketing.

12. A sponsorship does not give either party to the agreement the right to represent or be a spokesperson for the other party

Outgoing sponsorships

13. Outgoing sponsorships must be assessed against the following key criteria:

  • compatibility with University strategic goals and objectives
  • alignment with the core values of the University
  • the effect to which the sponsorship increases the visibility and perceptions of the University with all key stakeholders, within Auckland, the rest of New Zealand and internationally
  • impact on the reputation of the University’s research and teaching
  • impact on enrolments of domestic and/or international students
  • demonstration of the University as a socially and culturally responsible organisation
  • builds engagement with communities of interest
  • alignment with the University’s current sponsorships

Inbound sponsorships

14. The following principles apply when assessing potential inbound sponsorship arrangements. The sponsorship arrangement must:

  • support the University’s wider strategic plan, vision, brand and objectives
  • enhance the activity or event being sponsored
  • be mutually beneficial for the sponsored event/project and the sponsor
  • not adversely impact the University’s reputation in the community or conflict with other University sponsorship commitments
  • be in the best interests of the University community, in particular its students
  • not include access to campus and/or students for activities that are inconsistent with university objectives or that conflict with other commitments to third parties
  • not be incompatible with university life or cause inconvenience to the campus community
  • align with the Sponsorship Guidelines

In addition:

  • sponsors must be reputable organisations whose public image, products and services are consistent with the University’s brand and values
  • the value of an inbound sponsorship must be such that it covers and enhances the effort and cost of seeking and managing the sponsorship
  • sponsorship of an activity will not entitle the sponsor to influence any decision of the University

Note - The use of the University logo in any publications or signage associated with an approved sponsorship must comply with the Marketing, Advertising and Publications Policy. Any use of the University logo must be approved prior to publication.

Definitions

The following definitions apply to this document: 

In-kind support: the provision of non-monetary support, e.g. venues, resources, staffing or other infrastructure.

Members means those persons who make up the University as set out in section 3(2) of The University of Auckland Act 1961, and includes University employees, students, Council committee members, contractors, sub-contractors and invitees.

Philanthropic funding is received where the funder expects nothing of value in return, other than recognition of their contribution and disposition of the gift in accordance with their wishes. The funder does not retain any implicit or explicit control over the funds after they have been transferred.

Sponsorship is the payment of monetary value, or the provision of services, rights or any type of property including goods and real estate, to the University where the payer or provider receives a consideration for such payment or provision in the form of advertising, logo use, publicity, naming or such similar rights but is not intended to mean or include normal day to day commercial transactions in which the University, in the ordinary course of business, purchases or otherwise acquires goods and services from another party.

  • Brand sponsorship refers to a sponsorship agreement where the University as a whole sponsors an external organisation or event.
  • Outgoing sponsorship refers to any University funded sponsorship of an external organisation to support an event or activity.
  • Faculty sponsorship refers to a sponsorship agreement between the University of Auckland and an external organisation which applies to sponsorship managed at a faculty level
  • Inbound sponsorship refers to any external organisation sponsoring an internal faculty, event or project within the University of Auckland, in return for promotion and/or certain specified benefits.
  • Third-party sponsorship is a sponsorship agreement between a student, University and the student’s sponsor.

University means the University of Auckland and includes all subsidiaries.

Key relevant documents

Include the following:

Document management and control

Owner: Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Operations) and Registrar
Content manager: Associate Director, Marketing
Approved by: Vice-Chancellor
Date approved: 18 March 2019
Review date: 18 March 2024