Corporate sponsorships are a great way for clubs to access additional funding. Wharton External Affairs handles fundraising for the Wharton School and has the contacts and relationships to help your club access some of the world’s leading corporations.
To ensure that multiple student groups are not targeting the same company and to make certain that the student groups are representing the Wharton name appropriately, External Affairs requires that student clubs submit all solicitation materials and letters in advance for review and approval.
Procedure for seeking corporate sponsorship:
- At least two months before the club’s desired solicitation start date, email a copy of all of your club’s corporate solicitation correspondence/materials to undergradinfo@wharton.upenn.edu, you will be notified once the materials have been reviewed and approved by Wharton External Affairs.
- Once a company has agreed to financially sponsor the club, the club leader or finance chair must fill out the Club Sponsorship Form and email it to ug-finance@wharton.upenn.edu.
- Methods of payment:
- Wire transfers are the university’s preferred method of payment for all corporate sponsorships. Please communicate this to your company sponsors. Be sure to indicate payment by wire transfer on the payment method line of the corporate sponsorship form. The finance office will follow up with the company contact to initiate the wire transfer process.
- If a wire transfer is not possible, the company may pay for the sponsorship by check. Please indicate payment by check on the sponsorship form. The check must be made payable to the “Trustees of the University of Pennsylvania” with the name of the recipient club on the memo line of the check or in a memo included with the payment. All checks must be mailed to: The Wharton Undergraduate Division, Attention: Frank De Francis, Business Administrator, 1400 Steinberg Hall-Dietrich Hall, 3620 Locust Walk, Philadelphia, PA 19104. Once received, the check will be deposited into the club’s account for club use.
- If the company is incapable of paying by wire transfer or check, a credit card payment can be accepted as a last resort. Please indicate payment by credit card on the payment method line. Do not ask for any credit card information; the finance office will follow up with the company contact to process the credit card payment over the phone. You will be notified once the credit card payment has been processed. Barring any delays, receipts for credit card payments are typically sent to the company contact 30 days after the transaction date.
Please be sure to check with the corporate sponsor about specifics regarding use of their name and logo on marketing materials and how to properly acknowledge them as a sponsor of your club’s event or conference. Also, please be sure to send thank-you notes in a timely manner to recognize your corporate sponsors’ gifts.
Please note that student groups/clubs are not permitted to solicit sponsorship from companies they also do pro bono consulting work for.