City of Shenandoah Sponsorship Policy

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1 City of Shenandoah Sponsorship Policy The City of Shenandoah supports charitable, business and local events and programs that sustain the community and are consistent with state laws that determine the appropriate expenditure of public funds for these purposes. The City receives numerous requests each year for financial and in-kind support of a range of events, activities and programs. Each request must be submitted in writing at least six months before the sponsorship is needed, using an application form provided by the City. The City will only consider sponsorships that provide a direct public benefit. The support of any program, event or activity in any given year does not guarantee repeated support in the future. The City s annual budget, as approved by the City Council, includes funds allocated for sponsorships for that year and are disbursed on a first come, first served basis. Additional requests for sponsorships that exceed the amount of funds allocated in the current year s budget will be considered for the following year, if applicable. To be considered in the following budget year, all applications must be submitted no later than June of the current year. The City Administrator will give final approval of all sponsorships. Applicants for sponsorships that are not approved may appeal to the City Council for reconsideration. Types of Sponsorships Sponsorship may take a variety of forms including, but not limited, to: 1. Purchase of tickets and/or a table at an event, advertising, exhibits, or combinations of benefits or other activities through which the City of Shenandoah may be publicized. 2. In-kind assistance in the form of staff expertise, staff time, printing, photography or other resources, as available and appropriate. 3. Providing the one-time use of meeting space or other City property or facilities at a reduced rate or no cost. 4. Providing matching funds for a particular program or purpose. 5. Participating in local community or business events at which the honoree is related to City business as a customer or tenant, employee, or a City official. 6. Support of educational or artistic endeavors directly related to the City but which do not duplicate already established and recognized educational efforts and programs.

2 7. Financial support of community events intended to promote tourism, the use of entertainment venues in the city limits, overnight stays in the City s hotels, or awareness of the City as a regional destination and/or economic asset. Sponsorship Criteria Sponsorship for charitable, business or community events must meet the following basic criteria. The amount of the approved financial or in-kind support is at the discretion of the City Administrator and will be appropriate for the benefits provided to the City of Shenandoah. 1. Recipients of community outreach dollars must show evidence of their status as a tax-exempt organization as described in Internal Revenue Code Section 501 (c)(3). 2. The event or promotion is targeted at residents and/or the community, business and/or government leaders and will provide a means to increase awareness of City programs, goals or activities. 3. Recipients are not: Individuals Political campaigns or parties Adult related industries Groups that discriminate on the basis of age, race, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation or national origin Schools, churches and other religious organizations, where public funds may be specifically used in support of religious activities Programs or events that serve the special interests of an individual or group within the City and provide no benefit to the City as a whole Groups with which the City is currently in litigation or which have sued the City or in the past 4. All sponsorship funds must go toward the event itself and must not be used to pay commissions, bonuses or other incentives for fund-raising efforts by staff, volunteers or other parties. 5. Requests for sponsorship cannot be initiated by a City employee or a member of the City Council. 6. Approval of sponsorship funds shall be considered as one-time approvals. Requesting agencies shall not assume that funding is pre-approved for subsequent years or amounts. 7. Any applicant found guilty of violating, misleading, neglecting or refusing to comply with the City s sponsorship guidelines shall be disqualified from submitting any future requests.

3 Sponsorship Funding General Fund Sponsorships approved from the General Fund must comply with the above criteria and serve to promote the city s interests, including benefits to the city s residents, commercial businesses, and economic development. Promotion of the city may take the form of inclusion in the general advertising for the event, program or activity and the opportunity for city participation. The applicant must provide a list of potential benefits to the city in return for the proposed sponsorship. The City Administrator will evaluate the cost-to-benefit ratio as the basis for approval of the sponsorship. Municipal Development District Funds Sponsorships approved from Municipal Development District (MDD) Funds must be related to specific projects that serve to promote economic development within the city limits and extending to the City s extra-territorial jurisdiction (ETJ).

4 Application for Sponsorship Support 1. Date: 2. Name of organization applying for sponsorship: 3. Names and dates of event, program or activity: 4. Location of the event, program or activity: 5. Describe the purpose and content of the event, program or activity: 6. If not an event, describe the intended use of funds and/or where the benefitting venues or organizations are located: 7. Number of expected in attendance: 8. Describe how the event, program or activity will be promoted:

5 9. Describe how the event, program or activity complies with the City of Shenandoah s Sponsorship Guidelines: 10. Describe how the event, program or activity provides a direct public benefit to the City of Shenandoah: 11. List the number of anticipated hotel room nights generated by the event, program or activity, if applicable: 12. Amount requested: 13. In-kind services requested: 14. Are any commissions, bonuses or other incentives given to staff, volunteers or other parties for soliciting sponsorships? 15. Will the event, program or activity require assistance from city staff for security, traffic control, or set-up? If so, staff support would satisfy a portion of the sponsorship in the form of in-kind services.

6 16. List the sponsorship levels and the benefits associated with each level: (can be included as an attachment) 17. Describe how the funds will be used: 18. Provide a list of other event sponsors and the amount of funds provided: (provide as attachment) 19. Describe how the event, program or activity will benefit and/or promote the City of Shenandoah: Please attach copies of any marketing, advertising, or promotional materials associated with the event, program or activity. Approved: Date: Greg Smith, City Administrator