Host an Event

Thank you for your interest in hosting an event to benefit the University of Arizona Cancer Center. Your support will help our physicians and scientists continue to make medical breakthroughs and educate the next generation of scientists, physicians and health care professionals—improving the lives of people in Arizona and throughout the world. 

Gifts made to the University of Arizona Cancer Center support major research initiatives in cancer prevention and control, cancer imaging and new drug development. Your support will help our researchers translate laboratory discoveries into evidence-based prevention efforts and personalized treatment strategies for cancer patients.  

You can determine if your gift will be unrestricted and will support the area of greatest research need or you can select a specific recipient focus as your event’s beneficiary. 

The University of Arizona Foundation is a nonprofit organization on the University of Arizona campus that solicits private, tax-deductible contributions for all areas of the University of Arizona, including the University of Arizona Cancer Center. University of Arizona Health Sciences and the University of Arizona Cancer Center acknowledge the University of Arizona Foundation as the preferred channel for private contributions that benefit all areas of the University of Arizona. 

In the following sections, you will find information about hosting and planning your event, as well as the University of Arizona Cancer Center, University of Arizona Health Sciences and University of Arizona Foundation’s promotional and financial guidelines. Please read the information carefully and once you are ready to proceed, complete and submit the proposal form at least 45 days prior to your event for University of Arizona Cancer Center review and approval.

We hope you find this guide helpful for planning your event. Thank you for your interest in supporting the University of Arizona Cancer Center and our fight for a #CancerFreeAZ.  

Prior to any event activity:  

The University of Arizona Foundation and University of Arizona Cancer Center reserve the right to request additional information before approving any event or activity. 

Below are tips to assist in planning your event. These tips should be used in addition to guidelines outlined in this kit.   

First Steps

• Evaluate your time and strengths of your planning committee to determine an appropriate event.
• Define event concepts  
• Determine if your gift will be unrestricted or directed to a particular area 
• Create your event message 
• Identify event specifics, such as the date and location 

Details

• Create a fundraising plan with a goal and budget 
• Plan anticipated event expenses to keep your event finances on track 
• Establish a timeline to know when important tasks are due 
• Secure vendors and volunteers for your event 

Execution

• Mail and/or e-mail invitations to anyone you know with an interest in your cause 
• Review your fundraising plan, budget, time line, and vendor and volunteer tasks to make sure you’re on track 

Follow-up 

• Acknowledge and thank your donors, participants, sponsors, and in-kind donors 
• Send collected funds to the University of Arizona Health Sciences Development Office within three-business day following your event 
• Provide the University of Arizona Cancer Center with your attendees and their contact information so that we may continue to support your cause by contacting your donors and participants with relevant beneficiary news updates and information.

Third-Party Responsibilities

The University of Arizona Cancer Center and the University of Arizona Foundation are unable to provide staffing support for community fundraising activities due to liability. We appreciate your gift of time and talent to help expand our fundraising efforts.  Unfortunately, we cannot: 

• Handle securing an appropriate venue or other services (e.g., food, entertainment) 
• Provide on-site staff or volunteers at fundraising events 
• Share University of Arizona Cancer Center or University of Arizona Foundation mailing lists, including donors, physicians, employees, volunteers, vendors or patients 
• Provide insurance coverage, permits, or licenses for your event 
• Secure sponsorships for your event 
• Provide funding for your event 
• Guarantee attendance of staff, physicians, or patients at your event(s), including subsequent check presentations or photo opportunities with staff or patients 

Neither University of Arizona Cancer Center nor the University of Arizona Foundation assume liability for the planning or execution of any third- party event. 

Disclaimer: University of Arizona Health Sciences and University of Arizona Foundation reserve the right to adjust the contents of this packet to meet the needs of individual event circumstances. Those situations are evaluated internally and done so on a case-by-case basis.  It is expected that unless otherwise approved, all third-party event activities will adhere to the guideline outlined in this packet. The University of Arizona Cancer Center may withdraw approval at any time should we discover a misalignment of missions with our organization.   

Important: Because your event is a fundraiser, it is subject to financial and federal tax regulations that require detailed accounting of your event revenues and expenses. We have prepared the following information to help you properly report your event’s financial activity and understand the University of Arizona Cancer Center’s role and responsibilities as they relate to your event. 

Event Expense Liability

The event organizer is responsible for all event expenses. Third-party event expenses will not be reimbursed by University of Arizona Health Sciences, the University of Arizona Cancer Center or the University of Arizona Foundation. University of Arizona Health Sciences cannot process any credit card or debit card transactions for your event. If event expenses exceed event revenues, University of Arizona Health Sciences, the University of Arizona Cancer Center, the University of Arizona Foundation, and the University of Arizona will NOT be held liable to pay these expenses. 

We advise third-party event host/organizers to create a detailed budget and follow the IRS 70/30 guidance on limiting expenses to 25-30 percent of total revenues raised. 

Event Banking

There may be legal and tax implications for anyone who uses his or her personal bank account to process event revenues and expenses. Contact your legal adviser, tax adviser, or bank representative to advise you in this area. 

Federal and State Tax Exemption

Because the University of Arizona Cancer Center is not hosting this event and it is considered a third-party event, you will not be able to claim University of Arizona Foundation’s IRS 501(c)(3) charitable classification, federal tax ID number, or state of Arizona sales tax-exempt certificate. 

Gift Receipting

The University of Arizona Cancer Center will not issue gift receipts for donors/participants who make a payment to your event. This includes participants who donate auction items and those who sponsor your event. If you wish to issue gift receipts to your donors/participants, you may apply for an IRS charitable classification. The necessary information can be found in IRS Publications 526 & 1771.

If you are not using event revenue to pay event expenses, you may elect to have your donor/participants make their checks payable directly to the University of Arizona Foundation/The University of Arizona Cancer Center and send the checks to us for deposit. In this case, the University of Arizona Foundation will provide receipts for each check to the check issuers and the University of Arizona Cancer Center will provide an acknowledgement letter. 

In order to deposit gifts payable to the University of Arizona Foundation for the benefit of the University of Arizona Cancer Center, you must include a copy of the printed materials related to the event and to the particular gift that tell donors the amount of their contribution or payment, that is tax deductible. All printed materials for your event must include this disclosure.  

Donor Intent

For the University of Arizona Foundation to accept donations from your event, the promotions and solicitations for your event should clearly indicate the donors’ intentions– that is, the purpose for which the funds are being raised. 

The use of the “proceeds benefit” logos shown on Page 9 clearly indicates the purpose. In text, we recommend this statement: “Proceeds from this event will benefit the University of Arizona Cancer Center”.

Tax Treatment of Donations

Your event staff or committee is responsible for collecting all gift funds generated. Only checks made out directly to the University of Arizona Cancer Center or the University of Arizona Foundation may be classified as gifts to the University of Arizona Foundation. In this case, the University of Arizona Foundation will provide receipts for each check to the check issuers. 

However, certain types of donations are not gifts to the University of Arizona Foundation, including: 

• Payments to the event organizers for event participation, such as “entrance fees”  
• Payments made by individuals that are used to pay for event costs 

To determine the amount of the gift that is tax deductible, reduce the amount of the gift by the market value (not cost) of any benefits the donor received such as meals, entertainment, T-shirts, etc.  

Sample disclosure language includes:  

• “$50 of the $100 registration fee is considered a tax-deductible donation.” 
• “None of the registration fee is considered a tax-deductible donation.” 
• “Ticket price is $100. Tax-deductible contribution is $40.” 
• “No portion of the fee or ticket price for the event is tax deductible.” 

Submitting Net Proceeds 

To contribute to the University of Arizona Cancer Center from your event proceeds, please make the check payable to: 

“University of Arizona Foundation/University of Arizona Cancer Center”   

1515 N. Campbell Avenue 

P.O. Box 245024

Tucson, AZ 85724 

A receipt will be provided to the check issuer by the University of Arizona Foundation. 

Cash

Cash donations must be received with a list of donors, addresses and specific amounts, otherwise cash will be collected as an anonymous gift.  Cash should not be deposited into a personal account in order to write University of Arizona Foundation/University of Arizona Cancer Center a check for the amount.    

Continued Support

When you submit your check to the University of Arizona Cancer Center, please provide a list of your event’s attendees and their contact information, so that we may continue to help support your cause. The University of Arizona Cancer Center reserves the right to contact event donors/participants unless attendees state during event registration that they do not wish to be contacted by University of Arizona Cancer Center. 

Auctions

The University of Arizona Cancer Center will not be held liable in any claims or issues related to third-party event live and silent auctions and will not take possession of or be responsible for any items contributed for auction at your event. 

The appropriate silent auction bid sheet should be submitted with each individual check written to purchase a silent auction item. The University of Arizona Cancer Center can provide sample bid sheets for your use. Drafts of all silent auction-related printed materials must be submitted to University of Arizona Cancer Center for review prior to the event for approval. 

Silent auction bid sheets must contain the following:  

• A brief description of the item to be auctioned 
• The fair market value of the item 
• A place for bidders to write their names or bidder numbers and bid amounts 
• A tax deductibility statement (i.e. IRS 90-12 disclosure) Example: Your payment in excess of the fair market value(s) of item(s) purchased qualifies as a tax-deductible donation. 
• A place to write the winning bidder’s address and phone number 
• A minimum bid may also be stated on the bid sheet, but it must be in addition to the fair market value and not in place of it.  

Please note: The fair market value of personalized or one-of-a-kind items such as autographed photos or golf with celebrity partners is always equal to the purchase price. Therefore, for such purchases, the amount, which qualifies as a tax-deductible donation, is always zero. Certain works of art may also fall into this category if there is no readily established fair market value.  

Raffles and Charitable Gambling

A raffle participant is buying a chance to win a prize. Accordingly, no part of any payment for raffle tickets is considered a tax-deductible contribution to the University of Arizona Foundation or University of Arizona Cancer Center. This information must appear in all printed materials related to the raffle. You must include a copy of these materials when you submit raffle ticket proceeds for deposit.  

It is against the law for a nonprofit organization to send raffle tickets through the US mail. The only exception is where a donation is not required e.g. via a check box– “Please enter my name in the drawing. I do not wish to make donation at this time.” This prohibition extends to account holders who sell raffle tickets and deposit the proceeds at the University of Arizona Foundation/University of Arizona Cancer Center. Account holders may mention the raffle in printed materials sent through the mail and accept payments for ticket by mail, but the tickets themselves should be picked up at the event.  

There may be federal tax consequences and reporting considerations for raffle winners. Accordingly, please consult with a University of Arizona Cancer Center staff member in advance, if you plan to raffle a prize valued at $5,000 or more. 

Corporate Sponsorship Payments

Corporate sponsorships are an important funding source for third-party events. The University of Arizona Foundation and University of Arizona Cancer Center are only able to accept “qualified sponsorship payments” as defined by the IRS. For example, if the sponsor makes its payment and in return only receives tickets to the event and an acknowledgement for its sponsorship, then its payment in excess of the fair value of the tickets received represents a qualified tax-deductible donation.  

Problems arise when, instead of an acknowledgement, the recognition includes one or more of the following items that could be considered advertising for the sponsor: 

• Qualitative or comparative language 
• Links to sponsor web sites from the University of Arizona Cancer Center website 
• Price information or other indications of savings or value 
• An endorsement or an inducement to purchase, sell or use the products or services 

For example, a payment in exchange for the acknowledgement “Proudly sponsored by Joe’s Coffee” is a qualified payment, whereas a payment in exchange for an acknowledgement “Buy Joe’s Coffee; it’s the best” is not. Your sponsors may include the following additional items with their acknowledgement: 

Logos and slogans that do not contain qualitative or comparative descriptions of the sponsor’s product, services, facilities or company. 

• A list of the sponsor’s locations, telephone numbers, or Internet address 
• The sponsor’s brand or trade names and product or service listings 

The University of Arizona Cancer Center brand is important to all of us. We take pride in our brand image and work hard to ensure the messaging connected to it is positive and consistent, because it reflects on the important work of our researchers, physicians, faculty, and staff. 

As a volunteer University of Arizona Cancer Center third-party event host/organizer, you assume the responsibilities of adhering to University of Arizona and University of Arizona Cancer Center brand policies. 

These guidelines include the following key points:  

The University of Arizona Cancer Center reserves the right to review all promotional materials and make changes in messaging to ensure that the language is consistent with branding guidelines. 

The University of Arizona Cancer Center name and its affiliates are registered trademarks and cannot be reproduced without written permission from University of Arizona Cancer Center. 

Logo Options                                  

All materials using the University of Arizona Cancer Center and/or University of Arizona Foundation logo must be reviewed and approved prior to use. 

Determine your logo needs for your promotional materials. Once your event is approved, you will receive the requested logo in addition to the detailed promotional guide. The logo provided and others in this toolkit may not be copied or otherwise used.