Home > Resources and Services > Business Office > Receiving Gifts and Awards
- Processing Payments
- Types of Payments
- Transferring Funds
- Travel Reimbursement
- Donations and Contributions
- Receiving Gifts and Awards
- Contracts and Agreements
- Co-Sponsoring Events
- Travel Business Expense Report
- Cash/check Deposits
- Vendor Authorization
- Copy/Print Authorization
- Car Services
- Pre-Travel Authorization
- Check Request
- Internal Transfers
- Wire Transfers
- Travel Reimbursements
- Transportation (rail, air, bus)
Receiving Gifts and Awards
To accept a gift of donation, a memo must be submitted to SIPA’s Business Manager Stevie Robinson in IAB Room 1420. The memo should indicate that a prospective donor would like to make a gift to support your group, and should contain the following information:
- The amount of the gift; and,
- What activities the gift is intended to support.
If the gift is a donation “in kind” (meaning goods or services rather than cash) and the donor wants to receive a receipt for tax purposes, the Business Office will contact the SIPA Development Office for approval and guidance on how to precede.
After review of the supporting documentation, the Business Office will advise whether Columbia can accept the gift. If the gift is accepted, the University will acknowledge the gift but the student group should also send a thank you letter to the donor confirming receipt of the gift.
Please Note: No SIPA faculty, staff or students can accept a donation or gift without authorization.
After Approval
Business Manager Stevie Robinson will contact the group with an account number and provide wire transfer information, if necessary.
IMPORTANT:
- Checks must be made payable to Columbia University. SIPA and its student groups have no legal identity and thus cannot accept gifts in their name;
- If a gift is cash or a check, documentation from the donor of the gift’s purpose and the dollar amount must be submitted to the Business Office. If the gift is “in-kind,” documentation must be submitted to SIPA’s Office of Alumni and Development.
- All gifts are subject to a 10 percent administrative fee charge. This means that a $500 gift will allow the group to spend about $455.
- Gifts are restricted funds and can only be spent for the purposes described in the donor’s letter.
- Gifts of cash will be formally acknowledged by the University Office of Gift Systems. A personal thank you from the group receiving the gifts is usually appropriate. Examples of thank you letters are available upon request.