The Yale College Dean’s Office is dedicated to enriching the educational experience of undergraduates by fostering student leadership and involvement in diverse organizations.
This page covers the rules and requirements for partnering with or receiving sponsorship from an outside organization or company, including approval steps for students soliciting a sponsor and the terms that sponsor/partner organizations must agree to. If you’re looking for information on fundraising for a cause, alumni fundraising, or on-campus sales, see Fundraising.
These regulations apply to all RSOs affiliated with Yale, including official Yale Chapters of national organizations, and to any organization sponsoring or partnering with an RSO.
For Students: Soliciting Sponsorships
If your organization wants to solicit sponsorship from individuals or companies to help fund your group and/or an event, you must first get approval for your solicitation materials. This includes (but is not limited to):
- Flyers
- Pamphlets
- Emails
- Slide decks
Materials must clearly state that any sponsorship is for your organization, not Yale University, and that as a sponsorship, any money given is not tax-deductible.
Please email materials, along with a list of potential sponsors, to student.organizations@yale.edu.
Once you have a sponsor lined up, share the requirements and terms below with them before finalizing your agreement.
Requirements for Sponsor/Partner Organizations
To sponsor or partner with an RSO, an organization must meet the following:
- Be a legal entity, such as a 501(c)(3) non-profit corporation or other business entity.
- Have a mission that aligns with the mission and values of Yale University.
- Ensure all activities related to the sponsorship/partnership comply with Yale College’s Undergraduate Regulations, Yale University Policy, and Yale Public Safety recommendations. Where a sponsor/partner’s own policies conflict with Yale’s, Yale’s policies apply.
- Report any complaint of unethical conduct against the sponsor/partner organization or the affiliated RSO to the Yale College Dean’s Office immediately, by emailing student.organizations@yale.edu.
- Allow the RSO to terminate the connection with the sponsor/partner organization at will.
Terms for Sponsor/Partner Organizations
By sponsoring or partnering with an RSO, an organization acknowledges and agrees to the following:
- Any funding given by or to Yale University on behalf of the student organization, and any revenue generated from an RSO event (including joint events), must remain completely, and at all times, under the control of the student leaders — not turned over to the sponsor/partner organization.
- Events held on campus by an RSO must be organized and run solely by the student organization, including guest registration.
- Yale is not responsible for debts incurred by RSOs.
- Students are not authorized to sign contracts on behalf of Yale University. Yale is not required to uphold, and will not be responsible for, contracts entered into by RSOs.
- RSOs may not be used by for-profit entities to generate profits.
- Yale does not allow advertising on campus for the sale of goods for profit.
- Sponsoring/partnering with an RSO does not permit broad advertising on Yale’s campus. Sponsors/partners may be acknowledged and given a presence at an event at the RSO’s discretion.
- Use of the Yale name in literature, publicity, social media, or printing must be approved by Yale’s Office of Trademarks and Licensing.
- Neither students, RSOs, nor sponsoring/partnering organizations have the authority to speak on behalf of Yale University. Sponsoring/partnering organizations also do not have the authority to speak on behalf of RSOs or students.