Sponsorship is external support, either financial or for goods in-kind, in return for some form of acknowledgement. We strongly encourage you to look into all possible sponsorship opportunities, as Students’ Union UCL cannot provide extensive funding for all of the activities of your club or society.
Before approaching a sponsor, you need to make sure that they meet the Union guidelines below. Please make sure to expand all sections below and read through them carefully.
- What is a Sponsorship Agreement?
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A sponsorship agreement (or contract) governs the legal relationship between a sponsor and those entitled to enforce the sponsorship obligation. It has a number of terms and conditions agreeing a service (or services) in return for a fee. Remember - do not sign a contract yourself.
Typical issues that arise under a Sponsorship Agreement are:
- The definition of benefits to the sponsor
- Any payments due under the contract
- The circumstances in which trademarks/logos of the sponsor should be used/displayed
- The rights of each party, including termination clauses
Club and society presidents and treasurers are responsible for working with sponsors to draw up this agreement. To help you get started, we have created a Sponsorship Agreement Template that you can use. We have set out the full process for arranging sponsorship on this page.
- Union Guidelines
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Your potential sponsors cannot contravene Students' Union UCL policy.
There should be no breach between our Students' Union UCL policies and any potential sponsor.All our policies can be found here.
It is worth noting that this list may change if the council passes more policies, but this page will be updated if and when that happens.
Some companies which may not be approved due to our belief in inclusive societies are (but not limited to):
- Arms manufacturers
- Tobacco manufacturers
- Alcoholic beverage manufacturers
- Gambling or betting agencies
- Fossil fuel companies
Plus any other potential sponsor which might restrict persons of a certain group from joining your society.
Ensure that your potential sponsor does not compete with a service which Students’ Union UCL itself provides.
Essentially this boils down to cafes (as they compete with George Farha / Print Room / Gordon’s) and bars (as they compete with Phineas / Huntley / Mully’s). This does not preclude more formal restaurants or takeaways, nor does it preclude late-night ‘clubbing’ venues. This also does not preclude other cafes or bars which are outside of a reasonable distance and so would not be in direct competition. Finally, this does include any local gyms (as they compete with Bloomsbury Fitness).
This is because any money we make from these is used to fund your activity.
Sponsorship contracts should only last for the year during which your committee are in office.
This is because it is unfair on your successors to bind your club into longer-term agreements. If you envisage a longer-term agreement, then we would advise having a clause in your contract allowing that company first refusal on other sponsorship, or a clause whereby the club will re-approach them next year.
Ultimately, sponsorship sign-off is at the discretion of the Sabbatical Officer responsible for clubs and societies.
- How to arrange a Sponsorship for your Club or Society
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Before drawing up a Sponsorship Agreement
Step 1
Consider who might want to sponsor your society. Make sure you are giving yourself ample time to negotiate a contract ahead of your activities and get the contracts signed off so that you get the funds in time.
Step 2
Check that your potential sponsor complies with the Union guidelines detailed above.
Step 3
Approach your sponsors! We suggest you have some kind of formal proposal document to hand over to any potential partners.
Drawing up a Sponsorship Agreement
Step 4
If the sponsors agree, begin drawing up a proposal. Remember only to offer that which is actually in your remit, and NEVER sign a contract yourself. If you sign contract yourself it makes you personally liable to for the terms of the contract and must pay any damages if something goes wrong. You must always have the contract signed by a Union representative to ensure that this doesn’t happen.
Step 5
When both you and your sponsor agree on terms, you should draw up a contract (you can find a template above) and ask your sponsor to sign and return the contract. When this is completed, please submit our Club and Society Contract Webform to have your contract checked and signed by the Activities and Engagement Officer. You must ensure that your contract is submitted at least 10 working days in advance of when it is required to be completed by.
After you have a signed Sponsorship Agreement in place
Step 6
Once your contract is signed, you can invoice the company (where applicable) for the sponsorship fee. You should use our Sales Invoice Request Webform for this purpose. All Invoices are raised by our Finance team, and cannot be issued by clubs/societies. Once this form is submitted, your sales invoice will be sent to the company and the money will be paid into your account.
Step 7
Don’t forget to honour your end of the agreement and provide the necessary acknowledgement for your sponsors.
Useful Links
Sponsorship Agreement Template
If you have any questions, please get in touch by emailing us at [email protected]!
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