Resources for Notre Dame Employees

Overview for Requesting Charitable Contributions

The University of Notre Dame is committed to contributing to the quality of life in the local and global community in alignment with our values and academic mission. This commitment is demonstrated through volunteerism on the part of administrators, faculty, staff, and students and through the financial support and in-kind assistance provided to community and service organizations. Please visit the applicable links below to access additional information regarding the process for requesting charitable contributions.

All charitable contribution requests made on behalf of the University must be approved by the appropriate budget unit director and by the Office of Public Affairs to ensure alignment with our Catholic mission. All requests will need to be submitted online through the Financial Toolkit found in InsideND to streamline the approval process. 

It is important to note, no charitable contributions may be made via procard, meeting card, travelND card, personal card, personal check, or cash. 

University Criteria for Approving a Charitable Contribution

The following criteria will be considered when reviewing a request for a charitable contribution:

1. The requesting organization's mission and/or activities must be consistent with the University's mission and the teachings of the Catholic Church. To avoid confusion, the requesting organization will be sent a letter with their donation agreeing to adhere to this criterion. To assist in understanding the approach that we follow, as directed by the Church teaching, please refer to the document, Principles for Institutional Charitable Activity or the US Conference of Catholic Bishops Socially Responsible Investment Guidelines.
2. The requesting organization should be a registered 501(c)(3).
3. An organization requesting a contribution must be able to demonstrate measurable and positive community impact.
4. The organization must have visible support from the University's student body, staff, and/or faculty (e.g. board representation, volunteerism, etc.)
5. The University will not contribute funding to capital projects. Priority is placed on support to community programs that enhance community or economic development. Eligible types of charitable contributions may include but are not limited to:
   1. Donations to nonprofit and local community organizations
   2. Table, advertisement or event sponsorship of a non-profit dinner, luncheon, golf outing, etc.
6. Significant consideration will be given to projects or initiatives that involve collaboration among multiple organizations. Likewise, increasing priority will be placed on programs or projects that benefit the South Bend Elkhart region.
7. The University of Notre Dame, as a not-for-profit institution organized under Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code, is prohibited from making political donations or otherwise supporting or opposing a political candidate, political party, or ballot initiative.

Procedures for Submitting a Charitable Contribution Request

All charitable contributions made on behalf of the University must be approved by the appropriate budget unit director and the Office of Public Affairs to ensure that there is proper documentation and support. Requests should be submitted no later than 3 weeks before the event or deadline.

To submit a charitable contribution request, complete an online payment request using the financial toolkit.  You can also access the financial toolkit through inside.nd.edu.

• Enter the information as you would for any other payment request (amount, payee, business purpose, etc)
• Mark the radio button "Yes" next to the question "Is any portion of this payment a donation, charitable contribution, or sponsorship?"
• Two additional questions will be revealed, answer both as appropriate.
• Enter your FOAPAL details.  Make sure you use either account number 72502 (Charitable Contributions) or 72505 (Pass-Through Contribution).
• Add departmental approvers &/or people to be notified. Amy Huff in the Office of Public Affairs, will be automatically added as an approver to your payment request by choosing "Yes" as instructed in item 2 above.
• Click "Review Form"
• Once your review is complete, click "Submit.”

Pass-Through Contributions 

A ‘Pass-Through’ contribution is defined as non-University funds given to an organization where the University does not have the authority to control the allocation monies. (i.e. funds collected from fans at a baseball game to a specific announced organization) Pass-Through contributions are still considered University Charitable Contributions because University resources are used (people, space, efforts) to raise these funds. After the monies are deposited, the check cut to the organization is also labeled from the "University of Notre Dame."

For additional information on the payment process request, see the Financial Toolkit Quick Reference Guide. 

Once your request has been approved, a letter to the organization detailing where to send the acknowledgement will be added to the payment request and the request will be submitted to Accounts Payable for processing.

You will be able to see the status of your request by accessing the Financial Toolkit and clicking the "In Process" link on the top left.

If you have any questions about the process, you may contact:

Kelly Demski
405 Main Building
Notre Dame, IN 46556
574-631-1099
kdemski@nd.edu