This policy outlines the guidelines and procedures for soliciting, collecting, and managing sponsorships for teams within Stonewall Sports DC (the “Chapter”), a chapter of Stonewall Sports, Inc. (“SSI”).

The purpose of this policy is to ensure transparency, accountability, and consistency in handling sponsorships, while supporting the overall goals and mission of the Chapter.

Sponsorship Guidelines

• Teams: Team captains and their designated representatives may solicit and secure sponsorships for their team if they are registered Chapter members.
• Definition of “Team”: For the purposes of this policy, a “Team” also includes participants in non-team sports (e.g., climbing, tennis).
• Direct Acceptance of Funds: No team member may accept sponsorship funds directly; all sponsorships must follow the Chapter’s processing procedures.
• Team sponsorship funds: Team sponsorship funds cannot carry over from one calendar year to the next. Reimbursement requests must be submitted by December 15th to ensure payment by December 31st. Any remaining funds not requested for reimbursement by this date will be donated to Stonewall Sports DC.

Sponsorship Processing

All sponsorships (monetary or in-kind) must be directed to the Director, Sponsorships. All monetary sponsorships will be subject to a 5% processing fee to cover the administrative costs associated with reimbursements. Monetary donations will be processed through SSI-approved platforms or via check. In-kind donations must be authorized by the Director, Sponsorships to coordinate directly with the team. The deadline for new team sponsorships shall be November 15th of every calendar year.

Process:

• Team finds a potential sponsor and discusses sponsorship with potential sponsor
  • Discussion includes what type of sponsorship and requirements from the team
• The team will use the Team Sponsorship Agreement Form (Appendix B – in Fillable PDF) to draft an agreement with the sponsor.
• Team and Potential Sponsor sign agreement
• Team submits agreement to Director, Sponsorships
  • Include sponsor name, point of contact, and sponsor email in the submission
• Director, Sponsorships countersigns the Agreement and sends fully signed agreement back to Team, including the Treasurer on the email
• Treasurer issues invoice directly to Team Sponsor with the Team and Director, Sponsorships included for tracking purposes
• Sponsor pays the invoice
  • Payment by Square: Sponsor pays by the link in the Invoice
  • Payment by Check: Sponsor sends check to SSI Accountant
    • Payee: Stonewall Sports Inc.
    • Address: Kevin Majoros, 306 W Lafayette Ave. Baltimore, MD 21217
    • Memo Line: DC – Invoice [enter invoice number from square invoice]
• Once sponsor payment is received, the Treasurer will provide a receipt to the sponsor, including the Director, Sponsorships (If sponsor pays by Square Invoice, the sponsor will receive an immediate receipt through Square).
• The Director, Sponsorships or Treasurer will provide a W-9 and written acknowledgment for the sponsor’s tax records.
• Once the Chapter receives payment from the sponsor, the team may request reimbursement.

Eligible Expenses

Funds may be used for:

• Team apparel or merchandise with team logos
• Equipment needed for league play
  • Bocce: sets, measuring tools
  • Climbing: chalk bags, harnesses, safety equipment
  • Kickball/Dodgeball: balls, pumps, bases, scorekeeping materials
  • Billiards: cues, chalk, cue cases
  • Tennis/Pickleball: paddles, rackets, balls
  • Volleyball/Sand Volleyball: balls, nets, boundary lines
  • Ultimate Frisbee: discs, cones
  • Bowling/Duckpin: shoes, personal balls
  • Cornhole: boards, bags
  • Running: hydration supplies, safety gear
  • Yoga: mats, blocks, straps
• Permit or rental fees for practices
• Materials and apparel for spirit week and/or recruitment
• Interpreters to support accessibility needs
• League registration fees, tournament entry fees
• Fundraising overhead costs (venue rental, entertainment, supplies, printing, marketing)

Teams wishing to cover league Registration Fees should note the following:

• All registration fees MUST be paid in accordance with registration timelines through LeagueApps. 
• Please contact your respective League(s) Manager to arrange for a single payment to LeagueApps. 
• Once the sponsorship is paid and clears the SSDC bank account, the reimbursement request will be processed as are all other Team Sponsorships in accordance with this policy. Reimbursement will be to one person, not individual members.

The following types of expenses may not be reimbursed through team sponsorships:

• Out-of-town travel
• Non-Chapter gym memberships, unapproved tournament/race fees, personal coaching/training
• High-end or professional-grade personal equipment, home-use equipment unrelated to league play, electronics/gadgets not required for league play
• Casual/non-branded apparel, excessive duplicates, costumes unrelated to Chapter events
• Alcohol, unrelated food and beverages
• Social retreats/vacations (e.g., wine trips, team retreats)
• Entertainment unrelated to Chapter mission
• Donations to Team nonprofits

This is not an exhaustive list of eligible and ineligible expenses.  It is highly recommended to run proposed uses of funds past the Director, Sponsorships before making purchases to ensure the expenses are eligible for reimbursement.

Reimbursement Requests

Reimbursement requests must be submitted with receipts  via the Chapter’s approved reimbursement request process.  Requests for reimbursement received after December 15th for the current calendar year will be denied.  

Fund Disbursement

The Director, Sponsorships will review submitted invoices/receipts to ensure alignment with this policy and will notify the Team whether requests are approved or rejected. Approved invoices are submitted to the Treasurer, who coordinates with the SSI Accountant for reimbursement from an SSI-approved payment method.

Transparent Record Keeping

The Director, Sponsorships and Treasurer will maintain accurate records of sponsorships and expenditures. Records will be made available for inspection upon request.