Donation Policy

The Campus Store Supports the McMaster Community

The McMaster University Campus Store is a self-supporting, non-profit organization, fully owned and operated by the University and contributes over $1 million annually in support of student success. Our mission is to help students, faculty, and staff at McMaster fulfill their educational goals and life potential by providing books, supplies, information and services to support the educational process and promote school spirit for the University.

In addition to our annual financial contribution to the University we support as many student activities as we can through donations. Due to the large volume of donation requests we receive, a limited budget for donations has been established, in conjunction with a donation policy, in order to distribute funds.

Before making your request we kindly request you read the Donation Policy Guideline below.

 

 

Donation Policy Guidelines

 

 

What Organizations are Eligible for Consideration?

  • The Campus Store will consider donating to organizations that are a direct part of the campus community. This would include student, staff and faculty organizations that are involved in not-for-profit activities that enhance the aims of McMaster University.
  • High schools promoting an activity that directly encourages students to attend McMaster University may be considered eligible for a limited donation. Applications from individuals or group organizations that do not meet the above criteria will not be considered.

Donation Do's & Don'ts

Do's

  • Submit your application early. We request a MINIMUM of 10 BUSINESS DAYS to consider and fill donation requests. Organizations that do not meet this timeline may not receive a donation.
     
  • Give as much information about your organization and event as you can. Clearly explaining the nature and purpose of your event helps us to determine the appropriate donation. An online request form has been created to guide you through the application process.
     
  • Assign one point of contact for your fundraising activities. While we appreciate the amount of effort and organization it takes to run a successful fundraiser, having multiple people make separate donation requests for a single event is not appropriate.
     
  • Understand that previous donations to the charity, club or department for which you are raising funds or hosting an event is part of the consideration process. While this may be the first time you have made a request, other groups from your Faculty or charity may have already made requests, and we may have already made several donations to the same cause.

Don'ts

  • Do not request monetary funds, or specific swag. The Campus Store provides support in the form of gift cards only.
     
  • Do not request plastic bags. McMaster University is working towards creating a more earth-friendly and sustainable campus. Part of this effort is the elimination of plastic bags on campus. In support of this policy the Campus Store is unable to provide plastic bags for conferences and events.
     
  • Reusable, biodegradable conference bags are available for purchase at a "conference discount" from crested@mcmaster.ca. You may also purchase conference supplies, small prizes, and McMaster crested swag from crested@mcmaster.ca .These items are customized for your group, so a minimum of 2-4 weeks lead time is required for ordering. Click here for additional ideas for departmental and conference supplies.

  • There are no exchanges or refunds of donated items, or items purchased with donated gift cards, and used for prizes or giveaways. Any person coming to the store requesting a refund or exchange on donated items will be directed back to the organization that gave them the item.

  • Donation requests for staff appreciation events will not be considered. As the Campus Store is a department of the University, it would not be deemed it appropriate for our staff to request that another department to fund our annual staff appreciation event. We ask for similar consideration.
     

Recognition

We request that we receive an example of how our donation was recognized by your organization. This may include:

  • A flyer, brochure or program that displays the Campus Store logo
  • A logo and link from your event webpage
  • A digital photograph of the donation being distributed or displayed at the event

Download a print quality logo here:

Campus Store Logos