Corporate Support Guidelines

The Meals On Wheels Association of America relies on the generous financial support of corporations and other commercial enterprises to further our efforts to support local Meals On Wheels programs. We sincerely appreciate your interest in helping to advance our work to end senior hunger in America. If you have any questions on the below guidelines or would like to talk more about creating a partnership, please do not hesitate to contact Development Manager Jonah Silberg via email or at 888.998.MEAL (6325).

For purposes of these Guidelines, “Corporate Support” is generally defined to include all forms of financial assistance received from for-profit business and commercial entities, including but not limited to direct donations, corporate partnership relationships, in-kind contributions, employee giving and engagement programs, sponsorships, cause-marketing / commercial co-venture activities or related promotional initiatives. These Guidelines apply to all forms of Corporate Support relationships which generally include the following:

• “Corporate Partners” which involve partnerships providing financial support for specific programs, initiatives, campaigns and related activities generally of a substantial minimum amount and defined by some form of executed charitable partnership agreement that includes a license to enable the partner to use the Associaton logo or other trademark. Corporate Partnerships include cause-marketing commercial co-ventures that occur when a for-profit enterprise undertakes an advertising or sales campaign and represents that a certain percentage or dollar amount of sales of its products or services will benefit a charitable organization or purpose. Such commercial co-ventures are subject to certain regulatory requirements (please see Section IV below).

• “Corporate Sponsors” are commercial entities that make donations to the Association in an amount agreed upon by both parties for a specific sponsorship purpose or event. Corporate Sponsorships may include some form of agreement but not necessarily a licensing arrangement. For example, a Corporate Sponsor may become a sponsor of the Meals On Wheels Annual Conference & Expo, which may be subject to an exhibitor agreement but not a licensing or charitable partnership agreement.
  
  
• “Corporate Donors” are commercial entities that make generally unsolicited donations to Meals On Wheels Association in any amount for general purposes and support of the Association's mission.
  
  

Certain acknowledgement and recognition benefits and restrictions are applicable to each category of Corporate Support. Restrictions include limiting the use of the Association's name, trademarks, service marks, URLs or logos to Corporate Partners or Sponsors with whom the Association has a written license agreement. Corporate Donors, on the other hand, are not eligible to use the Association logo or any other trademark of the Association to evidence their support of Meals On Wheels (see Trademark Usage and Branding Guidelines).

Regardless of the category of Corporate Support, all donations and assistance from for-profit commercial enterprises must adhere to the following principles:

I. The primary purpose of the Corporate Support must directly pertain to the advancement of Meals On Wheels Association of America's mission to end senior hunger by 2020.

• All corporate financial support must:
• serve the Association’s charitable needs and purposes, and must be in the best interests of the Association, and by extension, the collective best interests of Meals On Wheels programs;
• preserve and promote trust in the Association specifically, and in the national institution of “Meals On Wheels” generally; and
• demonstrate a quantifiable impact in furthering the Association’s key initiatives, goals, and/or ability to fulfill its mission.

• In adherence with the Association’s strategic goals and core values, Corporate Support:
• will be used by the Association for its purposes and not for any private benefit;
• will be used only for those programs and initiatives deems appropriate, based on its experience and expertise in the field of senior hunger; and
• when applicable, will be made available or otherwise distributed to local programs in an equitable fashion, in accordance with the Association’s informed, strategic determination of need.

• Meals On Wheels Association will strive to exceed the expectations of our corporate supporters by:
• working with our Corporate Partners and Sponsors to develop programs which adhere to their values and mission, and which further their philanthropic goals; and
• ensuring Corporate Supporters are appropriately recognized with acknowledgements deemed appropriate by the Association or as set forth in a partnership or sponsorship agreement.
• working with its Supporters to ensure, to the extent possible, that all arrangements related to the relationship are mutually agreeable.
• allocating sufficient staff resources to all Corporate Support accounts so as to ensure program development and implementation is carried out in a professional, timely manner.
  
  

• The Association will not partner with businesses:
  • where the products, services and/or corporate mission are inconsistent with the Association's mission and core values;
  • which are not of sufficient size or geographic reach to ensure a sustainable relationship with a national impact; or
  • which fail to meet these Corporate Support Guidelines.

II. The Association must be empowered to ensure Corporate Support activities are implemented in a manner consistent with its mission, best interests and core values.

• All Corporate Partnerships must be subject to a written agreement.

• Contributions to Meals On Wheels Association are made with the understandings that the Association has complete control and administration over such donated funds and that it is not bound by the advice of the donor unless otherwise agreed to.

• When Corporate Support arrangements include the Association’s participation in a promotion, activity or event, the Association must have the final say regarding the acceptability of all arrangements pertaining to such promotion, activity or event, including the program, choice of venue, content and nature.

• The relationship must preserve the Association's control over its intellectual property, including its name, logos and other trademarks and any copyrighted material.
• Supporters must agree to adhere to the Association Trademark Usage and Branding Guidelines; and,
• Meals On Wheels Association must have editorial control and final approval of any information produced as part of the partnership or sponsorship arrangement.

• The relationship must be grounded in professional, respectful, and punctual communication.
• If a Corporate Supporter fails to respond to inquiries within a reasonable timeframe, the Association must be empowered to take appropriate action to ensure time sensitive projects can be accomplished.

• Agreements with Corporate Partners or Sponsors shall provide for early termination if the Partner, Sponsor or its representatives engage in any conduct that would lead the Association to reasonably determine that its continued participation in the arrangement would adversely affect the goodwill and reputation of Meals On Wheels. In such circumstances, the Association will return any unused funds.

III. The Association will only engage in Corporate Partnerships and Support arrangements which are ethical and transparent.

• Nothing in the structure of the corporate relationship shall impede the Association’s independence, and the relationship shall not permit or encourage influence on the Association by the Corporate Supporter.

• All Corporate Partnership and Support arrangements must avoid conflicts of interest and the appearance of conflicts of interest.

• While the Association may offer acknowledgements of Corporate Partners and Supporters, nothing in a corporate relationship should suggest or imply an endorsement or advertisement of the commercial enterprise or its products or services.

• The Association shall seek funding from a variety of sources and shall avoid commitments for exclusivity where it is not in its best interest.

IV. MOWAA will fully comply with all applicable local, state and national laws and regulations.

• All Corporate Support arrangements must be structured in a way so as to avoid any impermissible advertising, marketing or promotion of corporate products or purposes or to have the appearance of a pass-through of funds that benefits corporate purposes.

• Funds from Corporate Support can in no way be used to support political advocacy or partisan political activities.

• For any cause marketing / commercial co-ventures, there are certain regulatory requirements imposed on the commercial enterprise and the Association that include filing, pre-registration, disclosure, bonding, reporting and payment provisions, depending on the state. Meals On Wheels Association will require a specific co-venture contract prepared by the commercial entity that specifies the terms and conditions of the arrangement.