Award Gift Matrix
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Non-Employees
| UC Policy # | Type of Award | Description | Eligibility/ Scope |
$ Limit | Allowable Examples | Restrictions/ Unallowable |
Approval | Exception Approval | Funding Restrictions | Payment Requirements |
| BFB G42 | Promotional | Items that bear a logo to further an organization or cause. | NON-EMPLOYEES, Visiting dignitaries and scholars; donors and potential donors; volunteers (including retirees), civic or cultural organi-zations; clients; University officials from foreign countries; students; appointed and elected officials. |
$75 per recipient, per calendar year | T-Shirts, caps, pennants, mugs, and pens bearing the SOM or University logo. |
Cannot benefit relatives of UCR Employees; with exception to token gifts for volunteer service (i.e. research subject) Cannot benefit people or oganizations engaged in influencing legislation, elections, referendums, or similar activities; People or organizations that pose a conflict of interest; people whose positions might suggest favoritism. |
Dean | Chancellor | Does not permit cash gifts; expenditures for gifts may not be charged to State funds except for a gift awarded to a student for an academic achievement; Contract and Grant funds may not be used to purchase gifts, unless such expenses are specifically authorized in the agreement and only to the extent and for the purpose so authorized. Various non-state funds controlled by the University (endow-ments, gifts, etc.) may be used to purchase gifts, in acccordance with this policy and subject to any restrictions on those funds. | Gift's purpose must further a University business purpose: The purpose must be documented and the name, title, and occupation of the gift recipient(s) must be included. Name of the organization if the recipient is an entity. In addition, a copy of the transmittal letter or greeting card, which states that the gift was made on behalf of the University, must be included. Each request must include a description of the gift and original receipts documenting the expense. Chancellor approval is required if the gift is an exception to policy. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Appreciation or Recognition | Awards for a noteworthy academic achievement or for participation in a University sponsored event. | $600 per recipient, per calendar year | Flowers, tickets to a sporting, theatrical, or musical event; a meal; a non-negotiable gift certificate; or a memento such as a plaque, watch, or logo item of more than minimal value. | Dean | Chancellor | |||||
| Sympathy | Are presented in the event of death or major illness either to or on the behalf of non-employees or memebers of their families or households. | $200 per recipient, per calendar year | Flowers, candy, book or cash contribution to charity. | Dean | Chancellor |
UC Employees (Staff, Students, and Academic Employees)
| UC Policy # | Type of Award | Description | Eligibility/ Scope |
$ Limit | Allowable Examples | Restrictions/ Unallowable |
Approval | Exception Approval | Funding Restrictions | Payment Requirements |
| BFB G41 | Employee Recognition (including spot awards) | An Item of tangible personal property to be awarded to an employee in recognition of his or her noteworthy work-related accomplish-ments. Occasional, infrequent basis. |
UC Staff, student & academic employees | $75 |
Flowers, fruit, a book, a plaque, ticket to a sporting or cultural event. Gift certificates and giftcards are only acceptable if they are non-negotiable. Must confer only the right to receive tangible personal property, not cash or cash for the difference between the purchase price and the value of the gift certificate or card. It only qualifies as personal tangible property if it is: inscribed with the recipient's name, non transferable, and cannot be redeemed for cash or used to reduce the balance due on the recipient's account with the merchant. 1 The per-person limits do not include incidental costs such as costs for engraving, packaging, insurance, sales tax, mailing, and the cost of gift wrapping that does not add substantial value to the gift. |
Meant to be occasional; should not receive more than 3 awards per calendar year. Depts should only purchase the quantity needed in the current fiscal year. Written record document-ation of Spot Awards must be maintained. They must be located in a secure location. | Dean | Chancellor | State funds may be used for expenditures associated with: employee recognition, length of service, and retirement awards. Federal or state funds may not be used for sympathy gifts, cash contributions, raffle prizes, door prizes, incentive gifts. Various non state funds controlled by the University may be used for employee awards. Other items that are unallowable include: recreation memberships, negotiable gift certificates and cards, season tickets to sporting or cultural events, gifts of cash unless a sympathy gift to a charity, Gifts provided to employees in connection with birthdays, weddings, anniversaries, holidays, farewells, graduations and other occasions of a personal nature. | Departments should institute appropriate controls to ensure that all pre-purchased gift certificates and cards are kept in a secure place and that a record documenting the use of the certificates and cards is maintained. Departments should be careful to purchase only the number of gift certificates and cards expected to be awarded during a fiscal year. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| One- Month Parking Permits | Parking permits that are valid for 1 month | $315 | n/a | Dean | Chancellor | n/a | ||||
| One- Month Transit Pass | Transit pass that is valid for 1 month | $315 | n/a | Dean | Chancellor | n/a | ||||
| Retirement | UC employee chooses to retire after an extended career. | $400 | Must be awarded as part of a meaningful ceremony, and should not be determinded based on an employee's classification. | Dean | Chancellor | |||||
| Length of Service |
UC employee that has worked at the university for a minimum of 5 years. |
$400 | An item of tangible personal property may be presented to an employee for meritorious length of service to the University. Such awards are subject to the follow limitations: the award must be given for a length of service achievement, the recipient must have completed at least 5 years of service, and the recipient must not have received a similar length of service gift in any of the prior 4 years. Must be awarded as part of a meaningful ceremony | Dean | Chancellor | n/a | ||||
| Sympathy Gift: Tangible Personal Property | Gifts that are personal, tangible property that are given in the event of a death, major illness of a coworker or family of a coworker. | $75 | Gifts of tangible personal property, such as flowers, may be presented as an expression of sympathy in the event of a death or major illness. A similar type gift may be provided to recognize a birth. A cash contribution may be made to a cheritable organization in lieu of a gift of tangible personal property. | Dean | Chancellor | If donating to a charity as a sympathy gift, such contributions must be accompanied by a transmittal letter on official University letterhead, which states that the donation was made on behalf of the University. Contributions may not be made to any political campaign, political party, committee, or group engaged in any attempt to influence the general public with respect to legislative matters, elections or referendums. | ||||
| Sympathy Gift: Cash Contri-butions |
Can be donated to a charity. Must be on a transmittel letter with UCR letterhead. |
$200 | Decribed in funding restrictions | Dean | Chancellor | |||||
| Prizes and Other Gifts | Raffles, door prizes used to entice employee participation in an event. Dept may provide gift cards to employees as an incentive to complete survey or question-naire. | $75 | Departments may provide gift cards and other tangible personal property to employees as an incentive to complete a survey or questionnaire. Departments should limit the value of such prizes and gifts purchased with University funds to the per-person limit. | Dean | Chancellor | n/a |
See specific policy for tax implications to awardee.
8/23/2024