Event Checklist

The following is a simple checklist to navigate the event planning process. Be familiar with CU’s funding, fundraising and spending policies first.

Remember: We can help determine the financial scope of your event and provide university requirements or purchasing procedures.

Budget

Create your funding request: Log onto to complete the funding request form.
Obtain funding: Campus and student fee funding sources must approve budgets for events fully before you can start spending money. The Center for Student Involvement returns unspent dollars to campus funding sources. Even if fully through the approval process, don’t spend money until you talk to us!
Contact CSI Finance before making any commitments or agreements with performers, speakers or service providers as there are strict guidelines that the university must follow when making such payments.

Airline reservations: Must be made through the Center for Student Involvement if utilizing funding from on-campus sources.
Lodging: Choose the hotel that will be easiest to transport guest(s) to and from.
Ground transportation: Consider if this is necessary.
Guest meals: Determine whether or not you will need to provide meals. Remember, many hotels provide a free continental breakfast and if meals are included with air travel, you don’t need to provide them.
Receptions: These are considered to be “official functions” by the state.

Become familiar with the campus posting regulations.
Research advertising costs.
Allow plenty of lead-time to design the ads and posters and know the deadlines for ad placement.
Acknowledge sponsors in your advertising and include funding source logos on the ads and posters as required.
Posters and publications paid for with state funds and exceeding $500 in cost must be taken to university Printing and Copying Services (UPCS), Stadium room 180, gate 11 for evaluation and bidding.
Talk to the Center for Student Involvement before placing ads so we can issue the proper purchasing paperwork.

Determine equipment and supplies needed for the event:

Audio visual equipment: Are operators needed? Does the facility provide this equipment or do you need to rent it? Must operators be paid?
Long-distance calls: Do you need a long-distance calling card for event coordination purposes?

No food or consumable items may be brought into the UMC unless explicit exception is provided by the UMC director.
If you are scheduling your event in a campus facility other than the UMC, be sure to confirm that food is allowed in the facility.
If you are planning to have food, contact CU Events Planning & Catering for assistance.

Appoint a ticket manager from your group.
Meet with a member of the Center for Student Involvement finance staff regarding ticketing and cashbox procedures.
Determine admission price.
Determine ticket printing cost.
Determine the date tickets will go on sale.
Make door-sale arrangements.
What are the facility requirements regarding security, set-up and cash boxes? Confirm cashbox arrangements with the Center for Student Involvement no later than one week before the event.

Determine items to be sold, such as t-shirts, posters, tapes, programs and/or books. Book sales in the UMC require approval from the CU Book Store and the Center for Student Involvement.
Determine how you will pay for the items.
Licensing for your items may be required. Literature regarding the licensing program is available at the Center for Student Involvement, or call the CU Licensing office at 303-492-6414.
Sales tax applies to all sales unless your group can prove that it paid sales tax when purchasing the items. Independent student groups may not use the CU tax identification number or tax-exempt status.
See the Center for Student Involvement to fill out a vendor contract or to arrange for groups-own sales.
Determine who will do the selling.

Sponsor contracts are required for any outside vendor participating in a student group per the CUUF policy. Please email csifinance@colorado.edu for further information and to begin this process.
After the student group completes their portion of the sponsor contract, the vendor must list the items being donated, distributed or sold, and then complete and sign the contract and present a minimum payment of $47 made out to the University of Colorado at least 48 hours prior to the event.
Student groups should see the Center for Student Involvement regarding negotiating a higher fee from the vendor. Vendors who have donated items with a value in excess of $35 to the student group are only required to pay $12.