How can I help my favorite nonprofit get the equipment it needs?
Employees can purchase new equipment at a 75 percent discount and donate it to qualifying nonprofit organizations, schools, museums, and libraries through Cisco's Employee Product Donation Program (EPDP).
Is the Employee Product Donation Program available outside the United States?
No. The program is only for employees in the U.S. who donate to qualifying recipients in the U.S.
Are team donations supported?
Yes. The individual contribution limit of $40,000 per individual employee applies.
Does the Employee Product Donation Program follow the Cisco fiscal year?
No. The EPDP follows the calendar year.
Is my donation tax-deductible?
Your donation may be eligible for a tax deduction. Please consult with your tax advisor to determine applicable rules for eligibility and record keeping. For product donations that exceed $5,000 fair market value, a qualified third-party appraiser provided by Cisco generates an appraisal. This appraisal is required for completing IRS form 8283. TechSoup provides an invoice to each employee for tax purposes at the beginning of the year.
How long does it take for an organization to get its donated equipment?
You can expect your donation request to be fulfilled within eight weeks of the approval date. Due to the nature of the network design, product availability, and fiscal year schedules, all product donations are subject to change or delay without notice.
Will I be able to donate Cisco refurbished equipment?
The EPDP does not support donation of refurbished equipment.
Most products available in the Cisco Commerce Workspace can be ordered through this program. Unfortunately, Spark Board, Small and Medium Business products, WebEx, Linksys, VMware or similar service, or OEM products are not available through the EPDP. The eligibility of your part list for donation will be confirmed during order processing.
What is my individual product donation limit?
Your product donation limit is $40,000 of products at list price or a total of $10,000 of products at cost. An exception to this employee limit can be waived in certain circumstances.
To request an exception to the annual maximum $40,000 limit per employee, please email epdp@cisco.com cc: ciscoepdp@techsoup.org with the subject line "Maximum Exception Request." Provide the following information: (1) Name of Organization, (2) Address of Organization, (3) Total List Price of Current Request.
What are the criteria and guidelines for schools?
The EPDP program currently supports all K-12 public schools. Qualifying K-12 private schools must not limit or restrict enrollment and must not require students to attend religious classes or services. Employees may not purchase equipment for schools in exchange for a reduction or elimination of tuition expenses.
Are religious schools supported?
Religious schools are supported as long as they do not limit or restrict enrollment. Enrollment must be open to all. Additionally students must not be required to attend religious classes or services.
Does the EPDP have the same qualification criteria as the Matching Gifts Program?
No. The major difference is that nominated organization must reach a $1,000 threshold of support before it begins the official vetting process. The support can com from employee donations, volunteer hours, or both.
We will still perform the same kind of due diligence on the organization as the Matching Gifts Program as it relates to the Patriot Act and other U.S. government regulations.
I am a contractor or vendor at Cisco. May I make an employee product donation?
We apologize, but the EPDP only allows for product donations from regular Cisco employees.
How do I obtain my Verification of Employment letter?
- Log in to the HRMS tool:
https://wwwin-hrprd.cisco.com/OA_HTML/AppsLogin.
- Click
My Job Info.
- Select
Verification of Employment from the
Select an Action list box and click
Go.
- Set the
Wet Signature option to
No, and don't set any other options in the
Additional Options section.
- Click
Submit.
The screen refreshes with your letter, and you can save it to your local machine.
Do recipients get SMARTnet Total Care Service?
Yes, Cisco Corporate Philanthropy donates the first year of SMARTnet Total Care Service on products acquired via the EPDP. The service level that recipients receive will be SMARTnet Total Care 8x5xNext Business Day.
Can I donate additional years of SMARTnet Total Care Service to my organization?
Employees cannot purchase additional years of SMARTnet Total Care Service with their donation. Cisco employees can work with their recipient organization to pay the renewal costs of the SMARTnet Total Care Service when the renewal time comes via the standard Cisco SMARTnet Total Care Service channels. Information on how to renew is delivered to the organization holding the original contract. Neither TechSoup nor Cisco Corporate Philanthropy is involved in that process.
Can I get a higher service level than SMARTnet Total Care 8x5xNext Business Day for my donation?
Cisco Corporate Philanthropy provides one year of SMARTnet Total Care Service at the 8x5xNBD level. If your organization must have a higher level of support than this, let us know that you do NOT wish to order the SMARTnet service with the product donation. You or your organization can arrange to order and pay for the service level desired through the normal Cisco SMARTnet Total Care Service channels.
How do I direct my organization to get information on SMARTnet Total Care Service?
Once the recipient organization's SMARTnet Total Care Service contract is activated, it will receive a welcome kit by email that includes
- The SMARTnet Total Care Service contract number
- An inventory of products covered, including serial numbers
- Useful links to information and where to open a case with Cisco's Technical Assistance Center
The organization should keep this information in its files.
It can also use the Cisco Service Contract Center (CSCC) site. CSCC allows end users to manage their SMARTnet Total Care Service contracts online, view contract details, and update their contract. They can look up contract information by contract number or by the serial numbers that are covered under their contract.
What if I have another question?
If you have any questions regarding the Employee Product Donation Program, please send an email to
ciscoepdp@techsoup.org cc: epdp@cisco.com or call 800-659-3579 x1296 or 415-633-9296.
