Cisco EPDP Information

How Does It Work?

Cisco and Meraki employees may donate up to $40,000 (list price) of Cisco products per calendar year. A team may donate products up to $40,000 per individual team member.
The cost to you is 25 percent of the total list price of the order. You must pay this amount before the order can be processed. For team donations, payment must be collected from each participating employee before the order can be processed.
Most products available in the Cisco Commerce Workspace can be ordered through this program. However, there are exceptions, and the eligibility of each part list will be confirmed during order processing. See "How Do I Make a Donation?" for more detail.
The recipient organization will receive a free one-year SMARTnet contract from Cisco.
Returns will not be accepted if the reason for the return is the fault of a Cisco or Meraki employee or a donation recipient. Please choose products carefully.
As of January 1, 2008, California organizations are no longer required to pay sales tax.
Orders cannot be expedited.

What Types of Organizations Are Eligible?

You may donate to the following types of organizations under this program:
- 501(c)(3) nonprofit organizations, including 501(c)(3) libraries (not public libraries unless they have valid 501(c)(3) nonprofit status), Friends of Libraries organizations, and museums
- K-12 schools and universities: public and private
You may not donate to the following types of organizations under this program:
- Organizations or schools that discriminate in providing services on the basis of race, color, religious affiliation, sex, sexual orientation, age, disability, physical appearance, national origin, language, educational background, or veteran status
- Political or government-related organizations
- Faith-based organizations
  - Exception: You may donate to a program run by a faith-based organization that provides direct services to people regardless of their religious beliefs and that does not propagate a belief in a specific faith.
- Private schools in which either of the following is true:
  - Enrollment is not open to all
  - Students must attend religious classes or services
You may not purchase equipment for schools in exchange for a reduction or elimination of tuition expenses.

How Do I Make a Donation?

Placing Orders

Download and fill out your order form (recommended browsers: Firefox, Chrome, Safari).
- For individual donations, download this order form.
- For team donations, download this order form.
Log in to your Cisco Commerce Workspace account (link below), create a configuration/estimate for the parts you want to donate, and share the Configuration/Estimate ID# with ooronce@techsoup.org by clicking the Share link .
- Cisco Commerce Workspace: https://cisco-apps.cisco.com/cisco/psn/commerce
- Most products available in the Cisco Commerce Workspace can be ordered through this program. However, refurbished, WebEx, VMware, OEM, or SMB products are not available through the EPDP. The eligibility of your part list for donation will be verified during order processing.
- Additional SMARTnet contracts and renewals (CON-SNT-XXXXX) cannot be ordered through this program.
Generate a Verification of Employment letter to confirm your eligibility to participate in the EPDP.
1. Log in to the HRMS tool: https://wwwin-hrprd.cisco.com/OA_HTML/AppsLogin.
2. Click My Job Info.
3. Select Verification of Employment from the Select an Action list box and click Go.
4. Set the Wet Signature option to No, and don't set any other options in the Additional Options section.
5. Click Submit.
  The screen refreshes with your letter, and you can save it to your local machine.
Email the completed order form with the Configuration/Estimate ID# and Verification of Employment letter to ciscoepdp@techsoup.org.
Be sure your order is complete and accurate before you submit it. Returns will not be accepted if the reason for the return is the fault of a Cisco employee or a donation recipient.

Review and Payment

TechSoup reviews the eligibility of the recipient organization. We may request additional information from you and the recipient during the review process.
For product donations that exceed $5,000 FMV, a qualified third-party appraiser provided by Cisco generates an appraisal. This appraisal is required for completing IRS form 8283.
When TechSoup determines that you and the recipient are eligible, we send you a payment form. Accepted forms of payment are American Express, Visa, MasterCard, or personal check. TechSoup cannot accept payment from a charitable gift or trust fund.
TechSoup processes the payment and provides an estimated ship date to you and the recipient.
TechSoup provides an invoice to each employee for tax purposes.

Meraki Products

Meraki products are now available in the EPDP and count toward the $40,000 (list price) of Cisco products that an employee may donate per calendar year. A team may donate products up to $40,000 per individual team member.
The cost to you is 25 percent of the total list price of the order. You must pay this amount before the order can be processed. For team donations, payment must be collected from each participating employee before the order can be processed.
You must purchase a separate license for every Meraki hardware product you order.
Meraki licenses include enterprise-class support. The recipient organization can contact Meraki Support at 415-937-6671 or go to their website at https://meraki.cisco.com/support/.
Meraki products do not include SMARTnet service and support.
The recipient organization will receive a shipping notification email once the order is completed with the information needed to create and manage a Meraki account.

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 and Meraki 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.

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