Organization Finances

College Accounting and OSIL Support
Treasurer Responsibilities
Purchase of Clothing
Fundraising / Raffles
Purchase Orders / Vendors
SGA Funding

An important part of the experience of managing a student organization is managing its financial matters.  This section is intended to educate you on the financial aspects of student organizations.

College Accounting

Each student organization receives an account through the college.  All SGA funded groups are given a budgeted account (#1 account), and all groups are given an account for deposits of fundraised money (#2 account).

A "#1 Account" is a club or organization's primary college account.  SGA funding is placed into this account for expenditure on funded programs.  This account is maintained by the College through Fiscal Affairs and is managed by the Office of Student Involvement and Leaderhip.  The following guidelines govern organization expenditures from this account:

  • Club approval for all expenses must be documented in meeting minutes
  • All state purchasing and expenditure guidelines apply to these accounts, including use of contract vendors, purchase orders, etc.
  • All funds revert back to SGA at the end of the fiscal year
The #2 account is less restrictive.  This "fundraising" account will "roll over" from fiscal year to fiscal year and can be used by the organization in any way the group deems appropriate.

Support for account management
The Office of Student Involvement and Leadership provides assistance to clubs and organizations in the management of their accounts.  The SGA Bookkeeper is available to:

  • help student organizations review financial records
  • process purchase order request forms
  • recommend vendors with the best prices/services
  • collect fundraising money and issue receipt
  • help student organizations sell tickets for major events
  • facilitate navigation of raffle process & paperwork 

page top
 

Organization Treasurer responsibilities and expectations

  • The Treasurer is responsible for all funds of the organization.
  • Collect all money. A receipt should be given for all money collected.
  • Deposit all funds in the organization's account by the end of the day the money is collected.
  • For the withdrawal of funds, forms must be obtained and approved by OSIL.
  • Prepare and maintain a budget.
  • Make certain the organization spends money according to the approved budget, SGA guidelines and within College policy and regulations.
  • Make a Treasurer's report at each business meeting of the organization, listing receipts, expenditures and balance on hand.
  • See that all bills are paid promptly.
  • Keep a record of all money handled, both incoming and outgoing, and indicate purposes for which the money was disbursed. Have records available and in a condition for examination at any time.
  • For specific questions concerning financial responsibilities of student organizations, consult the Office of Student Involvement and Leaderhip, advisor of the organization or the Student Government Treasurer.
  • Be knowledgeable about budget management.

page top
 

Guidelines on Purchase of Clothing for Students

Functional Clothing:  Functional apparel may be purchased by student groups for the use of their members, or for event staff volunteers.  This may include the issuance of such items as baseball caps, T-shirts, sweatshirts, jackets, hats, gloves, etc.

Awards:  Inexpensive clothing items may be purchased by student groups to be given away to other students as awards in recognition of significant achievement.

RESTRICTIONS

Self-Benefit:  Except for functional apparel, student organizations may not purchase apparel items for their own use without the approval of the Director of Student Involvement.

Promotional/Give-Away Items:  Student organizations may not purchase apparel items to be given away to students without the approval of the Director of Student Involvement.

page top
 

Fundraising

Student organizations interested in conducting a fundraising activity must meet with the Program Advisor to discuss your plans and schedule prior to approval of lobby table reservation and fundraising activity. Please note that fundraising activities are limited to a few areas on campus and that your intent to raise funds should be noted on your table reservation form. If seeking external sponsorship and support (alumni, parents, local merchants or other members of the community), you may be referred to other campus offices for authorization.

In soliciting support from local merchants in the form of prizes, money or sponsorship; no student organization may have alcohol distributors and alcohol retail outlets as sponsors.

When planning your activities, please keep in mind the following guidelines for fundraising.

Fundraising activities confined to the College campus are acceptable for any organization.  Such activities (raffles, bake sales, etc.) must be registered with the Office of Student Involvement and Leaderhip.

  • Submit fundraising form to program advisor.  Your group may be asked to provide a written proposal to the Director in some unique cases.
  • Costs associated with raffle/fundraiser must be assumed by the organization sponsoring the activity.
  • Proceeds from raffle/fundraiser must be properly accounted for and deposited into the organization account before being dispersed.
  • Lobby tables must be reserved with the Conference and Event Services Offices.
Raffle Guidelines
The College has obtained a raffle permit that will allow clubs to conduct raffles and bazaars which must be held in accordance with Massachusetts State Law 271-7.

THIS PROCEDURE MUST BE COMPLETED BY EVERY STUDENT ORGANIZATION HOLDING A RAFFLE AT BRIDGEWATER STATE COLLEGE

Prior to your Raffle Ticket Sales
1. The club wishing to hold a raffle must bring an approved Fundraising Form to the Bookkeeper in OSIL.  The Bookkeeper will then review the requirements for holding a raffle in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts.

Requirements are:
a. Students must show the pre-numbered, pre-printed raffle tickets.  Tickets must state:
  • Name of club holding raffle (no abbreviations)
  • Day, date, time and location of drawing
  • Prize(s)
  • "Winner need not be present to win" must be written on ticket
Each ticket must be numbered (beginning with "1").  The number on the ticket must be in a different color ink than the ink used in the wording on the ticket. Tickets can be printed in the Print Shop (Campus Center) and can be numbered in OSIL.

b. Club must keep a Raffle Control Sheet to reconcile sales of tickets and collection of funds.

c. Sponsoring group must pay a 5% tax on gross receipts of a raffle.  The Bookkeeper will assist the students in completing the tax return within 5 days after the raffle ends.

2. The Bookkeeper will assist the student in preparing the Raffle Registration form, which needs to be approved by the Program Advisor for the student organization.

3. The club must keep a record of any raffle expenses.  Raffle tickets and flyers to advertise for the raffle that are printed at the Print Shop will be charged to your club account.  A copy of the Print Shop Work Order/Invoice must be attached to your expense report.  Any other expenses needed for raffle must be done through a Purchase Order.  Prepare Purchase Order Request Form at least 2 weeks prior to raffle to ensure proper processing.

4. The club must bring all prizes to the Office of Student Involvment and Leaderhip prior to the sale of any tickets.  If the prize is to be donated and can not be physically stored in the office, a letter must be filed with the OSIL.  The letter must be on letterhead and must state the description, quantity, and dollar value of the prize.  If your group is purchasing the prize, the Purchase Order to buy the prize must be processed and funds must be encumbered before the sale of tickets begins.  NOTE: Your organization may not count on anticipated sales of tickets to raise the money for the purchase of your prize.

During your Raffle
5. While raffle is being conducted, students must deposit all collected money with the Office of Student Involvement and Leaderhip before 4:00 p.m. on each business day.

After your Raffle
6. No later than 5 days following the raffle, club must submit name, address and social security number of winner to the Bookkeeper.  In addition, the club must bring all sold ticket stubs, unsold raffle tickets and a list of all expenses related to the raffle.  The Bookkeeper will destroy all unsold tickets after confirming the count is accurate.  The raffle is not considered legal if any of the tickets are missing, it's important to keep track of all tickets both sold and unsold.

7. Bookkeeper will submit tax return to the Fiscal Affairs office and prepare a check for taxes owed.

page top
 

Purchasing guidelines and vendor information

The Purchase Order Request Form is the only method by which an organization can spend its funds and must be used according to the procedures listed below.  When completed correctly, purchase orders assure prompt and accurate payment from your organization.  Purchase orders are used to buy products, pay entertainers and spend your funds in many ways.  Purchase Order Requests cannot be used as a reimbursement but rather an order for goods or services.

  • Begin process four (4) weeks before goods or services are needed.
  • Purchase Order Request forms are completed by student organizations.  A signature from your assigned Program Advisor is required before your request will be processed.
  • Purchase Order requests are submitted to the SGA Bookkeeper, in the OSIL.
  • PO Requests are then entered into the system by the SGA bookkeeper and becomes a Requisition.  The Req. then has to be approved on-line by one person in Student Activities, one person in Purchasing, and one person in Business Operations.  At this time the Req. is then transferred over to a Purchase Order and mailed to vendor.
  • The online purchasing system will automatically encumber the funds when the purchase order is transferred over from a requisition.
  • When contracting performers, submit the purchase order request form along with the contract generation form.  This helps the bookkeeper to keep track of incoming contracts and speeds up the process.
Choosing Vendors
What are State Contracted (also known as Preferred) Vendors?
The State of Massachusetts has a system for state agencies to send out bids to several companies when looking to spend $2,000 or more with one vendor during a fiscal year.  This applies to the college when ordering such things as t-shirts, promotional materials, office supplies and transportation on a regular basis.  Bids are sent out to at least three (3) vendors in each category and the purchasing department will decide which vendor will offer the best service for the least amount of money.  When a bid has been approved, all departments and organizations to use the preferred vendor unless special circumstances are involved. (See the section on Sample Forms under State-Contracted Vendors Listing.) 

Why is this important to know as a student organization?
Any item that has a state contract must be purchased from a State Contracted Vendor.  This is important to note for all college organizations and departments.  If you pursue the purchase of items that have state contracts with a company that is not state contracted, your purchase order will not be approved.

What if I am not happy with the price of my items from the state contracted vendor?
The vendors were selected for their competitive pricing for all items, not just the one you selected.   In this case it is important to keep in mind that the pricing discount may not be saving your individual group money at that particular time, but the savings are distributed college wide.  If you would like to discuss this matter further, please see your Program Advisor.

page top
 

Student Government Association Information

Each year, members of SGA accept the challenge of serving as "the voice of students" and representing interests of the student body to the campus as a whole.  This may include serving on committees, participating in planning of campus programs, and discussing issues relevant to students.  Make an effort to attend an SGA meeting and see what it is all about!  Meetings are held on Tuesdays at 7:30 p.m. in Council Chambers (room RCC201, Campus Center) and are always open!

This section is applicable to SGA funded organizations only. 

CRITERIA FOR SGA FUNDING

The organization's Constitution must not be in conflict with the SGA Constitution.

Club membership must be open to all members of the Student Government Association (i.e. all students who pay the SGA fee).

The club must perform an educational or academic service for the students of Bridgewater State College.

All recognized and funded clubs must attend designated SGA meetings to make organizational reports and will not be permitted more than one (1) absence. In the event of more than one (1) absence from a requested meeting, the club's funding will be frozen until further review of the Finance Board. The organization representative making this report may not be an elected member of SGA, without prior SGA approval.[d2] 

The officers of all recognized clubs and organizations shall be elected by the entire membership of the organization. An SGA representative must be present at the election to verify the results.

The club or organization must hold elections no later than March 31st .

General meetings shall be open to every member of the Association and members must obey all rules established by SGA.

SGA-funded clubs or organizations may not charge its participants a membership fee.

SGA FINANCIAL GUIDELINES

  • In accordance with college policy,  all money raised by the club must be deposited in the clubs' number two accounts.
  • Any equipment purchased by a club or organization belongs to Bridgewater State College.  In the case of disbandment of the club or organization, all equipment will revert to the Association and not to the members of the club.
  • All funds must be spent for the purpose allocated.
  • Any violation of the eligibility requirements for funding shall be considered grounds for freezing the account or revocation of funds. In addition, violations may be referred to the College judicial process.
  • All advertising for club events that are SGA funded should indicate the term SGA FUNDED.   This includes flyers, print ads, video, t-shirts, and all other forms of advertisement. A stamp can be obtained in the SGA office for this purpose.

Funding
Any club or organization that has not been active for three consecutive semesters as evidenced by the following criteria shall not be eligible for funding.
1. Holding of meetings and election of officers
2. Submitting to the SGA secretary lists of officers, membership and any amendments of the     Constitution.
3. Completing annual registration requirements with the Office of Student Activities and Leadership.

ROLES AND RESPONSIBILITIES OF THE SGA TREASURER

The SGA Treasurer serves an important role for SGA funded student organizations.  His or her duties include:

  • Serving as chair of the Finance Board.
  • Working directly with the SGA bookkeeper in the OSIL.
  • Participating in Nuts and Bolts workshops each semester with the OSIL staff and educating student organizations on how to complete financial paperwork.
  • Managing the SGA event funding request process and informing clubs and organizations of any changes to that process.
  • Assisting clubs on financial matters.
  • Remaining directly involved with any project or event which SGA financially supports.
  • Monitoring club spending and reporting any discrepancies to the President, Finance Board, SGA Advisor, and OSIL staff.
  • Maintaining correspondence with registered clubs and organizations on all financial procedures including the distribution of event funding request material, official notices of allocation of funds, official notice of revocation of funds, and spending guidelines for SGA funds.

SGA Event Funding Request PROCESS

 Event funding requests will be accepted on a rolling basis throughout the year.

Event funding requests must be thoroughly completed in accordance with established guidelines and submitted no later than six weeks prior to the requested event’s scheduled date. Requests may be submitted at any time in advance of the six week deadline.   

All clubs and organizations may meet with the SGA Treasurer and/or a member of the Finance Board to assist in preparing event funding requests. In addition, clubs and organizations are encouraged to attend the Finance Board and/or Senate meeting at which their request is heard. The Finance Board and Senate reserve the right to require attendance at request hearings.

The Finance Board may approve, deny, or table (postpone) an event funding request. Decisions on requests requiring less than $150 in SGA funds require only the approval of the Finance Board. Requests requiring $150 or more in SGA funds must also be approved by the Senate. The Senate has final authority on all requests and may reverse or alter any decision made by the Finance Board[d4] .

The SGA Treasurer shall notify clubs and organizations of all decisions made by the Finance Board and/or Senate regarding event funding requests within 48 hours via the club’s e-mail address.

All organizations must be recognized and adhere to the guidelines for funding as stated in Article VI of the by-laws.

page top

 

Last Modified: December 21, 2007