Managing Organization Spending Accounts

Your organization’s treasurer should manage your club account in conjunction with your organization advisor. Your advisor must approve all spending before spending takes place and can submit requests for reimbursement or payment to be made from the organization’s account. It is the responsibility of the organization’s faculty advisor to ensure that sufficient funds are available for purchases. All funds must be deposited into an organization account. Organizations are not allowed to hold petty cash.

Guidelines for Organizational Spending Club Funding Allowances

  • $10.00 each for organization t-shirts. The number of shirts requested cannot be greater than the number of club members.
  • $500 a year for guest performers, speakers, bands etc.
  • $125 per hotel room per night. Organizations should maximize room occupancy with four students to a room whenever possible.
  • $175 for airfare per person round trip.
  • Organizations may fund national conference fees for up to three members each year.
  • Organizations may fund regional conference fees for up to ten members each year.
  • Only the designated faculty/staff advisor can receive university funds for the cost of travel, hotel, or conference fees.
  • Equipment purchases can be funded as long as the equipment requested is aligned with the mission of the organization. Any equipment purchased with university funds must be stored on campus, recorded in the Equipment Inventory Forms with the ADSE, and be available for use by club members at all times. Any equipment purchased with university funds must be stored on campus, recorded in the Equipment Inventory Forms with the ADSE, and be available for use by club members at all times. The Equipment Inventory Form can be found in the “View Forms” link at the end of this Handbook, in the “Documents Tab” of the Inter-Club Council Involve Profile, or in the Office of Student Engagement.

Items/Events that CANNOT be funded:

  • Student meals and/or entertainment costs during trips, travel, conferences etc.
  • Student membership fees to any national, regional, or local society or organization.
  • Promotional events or materials for an individual’s self-interest or a specific office or academic department.
  • Food/refreshments for regular organizational meetings.
  • Private social events.
  • Cash awards, scholarships, or gift cards.
  • Alcohol or weapons.
  • Political campaigns: University funds cannot be contributed to any local, state, or federal political parties or campaigns.
  • Items for personal use such as testing fees/materials, lessons/instruction, person equipment/gear, etc.
  • Event/fundraiser held to raise/create personal revenue for members of the organization.
  • Scholarships or donations: Funds can be used to host events to raise funds for these purposes as long as events are open to the entire campus and the charitable purpose of events are clearly communicated.
  • Clubs are not allowed to make donations to a charity, ministry, or outside organization through funds allocated in the club funding process. They are allowed to use the clubs allocated through the funding process as “seed” money to host a fundraiser for said ministry, charity, or organization.
  • Payments or salaries for leaders/advisors of student of organizations.

Off-Campus Events with Admission Fees:

Clubs are encouraged to plan events that further their club’s mission. These events could include off-campus trips to develop club-related skills or learn more about the field of interest their club relates to. Examples of these trips could be museums, shows/productions, seminars/presentations, etc. Club funds can be used to support tickets/admission to these types of events so long as it directly relates to the club’s mission and the trip has been approved as part of the club funding packet through the reregistration process the year prior. ICC allotted funds can be used for up to $15 (not to exceed 50%) of the ticket price.

Using University Accounts

Walmart Card Checkout Request

To check out our university Walmart card for campus club/organization purchases, a Walmart Card Checkout Request form must be completed, signed by your advisor, and returned to the ADSE at least 24 hours before the card is checked out. This form can be found in the “View Forms” link at the end of this Handbook, in the “Documents Tab” of the Inter-Club Council Involve Profile, or the Office of Student Engagement. The Walmart card must be returned within 24 hours of checkout with original receipts to the ADSE.

Amazon Purchases

The Office of Student Engagement has an Amazon Prime account. If your organization would like to purchase something online, please first discuss the purchase with your organization’s advisor. Club leadership will need to complete the Amazon Request Form found in the “View Forms” link at the end of this Handbook, in the “Documents Tab” of the Inter-Club Council Involve Profile, or the Office of Student Engagement. Club leadership will then need to submit the Amazon Request Form along with the links to the items and any additional instructions for purchasing such as quantity, color, size, etc.  The item(s) will be shipped to the ADSE and the ADSE will notify club leadership once the item(s) have arrived.

Purchasing Card Purchases

The Office of Student Engagement has a credit card that can be used to purchase items outside of Walmart or Amazon. However, unlike the Walmart Card this card is not allowed to leave the Office of Student Engagement. Because of this, purchases with this card are limited to online vendors and must be made by the ADSE. If your organization would like to purchase something online, please first discuss the purchase with your organization’s advisor. Then either email or meet with the ASDE to purchase the items. The ADSE will need proof of permission from the organization’s advisor prior to purchasing. The item(s) will be shipped to the ADSE and the ADSE will notify club leadership once the item(s) have arrived.

Invoices

When purchasing something through an invoice, such as T-Shirts or other branded items, first confirm approval of the purchase with the advisor. Then work with the Office of Creative Services on your design prior to placing the order. Complete the process by submitting the order with a university-approved licensed vendor. When the vendor sends your organization the invoice, have your advisor sign it and list the account number. Then send the invoice to the ADSE for their signature. The ADSE will send the invoice sent to Account Payable for payment.

Note: For all branded items such as T-Shirts or jerseys, teams must follow the guidelines outlined in the section of this Handbook titled “Branding Usage”.

Reimbursement

If what your organization needs cannot be purchased through Walmart, Amazon, Online/Purchasing Card, or Invoice, reimbursement is the final option. Club Advisors or leadership can purchase what is needed with their personal funds and complete the Payment Request form, located in the Office of Student Engagement, to be reimbursed through the club’s account. The Payment Request form can be found in the “View Forms” link at the end of this Handbook, in the “Documents Tab” of the Inter-Club Council Involve Profile, or the Office of Student Engagement. This process typically takes about 1 week after submission.

Note: Advisor permission is still required prior to making purchases. If what is purchased is not advisor approved, the club does not have sufficient funds, or does not follow the guidelines listed in MANAGING ORGANIZATION SPENDING ACCOUNTS section of this handbook, the person who purchased the item(s) will be responsible and will not be reimbursed.