Funding FAQs

After SGA funds are allocated, the prime question for every student organization is "How do I use my SGA funds?" This portion of the website will hopefully help answer those questions.

Requirements

Before you can begin using your funding for the new fiscal year you have to meet three requirements:

Be a registered organization with the Center for Campus Life

Attend a Risk Management training session through the Center for Campus Life

Attend a SGA Funding Training session (typically held during the first two weeks of September). IF your two officers do not attend one of these sessions they will have to meet with Teresa individually before the org can utilize funding.

Common Misconceptions

SGA funds can be used for any organization expense.

FALSE: SGA funds can only be used for certain organization expenses, including, but not limited to the following (please see page 13 of the Funding Regulations Handbook for more information):

ALLOWABLE EXPENSES

Travel Expenses (hotel, transportation, meals, registration e.g.)

Speaker's fees & expenses (reimbursed directly to speaker only, cannot be reimbursed to the organization; we can pay for certain travel expenses ahead of time - airline, hotel)

General office supplies (MUST BE PURCHASED FROM STAPLES ONLY)

Postage

Copying and printing

Organization recruiting activities & 50% of recruiting items. Effective September 1, 2015 any recruiting/promotional items SGA provides funding for MUST have "Sponsored by Student Government Assocation" or the SGA logo on the item.

Event Room Rental

Organization Banners and Signs (including vinyl banners and organization displays)

Advertising

Equipment Rentals

Internal Publications (organization newsletter e.g.)

50% of Promotional Items (t-shirts, pens/pencils, mugs, koozies e.g.) Effective September 1, 2015 any recruiting/promotional items SGA provides funding for MUST have "Sponsored by Student Government Association" or the SGA logo on the item.

EXCLUDED EXPENSES

SGA funds cannot be used to purchase/reimburse the following:

Scholarships, awards, gifts, or prizes

Fundraising projects solely beneficial to the organization

Operating expenses (telephone, subscriptions, salaries, copier rental, e.g.).

Fixtures, or furniture to decorate offices

Computers, printers, scanners, digital cameras, or hardware

Tents, tables, canopies, or camping equipment

Club sports or any intramural expenses

Hotel room service/In room movies/DVD or VCR rentals/videos/tapes

State sales tax

National or State Organizational Membership Dues

Donations of any kind

Publications (Subscriptions)

Books, Handbooks, or Textbooks unless authorized by SGA President

Food, drink, decorations, or entertainment for banquets, receptions, meetings, buffets, parties, or other social event.

SGA cuts a check to the organization for the entire allocation.

FALSE: SGA funds come from the Student Service Fees you pay as part of your tuition and fees; therefore the funds require close monitoring to ensure that the funds are being used properly and for expenses that are allowable. For this reason, SGA funds work primarily on a payment or reimbursement basis. We have procedures in place to allow the use of SGA funds for various expenses. Please see the Funding Regulations Handbook or the Funding Overview webpage to determine which form is required for your expense.

SGA has a checkbook to write checks immediately.

FALSE: All checks to student organizations are written from the University's Accounts Payable/Purchasing offices; therefore it takes several weeks to receive the check once you have turned all the necessary paperwork in to SGA. Please take this into consideration as you make plans to use your SGA funds.

To use my SGA funds, all I have to do is tell SGA about the expense.

FALSE: In order to use your SGA funding, you must follow the established procedures in order to use your funds for expenses. In order to be reimbursed or have SGA pay for expenses, you must turn in the appropriate form along with appropriate supporting documentation. The funding forms can be found on the Funding Overview page. Descriptions are provided for each form so you know which form to use for the respective expenditure.

SGA funds are available immediately after allocation in the spring.

FALSE: SGA funds are allocated during the spring semester to be used by organizations during the following fiscal year. SGA funds become available for use by organizations on September 1st of each year. There are three requirements orgs must meet before utilizing funds each year. The requirements are listed on the Funding Overview page.

I can have my home department or advisor use their university credit cards to purchase items and SGA will simply reimburse them.

FALSE: SGA funds cannot be used to reimburse a department or procurement card for organization expenses. If you would like to purchase items, please discuss with Katherine Taylor and she will work with you to make your purchases.

Advisor travel expenses can be paid for using SGA funds.

FALSE: SGA funds may only be used for student travel expenses. No advisor travel expenses may be covered with SGA funds.

SGA will reimburse my organization or my advisor if we paid for a speaker's travel expenses (airfare & hotel).

FALSE: SGA can either reimburse the speaker directly or purchase the airfare and hotel for the speaker. It is against University policy to reimburse a third party for travel expenses incurred for guest professionals.

SGA provides a tax exempt form to orgs so they can provide it to vendors for tax purposes.

FALSE: When orgs host give back nights (or any other event) and the vendor asks for a tax exempt form, they are referring to a W9. The W9 needs to be retrieved from the IRS website (www.irs.gov), filled in using the org's contact information and their own tax ID/EIN number (issued to them by the IRS). The org will then need to provide the competed W9 to the vendor.