WELCOME TO THE S.A. BUDGET TRAINING WORKSHOP.

1. WELCOME TO THE S.A. BUDGET TRAINING WORKSHOP. BE SURE TO SIGN IN

2. Getting Started I. Introductions: S.A. Treasurer: Patrick Echols S.A. Accountant: Suzanne Sedlacek G.A. Accountant: Chen Liu At this budget workshop meeting you will receive information ensuring that your organization can: • submit a properly prepared budget request for next year • properly spend SA allocated funding.

3. Welcome II Budget A Budget Process B Rules C Funding 1 SA Funding 2 Fundraising D Preparing your Budget E Budget Preparation Policies III Spending A Rules B Spending Forms IV Miscellaneous A General rules and policies.

4. Finance policy • The SA Finance Policy is available online at, http://www.niu.edu/sa/documents/index.shtml

5. Budget Process

6. Step 1: Budgets are due on the 2nd Monday of October between the hours of 8:00am and 3:30pm in Campus Life Building 180, the Student Association Office. (5% penalty taken off the actual allocation for each day late) Turn your budget request in to one of the following: • S.A. Treasurer • S.A. Accountant • S.A. Office Manager • You must receive a receipt when your • organization turns in a budget request.

7. Step 2: • Your organization will present its budget request before the Finance Committee at a predetermined date. • Your organization must contact the SA Office Manager, to schedule the meeting appointment. The SA Officer may be reached by phone at 753-0486. • Every organization is required to present their budget on the date assigned. • Each Organization will get 10 minutes to explain their budget proposal and 5 minutes for questions and answers at their assigned Finance Committee meeting

8. Step 3: • Once the recommendation has gone before the Senate you will be notified at a later date of the final allocation that will be awarded for the next fiscal year.

9. Appeals by Organizations • Organizations are able to express concern about their budget throughout the budgeting process. • During the Finance Committee presentation, organizations will have the opportunity to express any concerns they might have. • After the Finance Committee makes a recommendation on each individual budget, the Senate will review it for a final allocation. • Organizations that have concerns about their budgets may be present at the Senate meeting when their budget is being reviewed. • Please contact the SA Treasurer if you would like to know when your organization’s budget will come before the Senate.

10. Budget Rules

11. Budget Rules • No religious organizations will be SA funded. • No organizations that are affiliated with political parties or that engage solely in the backing of political causes or candidates will be SA funded. • No individual social fraternity or sorority will be considered for SA funding. • No organization whose members are receiving academic credit for participation in the organization’s activities will be SA funded. • Overseas travel will not be SA funded.

12. Budget Rules contd. 6. No pre-professional development organizations will be SA funded. 7. No organization with restrictive membership will be funded. Including but not limited to g.p.a. or certain declared majors. Anything that is not open to all NIU students in good standing will be considered to have restrictive membership. 8. All budget requests must be properly submitted. Any organization that fails to submit a budget request by the deadline without justifiable cause presented to, and accepted by, the Finance Committee will not be funded for the following fiscal year.

13. Budget Rules contd. 9. Budget requests, that are vague, incomplete, or improper shall be returned to the organization submitting the request and that organization shall not be considered for an allocation unless the request is properly prepared and resubmitted before the deadline to turn in budget requests. Failure to comply with this provision will result in your budget request being denied. 10. At least one organizational representative who helped to prepare the budget request should be present at the organization’s presentation to the Finance Committee. If an organization fails to have a representative present, the Finance Committee will proceed to act on the budget request without the organization being represented. 11. Student organizations that violate this budget guide will have their S.A. accounts frozen until the matter is resolved.

14. Advisor • Each organization must have an advisor. The advisor must be a full-time regular faculty or staff university employee. The role of the advisor is to oversee the organization and make sure it is doing whatever is in the best interest of the organization and to assist the organization in fulfilling and obeying all applicable SA and NIU policies. Organizations may have more than one advisor, however they may have only one primary advisor who must be registered and approved by the SA. • Any advisor changes must be reported to the Student Association within 14 days of the change by submitting an updated Officer Form. An Officer Form can be obtained from the SA website.

15. Audit Policy • All Student Association funded organizations will be required to keep an updated general ledger (keep track of how much was allocated, how much spent, and how much is available). • Keeping a general ledger will provide information if any discrepancies arise. The organization’s records should match the NIU Financial Reports for that organization. • The S.A. has the right to audit all general ledgers based upon problems, complaints or general inquiries. • Any discrepancies should be immediately reported to Suzanne Sedlacek, S.A. Accountant. • Your organization will be responsible for any and all over-expenditures.

16. Your Act Of Fiscal Responsibility • Organizations must plan ahead, gain approval, and be accountable. After planning, an organization must have approval, in the form of the sign-off (expenditure form available on the SA website), on any payment request document. Your advisor is responsible to review payment request documents before giving approval for the expenditure. • If you make a purchase of items on behalf of your organization and the purchase was not included in the budget for that fiscal year then you may be responsible for payment for that item or service. • Obligating monies for services that have not been previously approved may leave you responsible for the bill, not the university.

17. Funding Sources

18. Funding • Allocated Funding • Supplemental Funding • Fundraising

19. SA Funding S.A. General Funding Policy • Funding for organizational budgets is allocated from money collected from Student Activity Fees which are generated from Northern Illinois University fee-paying students. • Usually, the amount of money requested by recognized organizations exceeds the amount of money collected. • In light of this, the funds that are available are allocated in a manner by which the interest of the NIU student body will be best served. • Funds are distributed in a way that encourages the growth of educational, cultural, social, recreational, and other co curricular activities on the Northern Illinois University Campus.

20. First Year Organization • First year organizations are not eligible to receive funding. • Organizations that duplicate the efforts of another organization, in the opinion of the SA Finance Committee, will not receive funding.

21. Second Year Organizations • During the second year, organizations may receive an allocation from the Supplemental Fund. • In addition, a second year organization, may ask for funding as an annual budget for next fiscal year, if they have been granted permission to do so by the SA Senate. The budget for the first year of funding may not exceed four hundred dollars ($400).

22. Newly Funded Organizations • Only when an organization has been funded for at least two years will it be eligible for an increase. • The recommendation made by the Finance Committee will then be sent to the Senate for further approval.

23. Supplemental Funding • Supplemental Funding is used for emergency instances for a one-time expenditure, where lack of the particular service or equipment could cause the organization immeasurable harm. • Supplemental funding can also be used for unique, unexpected instances that may occur. • This funding is not to be used for additional support for regular programs, such as concerts, speakers and films.

24. Supplemental Funding is awarded only if approved by the Senate. After the finance committee has adjourned for the year, an e-mail request for supplemental funding should be sent to the SA Treasurer, copying the SA Accountant. The SA Treasurer will respond to the organization and let them know that the request will be held to next fall when the SA Senate reconvenes. Supplemental Funding

25. Supplemental Funding • Supplemental Funding applications are available on the web and must be submitted to the SA Office at least one-week prior to any scheduled appearance. • Representatives of the organization must present the application and all relevant background information at their scheduled Finance Committee Meeting.

26. SA Website

27. Fundraising • The organization shall be responsible for depositing the money into their cost center on the next working business day. • Any organizations wishing to sponsor an event that will require a charge needs to gain approval from the S.A. Treasurer.

28. Income • All generated income shall be considered activity fee money, if the organization is funded wholly or in part by the S.A. Income deposited in the organization’s cost center will remain in the cost center until spent. • This includes all generated income in excess of SA allocated funds. • Raffles, fundraisers, parties, social events, dues, or any event where individuals are charged can be a source of income.

29. Rollover • At the end of the fiscal year if an organization has a positive balance in their cost center and the amount of the balance is equal to or less than the income generated and deposited into the cost center that year, the money will remain in the organizational cost center for the next fiscal year.

30. Rollover Continued • At the end of the year if an organization has a positive balance in their account that is not from generated income, the organization can request that part or all of the balance be rolled over into their cost center for the next fiscal year. • All request for rollovers must be submitted in writing to the Treasurer. • Rollover Forms are available on the SA website.

31. SA Website DO NOT WRITE IN THIS BOX S.A. Treasurer ___________________________ Date: ___________________________

32. Outside Accounts • Student organizations that are S.A. funded are strongly encouraged not to have any outside accounts. • Outside accounts are accounts established with other institutions - other than the University. • All funds should be in accounts that can be monitored by the S.A.

33. Admission Charges • All events being planned to charge admission will require a prior submission to Student Involvement and Leadership Development, and the S.A. stating the price, location, etc. • All events that require a charge must include tickets. • Student organizations should include a two tier pricing system. One price will be established for NIU students and another price for non-NIU student. • All prices for events need to be displayed on all advertisements, handbills, posters, fliers, and at the event location. • All revenue from an event must be deposited into an organization’s cost center. Deposit receipts should be given to the SA Accountant for record keeping purposes

34. Raffles • All raffles held during the fiscal year must be registered with the city of DeKalb before the event takes place. Call the City Clerk’s Office at 748-2095. Please allow 2 weeks lead time for processing the request. • The S.A. Treasurer also needs to be informed of all raffles. • When you have received notification that you can hold the raffle, the following must be done before it can take place:

35. Raffles • A list of individuals selling tickets must be provided. • The organization must advertise where and when the tickets are being sold and how much the tickets cost. The date or dates of the raffle/s also need to be included. This advertising information must be provided to the Accounting Office if requesting payments or reimbursements through the Accounting office. • For contest winners the same rules apply- all advertising information regarding the contest must be provided to the Accounting Office when requesting payment to winners. • The S.A. will appoint the individual who will draw the ticket to declare the winner unless the organization has reached agreement otherwise with the S.A. Treasurer.

36. Preparing the Budget

37. Preparing Your Actual Budget Request: The Questions • All questions must be answered (typed) and included with your budget request. • TO BE ACCEPTED, ALL BUDGETS MUST BE PRODUCED USING MICROSOFT EXCEL!

38. 1. What’s in A Name? • Many organizations have names that are acronyms, which can be confusing to people who know little about the organization. If your organization’s name is an acronym please list the meaning of each letter. • Please list the full name of your organization, as you would have it appear to uninformed people. • Does your organization have an S.A. mailbox? If not then you need to apply for one so information can be sent to you. Applications can be picked up at the S.A. office CLB 180, or printed off the SA website. • Organizations who don’t have an S.A. mailbox or an alternative mailbox on file will still be held responsible for any information that has been mailed out. • Informational mailings will also be posted on the SA bulletin board, outside of the SA office, for those without a mail box.

39. 2. Past Uses of Student Association Funds • Sometimes organizations get an allocation and see it as a lump sum. It is important to remember that the money allocated is for a specific purpose. In that respect, the Finance Committee will be taking into account: • Comparisons of the current budget allocations with present year’s actual expenditures. • Whether allocated funds in the past were used for their stated purpose. • If the organization ever had a deficit and if so, what were the circumstances?

40. 3. Balance of Programs • For previously funded organizations, the Finance Committee will examine the timing of events to ensure that a well-balanced program is presented to the student body during both semesters. • Organizations are urged not to delay activities until the middle of the spring semester, unless the event is specifically meant for the spring, because such delays may be viewed as improper planning, which weakens the position of an organization to receive funding. • In other words well-balanced, well-timed programs are essential. • What specific events were sponsored by the organization during the last year? Please include event names, dates, number of attendees and the cost.

41. Number of Students Served • While the vast majority of programs are not going to appeal to all students, well-attended events are definitely an asset to an organization and the campus. • What services do you feel your organization provides? • How would you rate them?

42. 5. Adherence to Regulations • All organizations must adhere to the S.A. Constitution and Bylaws, as well as all Financial Policies and Procedures. • All funded organizations must also adhere to deadlines set by the Treasurer and/or the Finance Committee. These include but are not limited to: • budget requests, conference information, trip reports, and stipulations that are put on budget allocations. • All organizations must attend an annual budget workshop and any scheduled Treasurer meetings.

43. 6. Duplication of Efforts • The SA will not fund new organizations whose scope, purpose and/or planned activities are essentially the same as existing organizations. • Thus, new such organizations should incorporate their plans into the existing funded organizations. • Organizations that already receive funding will under no circumstances receive funding from the S.A. for programs or services that are already provided by the University or other public agencies.

44. 7. Size of the Organization • Individual members of organizations benefit by being involved in the planning and production of events and providing services. Thus, members receive a greater educational experience than those students who simply attend the event or receive the service. • While attendance at an event will be viewed as important, the overriding factor to determine funding will be the documented number of active members in the organization.

45. 8. The Mission Statement Why is a mission statement important? • It gives your organization a purpose that is readily identifiable in all aspects of your organization. • It represents the views of the membership. • It outlines the activities of the group and communicates what services your organization provides. • It should explain your organization’s reason for being. • It should also include input gathered from the organization so it reflects the personality of the group. • Last but not least, “ mission statements should motivate potential members to join and serve as a motivating tool for current members.” • It is your organization’s mission statement that will appear in your section of the SA website, if you have one. Please make sure your mission statement is grammatically correct, using correct spelling and sentence structure.

46. 9. The Vision Okay, I have a mission, but why do I need a vision? First your organization must ask itself some basic questions: • Am I in my position to do something or am I in this position for something to do? • If your answer is “to do something” then your vision explains what that “something” is.

47. What are Visions? • They are statements of destinations, an ideal or unique image of the future. • An image of what the people of the organization want to become. A vision answers the following questions: • What do we want to be, what is the best we can be, what is the ideal future of our organization? • When creating a vision you can expect that getting the whole membership to share the vision will be a challenge.

48. 10. Promotion • Promotion is critical for organizations to succeed. • Where you place flyers is important. Where do you advertise? • Do you use the Northern Star or EZ System? • As important as what your fliers say, it is also important to inform the student body that all your programs are open to all and funded through student fees.

49. Publicity • All public communications from any student organization receiving funds from the Student Association shall state the following “SA Allocated and Open to All.” These communications shall include, but are not limited to, television, radio, and newspaper advertisements. • If “SA Allocated and Open to all” does not appear on all of your communication outlets you can be subject to removing all fliers and retaining all promotional information until the corrections are made. • Organizations may also publicize their functions on NIU’s EZ-EMAIL System. This is a weekly web notification that alerts students with an active z-account on up coming events. This service is available on the SA and NIU websites. (This will be listed as “Events Calendar”)

50. 11. The History Knowing where you’ve been is as important as where you’re going. • Give a brief history of your organization. • Do you know how long you have been on campus? • How has your organization changed from when it was started?