CROSS-CULTURAL BUDGETING TIPS
Intercultural Office
NOTE: All budget forms can also be found on the Business Office channel on MCSquare.
BUDGET TRACKING
 Cash Advances. Cash advances can be taken out in two ways:
o Falcon Exchange Cash Advance. Complete a Cash Advance Request Form (signed
by the Director of International Programs) and take it to the Falcon Exchange (in
Eisenhower Campus Center outside Lottie Nelson) to obtain cash. If taking out a large
amount (over $2,000) please email Elliott Sternbergh to give him at least one week
advance notice so he is sure to have enough cash on hand. Likewise, if you need your
cash advance in specific denominations (i.e., 5s, 10s, 20s), please let Elliott know ahead
of time so he can have the appropriate form of cash on hand.
o P-Card ATM Cash Advance. Use your College Visa P-Card to take a cash advance out
at an ATM while traveling internationally. See attached “P-Card Cash Access While
Travelling” for more details, including PIN requirements. (NOTE: Most ATMs have
additional bank fees, which will also be charged to the course budget.)

Receipt Retention. Collect all receipts from both cash and P-Card transactions. Ideally, take a
few envelopes to keep receipts organized during travel:
o Visa Transaction Receipts. These receipts will be attached, upon return, to each
transaction in IntelliLink.
o P-Card ATM Cash Receipts. These include the ATM slip from the withdrawal and
receipts showing how the cash was spent.
o Falcon Exchange Cash Advance Receipts. Receipts showing how the cash was spent.
o Missing Receipts. If it is impossible to obtain a receipt, note the date, time, reason, and
amount of money on an Excel sheet or on the Cross-Cultural Cash Advance
Reconciliation Form. (For example, $10 lunch per diem for 20 students for a total of
$200 on 06/01/17.) Faculty leaders do not need to submit individual Missing Receipt
Forms if they keep a list of missing receipts with the necessary information that can be
submitted upon return.

Cross-Cultural Cash Advance Reconciliation Form – Used when reconciling cash spent from
a cash advance – whether from Messiah’s Falcon Exchange Counter or a Messiah P-Card card
ATM withdrawal. If possible, take along an electronic or hardcopy of the form to track expenses
during the course.
o If you have your own system for tracking cash expenses (i.e., Excel spreadsheet), you can
submit a copy of that form instead of the official form, as long as it contains the
necessary basic information (date, type of expense, amount, brief description).

Foreign Currency Exchange. Any foreign currency remaining from a cash advance at the
conclusion of a course should be converted back to US Dollars prior to returning to the US.
Messiah’s Business Office is not able to accept foreign currency.

P-Card Allocations. Because May-Term straddles two months, and many faculty leaders do not
have consistent internet access while abroad, Daisy Anderson, P-Card Administrator, will allocate
all May P-Card transactions on behalf of faculty leader to the appropriate account line. Upon
their return, faculty leaders will need to attach receipts for their P-Card transactions, and will
need to confirm they’ve been allocated to the appropriate budget line.
BUDGET RECONCILIATION

If applicable, submit completed Cross-Cultural Cash Advance Reconciliation Form (or
alternative) by June 21st to Stephen Beaver in the Business Office, including all relevant cash
receipts (for both ATM and Falcon Exchange advances).
o Any remaining cash should be returned to the Falcon Exchange Counter.
o Recognizing that currency fluctuates, cash advances should reconcile within 3-5% or less
of the total cash advance (i.e., within $50 of a $1,000 advance). Cash advances
exceeding this amount will be handled on a case-by-case basis.

Complete a final financial accounting of your course budget by June 28th to assure that any
and all outstanding bills have been paid and to determine whether a course fee adjustment is
necessary to either assess an additional fee to cover unexpected expenses or refund unused funds
to students once all financial commitments for the course have been satisfied.
o Special Considerations:
 Confirm all P-Card transactions have posted to budget.
 All course budgets must be reconciled by June 30th.

The following parameters guide cross-cultural course fee adjustments:
o Budget Closure. It is the responsibility of the faculty leader to reconcile their budget
within 15 days of their return. Faculty leaders should not communicate anything about a
possible refund or fee increase to students until they consult with the Director of
International Programs.
o Refunds. If the remaining budget revenue is greater than $50 per student, participants
will receive a course fee adjustment, crediting the specified amount to their Messiah
account. Faculty leaders will complete a Cross-Cultural Course Fee Adjustment
Request and submit it to the Intercultural Office (Suite 3050) for processing.
o Fee Increases. If budget expenses exceed collected revenue for a course, participants
may receive a course fee adjustment assessing an additional fee to their Messiah account
to cover the unexpected expenses. Faculty leaders should consult with the Director of
International Programs (x7373) to determine if an additional fee increase is appropriate.
Updated 7/16/15