2013-2014
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This workshop contains information about depositing
and spending money from a GMU student
organization account.
Additional information can be found in the RSO Fiscal
Handbook on the Student Involvement website,
si.gmu.edu, in the Fiscal Management section under
Student Organizations.
All organization Presidents and Treasurers must
review this presentation and pass a brief test at the
conclusion.
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IMPORTANT: Registered Student Organizations
(RSOs) do not automatically receive money when
they complete the registration process.
Instead, RSOs in good standing are eligible to
apply for and receive funding from the Student
Funding Board.
No funding will be awarded to organizations
unless the officers have completed this
workshop.
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Registered Student Organizations (RSOs) can get
money to spend in two ways:
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By raising money themselves (self generated
revenue or SGR), and
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By applying for funding from the Student Funding
Board (SFB).
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If your organization has not applied for funding
and has not raised money, you have no money to
spend.
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RSOs can raise money by collecting dues,
charging admission for events, securing
donations and sponsorships, winning campus
competitions, etc. Money raised this way is
called self generated revenue, or SGR.
All monies collected must be deposited into your
student organization account, unless your
organization has a national affiliate that requires
an outside bank account for tax purposes.
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RSOs MAY NOT use Pay Pal to collect money.
RSOs MAY NOT open off-campus bank accounts unless
they have a national affiliate that requires an off campus
account.
Self Generated Revenue should never be deposited into a
personal bank account.
When money is collected at events such as dances or
parties, Cash Handling and Wristband procedures must be
followed. These procedures can be found on the Student
Involvement website under General Policies for Student
Organizations.
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Tier 1 RSOs may apply for up to $1,000 SFB
funding per year.
Tier 2 RSOs may apply for up to $3,000 SFB
funding per year.
Tier 3 RSOs may apply for up to $5,000 SFB
funding per year.
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Funding can be used only for the event or purpose
for which it is awarded. For example, if your
organization is awarded $200 to pay a speaker on
October 15, the funding cannot be used to buy
refreshments for a meeting on October 30.
An Event Evaluation must be submitted after events
funded by SFB.
If you fail to follow proper procedures, your
organization may lose its eligibility to receive future
funding from the Student Funding Board.
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Once your organization has raised SGR or been awarded
SFB, there are several ways to spend the money.
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All spending must comply with the rules and guidelines of
the Commonwealth of VA and GMU.
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All requests for payments must be signed by the President
or Treasurer of your organization.
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All spending activity must be approved by the Office of
Student Involvement.
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RSOs may use their student organization number to
charge payments for campus services such as Copy
Center, Parking Services, Events Production, and
facility rentals (Corner Pocket, Center for the Arts,
etc.)
Using your organization number to charge campus
services is like using a debit card. The charges you
make will automatically be deducted from your
account. Be sure that you have SGR or SFB in your
account to cover the charges you make. Otherwise,
you will be required to make a deposit to cover your
spending.
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RSOs also can use their organization number to
charge catering from the campus caterer, Special
Occasions Catering, also known as Sodexo.
Sodexo orders are placed on-line at
catering.gmu.edu.
Sodexo offers two kinds of service: regular
catering for which they will deliver the food to
your event, and a less expensive “Shoe String
Menu” of food items that RSOs can pick up to
bring to their events.
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There are several ways to purchase and pay for
goods and services from off-campus vendors.
These include:
--1) using a Purchase Order
--2) paying out-of-pocket and then seeking
reimbursement
--3) contracting with a DJ, workshop presenter,
or performer
--4) sending payment for dues or conference
fees, and
--5) giving a token of appreciation to someone
who has rendered a professional service.
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Purchase Orders (POs) will allow you to get the
goods you want without having to pay from your
own pocket.
RSOs may request Purchase Orders (POs) to pay
off-campus vendors such as Domino’s, Giant
Food, Panera, Jason’s Deli and others.
When purchasing food from an off-campus
vendor, you must use a GMU Approved Caterer.
A link to the Approved Caterers List can be found
in the Fiscal Management section of the Student
Involvement website.
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To get a Purchase Order (PO), submit a Purchase
Order Request Form at least 5 days before your
event.
Attach an estimate or invoice from the vendor to
the PO Request.
If the PO is for purchase of food, attach a Food &
Beverage Form.
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We will issue a Purchase Order and send it by
email to the student who requested it.
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The student will print out the PO and give it to
the vendor when it comes time to pay.
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Very Important: After your event, you must
submit the cash register receipt or final invoice
from your purchase. Accounts Payable cannot
pay the vendor without the receipt or invoice.
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For purchases at places that will not accept Purchase Orders, you
will have to pay for the goods and then seek reimbursement.
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To request a reimbursement to a member of your organization,
submit a Student Organization Payment Request Form (SOPR).
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Attach an original, itemized receipt and proof of purchase.
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Acceptable forms of proof are either a copy of a cashed check
(front and back sides), or a bank or credit card statement
showing the transaction.
If the reimbursement is for the purchase of food, a Food &
Beverage Form must be submitted.
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Very important: Without an itemized receipt and proof of
purchase, Accounts Payable will not process a reimbursement.
An itemized receipt shows each item that was purchased. The
credit card signature slip is not an itemized receipt because it
does not list the items purchased.
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Note that the university will not reimburse any taxes you pay.
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Accounts Payable can take up to 30 days to process
reimbursements.
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To hire and pay a DJ or performer, you must submit a e
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GMU contract packet and a Purchase Order Request Form
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at least 30 days before the event.
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The Contract packet includes: a) a contract which mustmbe
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completed and signed by the performer, b) a W-9 form
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which the performer must complete, and c) an
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Independent Contractor Form, which you must complete
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to verify that the performer is a contractor and not a GMU
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employee.
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Under no circumstances should a student sign a contract.
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To pay conference registration or dues to a national
organization submit: a) a Student Organization Payment
Request Form, b) an invoice or other documentation
showing the amount due, and c) a list of students for
whom the registration or dues are being paid.
Requests to pay conference registration must be
submitted at least 30 days before payment is due to the
conference.
Note that no funding will be awarded for dues payments.
However, payments can be processed using self generated
revenue.
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RSOs may pay Honorariums as tokens of appreciation to persons who
provide professional services, such as presentations, for which payment
is not required – that is, no fee is set or negotiated by the recipient.
Presenters should arrange and pay for their own transportation. The
Honorarium payment may include a sum to help defray the presenter’s
travel expenses in addition to the amount given for appreciation.
Students should never pay out of pocket for presenter travel expenses.
To request an Honorarium payment, submit a Student Organization
Payment Request Form along with a W-9 form completed by the
presenter.
Honorariums can be paid only to individuals, not to organizations or
businesses.
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A Journal Voucher (JV) can be used for an internal transfer of
money to pay another student organization (for example, when
co-sponsoring an event) or a GMU department (for example,
when paying Mason Recreation for use of fields or equipment).
To request a JV transfer of money to another RSO or a GMU
department, send an email to the OSI Business Manager stating
the amount of money to transfer, the organization to receive
the transfer, and a contact person who expects to receive the
transfer.
To pay Mason Recreation for use of fields or equipment, submit
a copy of the invoice from Mason Recreation and a Student
Organization Payment Request Form.
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Student organizations may buy t-shirts with self
generated revenue. No funding can be awarded for the
purchase of t-shirts, pens, cups, wristbands etc.
To request payment for such items, submit a Purchase
Order Request Form and an invoice from the vendor.
If any Mason trademarks will appear on the shirts or
items, you must buy the shirts from an approved logo
vendor. A link to the list of GMU logo vendors can be
found on the Student Involvement website in the Fiscal
Management section.
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When collecting cash, payments should be recorded in a
log.
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All checks collected should be restrictively endorsed upon
receipt (for example, “For Deposit only, GMU org 610xxx”).
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A receipt must be given to each person who pays money.
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All monies collected should be properly safeguarded and
should be deposited as soon as possible into the student
organization account.
Detailed instructions for making deposits can be found in
the RSO Fiscal Handbook.
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All financial records, such as Cash Receipts and deposit
logs, should be maintained for at least three (3) years.
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Records should be passed from out-going officers to incoming officers.
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Be sure to keep a copy of all documents submitted to
Student Involvement in case the original paperwork is lost.
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GMU is prohibited by state regulations from
paying for the purchase of alcohol, gifts, gift
cards, and items of a personal nature.
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If you purchase such items, you will not be
reimbursed.
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Purchase Orders may not be used to purchase
prohibited items (for example, at Giant Food).
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A Food & Beverage Form is needed whenever
food is purchased, no matter whether a Purchase
Order is used or someone pays for the food and
seeks reimbursement.
There is one exception. Orders placed with
Sodexo, the on-campus caterer, do not require a
Food & Beverage Form.
RSOs should always check box #3 on the form,
for “Student Club Function”.
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Food & Beverage Forms that accompany Purchase Order
Requests should list the vendor (i.e., Domino’s, Giant
Food) in the Vendor Payee box in the upper left-hand
corner.
Food & Beverage Forms that accompany reimbursement
requests (with the Student Organization Payment Request
Form) should list the student who is seeking
reimbursement (i.e., Jane Doe) in the Vendor Payee Box in
the upper left-hand corner.
Very Important: Students seeking reimbursement must
sign the top line at the bottom of the Food & Beverage
Form.
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All of the information presented here, as well as additional
information and links to forms, can be found in the Fiscal
Management section of the Student Involvement website,
si.gmu.edu.
If you have questions about spending money or you want
to know your organization’s account balance, contact
Barbara Campbell, Business Manager, at
bcampbe2@gmu.edu.
For questions about funding applications and funding
awards, contact Sara Morrisroe, Associate Director, at
smorrisr@gmu.edu.
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This concludes the Fiscal Management Workshop.
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RSO Presidents and Treasurers must take the test that
follows here. All answers are either true or false.
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If you score less than 80% on the test, go back and review
the presentation and then take the test again.
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Click here to begin the test. Your test results will be sent
automatically to the Student Funding Board.