Financial Management Help
How Do I Request Funds?
NOTE: Every semester there are more requests for funds than
available and inevitably some requests and activities must be denied
funding. Filling out the appropriate forms completely and correctly,
showing up to the Finance Committee interview and participating in
the Senate debate, while following the timeline listed below, is very
important to the success of your request.
1. The
•
club treasurer needs to get a Allocation Request Form.
The Club Allocation Request Form is used to request funds
for new equipment and all club expenses (except specific
activities). The form also provides needed information
about the club.
•
The Activity Allocation Request Form is used to request funds
for a specific activity. Please complete one form per
activity; do not have two activities on the same form.
2. For finance forms, please download them from the ASUP Financial
Forms page and email the ASUP Treasurer at
chu13@up.edu
3. The allocation requests need to be filled out completely and turned
in to the Office of Student Activities in St. Mary's no later than
Friday, March 8th at 5 pm. Late forms will NOT be
accepted.
•
Forms that are turned in via e-mail are subject to this rule as
well.
•
It is solely the responsibility of the club treasurer to ensure
that all forms are turned in (that means that if you e-mail
the form, double check to make sure it was received).
4. Once the forms have been completed and turned in, a club
interview should be scheduled.
•
The club interview is used by the Finance Committee to clarify
information and better understand the needs of the club.
5. Club interviews will be held this semester on the week of March 1821 (week after Spring Break) . Meetings are by appointment
only. Time slots are delegated on a first-come, first-served
basis.
•
It is a good idea to sign up for your meeting when you turn in
your request forms.
•
It is your responsibility to show up to the meeting; missed
meetings will not be rescheduled.
6. The Finance Committee will then deliberate and create the
proposed Fall 2013 Budget.
7. On Monday, March 25th the proposed budget is presented to
Senate.
•
Senate meetings start at 4:30 PM in Shiley 301.
•
A copy of the proposed budget can be obtained by coming to
this meeting.
8. On Monday, April 8th Senate will debate the proposed budget.
•
It is highly recommended that the club treasurer attend to
answer questions and "defend" their budget.
9. On Monday, April 15th Senate will finish debate on the proposed
budget and finalize it. When this happens, the finalized budget
will become the Fall 2013 Budget.
•
This is the last chance to defend your budget.
Copies of the Fall 2013 Budget will then be e-mailed to each club
president, treasurer and advisor and posted to the ASUP page.
How Do I Receive Allocated Funds?
If your club or organization has been allocated ASUP funds through the normal
allocation process, your organization is entitled to receive funding.
To Use Allocated Funds
NOTE: A copy of the current semester's budget is available at the desk of the
ASUP Treasurer or in the document library on the ASUP Communities page.
Also, please note that reimbursement requests are not the only mode of
receiving funding--there are other options as well that do not require you to
spend money up front. Please see the ASUP Treasurer with any
questions. Instructions on how to fill out a reimbursement request can be found
below:
10.
11.
Have the club treasurer stop by the ASUP Treasurer's office to pick up the
form or print out a Reimbursement form from the Controller's Office
website.
Fill out the form completely and attach any necessary documentation
(receipts, invoices, etc.). You must have receipts or other necessary
documentation for your reimbursement request to be honored.
12.
Place the completed form in the ASUP Treasurer's inbox, located in St.
Mary's. Forms cannot be turned in via e-mail.
13.
The ASUP Treasurer will then check the form and ensure that it has been
filled out correctly. Reimbursement requests that are filled out incorrectly
will need to be redone. Requests for items not covered in the approved
budget will not be honored.
14.
Once the request has been approved, it will be turned in to the University
of Portland Controller who will then process the request.
•
Please note that because of the numerous steps it takes to be
reimbursed, this process can take up to 3 weeks. Once again, if
you would like to consider other payment options, talk to the
ASUP Treasurer.
*** Remember that you can only spend funds for the items that have been
specifically allocated by ASUP Senate.
What are Finance Committee Interviews?
The Finance Committee offers 10 minute, optional interviews to all clubs and
organizations before the proposed budget is created. It is the goal of the Finance
Committee to create a proposed budget that will maximize opportunities for
student involvement, support as many clubs as possible, and support activities
that will actually happen and be successful. In pursuit of this goal, the interview
process allows the Committee to find out:
15.
16.
17.
18.
19.
How much are club members contributing? The Finance Committee finds
out what sort of fund raising activities the club engages in and where this
money is spent. There are instances when the money raised is used for
events not listed in the budget process.
How many students will the activity affect? On a tight budget, events
should be affecting large groups of students and/or have serious personal
contributions as well.
How have they used ASUP funding in the past? Fiscal responsibility is as
important for clubs to have. Actually doing the events that received
allocations is equally important. The Committee finds out how the club has
historically managed their funds received from ASUP.
What are their priorities for funding? On a tight budget, every club should
expect to take at least some cuts. The Committee wants to fund activities
that will not only affect large numbers of students but that will also actually
happen and be successful. The higher the priority for the activity, the more
likely it is to happen.
Does every member of the Committee understand every part of the
request? To be an effective and fair Committee, each member needs to
fully understand every part of each budget request.
How organized is the club leadership? As stated above, the Committee wishes to
only fund events that will actually happen. The interview is an opportunity for the
Committee to meet with the club leaders and assess them.