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Dartmouth College
Class Treasurers Guide
September 2008
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Dartmouth Class Treasurer Responsibilities
(Ledyard Plan Treasurers)
 Prepare annual dues request letters
Commitment: one hour per year in July
 Maintain an accurate ledger of all class financial transactions
Commitment: on average, one hour per month in non-reunion years to record four
transactions
 Prepare and distribute an Annual Class Financial Statement
Commitment: two-three hours per year in July
 File an Annual Tax Return
Commitment: three hours in October
 Pay class obligations on a timely basis
Commitment: on average, write one check per month in non-reunion years
** Secondary Responsibilities **
 Setup and reconcile cash and investment accounts
Commitment: one-half hour per month
 Maintain class financial transaction files
Commitment: about three hours per year
 Budget for class reunions and significant class events
Commitment: on average, eight hours for one such event every other year
 Record reunion/significant event transactions and pay event obligations
(there may be a separate treasurer for such events)
Commitment: on average, fifty hours for one such event every other year
 Complete a timely handoff from the previous and to the succeeding
treasurer
Commitment: three hours every five years
*** The First Duty of a Treasurer - "Don't Run Out of Cash" ***
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Initial Setup Activities
Cash & Investment Accounts
Often the Class has three types of cash and investment accounts:

Checking with a bank or brokerage firm like Schwab or Fidelity that pay interest. If you
are planning on being a Ledyard Plan Treasurer (described more fully below in “OnGoing Activities”), then a bank account must be established at the Ledyard National Bank
in Hanover if it has not already been done.

Money Market which can serve as a "savings account" with higher interest for more
stable funds. This, too, can be at a bank or brokerage firm (e.g., Fidelity's Cash Reserves).

Investment Accounts for special purposes with low activity like a "Memorial Book Fund"
to honor deceased classmates.
All these accounts can be consolidated at one firm like Fidelity with a common statement, single
signature card, and good returns.
It is suggested that a second signer (not dual signer) for the accounts be appointed for continuity in the
event of death or incapacity of the elected Treasurer (e.g., an elected Assistant Treasurer, one of the
other elected officers, or an officer from Blunt Alumni Relations).
Files
It is suggested that a file drawer or file storage box be acquired such as a "Bankers Box" (16 ½" x 12
½") from an office supply store to hold folders for files like –
*
*
*
*
*
*
Class Financial Statements
Dues Letters & Payment Statements
Treasurer Procedures
Special Events (e.g., Reunions)
Invoices
Class Rosters
*
*
*
*
*
Bank/Brokerage Statements
Tax Information
Projects (e.g., Memorial Book Fund)
Correspondence
Liability Insurance
Account Ledger
The Ledger for logging accounting transactions can be manual (e.g., a "4 column pad" from an office
supply store) or automated on a straightforward accounting package like Quicken. The Class financial
transactions and cum results within the fiscal year are logged in the Ledger.
Suggested accounts in the Ledger include –
Accounts for the Receipts & Expense Statement
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Revenues
* Dues Received
* Project Contributions Received
* Interest Received Accounts (by Checking and/or Money Market Accounts)
* Investment Interest or Dividends Received
* Reunion Receipts
* Other Sources of Class Funds
Expenses
* Project(s) Disbursements
* Bank/Brokerage Charges
* Dues Solicitation Expenses
* Alumni Magazine Expenses
* Newsletter Expenses
* Liability Insurance
* Office/Other Expenses
* Reunion Expenses
Accounts for the Resources & Liabilities Statement
* Cash Account Balances
- Checking (may be kept in the checkbook or as the checkbook journal)
- Money Market
* Investment Balance(s)
* Liabilities
* Class Equity
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On-going Activities
Accounting Transactions
As each Class financial transaction occurs the Treasurer should log it in the accounts mentioned above
in two places – often times in a cash account such as checking or money market journal or checkbook,
and in a revenue or expense account.
Class Dues
The College and Class have a fiscal year that ends on June 30. In July, Blunt sends out a package to
start the annual dues solicitation process. After the package is received, a letter describing the status of
and plans for the Class' finances is prepared by the Treasurer along with the Annual Treasurers
Financial Report (see attached examples).
Most Treasurers use the "Ledyard Plan" as the option offered by Blunt for dues collection. Under this
approach Blunt prepares and mails the dues letter mentioned above but the Class pays the mailing
costs. All payments are sent directly to Ledyard National Bank and deposited directly into the class
bank account. Each month Ledyard National Bank will send the treasurer a bank statement that lists all
deposits to the account with date of deposit and the amount deposited. The Bank will also send a list of
dues payments made by credit card. The Bank charges $1.50 per dues slip for this service.
Monthly, Blunt will receive a download from Ledyard National Bank with all deposits from the
previous month. This download, which occurs about the 7th of each month, will have date of deposit,
the ID# of the individual who paid dues and the total amount paid. After cleaning up the download,
Blunt will upload this information into the dues payers tracking database called Quickbase which is
online. The ID# will be matched to the name of the alumnus in Quickbase and the dues payment will
be recorded. All treasurers have access to their class account through Quickbase anytime of the day.
Paper reports will not be sent from Blunt as treasurers can run their own from Quickbase.
Second request notices are sent out in October; third (final) requests go out in March. It is an easy,
straightforward process for the Treasurer.
Under the "Wheelock Plan" the College mails the dues notices. However, the Class Treasurer receives
the checks directly, makes deposits themselves in the class bank account and uploads monthly updates
of dues payers to the Quickbase database so that it is current.
Blunt charges a fee once a year to cover the cost of overseeing the dues mailings, reports and problemsolving. This applies to both the Ledyard Plan and the Wheelock Plan and is $1 times the total number
of dues payers the previous fiscal year. For example, if the class had 300 dues payments in Fiscal
2008, the Blunt charge would be $1 x 300 = $300 for Fiscal 2009.
The following notes apply to both the Ledyard and the Wheelock plans:
The dues solicitation process provides a means for supplemental contributions to Class projects
on the same form as the dues request but on separate lines. Class Projects are described in
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greater detail in the “Class Projects Guidelines” document posted on the Treasurers Association
website or available from Alumni Relations. Class projects may be undertaken on a one time
basis OR an annual or endowed basis with a maximum amount of $10,000 per year. In general,
class projects should only be untaken by financially solvent classes.
The College will not deposit non-US checks and sends them to the Treasurer for deposit.
Any contribution of $250 or over must be acknowledged in writing to the donor per IRS rules.
Annual Treasurer's Report
Each Treasurer files an Annual Report with Blunt for the year ended June 30. A layout of the report is
provided by Blunt in the mid-summer mailing which includes the dues packet. An example of another
acceptable report layout can be found on the treasurer’s website under “Financial Reports.” The report
can also be built and filled out using a computer package such as Excel.
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Class Expenses to be Anticipated
Dartmouth Alumni Magazine (DAM)
The subscription payment for DAM is the largest, recurring Class expense. The annual subscription to
the DAM is paid for all Class members except those who have formally expressed "No Interest" in
Dartmouth to Blunt or those who have never supported the Class or College (no dues, Alumni Fund,
etc.)..
Each summer, Treasurers receive Class rosters from Blunt showing "Subscribers" and "Nonsubscribers". The Treasurer has an opportunity to add/drop members from the subscription list. The
add/drop information should be back to Blunt by the stated deadline. As a general rule, it is desirable
to keep as many classmates on the roster as possible to help sustain their ties with the College.
The bill for all the Class subscriptions usually comes in early January.
The following subscription rates will apply to all classes, (with the exception of the five youngest
classes), that keep every member of their class on the Dartmouth Alumni Magazine subscription
list UNLESS:
1.
2.
3.
4.
1.
2.
3.
4.
They are deceased, or
They have requested not to receive the Magazine, or
They have a non-viable address, or
They have not done one of the following in the past ten years:
a. a. Paid class dues
b. b. Given to any part of the College
c. c. Attended a reunion
The five youngest classes will receive the Magazine free of charge. The rates are:
Classes 6 - 15 years past graduation
Classes 16 - 50 years past graduation
Classes 51 + years past graduation
$5/person
$10/person
$5/person
Class Newsletters
Alumni Relations will pay up to $400 per issue for the printing of three 8-page black & white
newsletters for non-reunion classes and four 8-page black & white newsletters for reunion classes in a
fiscal year (July 1-June 30). This is for the printing only and does not include labor, postage, inserts
(such as Take a Minute Cards - $.10 each), or prepress work. For the first three (nonreunion) or four
(reunion) newsletters printed by a class in a fiscal year, Alumni Relations will deduct $400 from the
invoice which represents the Alumni Relations printing subsidy. The newsletter MUST be printed by
the college-approved printer to receive the subsidy. The average cost per page ranges from $50 for
black and white to $150 for full color. These are averages based on the layout and formatting of the
page. $400 is based on the average cost of a black and white 8 page newsletter ($50 per page * 8
8
pages). The Class' expense will vary by the number of newsletters sent, number of pages, photography
costs, etc. A bill is sent from the Controllers Office for each newsletter. The newsletters are often in
the $300-$500+ range. (above and beyond the Alumni Relations subsidy). The College has stopped
publishing newsletters for classes that are delinquent.
Insurance
There is one type of insurance that apply to classes: an optional liability insurance for the Class. The
cost of the latter is dependent on Class size and is recommended for all classes. In FY2008 this
insurance ranged from $20 for a class of less than 200 members to $112 for a class of more than 1,000
members.
In addition, the College requires all classes to carry crime insurance which is to protect the class from
criminal activity within the class structure. That cost is very minimal, only $12.64 for a three-year
policy for Fiscal Year 2008. The billing for both the insurance policies is done in the spring through
the centralized billing system at the College. A synopsis of the liability policy is on the treasurers
website.
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Other Treasurer Activities
Memorial Book Fund
Many classes have a Memorial Book Fund to fund the purchase of a Baker/Berry Library book in
memory of a deceased classmate. Upon the death of a classmate, a notice is sent to the Treasurer from
Blunt (the Class Secretary also receives a copy). The Treasurer sends a check to the Library – care of
Acquistion Services -- for approximately $40 .
In some instances, a Class seeks supplemental contributions when Class dues are requested to help
build a Memorial Book Fund. These funds, because of their stability and hopefully low activity, can be
invested in a longer-term growth vehicle such as a conservative mutual fund like Fidelity's EquityIncome Fund. This is an option that should be approved by Class leadership.
Tax Returns
Classes with gross revenues under $100,000 are required to file annual tax returns with the IRS using
Form 990EZ. Classes with receipts of more than $100,000 will use Form 990. In order to complete a
return, each Class has to have its own federal tax identification number. To obtain such a number a
Form SS-4, Application for Employer Identification Number ("EIN"), must be signed and returned to
Blunt even if the Class has no employees.
In September Blunt sends out to each Treasurer IRS forms, instructions, and a completed example of an
IRS Form 990-EZ. This example is very complete and helpful in filing the Class return. The Class
return is due to be filed by November 15 for the previous year ended June 30. The numbers for the
return are taken from the Class Financial Report which was sent to Blunt by August 31. For any
questions on tax returns, call Sarah Gamer in the College Controller's Office at (603) 646-0034.
Reunions
Reunions require a separate budget long in advance of the event in order to set fee levels that will cover
anticipated expenses. While separate bank accounts may not be necessary, it is highly desirable to set
up separate accounts in Treasurer records for reunions.
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Questions & Assistance
There are several sources for assistance:

Strategic Questions (building a strong class treasury or collecting dues, etc)
Jennifer Evans Casey, Assistant Director of Class Activities
Jennifer.Casey@dartmouth.edu
(603) 646-2292
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Processes & Forms, Treasurer Procedures
Ann Harvey, Dues Administrator
Ann.Harvey@dartmouth.edu
(603) 646-3933
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Memorial Books
Judy Mayness, Acquisition Services Librarian, Baker/Berry Library
Judy.Mayness@Dartmouth.edu
(603) 646-1354.
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Tax Returns –
Sarah Gamer, Controller’s Office
(603) 646-0034
Sarah.Gamer@dartmouth.edu
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Treasurer’s Website:
http://dartmouth.org/treasurers