Hello club members!
My name is Olivia Tata and I am the SGA VP of Financial Affairs. On behalf of the Student Government Association's Financial Affairs Committee, we look forward to working with you over the 2018-2019 school year. If you have any questions or concerns, please email me at OTata@lasell.edu.
Olivia Tata
SGA VP of Financial Affairs
Eligibility to Request Funding
Clubs that do not receive funding from another source (i.e. academic department or the Office of Student Activities) and are registered and recognized by the Student Government Association (SGA), may request funding each semester from SGA. In addition, clubs must demonstrate financial responsibility each semester.
Requesting Funds from SGA
The following steps will help your organization on the process of deciding on a proposed budget and completing the Student Government Association Funding Packet each semester.
Brainstorm with Club Members
What do you need for the upcoming semester? Figure out what the top priorities are, what things would be helpful, and what can wait. Try to focus on requesting funds for the most important things.
Research Prices and Options
Once you have a complete list of what your club will request funds for, start researching different options and prices. You should have a solid idea of the cost for each thing you request. Do not estimate or guess what things cost. The Office of Student Activities can help with this!
Complete the SGA Funding Request Form
There are two worksheets within the Funding Request Packet that should be completed (packets are not currently available, please send questions to studentactivities@lasell.edu). The Budget Summary Form is a line by line account of what you are requesting funds for. For each line on your Budget Summary form, your club should submit a corresponding Program Budget Worksheet. The Program Budget Worksheet allows your club to fully explain the costs associated with each event or item on your Budget Summary Form. Make sure you are clear and thorough with your explanations. It will help SGA understand what you are asking for and why it is important for your club.
Turn in the SGA Funding Request Form
Deadlines change each semester. The deadline for the Fall semester is in September and the Spring semester deadline is in January. Be aware of the deadline for turning in the SGA Funding Form. Do not turn in the form late. SGA will allocate all the money for the semester to clubs who have turned in the form on time. Late submissions may not receive funding.
Attend the SGA Funding Meeting
All clubs requesting money from SGA should send at least one representative to the SGA Budget Hearings. At this meeting, SGA will review all forms submitted for the semester and make final decisions regarding funding for your club. Having a club member there to answer questions from SGA or advocate for your request will increase your chances of receiving the funding your club has requested. In the Fall semester, the meeting will be in September and in the Spring semester it will be in January/Early February. If a club does not spend all their SGA funds or does not follow SGA and OSA spending policies they will be penalized in the next semester SGA budget hearings.
Allocation of Funds
After Budget Hearings are completed and the Financial Committee has had time to review all requests, your club representative and advisor will receive an email with the amount of funding your club has been allocated from SGA for the semester. This money will be put into your club account and recorded through Laser Involvement. SGA and OSA uses Laser Involvement to track and maintain all club budgets and accounts; this as your official budget.
During the semester, a member of the SGA Financial Affairs Committee will be in contact for a mid-semester review. During this time, any clubs that anticipates have funding left over at the end of the semester will be able to return any unspent budgets without being penalized. After this time, money that is collected will be offered up for reallocation. If your club needs more money, this would be beneficial. The SGA Vice President of Financial Affairs will send out an email with more information at that time. Please keep these guidelines in mind when completing your SGA budget request.
EARLY SGA BUDGET FUNDING PROCESS
Clubs in need of funding before the formal SGA Budget Hearing will have the opportunity to submit for an Early SGA Budget Request form. The entire process will be carried out through email with the SGA Vice President of Financial Affairs. In order to receive the form, the club must contact the SGA Vice President of Financial Affairs or the Coordinator of Student Organization. For Fall Early Budget, SGA President and Vice Presidents will discuss, the SGA Financial Affairs Committee will discuss Spring Early Budget. After the budget amount has been allocated, the club will have until the date of SGA Budget Hearings to completely spend their Early Budget Request funds.