Proper Use of Funds
Proper Use of Funds
All purchases must be relevant to activities of the organization and should not replicate resources currently available for student use. Organizations are not permitted to use an organization’s funds towards alcohol, cannabis, or related expenses in accordance with the Code of Conduct. Advisor or officer gifts cannot be purchased with organization operating funds. All questions or doubts regarding appropriate and restricted expenditures should be directed to the Office of Student Engagement prior to the purchase being made.
Types of Purchases
All orders must be placed through the Office of Student Engagement.
| Food Purchases | These may include (but are not limited to) a recruitment meeting or organization party. Other requests for food purchases for program refreshments, etc. will be reviewed separately. Like all expected purchases, organizations must anticipate food purchases at the time of their budget requests. Food for meetings may be taken from the organization’s budget at no more than $500 per organization per semester. |
| Clothing and Promotional Items | These can be purchased as part of a fundraiser or to promote organization spirit/unity among members. The organization can use up to $1500 per year from its budget for these purchases. Expenses above this limit must be supplemented through fundraising, which must be deposited into the revenue account prior to purchasing items. |
| Equipment or Supplies | Purchases by an organization (for particular organization functions) through the Student Activities Fund become college property to be used by MCC Students. The Office of Student Engagement monitors its use. It is not to be used off campus without authorization from OSE. It is not to be transferred to another office/organization or discarded without authorization from the Office of Student Engagement. Lost or stolen items are to be reported to Public Safety and the Office of Student Engagement immediately. Organizations are to arrange for summer storage of equipment with OSE. Equipment purchases are scrutinized carefully, especially during difficult fiscal times and for larger items that may be difficult to store. All purchases must follow the Equipment Policy. |
| Subscriptions and Memberships | These are considered on a case-by-case basis and may require authorization from the college. Inquiries may be made to the Office of Student Engagement. |
Receipt Processing Form
All purchases should be made by the Office of Student Engagement.
In the rare event that a student or advisor makes a purchase for an organization,
the receipt must be submitted to the Office of Student Engagement within 2 business
days of the purchase.
Receipts should be submitted with the following information:
- Date of purchase
- Date of event
- Organization making the purchase
- What was purchased
- How it was purchased
- If a reimbursement: Student/Advisor name and A-number (for a student)
Fundraising
A fundraiser is any event or sale where an organization collects money. Fundraising activities are often necessary to help organizations raise money to supplement their budget allocation by SGA. Earned funds through fundraising efforts may be used towards the purchases of food, clothing, major travel/event expenditures, and other costs not anticipated when filing a budget request. SGA recognizes the value of fundraising activities, and this will be considered when making budget allocation recommendations for following years. All organizations are encouraged to fundraise.
In order to protect student organizations and the College, any student organization wishing to conduct a fundraiser on campus must seek approval from the Office of Student Engagement before conducting the fundraiser.Fundraising Request Forms are part of the Event Submission Form on Engage.
Funds must be available in an organization’s account in order to proceed with any purchase. Student organizations should not count on anticipated sales of tickets to raise money for the purchase of a prize or supplies for a fundraiser event. Previously accrued revenue or funds from the SGA approved budget should be used for these purchases.
Cash and checks collected during a fundraiser must be delivered to the Office of Student Engagement immediately following the fundraiser event.
Money Raised from Fundraising
Money from fundraising will be deposited into two separate spending pools: Profits and Revenue.
- Profits exceeds what was used to pay for the fundraiser. This money will roll-over to the next fiscal year.
- Revenue replaces any amounts used to run the fundraiser. This money will return to the organization account and can be used until the purchasing deadline for the year. All Student Activities Fund money, Profits, and Revenue remaining in an organization account will be unavailable after this deadline. (Profits will be available in an organization’s account, when the club re-registers, the following year).
For example:
An organization purchases items to prepare baked goods for a bake sale. The total amount they make is their profit. The total funds raised minus the cost of the items purchased is their revenue.
- Cost of bake sale supplies - $20
- Total fundraiser money collected - $50
- Revenue - $50
- Profits - $30 (This will roll over to the next year)
Student organizations who are inactive for more than one academic year will forfeit all profits.
Charging Fees/Dues
Students pay a fee to the College to be able to enjoy activities at a discount or for free whenever possible. Organizations should keep this in mind when they choose to charge a fee for an event or program. Organizations may choose to sell merchandise or offer a service to raise money for their group. Reasonable prices should be determined for such fundraisers or events.
Solicitation/Fundraising for Non-MCC Charities and Organizations
Organizations are not advised to raise funds to donate to non-MCC charities. If they choose to do so, the fundraiser will need to be approved by the Director of Student Engagement or their designee via the Events Form in Engage with the non-MCC charity named. All funds generated must be brought to the Office of Student Engagement the day of the fundraiser. The donation must be made with a bank check, which will be purchased with part of the proceeds.
Organizations may NOTsolicit donations from businesses without permission of the Director of Student Engagement & Retention and the Advancement Office.