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Seton Hall University

Student Organization Finances

Student Engagement supports undergraduate student organizations (including Greek organizations) accounts. All active student organizations are required to store and manage their funds using these internal accounts. 

Internal accounts contain two main sources of funding.

  • Fundraising: Money raised by the organization via ticket sales, fundraisers, donations, etc. All fundraising event requests must first be submitted and approved by the Office of Student Engagement. For the University’s guidelines on raffles and games of chance, click here. All funds raised in cash or check must be deposited into the organization’s University account within 48 hours of the event. CrowdChange is the official online fundraising platform for student organizations. Fundraising using any other digital platforms including but not limited to CashApp, GoFundMe, and Venmo is strictly prohibited. This money rolls over year-to-year.
  • SGA Allocated Funds: Money allocated to eligible organizations from the Student Government Association. This includes Budget allocations which are requested each spring for the following academic year, Finance Committee Funding, SGA Co-sponsorship, and SGA DEI funding. These funds do not roll over year-to-year and must be utilized by the spending deadline announced at the start of the academic year. All allocations are subject to the SGA Budget Policy. The SGA Budget Policy is created by the SGA Treasurer and is voted on by the Student Senate. 

Organizations can request additional funding from SGA throughout the academic year from the following sources.

  • Finance Committee Requests: Registered Student Organizations can request additional funding from the SGA for specific events. Organizations must complete the Finance Committee budget request form through the Engage platform at least three weeks before their event and be prepared to present the details of the events and why additional funds are needed. This request is open to all Registered Student Organizations, including newly recognized organizations who are not yet eligible for an allocation. The Finance Committee will review all requests from organizations registered through SGA and recognized by the Office of Student Engagement. . 
  • Co-Sponsorship Requests: Fraternities, Sororities, and other non-funded organizations and departments can request funding from the SGA for specific events and initiatives. Organizations must fill out Co-Sponsorship budget request form through the Engage platform at least three weeks before their event and be prepared to present the details of the events and why additional funds are needed at an upcoming SGA general body meeting. Requests will be reviewed and voted on by the Senate.
  • GDS Donations: Gourmet Dining Services generously gives a donation of funds to the SGA to allocate for food requests for philanthropic events made by all SHU groups, whether they are SGA recognized or not. Groups wishing to receive donated items from GDS must submit the donation form to the SGA Treasurer at least three weeks before their event. To be eligible for funding the event must be 100% philanthropic in nature. Donated funds will be distributed to organizations on a first-come, first-served basis by the Finance Committee as funds are limited.
  • Diversity & Inclusion Grant Request Form: The Diversity and Inclusion Grant Committee exists to allocate funding to university events relating to the celebration of diversity and inclusion including but not limited to the fields of culture, religion, gender, and other diverse aspects of identity as they relate to the mission and vision of Seton Hall University. Organizations must fill out the DEI Grant budget request form through the Engage platform at least three weeks before their event and be prepared to present the details of the events. For additional information regarding the criteria/rubric for funding please reach out to the SGA Treasurer at [email protected]. 

Organizations can request funds outside of SGA throughout the academic year from the following sources: 

  • Dare to Care- funding for any events that support mental health/wellbeing.
  • University-Wide DEI Funding- provides funding for events/activities that support diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives on campus.

Managing Your Organizations Account

The Office of Student Engagement is responsible for the oversight of all student organization financial accounts. Organization treasurers or financial officers are encouraged to also track organization spending and budget planning for the academic year. 

All financial transactions for each organization account must be initiated through the Student Engagement Office.

Types of services provided:

Funding Guidelines and Procedures

Deposits: An organization member shall deposit all organizational monies to the Student Engagement Office, Schwartz 2nd Floor, within 48 hours after collection. A receipt will be given and should be retained by the treasurer as a permanent part of the organization’s records. Checks should be made payable to Seton Hall University with the organization's name listed in the memo line. Once deposit has cleared, you will see the amount reflected in the organizations Engage account.

Note: Expenses should be paid using University purchasing procedures and not out of monies collected. Electronic fund collection is limited to CrowdChange and the University Eventbrite accounts using any other digital platforms including but not limited to CashApp, GoFundMe, and Venmo is strictly prohibited.

Payment/Purchase Requests: The Student Organization may access funds in their organizational account by submitting spending requests to the office of Student Engagement through the Engage Platform 10 business days before the event date. Instructions on how to submit requests can be found here. 

University Credit Card: Organization members can submit an online purchase request through the Engage Platform. Once received the Student Engagement admin staff will use a department credit card to complete the purchase. The completed purchase request and the full monetary amount must be in the organization’s budget before the credit card can be used.

Check Requisition Forms: A Check Requisition is a form used to pay an individual in the form of a check. An invoice or original receipts from purchases must be attached to the form to be processed. No reimbursement will be made without an invoice or original receipt(s). If the reimbursement is for a student, the form must provide the student’s full name, address (MUST be the address listed in the SHU Banner system), and SHU ID number.

Check Requisition Form examples:

  • A member of your student organization paid out of pocket for event expenses such as supplies or food and needs to be reimbursed.
  • An outside vendor (sound company, t-shirt company, national offices, etc.) needs to be paid in the form of a check.

Interdepartmental (IDT) Forms: An inter-departmental request form is to be used when groups are transferring funds internally (organization to organization, department to an organization, organization to department, etc.). Organizations wanting to transfer funds to other organizations for co-sponsorship of events would use a purchase request to do so. Organizations receiving funds from a campus department should have the IDT sent the appropriate Assistant Director of Leadership Development.

Contracts and W-9 Forms: A Seton Hall University contract is required to be used anytime an outside performer is being paid.  This includes, but is not limited to, DJs, speakers, musicians, etc.  Student leaders must fill out the Contract Request Form 4 weeks before the event in instances using the university standard contract. The request will be reviewed and the performer will be vetted by an administrator in the Department of Student Engagement who will then e-mail a completed contract & W-9 to the student leader to be signed by the performer. This signed contract along with the performer’s completed W-9 Form must be submitted via Engage Purchase request 2 week prior to the event. Failure to return the contract within that timeframe can result in your event being cancelled. All contracts will be paid following the event via check request. University policy prohibits deposits and prepayment.

Note: A student leader or organization advisor should never sign a contract. Only the Vice President for Student Services or the Vice President for Finance/CFO may sign a contract. The contract is not binding on the University unless signed by one of those authorized individuals.

Reimbursements: Student organizations are strongly discouraged from paying for items out of pocket. However, organization members can make organization-related purchases and get reimbursed from their organization’s budget via check requisition. Additionally, students are personally responsible for making sure the funds are available in their organization’s account and that receipts are submitted promptly. Student organizations must submit reimbursement requests via Engage.Reimbursements for receipts older than 30 days will not be accepted. Any purchases over $200 must be approved before purchasing by a member of the Student Engagement staff to qualify for reimbursement. The following cannot be reimbursed:

  • Contracts
  • Payments to Individuals
  • Gift cards (see gift card guidelines)
  • Gifts or prizes

Gift Cards: Organizations may not submit reimbursement for the purchase of gift cards. All gift cards must be purchased by a member of the Student Engagement Staff and have a maximum value of $25. The purchaser is responsible for maintaining financial records associated with any gift cards distributed. According to the IRS tax code, gift cards are considered a cash equivalent and are reportable as taxable income. Therefore, all recipients of gift cards purchase by the Office of Student Engagement must submit a prize claim form. Gift cards may not be issued instead of compensation.  

Printed Materials: All printed materials must be purchased using a licensed and approved vendor. For a list of licensed vendors e-mail [email protected].