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Business Manager Training

Please check in!

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Presentation 1

Timeline of the Training

Game!

Presentation 2

Q/A Period

Overview of funding principles, budget, supplemental

How to fill out FTRs and transact with SOFO

Review of topics/practice for BM quiz

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Learning Objectives

SAAC vs. SOFO

Supplemental

Your Role as a BM

Monthly Reports

01

04

02

05

Budget Funding

Funding Principles

03

06

Who are we and what are our responsibilities?

How to get funding for events not in your budget.

How to read them!

How to find your budget and when you should use it.

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SAAC vs. SOFO

Students Association Appropriations Committee

Student Organization Finance Office

Student government committee
Assigns money to student organizations
Money is assigned through student activities fee

Where transactions happen
Located on the first floor of Wilson Commons (Ruth Merrill 101F)
Where you go to cut checks, sign out credit cards etc

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SAAC’s Responsibilities

Make sure that the student activities fee is allocated fairly across all 275+ organizations
Assist groups in financial transactions (FTR forms, supplemental funding, exception requests etc)
Track income expenses for organizations
Provide groups with accurate or as needed financial reports
Ensure that the funding principles are being followed

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Who is SAAC?

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SAAC Leadership

Tina Muller
Manager of Finance

Brian Magee
Assistant Dean of Students

Kaitlyn Yelencsics
Treasurer

Anna Fang
Deputy Treasurer

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Your Student Accountants!

Kaitlyn Yelencsics
Governing Body & Programming

Anna Fang
Community Engagement & intercollegiate Competition

Anushka Dey
Awareness, Performing Arts, Religious & Spiritual Life

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Your Student Accountants!

Viveca Schreiner
Club Sports & Honor Society

Ana Galic
Cultural/Identity Based, Media/Publication & Visual Arts

Harsh Gupta
Academic/Professional, Political & Hobbies $ interests

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Business Manager Responsibilities

Get to know your student accountant!!
Keep accurate records of your transactions

Here is a template link

Submit transactions to SOFO

FTR forms, supplemental funding, exception requests

Work with your e-board to submit activity reflections!

Ok! As a business manager you have some responsibilities to ensure that both you and us have a smooth year. First - get to know your student accountant, even if you just reach out to say hi and give them your email, start getting to know them so in case something comes up you know who to talk to! (We don’t bite I promise) Second - Keep accurate records of your transactions, I think google sheets are cool and I made a template for you to you use if that’s something you want but really whatever works for you - it helps us especially when we’re making a big transaction for your group, and it always is good to have your own record to compare to our monthly expense reports. Third - submit transactions to SOFO - FTR forms, supplemental funding exception requests as needed. Fourth - Work with your e-board to submit activity reflections - this is helpful for us when budget season comes around so we can see how your events went!

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How Do I Get Funding?

Funding from departments, school grants, funding from national organizations etc.

Budget

Created for 2025-2026 school year, has funding for specific events.

Supplemental Funding

Apply during the school year (either twice per year or up to $4000 whichever is first)

External Funding

Self-Funding

Organizations paying for costs themselves, common in club sports/agency groups

Ok so how do you even get funding at all? There are four main ways to get funding. You’ll notice half of these are in a different color because the ones on the left are through SAAC and the ones on the right are through other methods. First, your budget. We’ll talk about this more in the next slides but it was created for this academic year and has funding for specific events. The second, supplemental funding, this is for events not in your budget and you can apply during the school year. Third - external funding, this can be from a variety of different sources, from departments, school grants, or national organizations. There's so many different ways to get external funding. Fourth - Self-funding, which is paying for the cost yourself, although crowdfunding or fundraising also falls under this area. While SAAC doesn’t provide external or self-funding the important thing is that you can still fill out FTRs with that as your funding source - but we’ll be focusing on supplemental and budget funding for the rest of this presentation.

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FSA and SOFO

These groups do not receive a budget from SAAC

FSA group business managers must still take and pass the BM quiz

Your quiz will have slightly different questions

SAAC will consider funding FSA group events

All transactions are still processed using an FTR
SOFO accountants do not handle transaction requests

FTRs from FSA groups will be routed to other members in the department
FSA Business managers should reach out to wcsa@rochester.edu with questions

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Budget Funding

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How Do I Find My Budget?

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Budget Basics

Your budget for this year (2025-2026) has already been created
Whenever you make a transaction check your budget to see:

If an event is in your budget
How much money you can spend for different events/where

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Reallocations

Reallocation is when you move any amount of money from one area of your budget to another
Your student accountant can approve reallocations of $300 or less

Any amount above this requires an exception form

Reallocations can only be used for other budgeted events

If you had an event denied in your budget you cannot reallocate funds towards it.

Always talk to your student accountant about reallocation - big or small!

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Exception Form

If there is a policy/rule/principle that your organization would like an exception to, this is the form to fill out.

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Supplemental Funding

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Where Do I Find The Form?

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What is Supplemental Funding?

Funding that is used for expenses related to a new event, program activity or unexpected expense that was not included in your original budget
Up to two requests or up to $4,000, whichever comes first

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Key Supplemental Funding Guidelines

Full list of guidelines linked here
Only college student organizations are eligible
FSA groups are eligible IF their event/program is open to the entire student body
Supplemental funding is given only to organizations who are in good standing with SAAC and ARC
New organizations have a $500 cap
You must talk with your student accountant before submitting the supplemental funding form

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Event/Program

Must be open to entire undergraduate community
SAAC will not fully fund a program where an organization profits
If your event costs more than $1,000, SAAC requires you to charge an entrance fee unless:

Cultural/educational in nature
You show that an entrance fee will materially impair the success of the program

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Anniversary Funding

Any organizations that are hosting a reunion during their 0 or 5 years are eligible for funding!

Working with Alumni & Advancement - up to $300
Independent/not working with Alumni & Advancement - up to $200

These funds are exempt from food restrictions

Can order food

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Conference

Must further organization’s primary mission
The same organization can receive funding for a conference from SAAC every other year
Registration fees

Up to $125 per person for up to 4 members OR
Total of $500
If fees exceed the max - organization must explain how the additional cost will be funded

SAAC may also consider partially funding lodging and travel expenses

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Rental Car

If your organization’s primary mission requires travel and you are struggling to obtain personal travel SAAC will consider funding a rental car
Requests for rental cars are heard on a case-by-case basis
SAAC funds vehicles through Enterprise only

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Competition Registration + Travel

SAAC will generally fund travel expenses in the United States and within a reasonable amount

$0.25 per mile for gas

$150 a night for hotels in a small city $200 a night in a big city
Club sports are not eligible for event supplemental funding

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Club Sports - New Equipment

Talk to both your student accountant and club sports advisor
SAAC will not approve a funding request for new request for new equipment unless there is adequate storage for it
What equipment should you apply for?

Long-term equipment
Shared equipment
Safety equipment

You should not apply for

Individual/personal items

Always ask if you have questions!

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Post Season

If you qualify for nationals, sectionals etc SAAC will consider funding requests for those activities
Can apply to any group that qualifies in a competition - performance, intercollegiate etc
SAAC leadership will consider funding half of the travel cost up to a reasonable amount
SAAC leadership will consider funding lodging in hotels only within reasonable financial limits
SAAC leadership will consider funding registration fees

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Complete Form

Supplemental Funding Timeline

Decision

Review

Committee

Talk to your student accountant and complete the supplemental form

SAAC Leadership will review your request and decide whether or not to bring it to committee

SAAC leadership will make a decision about your request or bring it to committee

7:45 PM on Tuesdays, where student accountants discuss your request and make a decision same-day

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Monthly Reports

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Funding Principles

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Key Funding Principles

SAAC will only fund programs/events while classes are in session

All other events must have an exception form

SAAC does not reimburse
SAAC does not fund food

Except in two areas

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Key Funding Principles

SAAC will only fund programs/events while classes are in session

All other events must have an exception form

SAAC does not reimburse
SAAC does not fund food

Except in two areas

Cultural/Identity Orgs
GIMS

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Where Do You Find the Principles?

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Important Dates

Club sports:

October 24th - Fall Sports Dues
March 20th - Spring Sports Dues

First day to transact: August 25th
First supplemental: September 2nd
Last day to submit large supplemental : November 4th
Last day to submit small supplemental: November 18th
Last day to transact: December 8th
No supplemental: October 14th, November 25th

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How to Find the Training!

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Who to Reach Out to

Your student accountants!
Emails:

For FSA groups

Kristen Miller: wcsa@rochester.edu

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Thanks!

We’re hiring!

Joblink ID: 23845

Apply if you’re interested and talk to us if you have any questions!
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