Annually Funded Organizations

The Activity Fee Review Committee oversees two funding processes which provide access to student activity fee funding for student organizations and programs:

1. Annual AFRC Operating Budget Allocations

• Used to solidify funding for programs and activities happening during the next academic year.
• Organizations requesting an annual operating budget allocation from AFRC must:
  1. Have consistent programming and a documented budget history going back at least three years. (Funding of activities during this period are usually reflected in past Assistance to Student Groups awards.)
  2. Anticipate needing more than $1,000 in funding assistance for the next academic year.
  3. Be willing to invest a great deal of time, energy, and preparation in long-range program planning, the budget request process, and ongoing budget management.

The request process is detailed here. Groups requesting funds must submit all requested forms and information on time and in the format specified.

2. Assistance to Student Groups Grant Fund

• Used to fund projects and events happening during the current academic year.
• On average, about 20 grants are awarded each year, ranging from $20 to $5,000.
• Designed for organizations wishing to have flexibility and short term planning opportunities, new organizations, and organizations with need for financial support under $1,000 per year.

For information on ASG Grant Funds, click here or contact the Office of Student Activities.

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Criteria Used by AFRC in Allocating Student Service Fees

Criteria used by members of the Activity Fee Review Committee in guiding its decisions are as follows:

1. AFRC funding should provide support for the educational , cultural, and recreational activities and services of the extracurricular. These activities and services should be consistent with the liberal arts and strategic missions of the campus. The activities and services should not be a part of the regular academic curriculum. That is, Activity Fee Funding should not be used where the primary focus of the activity is academic credit. Where the awarding of academic credit is incidental to the primary function of the activity, funding is permissible.
2. Activity Fee funding should not be used to support normal University student services or essentially administrative activities.
3. The activities and services must be potentially available to all students.
4. The interest in, support for, and potential number of students to be served by the activity will be a consideration in the allocation process. However, a more narrowly focused activity or service designed to meet the needs of a significant special interest group may be considered for funding as long as the activity or service is potentially available to all students.
5. The responsibility with which previous Activity Fee allocations have been administered will be a consideration. Organizations, departments, or programs receiving funds from student service fees should demonstrate expenditures in general compliance with their submitted budgets.
6. The overall effectiveness with which the activity or service meets its stated purpose will be a consideration.
7. A comparative evaluation of previous allocations and the projected budget shown in the request will be a consideration. The overall financial base necessary for effective functioning of the activity or service will be taken into consideration.
8. All organizations, departments, or programs receiving student fee funding must have students participating in the decisions as to how fee money is spent. Students must be involved in the development of policies and budgets for any proposal that comes before the Activity Fee Review Committee. The director or administrator of a University department receiving student fee funds shall ensure that adequate student participation occurs regarding the proposed student fee request prior to submission.
9. Adherence to University regulations and guidelines governing the expenditures of student service fee funds will be necessary.
10. All budgets and all financial records for all organizations, departments, or programs which receive student fees shall be available for student inspection.

• When individual members of a group are traveling to a competition, conference, or event, it is expected that the group and its members will raise 1/3 to 1/2 of the total expenses through personal contributions, fundraisers, et cetera. AFRC guidelines stipulate that food purchased while traveling is not an expense that may be covered using student fee money, unless the food is included in a single registration or conference fee.
• Use of Activity Fee funds for student employment, food, and clothing should be kept to a minimum. Activity Fee funds may not be used to purchase gifts or alcohol.

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AFRC Accounting Procedures

A. Reporting Expenses & Income

1. Using Budget Categories: It's easiest to check your work if you keep items in the same budget categories on your AFRC request as they appear on your Student Activities budget printout. If something appears to be in an illogical category, as the Student Activities Bookkeeper to move it to your preferred category.
2. Within Your Budget Categories, Group Related Expenses Together: When reporting expenditures, group expenses by event and/or note the general purpose of the expense. For example: under Entertainment/Recreation/Programming, list all expenses for your group's talent show on a line

   Talent Show Jan. 15

   173.14

   Group small expenses together into logical sub-categories. For example:

   Decorations

   31.07

   could be reported, rather than a listing of each item purchased, like

   Streamers	2.35
   Balloons	5.78
   Helium	22.94

3. Items with Linking Expense and Income Entries: When listing items with an expense line and a corresponding income line, please list gross expenses and gross income. For example, if your group chooses to sell t-shirts: under Entertainment/Recreation/Programming, list

   T-shirts Purchased 50x 6dols

   300.00

   AND under Non-AFRC income Sales, list

   T-shirts Sold 50x 8dols

   400.00

B. Co-sponsorships

When events are co-sponsored by two or more student organizations, your organization will either be the parent organization or a contributing organization (see definitions below). Please note your expenses as follows:

1. Parent Organization: The organization acting as the main sponsor of the event. The parent organization's budget would be where the expenses are to be charged. List the name of the event and date, the total costs in the appropriate expense category. List the funding from a contributing organization as a negative expense, like

   SCUBA club open swim co-sponsorship on Mar. 13

   -400.00

   immediately after the final expense related to that event. The co-sponsorship funding will be deducted from the total expenses in that category.
2. Contributing Oranizations: Any organization conbributing monetary support to the parent organization. Contributing organizations should list on their budget requests the name of the event and date, the name of the parent organization to which your funds were or will be transferred, and the total dollar amount contributed. This entry much not include a negative sign as it is an expense.

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AFRC Budget Categories & Examples (for Forms II, III, & IV)

Use the following budget categories in organizing your budget request. Use only the categories that apply to your group's budget activity. Leave the rest blank.

Expense Categories

1. Employment: On-going student employment or a year-long or semester appointment, such as leadership stipends or office assistants
2. Professional Services: Employment costs incurred on an event-by-event basis, such as hiring technicians for sound and lighting
3. General Operating Expenses: Miscellaneous materials or supplies, minor equipment, such as science building technology deposit, stopwatch
4. Entertainment: Contract fees for performers, lecturers, or speakers; snacks for a recruiting effort
5. Office Supplies: Staples, pens, file folders, nametags
6. Publications: Newspaper subscriptions or purchase of books
7. Media Services: Labor or other costs from UMM Media Services Department
8. Plant Services: Labor or other costs from UMM Plant Services Department
9. Computer Supplies: Computer supplies, annual network fees, annual maintenance agreements, other UMM Computing Services charges
10. General Operating Services: Dues and subscriptions, conference registrations, advertising
11. Copying Expenses: Copies made on campus copiers
12. Printing & Advertising: Duplicating Services charges
13. Postage: FedEx, UPS, or USPS costs
14. Local Telephone: Service charges can be grouped together annually
15. Long Distance and Fax: Service charges can be grouped together logically
16. Travel Expense: Mileage reimbursements, lodging, airfares
17. Materials for Resale: T-shirts for group members to reimburse, purchase of fundraising supplies
18. Reparis & Maintenance: Repairs on major equipment or infrastructure
19. Rentals/Leases: Rental of equipment or facilities
20. Equipment: Major equipment purchases
21. Computer Equipment: Purchase of computers, printing cartridges

Non-Activity Fee Income

1. Gifts: Donations and grants
2. Fees & Dues: Any membership fees collected from members
3. Sales: Fundraising income or other sales
4. Miscellaneous Income: Commissions received from selling artist CDs, sponsoring a vendor
5. Internal Sales: Sales between University departments
6. Events/Admissions: Admission revenue from dances, events, etc.

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Documents to be Submitted in Making a Budget Request

The annual budget contains five forms that must be submitted to the Activity Fee Review Committee by each organization seeking funding. You can find these forms on the AFRC website at http://www.morris.umn.edu/committees/AFRC/bh/startscreen.shtml

You can access the website and work online. Each organization's online budget is password protected. Passwords will be given out by your organization's AFRC representative when you meet with them. When you are done with the forms, click 'submit' to turn in your annual budget request. If you have any problems with the Online Budget Helper, visit the Office of Student Activities.

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Form I

Organizational Information: This section will include a contact person for the organization that is capable of answering budget questions and will be making the budget presentation to the committee. It will also include phone number, UMM PO box, and email address. The section also includes:

• Question A: A statement of organizational purpose and objectives.
• Question B: A description of the level of student and campus participation in the group and its activities.
• Question C: A very specific rationale for Activity Fee funding for the organization.
• Question D: A description of student participation in developing this budget request.
• Question E: An indication and rationale of any major changes in the organization's program and budget for the current year as compared to the request presented to AFRC last year.
• Question F: An indication and rationale of any major changes in the organization's program and budget anticipated for the upcoming year.

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Form II

Financial Records for the Preceding Academic Year: This section includes revenues and expenses to balance the printout received at the beginning of the academic year.

• Using the format shown on Form II, summarize the previous year's expenditures and income. The budget categories used by AFRC match those used on the budget printout.
• For each form in your group's annual request, enter information only in the budget categories where your group has or will have budget activity.
• Summarize your expenses and income in the appropriate budget categories, listing as many items/kinds of expenses as you need to clearly reflect your group's budget activity.

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Form III

Financial Records for the Current Academic Year: On Form III, list revenues and expenses to balance the printout received after the first semester of the academic year and those estimates of your projected expenses/income for the remainder of the current academic year.

• Expenses already incurred and income already generated during the current year are noted in the "Actual to Date" column of Form III (IIIa). These items should reflect first semester items reported on the budget printout received after winter break.
• In the "Projected to Come" column, record all remaining expenditures and income for events/programs/purchases that your group anticipates will happen during the remainder of the current year as well as any expenses from first semester (like duplicating costs) that do not appear on the first semester printout. Use last year's AFRC budget request Form IV to compare what last year's organization members anticipated as programming for the current year and what this year's members are actually planning. Major changes between the two projections should be explained on Form I, Question E.
• The "Actual and Projected Total" column is the sum of the two previous columns, this will show your estimates of the organization's total expenses and income for the current academic year.

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Form IV

Projected Expenses and Income for Next Year: Using the format shown, estimate your organization's expenses and income for the following year.

This form is the basis for your activity fee request for the following year.

• The form should reflect your organization's priorities and plans for the future. This form will take the most time to produce. Make sure to involve your organization's members to help brainstorm activities and events that your organization wants to hold in the upcoming year. Do not leave this up to just one or two people, and plan the next year's activities before the last minute. Make sure that you take plenty of time to involve as many people as possible.

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Form V

Summary of Budget History & Calculation of AFRC Fee Request: This form includes any actual and estimated budget carryovers, total expenses, total non-AFRC income, and AFRC allocations from previous years. These figures are automatically computed and inserted into Form V. The website will calculate totals and subtotals for you and indentify the amount of AFRC funds requested for next year.

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Tips for Completing Online Budget Helper

• Do not use commas, dollar signs, or brackets in the money columns.
• Do not use commas or dollar signs in the narrative columns.
• Condense some line items when possible. Examples: General Printing, Telephone, Office Supplies. Individual purchases or charges are not necessary.
• Include dates and places of events, when feasible.
• Co-sponsorships received from other organizations should be listed as negative expenses. Example: AFRC receiving concert co-sponsorship from Santa would list

  Concert Co-sponsorship from Santa

  -100.00

• All entries should carry across Forms II, III, and IV on the same lines.
• Be sure to include cents, even if zeros. Example:

  Local Telephone 12mos

  204.00

• To check the accuracy of Form II, go to Form V Item 6. This figure should match the balance on your budget printout for 2005-2006.
• Contact your AFRC Representative for help!

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Navigating the Online Budget Helper

To EDIT your organization's budget form line items:

1. Go to the AFRC Budget Preparation Helper by clicking here.
2. Select your Student Organization Name from the menu.
3. Select Budget Year 2007-2008 from the menu.
4. Select No to viewing a Totals Screen.
5. Click Go.
6. On the next screen, click Go.
7. Enter the Username and Password provided by your AFRC representative.
8. Select whichever Expense Category you would like to edit.
9. Select the Form you would like to edit.
10. Select No to viewing Totals Screen.
11. Click Go.

To VIEW your organization's budget form line items:

1. Go to the AFRC Budget Preparation Helper by clicking here.
2. Select your Student Organization Name from the menu.
3. Select Budget Year 2007-2008 from the menu.
4. Select Yes to viewing a Totals Screen.
5. Click Go.
6. On the next screen, you will have four choices of Totals Forms.
7. Regular will display Forms II, III, and IV on a single screen. The individual form selections will allow you to view only that form.
8. Select Yes to view Detail Records.
9. Click Go.