SGA - Student Government Association

SGA Funding Policy

After your club has been approved by the Rules Committee and has registered with the Office of Student Activities (Student Center room 260), your next stop will be the Appropriations Committee.

What is the best way to receive funding?

The Appropriations Committee holds a yearly meeting known as Budget Weekend where a vast majority of funding is allocated for the following school year. Clubs are encouraged to inquire about the due date to submit proposals for Budget Weekend, which is typically held in April. If a club does not submit a proposal or the proposal is created during the academic year, they must sign up on the door of the SGA office and submit a proposal to the weekly Appropriations Committee meetings. Clubs are encouraged to submit proposals for the year during Budget Weekend, as the Appropriations Committee often runs out of money at the end of the each semester.

How do I obtain money from the Appropriations Committee after Budget Weekend?

Gaining funding from the Appropriations Committee is a relatively simple process. In order to receive funds, follow these steps:

• The club must be active and recognized by the SGA.
• Sign up for the weekly meeting on the door outside of the SGA office
• Be prepared to give a description of the club and its history of activity
• Produce a comprehensive proposal of possible events and the funds needed
• Make copies for all committee members (approximately 9)
• Be prepared to answer questions about the proposal

What happens at Appropriations meetings?

After you present your request for funding, a question and answer session will follow. At the conclusion of this question and answer, you will be asked to step out of the room, at which point the Committee will debate your proposal and the amount of funding given to your organization. After a decision has been reached, you will be asked to return to the meeting, at which point you will be notified of the amount you receive. Once again, this amount is not official until the Senate ratifies it at the next meeting.
What can the Appropriations Committee not fund?
Unfortunately, SGA and University policy forbids the Appropriations Committee from funding certain things. This includes:

• T-shirts, sweatshirts, or other items of clothing
• Decorations (streamers, confetti, balloons, etc)
• Registration for more than four club members to a conference
  • Additionally, SGA is not allowed to fund conference attendance for a graduating sen-ior in their last semester

For a more detailed list of what can not be funded for, please see the attached portion of the SGA Policy Series.

Why didn’t I get all the money I asked for?

There are many factors the Appropriations Committee takes into consideration when evaluating a budget proposal. Most of the time a club will request items which the Student Government can not fund, or will not ask for funding far enough in advance, meaning there is no possible way to allocate the requested amount. Additionally, the Appropriations Committee will be more likely to give you funding if they see you have used your money wisely in the past. Using all funding for food, having rollover at the end of the year, or overspending are common problems that may make the Committee wary of giving additional funding.

How do I use the money from my budget?

To use the money in your club’s budget, all necessary paperwork must be obtained from Pam Orefice in the OSLA and submitted to her two weeks in advance. All spending by clubs is sub-ject to review by the Comptroller of SGA and the Internal Review and Control Board.

How do I write a proposal?

A budget proposal is actually quite simple to write. Attached is a sample proposal for clubs and sports organizations that will guide you through the process of creating an effective request:

1. Indicate what club the funding is for. Explain what your club does and what it has done to benefit Hofstra.
2. Indicate how many members are in the club. This is very important. It helps the committee decide how specialized the organization is and the number of people the funding will benefit.
3. Indicate how the funding will be used. Be specific—itemized lists are highly encouraged.
4. Type the proposal, making sure to check spelling and grammar. If you hand in a badly writ-ten proposal, it will most likely negatively affect the committee’s decision, and the commit-tee may ask you to redo the proposal.

What happens after the appropriations meeting?

1. The decision will be approved or rejected at the weekly Senate meeting. Come at least three weeks ahead of time for funding so that it will be ready by the time of the event.
2. If necessary, your budget number can be obtained from the Comptroller of the SGA.

How does SGA know each club is using the money properly?

In order to monitor the spending of each club, the Student Government Association creates what is known as the Internal Review and Control (IRC) Board. The IRC Board consists of ten Hof-stra students picked by the Comptroller of SGA and ratified by the entire Senate. This body is responsible for auditing all club budgets and will convene at least once a semester.