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Opportunity and Reserve Funds Funding Process
1. Meet the requirements
Organizations must meet the following criteria to be funded by the SAF.
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Be a registered student organization in good standing with Student Leadership and Involvement
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Be an open organization as defined by Student Leadership and Involvement
Organizations not meeting these criteria are not eligible for SAF funding. If you believe your request is an exception please contact our treasurer who will help you through the special exception process.
In addition there are things that USG cannot fund, or rules about what funding can be allocated. A summary of these rules is included below:
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Alcohol
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Giveaways
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Food
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Unless the food is used for a cultural event that is open to everyone.
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Salaries for full or part-time staff may not be funded
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Contributions to campaigns are prohibited from coming from the SAF
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Awards may not be purchased with SAF funding
2. Determine what type of request to make.
Example of requests are included below, but the general rule the opportunities fund exists to support startup costs, unforeseen expenses, or new initiatives. The reserve fund is used for equipment replacement costs, equipment upgrades, and equipment safety concerns. The reserve fund may also be used for overall campus improvements depending on the amount in the fund.
Opportunities Fund Examples
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A new organization is looking to rent space at the SDC for a new event
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A organization wants to attend an unexpected conference
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A organization wants to put on a new event not previously anticipated
Reserve Fund Examples
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A organization wants to replace outdated equipment
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A major safety concern has come up in an organization that requires funding to fix
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A organization wants to remodel part of a building used by Undergraduate students
3. Fill out the google form
After filling out the google form, the USG Treasurer will bring this request to WaM.
WaM is the Ways and Means committee for USG. They are our allocation committee and are given the very complex task of assigning value to new student initiatives. We ask all requests to go through WaM before coming to the body. This allows us to collect all the needed information for the body to make a decision.
We would schedule a meeting with your organization; the meeting takes about 15 minutes.
4. Give us your pitch at a meeting
We want to get to know your organization. Come share with us what you’re passionate about and help us answer the question of why you’re new initiative is worth an investment from the student body. We love hearing new ideas. Feel free to bring in a pamphlet, and other documentation for us to look over while making your pitch. Keep it brief, around 3 -5 minutes is perfect and leaves plenty of time for questions.
5. We'll make an allocation
After the body feels like they’ve got a good grasp on the impact your initiative will have on the campus, a USG member will make a motion. The motion may be to accept the WAM recommendation, or they may propose a different amount. After discussion and a vote you’ll have a definitive answer on how much money your organization has been allocated.
6. Go for it!
It’s go time! You’ve gotten approved and have the money set aside for you in USG’s on-campus account. Here you have two options. You can submit an advancement/reimbursement request. For more information on these requests scroll up on the page!
7. Pick up the money
Once forms are submitted a check is ordered from Michigan Tech’s accounting department. Checks will arrive in Student Leadership and Involvement MUB 112. You or your treasurer should get an email from someone in Student Leadership and Involvement regarding your check. Michigan Tech’s accounting department cuts checks once a week, so make sure to plan ahead.
Other ways of funding can be discussed with the treasurer, if it is time sensitive or the money needs to be split up into multiple payments.