Allocation Handbook

Updated November 2024

I. Overview of the Process

Near the end of the Spring semester, recognized student organizations will submit Annual Allocation Requests for the next academic year. The Student Congress will then schedule times for each organization to present their request and decide the funding to be allocated to each student organization for the upcoming year based off of the submitted request. This funding will account for general needs for student organizations that can be planned ahead of time. During the academic year, if unexpected expenditures are to arise, student organizations are able to request Special Allocations from Student Congress.

Annual Allocations 

Annual allocations can be requested by any recognized student organization, and will be granted if the organization meets all of the requirements outlined in II. Allocation Eligibility at the time of request. In order for a student organization to receive an Annual Allocation, a member of the recognized organization must submit an Annual Allocation Request prior to the deadline communicated by the Student Congress. After the submission deadline, the Congress will hold an Annual Allocation Meeting in order to determine the amount of funding granted in each Annual allocation.

Annual Allocation Timeline

End of Fall Semester: Annual budget request forms will become available and sent to organization leadership.

January/February: Budget informational meetings will be held and representation of each student organization will be strongly encouraged.

Early March: Annual budget forms will be due.

Late March/Early April: Annual Allocation Request hearings with Student Congress will be held during Student Congress Meetings.

Prior to End of Spring Semester: Student organizations will be notified of the result of their Annual Allocation Request.

Special Allocations

If an organization requires funds outside of Annual Allocations due to an unexpected or unforeseen opportunity arising during the academic year, organizations will have the opportunity to submit a Special Allocation Request and present at a Student Congress meeting in order to obtain additional funds for their organizations during the academic year. Special Allocations can be requested by a student organization anytime throughout the academic year, and will be granted if the organization meets all of the requirements in II. Allocation Eligibility at the time of request and Student Congress determines the request is a fitting use of Student Funds. In determining how much funding to allocate a given organization for a Special Allocation, the Congress will consider 1) the historical spending of the group, 2) the proposed budget submitted, 3) any unique circumstances based on the mission, purpose, or nature of the organization 4) the percent of funds the group has fundraised towards the overall request amount.

II. Allocation Eligibility 

1. Only organizations that have completed the recognition process and been officially recognized by the Student Congress and Doane University are eligible for funding. To meet this standard and begin the recognition process, organizations must:
   1. Have an active Faculty or Staff Advisor,
   2. Have a designated Executive Team or leadership team comprised of at least a President and a Treasurer,
   3. Have at least 5 members total,
   4. Not award academic credit for participation, 
   5. Be open to all full-time, undergraduate, Crete students
      1. Honor societies and special interest groups may use a selection process or membership requirements to select members, but the opportunity to seek membership must be open to all interested students.
   6. Have a current and up to date constitution that has been approved by the Student Congress and on file with the Campus Engagement office in Student Affairs.

III. Annual Allocation Requests

1. Requests must be submitted by the deadline, advertised by the Student Congress, and prior to the allocation meeting in the Spring semester. It is advised that these requests are submitted as early as possible and crafted by the previous and new executive teams to ensure complete understanding, throughout the organization, of the Annual Allocation Request.
2. Consideration of late requests will be determined by Student Congress and its Executive Team. Late submissions may be subject to a reduction in overall allocation of funds. 
3. To be eligible for a Annual Allocation from Student Congress, an organization must, unless special circumstances dictate otherwise, provide the following in their Annual Allocation Request: 
   1. An up-to-date copy of its constitution,
   2. Names and emails of the organization’s officers and advisor(s) for the upcoming year. 
   3. A list of the organization’s current members. 
   4. An itemized request of allocation, preferably in the form of a budget, with in-depth descriptions of intended expenditures obeying the guidelines outlined in VI. Student Organization Allocation Request Guidelines.
   5. A summary of the fundraising initiatives that have been completed in the past year and planned for the next year. Organizations are expected to complete fundraisers throughout the academic year in order to help fund their projects in addition to the funding potentially provided by Student Congress.
   6. It is strongly recommended that organizations provide the most information possible in these requests as it will allow the Congress to make the most informed decisions.
4. The following items are not required but strongly suggested by the Student Congress in order to receive an Annual Allocation:
   1. Completion of community service projects prior to allocation as well as a plan for community service endeavors in the future.
   2. Consistent representation at Campus Engagement Student Organization Trainings/Luncheons in some capacity.
5. It is strongly advised that an informed student representative from each organization requesting Annual Allocations be present at the Annual Allocation meeting. It benefits student organizations to have someone present who can speak to the details of the request.
6. Annual Allocation Requests will not be heard by the Student Congress outside of the academic year.
7. Student Congress reserves the right to deny a portion or entirety of an Annual Allocation Request if they do not feel the allocation is not fiscally sound or justifiable, or the organization has not met the requirements to receive Annual Allocations.

IV. Reconsideration of Annual Allocations

1. Any organization wishing a reconsideration of their standard allocated funds must notify the Student Congress President and/or Treasurer within one calendar week of receiving communication of the outcome of their Annual Allocation Request.
2. To be eligible for reconsideration, the organization must present a justified reason or “new evidence” to the Congress in order for the Congress to change the allocation.
   1. The Congress reserves the right to refuse to change the allocation after a hearing.
   2. Any decision made during a reconsideration hearing is final.
3. Reconsideration hearings should be held at a Student Congress meeting following notification of the reconsideration request received. 

V. Special Allocation Requests

1. If an unexpected or unforeseen opportunity arises that was not anticipated in an organization’s Annual Allocation Request, the student organization is able to submit a Special Allocation Request.
2. Special Allocation Requests can be submitted at any time via the Special Allocation Request Form provided by the Student Congress. This form may also be found in the Student Congress tab of the Doane website.
3. Once a Special Allocation Request has been submitted, the organization must contact the Student Congress to request to be placed on the agenda for the next possible Student Congress meeting.
   1. The organization must provide details of funds already raised, and expectations of additional fundraisers planned. It is the expectation of the Congress that groups who are requesting Special Allocations have fundraised some percentage of the requested amount. 
4. Student Congress reserves the right to deny a request for a Special Allocation if it does not feel the allocation is fiscally sound, or the organization has not met the requirements to receive Special Allocations.
5. Special Allocation Requests will not be heard by the Student Congress outside of the academic year.
6. Any decision made regarding Special Allocations is final.

VI. Student Organization Allocation Request Guidelines

Items Allowed

1. Speakers 
2. Organizations may request funding from the Student Congress to pay a speaker fee.
3. Food at Event
   1. If the on-campus food provider is able to provide food for an allocated event, the organization will be contractually obligated to receive food and/or beverage services from the on-campus food provider unless the on-campus food provider defers their services.
4. Advertising
   1. Materials for signage, booth decorations, small promotional memorabilia and advertising-oriented food items can be requested.
5. Transportation 
   1. Groups can request up to $0.50 per mile for the cost of gas if using a Doane vehicle or a personal vehicle.
   2. Student Congress heavily advises the use of Doane vehicles when organization transport is necessary. Funding of other methods of transportation is up to the discretion of the Student Congress.
   3. To use a Doane Vehicle, organizations must follow all of Doane’s policies for reserving and operating vehicles.
   4. Allocations of funding for parking and/or temporary storage of vehicles is up to the discretion of the Student Congress.
6. Meals and Banquets
   1. Organizations may request compensation of $12 per student, per meal for meals missed due to the organization’s off-campus activities. Meal funds will not be allocated for advisors, or any other member that is not a current undergraduate student at Doane University.
   2. Organizations may request compensation of $5 per person for a banquet. Organizations are allowed to request funds for one banquet per academic year.
   3. If breakfast or any other meal can be provided by the lodging, hotel or otherwise during organization travel, Student Congress will not be expected to allocate funds for said meals.
   4. Compensation for meals missed during school breaks will be up to the discretion of the Student Congress.
7. Lodging 
   1. Organizations may request up to $40 dollars per person per night for lodging accommodations.
   2. If the standard price of lodging at the chosen destination is less than $40 per person per night, that price will then be respected.
8. Registration and Admissions Fees 
   1. Organizations may request up to 50% of the total cost of admissions or registration fees for activities pertaining to the organization’s mission and purpose. Registration or admission funds will not be allocated for advisors, or any other member that is not a current undergraduate student at Doane University. 

Items Not Allowed

1. Prizes and Parties
   1. Organizations may not spend Student Congress allocations on parties or prizes for its members.
2. Alcohol
   1. Consistent with Doane University policy, organizations may not spend Student Congress allocations on alcohol. 
3.  Charitable Giving
   1. Organizations cannot use their funds for charitable giving.
4. Uniform and Clothing
   1. Student Congress will not allocate funds for uniforms, however funding for clothing items will be up to the discretion of the Student Congress.
5. Memberships, Scholarships, and Awards 
   1. Organizations may not spend Student Congress allocations on memberships to national organizations, national scholarship funds, or awards (such as graduation cords, keys, plaques, medals, etc.). 
6. Non-University Transportation
   1. Though non-University transportation methods such as trains, planes and personal and rental vehicles are allowed, a heavy preference will be given to transportation options provided by Doane University.
7. Fundraising Items
   1. Student Congress will only consider allocating funds for items that will be specifically used as fundraising products if the student organization is in its first year of operation.
8. Advisors
   1. Student fees will not be allocated for advisor’s use, including, but not limited to, food, lodging, registration and admissions fees, and non-university transportation.

VII. How to Access Allocated Funds

1. A Student Organization cannot directly obtain cash from the business office. To access funds, organizations may do one of the following: 
   1. Check Requests 
      1. Check requests are used to reimburse individuals for organization-related expenses.
      2. Check requests can be found in the Student Affairs Office or Business Office.
      3. Requests should include a receipt for the items purchased along with the completed check request. In order to be approved, the check request must be signed by the appropriate staff person within the Business office, and the current Student Congress Treasurer. 
   2. Department/Student Organization Credit Cards
      1. Doane credit cards may be temporarily borrowed by the president or treasurer of the student organization.
      2. These cards may only be accessed from the organization’s advisor or Office of Campus Engagement.
      3. If the card does not have the appropriate credit limit, the owner of the department or Campus Engagement card may request to increase the credit limit from the Business Office to obtain enough funds for the organization's needs.
2. Service Center
   1. Organizations can set up accounts with the Service Center and Business Office to charge printing, copying, etc., directly to the organization’s Business Office account.
3. Campus Food Provider
   1. The Campus Food Provider can bill the organization’s Business Office account directly to save the paperwork of Purchase Orders or Check Requests.
4. Independent Funds 
   1. Organizations are encouraged to fundraise in addition to what Student Congress allocates. In the case of all Allocation Requests, student organizations will be expected to elaborate on the organization's fundraising efforts. 
   2. Organizations must set up accounts with the Business Office to manage money that come from other sources. 
      1. Records for these accounts must be kept separately from Student Congress’s allocations to prevent confusion. 
      2. Funding that comes from independent sources may be spent any way the student organization sees fit within the parameters of the Doane University Crete Campus Student Handbook.

VIII. Tracking Funds 

1. Each organization must have a Treasurer or other member appointed to keep records of all expenses.
   1. Any student organization is subject to audit at any point throughout the academic year by the Student Congress Treasurer in order to maintain that allocated funds are being used appropriately. Any discrepancies between expected use and actual use of funds may be subject to repercussions outlined in X. Failure to Adhere to Student Organization Spending Guidelines.
2. The Student Congress Treasurer and Business Office Accountant keep official records, but it is important for each organization to keep and compare records periodically to avoid errors.

IX. New Organizations 

1. In order to be considered an official Doane University recognized student organization, all the required documents must be presented and approved by Student Congress prior to requesting allocations of any type. (See III. Annual Allocation Requests, Section c.) Newly recognized organizations may request an Annual Allocation Request mid-year of the year of their inception without penalty. Newly recognized organizations may also request Special Allocations throughout the academic year. 

X. Failure to Adhere to Student Organization Spending Guidelines 

1. If an organization is found to have spent Student Congress allocations in a way that does not adhere to the Student Organization Spending Guidelines, the organization will be subject to sanctions imposed by the Student Congress. These may include: 
   1. Reimbursing Student Congress for funds spent, 
   2. Penalization during the next year’s allocation period, and/or 
   3. Loss of the privilege of Student Congress Allocations.

Please view the Registration and Allocation Application HERE.