All events and activities require a solid fiscal plan to ensure success. These pages contain information helpful to group leaders as you put together this plan.
As a recognized student group, you will have access to resources and tools to help you with the fiscal management of your group. Therefore, you should be maintaining accurate records which will allow you to be aware of your current balance and your planned spending.
At Columbia, groups receive two types of funds: allocation and revenue. Please refer to these links for explanations, policies, and procedures regarding these different types of funds.
Allocations
An allocation is funding provided to your group by your governing board. It is generally given in a lump sum for the year. Groups will put together an allocation request (the format of which will differ depending on the governing board) usually at the end of the prior academic year to request funds for the upcoming year.
Since governing boards provide groups with these allocations, they have the ability to set the terms by which these funds may be used.
Please remember that ABC Groups are required to submit an Event Approval Form (EAF) for each event. An EAF covers the entire event and so can be used to gain approval to spend money at a variety of different places and for a variety of different reasons. The EAF is an online form which can be found at the ABC Web site once you log in with your group info.
Please refer to the Funding Guidelines and/or Group Resources of your student group's governing board for additional information on funding.
Note: Based on the nature of the University, a student organization cannot use its allocation to actively engage in lobbying for legislation pending in any governmental body and/or be actively be involved in the campaign of any person running for public office. For more details, please review the University's Policy on Partisan Political Activity.
If you have a question concerning partisan activities, please contact your Undergraduate Student Life adviser.
