Finances

Managing your Organizations Funds

As a recognized student organization at BGSU, your organization has an on-campus bank account for your use. Using your organization's program code and a few easy-to-access forms on Presence, you can manage all your organization's finances!

Finding the Program Code Assigned to Your Organization

The program code identifies your recognized student organization and is utilized by you and the university to keep track of and spend your organization's money. Below are the steps to locate your organization’s program code:

1. Log-in to presence using your BGSU credentials.
2. Navigate to the Admin Dashboard of Presence by clicking the Person icon in the top right corner of the page and selecting Admin Dashboard from the dropdown menu.
3. Using the side menu, click on the Organizations button. 
4. Search for your organizations group and click on the name of the group to navigate to your page. 
5. On the Details page in the Basic Information Section, your 4-digit university program code will be listed. 

Checking Your Balance

The Transaction Details Overview: Organization Account Balance is always available for your organization to check your balance, see transaction history, and plan for the future. This document is updated daily and only includes charges that have been posted to the account. Follow these simple steps to access and navigate the Transaction Details Overview.

1. Navigate to the Presence home page: bgsu.presence.io. If you are on the Admin Dashboard, click on the student portal in the top right-hand corner to navigate back to the home page.
2. From the Presence home page, click on the resources tab in the top right corner.
3. Click Organization Account Balance to open the PDF: Transaction Details Overview.   
4. In the Transaction Details Overview PDF, CTRL+F to search by your organization's program code or scroll to find your organization's 4-digit program code listed at the top of the page.
5. Your organization's balances are shown in two subcategories:
6.  SOAB (Fund code 14000) - This section will include any funding you have received from the university through the SOAB application process.
7. Revenue (Fund code 94000) - This section includes funding your organization has deposited. This could be from revenue, fundraising, etc.  

Collecting and Depositing Funds

You can deposit cash or checks into your student account at any time using the process outlined below. The university also offers other ways to collect and deposit money that are outlined in this section.

Depositing Cash or Checks:

Go to Bowen Thompson Student Union room #410. Follow the directions for Student Organizations, posted on the wall in this space. The directions are also below for your convenience:

1. Pick up an envelope out of the basket. Fill out ALL of the information on the envelope. If you need to look up your organization’s Program Code, use the glossary on the top of the safe.
2. Put all cash and checks inside the envelope and drop it into the safe. Student Engagement will process all transactions and all deposits will show up on the Transaction Details Overview upon processing. Please ensure that the contact person listed on the envelope is available should Student Engagement have any questions related to your deposit.

E-Market Accounts:

E-market accounts are online organization web pages that allow groups to collect money online by cash or credit card. Recognized Student Organizations may set up an online system to sell items, collect dues, sell tickets, collect registration information, etc. BGSU calls these E-Market stores, and they are created in partnership with the Office of the Bursar. Follow the steps below to request an E-Market account for your student group.

1. Before creating an E-Market account, the officer of the recognized student organization must complete the E-Market Request - Payment Card Industry Compliance Form in Presence.
2. Once the form is completed and approved the Bursar Office will be notified and you may contact Jason Hanely, jhanely@bgsu.edu in the Bursars office.
3. In partnership with the Bursars office, they will assist you with the next steps to set up the E- Market store and customize it to your organization's needs.

Note: All money collected via E-Market account is automatically deposited into your organization's revenue (94000) account. Remember, you can always check your balance by following the directions in the Check your Balance section above.

Point Of Sale Machines:

Point of Sale Machines are reservable credit/debit card machines organizations can use to collect money via card at events/meeting etc. Many organizations use these machines to sell tickets at events, hold a dues day for all members to pay the organization etc. Directions are provided with each machine and any questions can be asked on pick-up. To reserve a Point-of-Sale Machine, complete the Point of Sale Reservation, linked here, on Presence. All money collected via Point-of-Sale Machines must be reported using the directs accompanying the machine. The money is not automatically deposited into your student organization account. 

Using your Funds

Recognized student organizations can use one form for any time money will be leaving the student organization’s account. This includes making a purchase or payment online, paying a BGSU student for providing a service, paying an individual or company for providing a service, paying an invoice for goods, paying a BGSU department, reimbursing a member who paid out of pocket, or reconciling a pre-paid debit card. Submitting this form does not automatically process the transactions. Please allow up to two weeks for charges to be fully processed. If you would like to be present when purchases occur, schedule a meeting with our Finance Team. Scheduling a meeting to make your purchases can also expedite the processing time. Follow the steps below to complete the Spending Form located on Presence.

1. Navigate to the Presence Home page by visiting bgsu.presence.io.
2. Click the Forms tab at the top of the page.
3. Select Spending Form from the choices and complete and submit the form. The submit button is in the top right corner of the form.

Pre-Paid Debit Cards

Recognized student organizations with non-University allocated funds (i.e., agency or revenue dollars) in a university account may request one pre-loaded debit card. The use of debit cards must comply with all University policies and procedures. Each transaction must be reconciled with Student Engagement by filling out the spending form, and attaching each receipt associated with the pre-paid debit card. Failure to adhere to these expectations will result in the student organization forfeiting its right to have a debit card. The application for a pre-paid debit card opens at the beginning of the academic year and closes at the end of September. Student organizations can be approved for a pre-paid debit card in the amount of $250 or $500. 

Student Organizations will receive messaging and outreach with the application for pre- paid debit cards at the beginning of the fall semester each academic year.

Check your Balance: PNC Card Balance and type in the number on your debit card PIN/AAC: Last 4 digits of your debit card  

Tax Exempt: NEVER pay sales tax!! Use the W-9 or Sales Tax and Use form when making purchases to get the sales tax removed.  

Reload: When your debit card is low on funds, you can reload it if you have money in your 94000 (Revenue) account. You can do this by filling out the Pre-Paid Debit Card Reload form (link coming soon). Please allow 2-3 weeks for the funds to be accessible. 

*Per your agreement to use this Debit card, you agreed to submit a Spending Form and select "Reconcile an expense from the organization’s prepaid debit card" each time you make a purchase so be sure to keep your receipts until the form has been approved. 

Organization Finance Support

The Student Organization Finance team is here to help and has multiple resources to help your organization understand how to manage, spend and apply for funding.

To learn more about how to manage your organization's funds, access the Finance Resource Guide.

Still have finance questions? Ask the finance team by submitting a question.

Apply for University Funds

The University allocates funding to student organizations throughout each academic year to support events, programs, travel, and operational expenses to enhance the experience for all students at BGSU. The Student Organization Allocation Board (SOAB) is a committee of staff and students who allocate university funding to Recognized Student Organizations at Bowling Green State University. Throughout the year, the committee reviews funding requests and allocates funding to organizations.

Apply for university funding. To learn more about what SOAB is, the funding types, tips, and tricks for your application, and get all your questions answered, access the SOAB Quick Start Guide.

Fundraising

There are multiple ways to collect donations and raise money for your student organization. If you are doing a large campaign or need/want donations to be tax-deductible you can work with the BGSU Foundation office to create a Falcon Funded page. Check out the Falcon Funded model and apply to create a project.

Sales-tax exemption

All recognized student organizations at BGSU are exempt from paying sales tax. Organizations should not pay sales tax when making purchases and should indicate to companies, stores etc. for invoices. quotes etc. that they are tax exempt. If individuals pay tax, they cannot be reimbursed for that tax by the student organization. Forms that you will need when providing tax exempt information are linked below:

• https://www.bgsu.edu/finance-and-administration/controller/policies-and-forms.html
•     Download and print the Sales and Use Tax Blanket Exemption Certificate 2023 and W-9 for the current year
•     The Tax-ID number for BGSU is 34-6402018.

Types of Funding

There are three funding categories an organization can apply for. They include:

Events/Programming: Funds are awarded to support programs/events that enhance the educational, cultural, and social experience of BGSU students. Activities must open for participation by the entire student body and must directly assist the organization in achieving its mission as it aligns with the University Mission, Vision, Values, and Strategic Plan.

Travel: Funds are awarded to support expenses that directly assist the organization in achieving its mission as it aligns with the University Mission, Vision, Values, and Strategic Plan. Travel includes conferences, training sessions, competitions, and other off-campus events outside the city of Bowling Green, Ohio. Travel funds must be spent in compliance with the BGSU Travel Policy. Travel Funds for Recognized Student Organizations can be awarded for Educational or Competitive travel.

Operating: The SOAB makes available a limited amount of funds annually to organizations to support day-to-day expenses that directly assist the organization in achieving its mission as it aligns with the University Mission, Vision, Values, and Strategic Plan.

How to Apply for Funds

To access the funding application, visit presence. The Office of Student Engagement and Residence Life communicates information about student organization funding processes throughout the year. Make sure your organizations presence roster is accurate to ensure that you recieve all of the most up to date information. Need to update your roster? Email engage@bgsu.edu for support.