The chapter will maintain a bank account for all chapter funds. Whenever possible, we prefer to work with local credit unions over other banks. The chapter treasurer will be the primary authorized signer for the chapter accounts and will maintain financial records of all transactions for reporting to the necessary agencies to maintain 501(c)(4) status and meet any other legal requirements.

All other steering committee members can be named as additional authorized signers for the account to ensure access to chapter funds if the treasurer becomes unavailable for any reason and to provide a check on the use of chapter funds. The steering committee may also, at its discretion, name additional authorized signers for the account (e.g., co-chairs of the finance committee), if allowed by our bank/credit union.

Upon the election of a new steering committee, the bank account should be updated to remove any former committee members and add the new ones elected. This should be coordinated by the previous and newly elected treasurer if possible (the previous treasurer may be needed as they will be the primary authorized user of the account before the changes are made). This will typically require sending the credit union/bank a new signature card with the account holders' information and meeting minutes showing the election results of the new steering committee on Suffolk County DSA letterhead, signed by the chapter secretary.

If any member of the steering committee has been a member of the chapter for less than 6 months, the chapter membership will vote to determine if they should have full access to the chapter accounts (this can occur after the steering committee election). The specific options for limited access will depend on the access options available at our bank/credit union.

One-off Requests

Chapter working groups and committees can be reimbursed on one-off purchases for their events. Some examples of reimbursable expenses are:

• Printed materials directly related to your group’s purpose

  • Flyers, posters, palm cards, business cards, etc.

• Supplies for creating signs and other materials for demonstrations

  • Poster board, markers, flags, banners, etc.

• Food for events hosted by the working group/committee or by the chapter

  • Note that this does not include regular working group/committee meetings

Other types of purchases not listed here may also be reimbursable at the discretion of the treasurer, finance committee, and steering committee (see below).

Note that general chapter funds are limited and we do not guarantee that you will be reimbursed for all your purchases. If you are not able to cover the cost of your purchase without reimbursement, you should check with the chapter treasurer to confirm you will be reimbursed before making the purchase. Please provide the details of:

• what is going to be purchased,

• what event it is for,

• when it is needed by, and

• an estimate of the cost

If you need the chapter to pay for your purchase directly instead of being reimbursed afterwards, you should contact the treasurer or a member of the finance committee to coordinate use of the chapter account to make your purchase.

Depending on the cost of your purchase, approval for the use of general chapter funds is needed from the following people:

• For purchases less than $50, the treasurer approves payment/reimbursement.

• For purchases between $50 and $100, the finance committee must approve payment/reimbursement. Please make requests at least 3 days in advance (more time is appreciated, whenever possible).

• For purchases between $100 and $500, the steering committee must approve payment/reimbursement. Please make requests at least 3 days in advance.

• For purchases $500 and over, the general membership must vote on the use of general chapter funds. This should be planned ahead of time for the next general chapter meeting (you should make this request at or before the month’s steering committee meeting so it can be included on the agenda for the general meeting).

Note that these amounts are per event. If you make multiple small purchases at several locations, or if multiple people make purchases for the same event, it will require approval based on the total amount spent on all purchases together. If your working group/committee holds several events within a small time frame, additional approval may be required to ensure funds are available to all groups that need them.

Also note that at any level of this approval process, those responsible for approval may, at their discretion, seek approval from the groups at a higher cost level (e.g., the treasurer may decide to seek the opinion of the finance committee, the steering committee, or the general chapter membership, even for a purchase less than $50).

Subscriptions, Recurring Costs and Other Chapter Agreements

If your working group/committee would like to use funds for a service with recurring costs (monthly charge, yearly charge, per use cost, etc.), that must always be approved by the steering committee. The steering committee may, at its discretion, ask for a vote from the general membership prior to approving the request.

Subscriptions should be attached to the chapter bank account/debit card whenever possible. You must provide the steering committee with any information necessary to update or cancel the subscription (online account logins, any passwords or security questions/answers required to make changes to the account, etc.). Steering committee may, at its discretion, cancel or change subscription details if deemed necessary for financial reasons.

The treasurer and finance committee will maintain a record of all active subscriptions with a calendar showing the estimated next dates the account will be charged.

If your working group/committee has a recurring event that would require purchases each time, please coordinate with the treasurer and finance committee to determine how best to handle payment or reimbursement approval.

Any contracts, insurance, or other agreements must be approved and signed by members of the steering committee.

Working Groups and Committees are encouraged to raise funds for their own events and actions whenever possible. Unlike general chapter funds, funds raised for a specific working group/committee can be used at the co-chairs’ discretion without approval. The co-chairs should coordinate receiving funds and requests for payment/reimbursement with the chapter treasurer.

If you would like to set up a fundraiser for your working group/committee (e.g., chuffed.org), please coordinate this with the chapter treasurer or finance committee so that it can be properly recorded and set to send funds to the chapter accounts properly.

• The treasurer will maintain a separate category of funds that can be used by the working group/committee.

For donations sent to the chapter through apps like Venmo, Cashapp, etc., please ensure that the comments/notes section includes information on which working group/committee the money is being donated to (e.g., Donation to Mutual Aid).

If you are receiving donations directly for your group, please collect as much information as possible about the donors (name, amount, contact info). If you are collecting cash in person, you don’t need to get information on each individual donor if infeasible (“passing the hat” can just be categorized as a single cash donation).

As with general chapter funds, you must provide a receipt and a description of what was purchased to the treasurer for any purchases made or reimbursements requested (the chapter is required to maintain financial records for all our funds, whether for the general chapter or a specific working group/committee).