Welcome to Attend to Spend!

This is your resource to spend your Stout Student Association Allocated Funding

Susie Kuesel
Involvement & Student Organizations Account Manager
Involvement Center, 117 MSC
kuesels@uwstout.edu
Phone 715-232-2681, Fax 715-232-1432

Stout Student Association, 116 MSC
Director of Financial Affairs
ssafinancialaffairs@uwstout.edu
Phone 715-232-2100

Finding the correct budget in CONNECT:

• In your organization's CONNECT page, navigate to the budget (Money) area (you must be an officer to see this option)

• Select the budget you are investigating (Annual budget of any given year is where most money is allocated)
  
  

Treasurer (financial officer) responsibilities include:

• Know your budget and events - you are responsible for making sure your organization's event plans align with your organizations budget request - you are responsible for knowing the rules

• Train other org members who may be planning events in proper spending procedures

• Ensure your organization follows required state spending rules and contact the Involvement Center prior to making a purchase if you are unsure

• Know the process for requesting funds and attend any necessary trainings in process

• Know the process for requesting a re-allocation if your organization needs to make any deviation from spending that was originally planned

• Provide transition training to new officers when you leave office

General Spending guidelines:

• 2025-26 Allocations must be spent by June 15th,2026. This is the end of year deadline.

• Funds do not carry over from year to year.

• All spending must comply with the state of Wisonsin rules and regulations (i.e. comply with approved vendors) Approved Vendor List.

• If you have questions set up an appointment with Susie Kuesel (early) for help. Request an appointment at kuesels@uwstout.edu

• All requests must be submitted within two weeks of the purchase. Reimbursements submitted late may not be paid.

• NOTE:  Anything that connects to the Internet or stores data, MUST BE APPROVED BY THE IT Department prior to purchasing!

Request Payment Instructions:

You may ask to request that a purchase be made on your organization's behalf, or to be reimbursed for a purchase you have made in this process.

1. In your org's budget select the correct event from which you request a purchase or a reimbursement. Only officers have permission to make a payment request. If you need to submit a request on behalf of another student because they don't have permission to do so, you MUST enter their Stout ID in the notes field.

2. Find the event that you are requesting a purchase or payment from, then click on "Request Payment".
   

3. The payment request form will appear, choose:

   1. Payment - for purchases you'd like Involvement staff to make on your organization's behalf

   2. Reimbursement - for purchases you've already made. NOTE: You cannot be reimbursed for sales tax.  Please note the common reasons reimbursments cannot be made:

      1. Too much time has passed

      2. An itemized receipt has not been provided

      3. The event wasn't advertised to the entire campus

      4. An unapproved vendor was used
         
         

4. NEVER use the group funds in this process.This will not be submitted to accurately.

Please anticipate all the events your student org will be hosting this upcoming year. This will ensure that you are seeing the information based on types of events your organization will be hosting and will not need to read the information related to event types that you are not planning. You must select at least one spending type in to pass the quiz.

Making a purchase for your organization

Advantages of letting us make a purchase on your behalf:

1. You never have to put your own money at risk.
2. After you provide us the details, we do the work of ordering for you.
3. We also are able to save the tax money or take advantage of corporate discounts.
4. Common pitfalls can be avoided (i.e. lost reciepts, unapproved vendors, etc.)

Items required for a purchase (to be uploaded or entered into your payment request form):

1. Event advertisement
2. Link to specific item (please list details i.e. quantity, color, etc.)
3. Vendor information

Items required for reimbursement (to be uploaded or entered into your payment request form):

1. Itemized receipt (must list item date, item, quantity, payment type, and total, etc.) No unpaid invoices - receipts only.
2. Details of purchase
3. Event advertisment

• Vendor information
• Event advertisement
• A link to each of the items purchased

Purchasing Food with SSA Funds

• Food purchase must match your allocation for your Org. (i.e. - if the money is for recruitment, it must clearly state that in your advertisement)
• Food must be purchased from University Dining Services unless otherwise indicated. (If not UDS make sure receipt is itemized with full order.)
• All events offerring food purchased with SSA funds must be advertised to all students (i.e. Campus Life Today, posters on campus, etc.) Facebook to your members only is not advertising to campus

Ordering from University Dining Service (UDS):

• Review their catering page and place your order (Bookmark for future use)
• As soon as you have the order submit this with your purchasing request (this should be done before the event.)

Event Contracts

1. Contracts are legal agreements that only individuals trained and authorized by the UW-System are allowed to sign.  No student can sign a contract for their org - doing so makes them personally liable for payment.  Student orgs should also put forward a contract form before they agree on a price - often our folks can negotiate better deals on your behalf.
2. Student orgs typically use contracts when hiring a speaker, performer, instructor, band, or other entertainer.
3. In order to properly contract performers, negotiate payment details, obtain system approved, obtain business office approval for payment - a contract form needs to be completed a minimum of 4 weeks prior to your event. Student Org Event Contract form.
4. Anyone performing a service for the university who is not an employee requires a contract.  Special rules apply when trying to pay someone who already works for the UW-System - please make an appointment with Susie Kuesel to discuss if this is the case. kuesels@uwstout.edu
5. Often contracted events require additional services where you should be in contact with our Conferences & Events team.  This includes things like equipment rental from event technical crew (ETC), custodial services, set up design, or special contracting requests (i.e certain items on stage).
6. Complete a purchase request form in CONNECT with the details of payment.

Films:

1. If you have funding for a film, you should set up an appointment with Olivia Williams for the purchase or rental: williamso@uwstout.edu
2. Complete the purchase request form and include the receipt from Olivia.

Travel must be planned a minimum of 2 weeks in advance.  If you have questions meet with Susie Kuesel (or Tiara for Sport Clubs) ahead of that 2 week mark.

1. All travelers must complete the Traveler Information Form.  This form is typically sent by the trip coordinator to each traveler and travelers designate if they are drivers or passengers and complete the appropriate risk forms within it.

• Personal vehicles - please note - this option puts you as the driver personally liable for injury & damage - make sure your insurance coverage is sufficient.
  • You will be reimbursed for fuel used after you complete the fuel reimbursement form
• Rental Vehicles - Using the univrsity contract is no longer available to most student org travel.  An org may arrange for this on their own if they have drivers who are 21 and purchase their own insurance.  
• Bus -  In order to use this option is must be the most economical choice
  • For short trips (100 miles or less) use Menomonie Transportation 715-235-4995
  • For longer trips work with Rhonda Rubenzer to find the contracted bus company

Registration and/or Event Ticket purchases:

1. An event request form must be submitted and approved before any tickets can be purchased. (this needs to list all attendees or ticket holders).
2. Look carefully at event registration details - please choose the easiest option in this order;
   1. Group payment -  one form with everyone's name on it. If Susie can purchase as a group choose that option and make an appointment with her.
   2. Individual registration/Group payment (each person completes their own registration, but a check is cut for the group)
   3. Individual Registration/payment - each person pays their own way and gets reimbursed.

Congratulations! You've done the work to learn what you need to know in order to spend your orgs SSA funding.

If you'd like to download the Attend to Spend Powerpoint for future reference feel free.