Purchasing & Fundraising Resources
General Purchasing Guidelines
- Student organizations should only make purchases after their funding is approved.
- Purchases should not exceed the approved budget.
- Hamilton College is a tax exempt institution, so all purchases should be tax exempt. Purchasers should provide the vendor with the College’s tax exempt form when making purchases to have the tax removed from the order.
- All receipts should be itemized. Receipts must be provided for every purchase.
- Student Activities oversees the purchasing for all student organizations that receive funding from Student Assembly, as well as Media Board organizations, the Campus Activities Board (CAB), and Late Nites/Sadove programs. Student organizations within the following clusters receive their funding from their respective cluster advisor: Chaplaincy, Club Sports, DMC and HAVOC.
Online Purchases
The Student Activities Office staff can purchase approved items from online websites for the student organization without them needing to reserve a Purchase Card. Please email involve@hamilton.edu with the ordering information and links to the items you would like to purchase. All items ordered online will be delivered to the Student Activities Office and we will notify the organization leader when the items arrive.
In-store purchases
Purchase Cards & Cash Advances
Student organizations may utilize Student Activities purchase cards or cash advances for approved in-store purchases. Purchase card transactions should not exceed $1,500 and cash advances should not exceed $400. The student organization must have approved funding in order to make any purchases.
To request a purchase card or cash advance, please fill out the applicable form below. You must submit the form at least 2 business days (Monday - Friday) in advance for your request to be reviewed and processed. You will receive an email confirmation once your request has been approved. Purchase cards and cash advances can be picked up from the Student Activities Office between 12 and 4:30p.m. on the day of your reservation and must be returned with all receipts by 10:00a.m. the following business day.
Reimbursements
Student organizations may purchase items for approved purchases on their own and submit itemized receipts for reimbursement. The student organization must have approved funding before someone makes purchases on their behalf. Reimbursements may also be submitted for miles traveled in a personal vehicle for approved student organization activities and trips.
Reimbursements totaling less than $25 can be issued in cash. The person to be reimbursed will receive an email when the cash reimbursement is ready to pick-up from the Student Activities Office. Reimbursements totaling $25 or more will be issued via a College check or direct deposit. Checks will be placed in the person’s Campus Mailbox and may take 7 - 10 business days to be processed by the Business Office.
For a mileage reimbursement, we will reimburse based on the College’s rate of $0.655 per mile traveled. Please multiply the number of miles traveled by $0.655 to determine the reimbursement amount. The $0.655 is a mileage rate that factors in wear and tear on your vehicle, gas, and toll expenses. We therefore do not separately reimburse for gas or toll receipts for travel in your personal vehicle.
To request a reimbursement, please fill out the form below, which includes a field to upload a digital copy of your receipt(s) from the purchases being reimbursed. For a mileage reimbursement, please upload a Google Maps printout showing the total miles traveled in lieu of a receipt. You will receive an email confirmation once your request has been approved.
We must receive receipts for all purchases being reimbursed. We will not reimburse tax expenses charged because Hamilton College is a tax exempt institution.
Invoices
Some businesses will provide an invoice to be paid via a check instead of credit card or cash. Student organizations who receive an invoice to be paid should email the invoice to Student Activities at involve@hamilton.edu. Once received, a staff member will process the invoice and have the check payment mailed to the vendor from the Business Office. Check payments may take 7 - 10 business days to be processed.
Off-Campus Travel Booking
Student organizations may travel overnight for approved off-campus trips, tournaments, and activities. All off-campus lodging (e.g. hotels, Airbnb, lodges) and buses should be booked by a Student Activities staff member using the organization's approved funding. It is required that a representative from the student club/organization must complete the Off-Campus Travel Request Form and meet with the a Student Activities staff member to discuss the trip at least 3 weeks prior to travel. Travel booking appointments should be scheduled for 30–60 minutes. Reach out to involve@hamilton.edu schedule a meeting to discuss your request.
Student organizations traveling overnight must submit an Overnight Travel Itinerary to the Student Activities Office at least 48 hours before departure. This itinerary outlines the group’s travel plan, a roster of attendees, and their emergency contact information.
Fundraising
All recognized student clubs and organizations are required to receive approval to fundraise from the Student Activities office 7 business days (Monday-Friday, 8:30am-4:30pm) prior to the fundraising event. Once your student organization has been approved, a member of the professional staff will reach out for confirmation and next steps.
Hill Card Readers & Cash Boxes
Student organizations may utilize Student Activities Hill Card readers and cash boxes to collect money at fundraisers. Cash boxes can be requested with seed money (a sum of cash with small bills you can use to make change). When Hill Card readers and cash boxes are returned after use, Student Activities will deposit the funds raised into the student organization's liabilities (fundraising) account.
Hill Card readers and cash boxes can be picked up from the Student Activities Office between 12:00 p.m. and 4:30 p.m. on the day of your reservation and must be returned by 10:00 a.m. the following business day.
Student organizations are prohibited from using outside applications such as Venmo to collect donations.
