As per the RUSA Allocations funding guidelines, we can only allocate funds to a program that fits the mission statement of the organization and has educational value for the entire Rutgers undergraduate community.

An organization's event must integrate an educational component in the event, but it does not necessarily have to be overt. The educational component can consist of speakers that discuss the organization's mission and provide information of how to get more involved in the club's community. Simply introducing the club does not qualify as "educational." An educational component may be any element of the event that sheds light on the mission of the organization or goal of the event, or provides knowledge to members outside of the organization on what the club does.

We base our allocation decisions on the amount of money each group requests in order to hold a successful program/trip/conference/competition. We also consider the size and scope of the organization's events based on their previous turnouts, so the more information that we have regarding your club's outreach the more efficient our funding can be. This being said, we suggest that student organizations seek additional funding from community and corporate sponsors outside of the Rutgers community.

Read our funding guidelines thoroughly before completing your budget to make sure that your events and the items you request to be funded are indeed fundable by the RUSA Allocations Board. You can come out to one of our Budget Help Nights or email rusa.allocations@gmail.com to make sure that you fill out your budget form properly. This allows us to process your budget more accurately. Detail is also critical, as the more detail you provide to us about what you need funded, the better we can understand your needs. Please provide cost breakdowns of everything you request along with written descriptions. Also make sure to request money for all costs you may incur, no matter how big or small, as you may be able to receive more money. RUSA Allocations is not intended to fund 100% of your event's expenses, so seek additional funding through fundraisers and co-sponsorships with other organizations. Finally, if you are not satisfied with the allocation you received, we are more than happy to discuss this with you and give you the opportunity to receive more funding at an appeals meeting.

If your new program is very similar to your original program(i.e. a trip to U.S. House of Representatives changed to trip to the U.S. Senate), your advisor should be able to approve the change. The missions of the two programs must remain the same in this case. You must always speak with your advisor to determine if the change is significant enough to use your funds for the cancelled event.

If you plan to change your event significantly or replace it entirely, you must sign up for an appeals meeting during the semester that the event takes place. For example, if your trip to the U.S. House of Representatives changed to a dance competition, we must review this change to ensure it aligns with the mission of your organization and review the new budget. You are able to sign up for appeals meetings on our GetInvolved page. When in doubt about any of these changes, always check with your advisor!

The question above outlines the necessary steps to take if you would like to replace an event or alter an event, but if you plan to use leftover money from a program to fund another program, that is not allowed.

No, having money left over will never negatively impact your organization. Whatever the circumstances, we know that program size may change or you may end up spending less than you initially expected, and this is completely okay. At the end of each semester, unused funds are taken back from your SABO account by the RUSA Allocations Board treasurer. We do not consider the amount of takebacks from your previous programs when funding you in subsequent semesters.

You may use your Organizational Maintenance funds to cover costs for the Involvement Fair. For Rutgers Day, funding is allocated through a separate process that is not handled by the RUSA Allocations Board.

Shirts or apparel exclusively for e-board members, prizes, plaques, trophies, flowers given to speakers. The purchase of any of these items given as gifts is not fundable as our funding guidelines do not allow us to fund gifts. We encourage you to use generated revenue to fund these purchases if you have it.

The reason we are not able to fund these types of events is due to the fact that they are not providing value and access to the undergraduate community as a whole, or they lack an educational element. As per our funding guidelines, we can not distribute the Student Activities Fee to these types of events because of the reason stated above. This does not mean that your organization's mission is not proper use of the student fee, rather it means we will gladly fund your other events that serve an educational purpose and allow the broader Rutgers community to be involved.

SABO is the Student Activities Business Office and it acts as Rutgers' bank. We operate alongside SABO to get you your funding, but we are two different organizations. We provide the funding and SABO facilitates the transactions. Club treasurers and one other officer have access to the online account (rcsfao.rutgers.edu). The SABO office is found in the Student Activities Center on the first floor, where you may pick up checks and other monetary forms.