The events that Shiny Garden creates could not happen without volunteers, and sometimes those volunteers end up spending money on behalf of the event.
Our first preference when purchasing things is to use our corporate accounts at places like Amazon.com, Best Buy, Staples, etc., because as a tax-exempt organization we have submitted paperwork to them that allows us to not pay sales tax on many things. Please run purchase ideas by the head of your department, or the chair of the event ahead of time to see if that’s a possibility. However, as the final days of a convention approach we sometimes have problems come up that just need to be solved quickly, even if that means paying a little extra.
Before you purchase something on Shiny Garden’s behalf, make sure your department head, event chair, or event treasurer has authorized you to do so. It can be easy to misinterpret a brainstorming session (“it could be neat to to have X…”) with direction (“go get X”), so it’s best to clarify – if possible in email form with the event treasurer copied on it so they can record that you need to be paid. (While written direction is requested, verbal-only reimbursements may be processed at the discretion of the event chair.)
Once you’ve been given direction to purchase something, then what? When the store offers you a receipt, take it! (Make sure you get the itemized receipt, not just the credit card charge receipt.) Take a picture of the receipt and email it to the event treasurer. For example: treasurer@hexacondenver.org or treasurer@whimsycon.org. If you are unsure, send it to treasurer@shinygarden.org and it will get sorted out. In addition to the attached picture of the receipt, please include in the subject line the event you made the purchase for (“HexaCon 2021”), and in the body write why you spent the money (“Dustin asked me to pick up a spare toner cartridge on my way to the hotel. See the email sent to you 2021-01-03 for the initial request.”) Additionally, tell us the best way to reimburse you. We prefer electronic transfers via PayPal, but can usually do checks. In extenuating circumstances we can reimburse with cash, but since that is harder to track we prefer not to do this. (“Please send it to my PayPal account CoolVolunteer@example.com.”)
If for some reason you were unable to take a picture and send it right away, please make sure to do so in a timely manner. We understand that it can take a while to recover from events like conventions, but the longer it takes for you to submit that receipt, the more likely it is you could lose it. Additionally, it complicates our bookkeeping to know that we owe you some money, but we’re not sure how much or why.
To that end, all reimbursement requests must be submitted within 6 months after the last day of the event. If a request has not been made by then, the event treasurer will cancel your potential reimbursement, transforming it into a donation toward Shiny Garden’s operating budget. (The event chair and treasurer have the discretion to extend this reimbursement window on a case-by-case basis for extenuating circumstances such as medical issues, family issues, worldwide plague, etc.)
To recap:
- Get direction / permission to make the purchase
- Make the purchase
- Get the itemized receipt!
- Email a picture of the itemized receipt to the event treasurer within 6 months of the event and include why you purchased it and your PayPal email address.
- Get paid.
If you have any questions about this policy, please contact the Shiny Garden treasurer at treasurer@shinygarden.org. Thank you!