Your Group Treasury

Before submitting any requests for reimbursement, all alumnae handling group expenses must submit this form. Only group members who are involved in treasury transactions need to submit this form. Each alum only needs to submit this form once. Please note you will need to log in with your MyWellesley login.

How long do I have to submit my request? 
To receive reimbursements, volunteers should submit expense requests with any necessary receipts to the WCAA within 30 days after incurring the expense, but no later than 60 days after incurring the expense. For expenses in May and June, requests must be received by July 1. 

Are requests ever rejected? 
Groups retain discretion over how their funds are spent, provided that they are not using group funds to support other charities, nonprofit organizations, or political candidates. If an expense request is missing essential information, we may reach out requesting additional details in order to process your request. Please be sure to fill out all fields with any relevant details. 

May I submit multiple requests at the same time? 
You may submit one request per receipt/invoice.

How long will it take to receive my reimbursement? 
Please allow 10-14 business days for your request to be received, processed, and sent to your bank account. 

I no longer have the receipt. May I still submit an expense?
Please submit a copy of your credit card statement showing the purchase. Cash purchases submitted without a receipt will not be eligible for reimbursement. 

I only have a digital copy of our group’s invoice. How may I submit it? 
If your digital invoice is an attachment, such as a PDF, please upload it to the form directly. If it is part of an email or webpage that you can save as a PDF, or easily screenshot, you may do so in order to obtain an uploadable file. As a last resort, you may send the invoice to alumnae@wellesley.edu; but please be advised this may result in a delay in processing your payment. 

How will our vendor be paid? 
All vendors must be registered in our system for tax purposes. Using the information you provide, your vendor will be contacted by email to submit the required information via our Supplier Invoice Request form above. Like volunteer registrations, this is a one-time process. Once the vendor is approved, we will send the requested payment. 

How long will it take for our vendor to receive payment? 
We are currently testing this process with our pilot group and will hope to have a better estimate of turnaround times soon. 

What if our group needs an invoice payment made in a hurry?
We ask that all groups attempt to provide as much advance notice as possible so that we may pay invoices on your behalf- but in a truly time-sensitive situation (ex: reserving a venue within 24 hours), please contact the WCAA directly at 781-283-2331 to explore alternative options. 

How is a speaker honorarium different than a standard invoice?
Honoraria are funds gifted to a speaker or someone who provides a no-cost service to your group as thanks for their contribution. They are optional and given at your group's discretion.

The announcement of changes that will impact Wellesley College Alumnae Association group operations is likely to prompt questions. Below you will find answers to common inquiries that we anticipate. We will continue to add to this document based on feedback we hear from you - submit additional questions here. 

TREASURIES

Additional process and transactional details will be available in the fall.

What will happen to funds that we have already accumulated and are moved over to Workday?
Your group’s treasury funds will remain available to you. We will be communicating detailed processes in the fall as we begin the transition of treasuries into the new system.

How will we collect money for events that have an associated cost? Will paying by credit card be possible?
Groups can continue to collect payments online or by check made out to your club/class/SIG. Funds will go to your individual group agency accounts, managed through Workday. 

What WCAA funds will be available to support alumnae activities?
The following allocations will be available to groups annually:

The WCAA will also administer an All Alum Access Fund to support inclusion by providing funds for alums from any class and geographic area to attend Wellesley Reunion or other events. Policies for access to these funds will be available soon.  

How can the WCAA allocation be used?
The allocation may be used to support activities that cannot be reasonably funded by event fees. This might include admitted student events, a small gift to a speaker for an event, or subsidizing young alum attendance at a welcome event.

How were allocation amounts determined?
Allocation amounts were determined based on all contactable alumnae in your club’s geographic area. Alums who have secondary addresses or club affiliations were included as well. Alums who are considered “lost” (mail returned 3+ times) or who have asked not to be contacted by Wellesley were not counted.The brackets were clubs with more than 800 members, clubs with 700-300 members, and clubs with less than 299 members. No clubs landed near the cusp of these brackets. 

What happens to unused funds from the WCAA?
Groups are encouraged to sponsor low-cost events and charge the cost of attendance. Annual allocations are meant to provide additional support. Unused funds from your group's annual WCAA allocation will be transferred to the all-alum Access Fund at the end of the fiscal year (June 30) to provide financial assistance to alums to attend Wellesley alumnae programs. 

How can we access our treasury balance?
Quarterly account statements will be provided electronically to club treasurers and presidents. 

When will we receive our account’s quarterly reports and what will they include? 
Quarterly reporting will be based on Wellesley’s fiscal year quarters. You can expect to receive your reports via email one to two weeks after the end of each quarter:

• Fiscal 1st Quarter (7/1-9/30)
• Fiscal 2nd Quarter (10/1-12/31)
• Fiscal 3rd Quarter (1/1-3/31)
• Fiscal 4th Quarter (4/1-6/30)

Reports will include the beginning balance, end balance, and a record of each transaction. 

What if we need to give a deposit to a venue before we collect event registration fees?
A volunteer can make the deposit and submit for reimbursement, or the WCAA can make the payment directly from the group’s agency account. 

We offer lower cost event fees for recent grads, how can we continue doing that? 
Groups can increase per-person pricing for an event to subsidize young alum attendees. We also encourage groups to provide a range of programming at various price points. 

If we are expected to price events at per-person cost, what about events where we invite students?
Groups can increase per-person pricing for an event to subsidize student attendees. This could also be a strategic use of the annual allocation of WCAA funds for your group.

Can we use the WCAA allocation to fund gifts to students?
This is not the intended purpose of the funds. WCAA funds should be used for activities that support College priorities by connecting alumnae to the College and each other. While student care packages or gifts are intended as a generous gesture of student support, there are a few reasons why we are shifting away from this practice:

1. There is inequity in the concept of care packages: only students with a similar affiliation to an alumnae group (regional or identity-based) might receive such a gift. 

2. Student data privacy makes the sharing of names and mailing addresses with alums, or campus distribution, a resource-intensive process.

3. The Wellesley Fund supports Student Life, allowing staff and programs to be flexible and responsive to student needs each year. Alumnae can have the greatest current-year impact with a gift to the Wellesley Fund.

What will happen to our endowed fund/scholarship? 
Endowed funds, such as scholarship funds, will continue to generate income for their purpose in perpetuity. Individuals may contribute directly to existing funds, but clubs and classes will no longer increase the fund through annual gifts funded through dues. All alums are encouraged to give to the Wellesley Fund, which supports the College’s greatest needs.

How long will it take to process a reimbursement request? 
Reimbursements will typically take up to 10 business days. 

What will happen to our 501(c)(3) status?
Once your group’s bank balance is transferred to your new agency fund, the WCAA will be working with an attorney to legally dissolve the legal entity. 

Our club files state taxes and has been granted a tax exemption for purchases made in our state. How should we handle state documents under these changes?
The process of dissolving each club's federal and state documents will be an ongoing exercise requiring partnership between your club and our staff. If your state's nonprofit laws are an area of expertise for you or a fellow club member, we welcome your input and invite you to join us in this process. 

Can we use WCAA funds or existing funds in our treasury to cover travel expenses for our board to meet in person? 
We strongly discourage using your class funds for this limited purpose. We are making a serious effort to shift the use of resources towards supporting the College. Just as you would be unlikely to cover classmates' travel to a destination mini-reunion, we would not recommend covering travel if there are free or lower cost options available, such as Zoom, WebEx, Google Video Meet, and conference calls. 

Ultimately the class's funds are to be used at the discretion of the board, and in representing the class, volunteers assume the duty to manage and spend these funds responsibly. We hope that groups will consider saving these funds for something that will benefit the class or College more widely.

DUES

When should we stop collecting dues?
All groups should aim to cease collection of dues by December 31, 2021 at the latest. 

As the dues model is discontinued, please remind former paid members that they are still encouraged to give annually to the College to support Wellesley’s mission. 

How/when will our members hear about the change?
Less than 10% of all alumnae are dues-paying members of a club in a typical year. Changes to the membership model will impact some club operations, but will not significantly impact the way most alumnae experience their relationship with the College or your group. We recommend that each group determine the best communication strategy for your constituents. Some groups may not need a specific update, while others might need direction on how the current year membership cycle and event pricing will work.

Our club/class has given a gift to the College on behalf of the club/class in the past - are we no longer encouraged to do this?While Wellesley has appreciated the generosity of clubs and classes, we are asking volunteer leaders to support the College in a new way for a number of reasons. 

• Gifts directly from alumnae to the College give individuals a sense of pride in their philanthropy as well as tax advantages for the donor. 

• Gifts made directly from an alumna to the College enable the alumna to be counted in the “participation rate” for the class and for overall alumnae participation. This is not the case when group treasuries serve as “pass-throughs” for gifts to Wellesley.

•  A “class gift” to Wellesley (most notably in a reunion year) is a total of all gifts to the College from members of the class. (A common misunderstanding is that class gifts are made solely from the class treasury.)

• Some classes and clubs will have treasury money they still wish to give to the College, and of course this is still welcome. Class treasury donations will count toward class gift totals.

Will we need to change our bylaws?
You do not need to make any immediate changes to your bylaws. Once the treasuries are moved out of bank accounts into agency funds, we will be working with an attorney to dissolve the legal 501(c)(3) entities. 

Can we have club/class/SIG fundraisers? 
No. The model cannot support individual group fundraisers. Fundraising activity should be on behalf of Wellesley College. If your club/class/SIG has particular concerns, please give us a call.

If we host an event that runs a profit will we get to keep that profit in our treasury?
If you run a profit on an event, the money will stay in your account and your group will have access to those funds. However, the accounts should support current year activities, and groups should not have a goal of building up a treasury over time. Groups should manage pricing to cover costs, and strive to keep prices low enough to encourage participation. Our collective fundraising efforts should support Wellesley and students today. 

Don’t most people who pay club dues give to the College already? 
No, and we were surprised by this too, because we expect engaged alumnae to actively support the College. But in the last “normal” year, pre-pandemic, only nine clubs had more than 60% of their dues-paying members make a gift to Wellesley. The numbers were lower for some of the largest and most active clubs. We need to work together to shift this culture and help alumnae make the connection that giving back is an important part of how they pay forward their enthusiasm for their Wellesley experience and steward the future of the institution. 

How will we pay for print mailings?
We are encouraging all groups to eliminate or significantly reduce print mailings in consideration of both budget and environmental impact. You may wish to use your existing treasury for limited print mailings, and encourage your peers to keep their email up to date with the College.

What should we use our “Support” page on our website for now?
We recommend that you use this page to encourage members to support the College via a gift to the Wellesley Fund, which supports Wellesley by funding the College’s areas of greatest impact and most immediate needs. 

You may also wish to include some explanatory text such as the following: 

• An Update on our Class Treasury

  • The WCAA has reported that during FY22, Wellesley clubs and classes will move away from a dues structure to create an open membership model that welcomes all alums and simplifies the administration of alumnae groups.

The Class Lifetime Membership (CLM) program will be phased out, with no new CLM purchases. Classes will continue to receive CLM distributions to their treasuries.

• An Update on our Club Treasury

  • The WCAA has reported that during FY22, Wellesley clubs and classes will move away from a dues structure to create an open membership model that welcomes all alums and simplifies the administration of alumnae groups.Paid club memberships will be phased out, and clubs will receive annual funding from the WCAA instead.

How can our group prepare for these changes to our club’s income and programming options?
All groups can prepare for our new financial model and our goals of inclusion and access by prioritizing low-cost and no-cost events. A recording of the WCAA’s most recent Leadershare Live event, “Achievable, Accessible, and Affordable - Club Events for Everyone," featuring ideas and successes from volunteers like you, is available on the For Volunteers section of our website. 

REUNION

How will our class fund future Reunions?
When the class transitions its treasury funds over to the College, the funds will remain designated as the Class treasury funds in a separate account. The class will continue to receive dividends from the endowment each year that will be deposited into the class's account at the College and the class will continue to have discretion on how their funds are spent. The class treasurer will submit invoices and/or receipts for reimbursement and they will be processed for payment by the WCAA and College staff. Procedural details for all of this are currently in the development phase. 

The WCAA will work with reuning classes to ensure that Reunions remain affordable and achievable. Starting in 2022, classes will no longer be asked to provide financial aid to classmates; the WCAA will provide anonymous Financial Aid for reuning alums.

For Reunion 2023, it is recommended that classes use their existing treasuries for vendors or items that would enrich the class experience: Snacks and supplies for Friday socials, entertainment for Saturday dinner, decorations for the dorms, etc. A portion of the funds can also be used to make a gift to the College in recognition of a milestone Reunion year. There is no need to "spend down" the treasury this year. Instead, utilize some of the treasury funds as you would for any Reunion. 

Your group has the ability to collect online payments for event and ticket sales via your website, and a funds-transferring service known as BlueSnap. Groups currently utilizing BlueSnap do not need to make any changes. When your group is ready to transfer your treasury to the College, you should plan to hold off on collecting any payments from members until the transfer has been completed and the WCAA has confirmed that you may resume collecting payments.

If your group has not yet created a BlueSnap account, your site is unable to process payments. In preparation for the upcoming changes to our financial process, we are no longer creating individual club BlueSnap accounts at this time. Once your treasury has been transferred to your College account, the WCAA will let you know when you may begin utilizing the Forms module to collect event and ticket payments.

1. Please write a check, made payable to Wellesley College Alumnae Association c/o [Your Group’s Name].
   It is essential that you include your group’s name so that we can deposit your funds into the correct account. Please use the Memo line to provide additional details on where the funds came from. 
   For ticketed events: if participants are paying for events by personal check, checks should be made out to Wellesley College Alumnae Association and forwarded to the class/club/SIG treasurer. The treasurer should then batch the checks and send them to the College as a complete set. 
    

2. Checks should be sent to: 
   Wellesley College Alumnae Association c/o Janet Kulbersh
   Green Hall Rm. 246
   106 Central Street
   Wellesley, MA 02481 

3. Deposits will be reflected in your group's quarterly statements, which will be sent to Presidents and Treasurers via email. 

Closing your bank account? Find a template for a letter to your bank here.