Invoices
- When an agency submits invoices and Invoice Approval Forms by email, please send them to Accountspayable@specialolympicswiscosnins.org, only. Do not send duplicate copies to other Finance staff as this create confusion. By emailing multiple copies of the same invoice, we risk making duplicate payments to vendors. If you need confirmation that the invoice and forms have been received, please format your email to provide an automatic receipt.
Social Media
SOWI is seeing an increase in the number of Agency Facebook accounts. As outlined in the Agency Manager Handbook, agencies must adhere to the following Social Media Guidelines:
- Agencies may develop a Facebook Group to communicate with local audiences. Creating a group is a great way to share photos, stories, practice times, updates, participate in chats, invite members to events, and even upload registration documents. A “group” is a much better tool than a “page” because EVERY member of your group will see EVERY one of your post. With a page Facebook only shows your posts on a page to around 10-16% of your fans.
- If you are interested in creating a “group”, read and follow the Social Media Guidelines found on the Agency log in of the website and contact the Marketing Department with any questions.
- Five Tips for creating Facebook “Groups”:
- 1) Be Responsible Say what is on your mind, but be cautious that you are representing the organization. Don’t behave differently online than you would in any other public setting. Give a timely response and monitor your conversations. If you don’t have all the facts, do not make them up. Check with a SOWI staff member who has knowledge about the subject before providing an answer or ask this staff member to follow up directly.
- 2) Consider Your Audience and Bring Value Your group members are parents, athletes, coaches, teachers, volunteers, Agency managers, donors, sponsors/partners and staff. Consider what you are publishing and make sure it caters to the needs of these individuals without alienating anyone. Consider posting frequency: Find the balance between keeping the community updated and turning them off with too many posts in your group. When deciding whether to post information, decide how much value this will bring to others. Consider the journalistic five W’s and H (Who, Why, When, Where, What, How). How does this impact the people you are communicating with and why do they care?
- 3) Pick Your Battles and Accept Your Mistakes Don’t pick fights and be the first to correct your own mistakes. If a Facebook group member says something in poor taste, respond to them politely and answer the question or correct the facts in a professional manner.
- 4) Protect Confidential/Copyrighted Information and Don’t Cite Donors/Partners without Approval If it’s questionable, keep it quiet. Ask partners/sponsors, donors, etc. for approval before you link back to their website or tag their Facebook page.
- 5) Be Transparent If there is a crisis situation, state what information the organization has agreed to release. Follow the rules stated in the crisis communication plan. Do not release information before instructed by the Marketing Department or appropriate staff member as referenced in the plan. When in doubt, consult the Marketing Department. Social media is a natural way to further SOWI’s mission and we want to work together to do so
Sales Tax
As you are all aware, SOWI is a tax exempt organization, but you all need to remember that we are not exempt from collecting sales tax. SOWI is required by law to report must report all sales tax on all sales of taxable items. and be are them SOWI must make payment to the Department of Revenue, each month for the previous month.
Taxable items include:
- T-shirts, candy, wreaths, bird seed, buttons, concessions, souvenirs, etc.
- Any admissions/participation/registration fees charged to events (including holiday and recognition events)
- Live or silent auctions
- Any fees charged for carnival games or similar activities.
If you participate in sales tax activities listed above, please do the following:
- Complete Deposit Ticket (mark the check box stating there are taxable sales items included in your deposit).
- Complete the Sales Tax Summary form and include with your deposit. The amounts on this form must match the taxable money you are depositing.
- Deposits for taxable items must be submitted in the month the items were sold/charged.
If it is the last day of the month, submit by next day as SOWI must report sales tax to the Department of Revenue at month end. All deposit forms can be found under Agency Forms & Tools on the Agency log in page of our website, as well as in the Forms for Duplication section of the Agency Management Handbook.
Petty Cash
Each Agency may hold a petty cash fund at their location. The purpose of this fund is to make it convenient for an Agency to make small purchases from local retailers that will not direct bill. Please do not use this fund to make purchases that can be billed directly.
Establish an Agency Petty Cash Fund
- SOWI Headquarters office will write a check to the designated Class A volunteer (who has no financial restrictions) for petty cash. Please fill out the Agency In-House Petty Cash Request. Each Agency may have a petty cash fund of $50. This amount may increase due to the size of an Agency or amount of Agency activity. The fund will not exceed $100.
- The entry made to establish the fund will be a debit to the petty cash account and a credit to the Agency checking account. You will see petty cash balances as well as checking account balances on your monthly reports.
To Request Petty Cash
- Fill out the enclosed Agency In-House Petty Cash Request.
- Make sure you have two signatures on the request. The first signature on the form should be the Agency manager or treasurer. The second signature should be the person requesting petty cash.
Maintaining a Petty Cash Fund
- A receipt is required for every expense paid from petty cash. A description of the expense should be written on each receipt. It is very important to have an actual receipt for each petty cash transaction.
- A Petty Cash Ledger should be completed when the fund needs to be replenished. It will be necessary to have your fund replenished several times annually. This will ensure your petty cash expenses are recorded on your financial statements. It will be very important to have this fund replenished at the end of the year. Each year, your Agency should start with a beginning balance of $50.
- Send the Petty Cash Ledger to the SOWI Headquarters office, Attn: Accounts Payable.
- SOWI will write a check to the Agency manager or designated Class A volunteer (who has no financial restrictions) for petty cash for the amount needed to replenish the fund.
- The entry made to replenish the fund would be a debit to the appropriate expense accounts (postage, office supplies, etc.) and a credit to the Agency checking account.
- Never keep a cash donation as petty cash. Donations must be recorded as income. Petty cash must be replenished by the SOWI Headquarters office.
Special Event Petty Cash
Petty cash may be requested for an event such as Summer Games.
- Determine the amount needed for petty cash.
- Send an Agency In-House Petty Cash Request form to the SOWI Headquarters office, Accounts Payable Clerk. Please be sure to send the request a minimum of 10 days prior to the event to ensure you will receive your petty cash check before the event.
- Cash the petty cash check and use for expenses at the event, keep all receipts of items purchased with petty cash as it is very important to have receipts for all petty cash transactions.
- After the event is finished, within two business days, send in all remaining petty cash as well as all receipts and the Petty Cash Ledger. Be sure to include your Agency number on the Petty Cash Ledger. The amount of remaining cash should be converted into a cashiers check. The amount of the remaining cash and the total of all receipts turned in should equal the amount of the original petty cash check.
Petty cash at special events may be used to furnish athlete and chaperone meals, fill the gas tank of a rented vehicle only, or purchase items needed by athletes.
Petty Cash Ledger Form
Please fill out the Petty Cash Ledger to replenish your petty cash fund or to account for special event petty cash. Fill out each column with as much information as possible. For example, if Jane Doe was taking five athletes to State Games, the form would be filled out as shown below.
Make sure you have an original receipt for each expense. This is extremely important! Attach your receipts to the Petty Cash Ledger before you send it to the SOWI Headquarters office, Accounts Payable Clerk. A template of the form can be found in the Forms for Duplication section of the Agency Management handbook.
