Q.  How do I start a new organization?

A. Follow the steps on this page to start a new organization

Q. How do I stay in good standing?

A.  In order to stay in good standing with ORG, all of the officer information on the database must be current, and the president or primary contact of the organization must attend admin training.  If your organization wants to receive funds from ORG, then the treasurer of your organization must attend finance training.

Q. How do I resolve a hold?

A.  There are three common holds at ORG.

A registration hold means you have not properly updated the officer information of your organization.  To do this, log onto the database and update all of the necessary information in the officers section.  Once you have done this, be sure to click the “Update Officers” button in order for the update to be complete.  You are required to update this information each fall and each time you change officers.

A training hold means your president or primary contact has not attended administrative training.  An officer of record of an organization must attend one admin training a year.  If an organization wants to get funding from ORG, then the treasurer must attend finance training.

Organizations can also be put on hold for unpaid debts.  If an organization has an outstanding debt to the Unions, proof of payment must be presented to ORG to have the hold lifted.

Q. How do I reserve a room?

A.  Rooms can be reserved at http://rooms.missouri.edu/main.cfm or at www.unions.missouri.edu. Previously, space requests for the unions had to be made in person at Memorial Union North, but now you can do it at www.unions.missouri.edu.  Your organization must be in good standing before you can reserve space on campus.

Q.  My group received funds for a trip.  How do I get reimbursed?

A. Reimbursements information can be found here

Q. How do I get office/storage space?

A.  Forms to request office/storage can be picked up from our office or downloaded here. Applications are screened by a committee of staff members.  You’ll be notified by the end of September if your group is granted space.

Q.  How does my organization open an off-campus checking account?

A.  First, you’ll need an Employer Identification Number (EIN) to open the account.  Think of the EIN as a social security number for the group.  You can request one online, and the process is pretty easy compared to what it used to be.   Once you have your number, the bank will be able to work with you.  We suggest that you include your advisor in the process so that next year, when it comes time to transfer the books over to the new officers, the advisor will still be around to help out.

Q. How does my organization gain non-profit status?

A.  Many groups come to us each year and let us know that they would like to become non-profit-501c(3).  Very few actually benefit from completing the process.  It requires a lengthy application and significant fee ($150-$250 depending on gross receipts) in addition to raising your profile with the IRS.  There will be tax implications, and you’ll have to fill out tax returns each year.  If this hasn’t scared you off, it can be quite beneficial to groups that are raising thousands of dollars each year.  If you’re doing this to save the sales tax on your annual t-shirt order for the group, this is probably not the route for you.  If you still have questions about this process, please email Nick Evans with your situation.