Regional Accounting Guidelines

GENERAL RULES

  1. All funds and property received by or coming into the custody or possession of any SAQA region are the property of SAQA to be expended or applied only for proper SAQA purposes. The Regional Rep Coordinator MUST approve any expenditure over $300. Talk with the Regional Rep Coordinator at regions@saqa.art if you are uncertain about what you can use the funds for. 
  2. No region may open its own bank account. All funds must be processed through the main SAQA account. SAQA is audited every year and must provide documentation on how regional funds are handled.
  3. Excess funds (up to $1,500.00) generated by a region can be kept as a credit to be used in the future by that region, with SAQA approval. Any US region has three years to either expend or budget for any excess funds it has generated before those funds are allocated back to SAQA’s general fund. Due to foreign exchange issues, international regions’ needs will be handled on a region-by-region basis.
  4. A region may not ask a company for sponsorship of any regional event if that company conducts business outside of the region unless permission to do so has been granted by the Regional Rep Coordinator, regions@saqa.art. For SAQA to be more effective in achieving sponsorships, it is important that approaches to sponsors be coordinated across all of SAQA.

GOOD PRACTICES TO FOLLOW

Keep your own records of your regional income and expenses

  • Required for ALL Regional Exhibitions and Grants
  • Helps with reconciling regional accounts
  • Email accounting@saqa.art for an updated balance to compare against your records. Depending on the time of year, this can take a week or more.

When sending money to SAQA

  • Complete the online accounting form - print out the email confirmation and include it with the checks.
  • Be sure to indicate what the payment is for: include the exhibition/event and sponsor name (if different than the check name).
  • Submit payments within one month of receipt. DO NOT SEND CASH!
  • Do NOT submit a net amount without providing line-item details. For example, if you collected $50 in cash donations, which you used to pay for $75 in exhibition expenses, don’t just ask for $25 for exhibition expenses.

When requesting reimbursement

  • Complete the online accounting form
  • Provide receipts for all expenses (scanned versions are OK).
  • Payments to speakers/teachers / etc. MUST be paid by SAQA. Do NOT use your own personal checks!

We have to keep detailed records for tax purposes (and must have signed contracts on file).

  • Encourage members NOT to contact SAQA directly about reimbursements: notify the appropriate rep/exhibition coordinator.
  • Submit expenses in a timely manner – you CAN wait until the end of an exhibition as long as your expense is in the original budget.
  • Keep records of small expenditures and submit them at one time – we do NOT send checks for less than $5!
  • We are happy to send funds via PayPal – include the correct email address to use. But be advised that Paypal may assess fees depending on the recipient's account.
  • Not sure if an expense will be reimbursed – ASK ahead of time!

 

REGIONAL EXHIBITIONS

General Rules

  • All regional exhibitions must be pre-approved by the Regional Exhibition Coordinator (view guidelines). Do not send your prospectus to your members until your proposal is approved.
  • Each region should be fully prepared to cover all costs associated with their exhibition. In some cases, a limited amount of grant money may be available from SAQA (grant information)
  • Designate someone who needs to be responsible for tracking income/expenses for your exhibition (and make sure the appropriate regional reps are included in all financial matters).
  • Review your budget on a regular basis (especially if you received far fewer entries than expected). Remember that the amounts included in your original proposal are estimates only.
  • You can allow other regions to participate in your exhibition but decide ahead of time if “ownership” will be shared. If not shared, all income/expenses for that exhibition will be tracked as part of your region.
  • When multiple regions share “ownership” of an exhibition, net proceeds will be distributed to each region at the end of the exhibition – these funds are NOT available for other regional use until then.
  • ALL financial transactions must go through the proper SAQA channels. Do not set up separate bank accounts!

Entry Fees

  • We STRONGLY encourage US regions to accept entry fees via the SAQA Store – it makes it easier to track everything. All major credit cards and PayPal are accepted.
  • Regions are responsible for ensuring that everyone who entered their exhibition has paid their entry fee. The exhibition contact person will receive a link to a listing of all online payments made...

 

EVENT REGISTRATIONS

You can also use the SAQA store to collect event registrations for workshops, retreats, and conferences. There is no charge for the regions for a simple form/payment process.

  • Email info@saqa.art with your request at least one month before the payment window opens. The fee amount and entry window period should be apparent from your prospectus/event description.
  • Please check that the fee is available in the Store at least one day BEFORE the entry window begins.

 

REGIONAL GRANTS

Regions are encouraged to create projects that raise the profile of our art, bring public attention and support, and benefit their members. Additional funding is available through the Regional Grant Program. Applications are reviewed three times a year.

NOTE: Grant funds can only be used for the specific expenses which have been preapproved. We still encourage regions to secure alternate sources of funding (sponsorships, donations, etc.). If your project ends up making money in the end, you still get the grant funds (assuming you used up to that amount for the pre-approved purpose). Money "leftover" after the event can be used for other planned regional events if spent, budgeted within approximately eighteen months, or released back to the general SAQA fund.