My Finance Advisor's 2 cents:
While I'm happy you were eventually reimbursed, this whole situation was handled badly from the getgo. A fundraising activity often has initial expenses. Those expenses should be reimbursed either by the organizers (in this case the new members) and/or by the proceeds from the event. Anything left over is the "profit" and can then be used for this gift. Any "loss" should be shared equally by the organizers.
Morals of this story:
- Never spend money you can't afford, even with the promise of reimbursement later.
- Never take the word of a non-officer about policy. Either check to see if it's in writing (we put our reimbursement policies in our Bylaws) or go to the officer directly in charge of that area, in this case the Treasurer. Even if that officer gives bad info, she can at least stand up to the rest of the Exec and say she gave the "OK".
- Never expect the Treasurer to chase after you to give you a reimbursement. She might not even know you're entitled to one. It's up to you to turn in your request with receipts in a timely manner.
- Never, ever lose your receipts! Make a copy for yourself because others can lose receipts. A credit card statement isn't proof of a legitimate reimbursable expense. How does anyone know what you actually bought at Hobby Lobby or Walmart?