Big Problem!!! Need Help!!!! - Page 3

AlwaysSAI · #31 06-20-2007, 05:44 PM

She is only for some of it because that is what the class agreed on. They agreed to donate some of the supplies to the chapter.

Her parents are willing to help with some things but not others. It's a family thing.

And, I told her that she was still eligible to join a panhellenic sorority. She is the type of person that focuses her energy on one thing and she is a music student, so that puts her short on time. She told me that she preffed at AXO, ADPi (she's a legacy here), and Chi-O. I told her that AXO started as a music sorority. She seems to want to be apart of an org that focuses on music.

And, hey, she's great and I love her so that's fine with me!

rufio · #32 06-21-2007, 04:04 AM

so moral of the story, save your receipts. what your chapter could do is credit the amount owed to her dues so you dont take a direct hit. although 2 bills is kinda just change.

AlphaFrog · #33 06-21-2007, 06:59 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by rufio

although 2 bills is kinda just change.

Stop being a tool.

Ilaria Ame · #34 06-21-2007, 03:14 PM

wait wait wait...i know this has been resolved, BUT--the pledges spent $200 on a fundraiser that only made $177??? and one of the pledges REFUSED to chip in?????? first of all, the responsibility of the $200 should have never been put on one pledge, no matter how well off she is. second, you as her big, should have been able to warn her that IT MAKES NO SENSE for the chapter to reimburse her for money raised to buy a GIFT for the chapter. the only people responsible for reimbursing her are the women in her pledge class who made the descision to spend it. unless the descision was made by the pledge in question alone without consulting the rest of the women, in which case she alone is responsible for her actions. was no one watching out for these girls while they were doing this???? sorry if this is very aggressive, but this situation blows my mind.

Tom Earp · #35 06-21-2007, 04:09 PM

Well, some people try and some people are trying.

Maybe she tried, went out on a limb for the love of the GLO?

Been there and has cost a lot more than that!

Ilaria Ame · #36 06-21-2007, 04:47 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Tom Earp

Well, some people try and some people are trying.

Maybe she tried, went out on a limb for the love of the GLO?

Been there and has cost a lot more than that!

trust me, i know all about it. i can't tell you how much i've given out of pocket just to make things work. but i did it with the understanding and acceptance that i would probably never get it back. the difference is, this girl was lead to believe she would be reimbursed and no one told her different. i'm in no way criticizing the girl who was pledging; i admire her for being willing to help. but someone along the way should have warned her before she gave the money.

rufio · #37 06-22-2007, 02:45 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by AlphaFrog

Stop being a tool.

never! tool for life.

AGDee · #38 06-22-2007, 05:54 AM

This is a good example of why new members/pledges shouldn't be solely responsible for the planning of any events, even a philanthropy, because they have not been educated regarding the policies and procedures of things such as reimbursement of out of pocket expenses. I would imagine that most, if not all, organizations require that the expenses be approved ahead of time by a financial officer of the chapter or else they would risk not being reimbursed.

Have them work on committees with experienced officers/members rather than plan and execute something all on their own and you avoid these types of issues.

navane · #39 06-22-2007, 09:10 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ilaria Ame

second, you as her big, should have been able to warn her that IT MAKES NO SENSE for the chapter to reimburse her for money raised to buy a GIFT for the chapter.

I agree, the whole thing is wacky; but, AlwaysSAI did state, "The SAI pledge process involves a fundraiser, among other things. Because when the class is initiated they have to present the chapter with a gift." So, in my opinion, if the chapter is going to "force" pledges to hold a fundraiser and buy a gift whether they want to or not, it's not so outrageous for the chapter to reimburse for the expenses.

.....Kelly

eagreen · #40 05-06-2008, 09:56 PM

I know this is a long time coming but I just found the blog (leave it to beaver to only think to trace her big sisters footsteps a year after she was initiated...she is an amazing lady).

The who fiasco was a huge blow to me. I did catch a ton of flack from my entire family (including aunts and uncles) who could not understand why I was willing to put so much time into an organization that was not of the same "league" as theirs. While I respect their opinion, I do not regret my decision one bit.

For the record...200 was spent (technically more that than but I worked it out to "donate" many of the supplies to the chapter to keep the cost down and provide tools for future pledge classes) After the 200 had been deducted we would have made 177. The treasurer, after finally calling me back (post 2 months of phone calls and emails since she had left the city for the summer) arranged to take the total profit (377) from me. Once she had the money she refused to reimburse the original costs, saying that it was not chapter policy and since i was initiated at the end of the semester, i was part of the chapter and had to abide by said policy, even if i was not aware of it. The whole situation blew. There is a golden liner though, keep reading....

As soon as I started having problems my biological sister's sister drive (no matter what sorority she was in) kicked in and she was able to give me strength. to bolster the aid I found in my biological family my big sis was there for me. It was silly of me to assume that my pledge mom was filling in the bigs about what was going on with the pledge class when she didn't even know herself.

I am happy to say that even though this experience gave me doubt I was able to learn from it and push on. I have just been inducted as m chapters VPM for the upcoming school year and can not wait to right some wrongs that have been done. I have taken your suggestions to my big sister and hope to be implementing some of them this year. I will be there for my pledges, no matter what. I see that they are my responsibility, no matter how big or little the task they will be completely informed. I am currently working on a pledging handbook that includes ALL of the procedures for the tasks that they will be faced with. Biggest of all I want them to know that m dedication lies with them, i am there to mold them as sisters. My pledge mom has been horrible to me since "the incident." To the point of uniting an entire graduating pledge class against my nomination for office, luckily for, my chapter saw through it and have put their faith in me.

Tragedy avoided

AlwaysSAI · #41 05-06-2008, 10:04 PM

I love you boo.

breathesgelatin · #42 05-06-2008, 10:51 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by navane

I agree, the whole thing is wacky; but, AlwaysSAI did state, "The SAI pledge process involves a fundraiser, among other things. Because when the class is initiated they have to present the chapter with a gift." So, in my opinion, if the chapter is going to "force" pledges to hold a fundraiser and buy a gift whether they want to or not, it's not so outrageous for the chapter to reimburse for the expenses.

.....Kelly

Why would you have a fundraiser to buy a pledge class gift? Let's face it - nonmembers of your organization are probably happy to participate in a fundraiser for cancer funding, a battered women's home, and things like that. Why would anyone think that outsiders are going to pay in money to a fundraiser to buy a pledge class gift? That's ridiculous. Unless you're selling something amazing, I can't imagine that EVER working.

Greekie18 · #43 05-07-2008, 01:09 AM

Quote:

That's ridiculous. Unless you're selling something amazing, I can't imagine that EVER working.

We had to raise money for a pledge class gift, too. We sold hot dogs, nachos, etc. outside of the dorms late at night when kids were going out or coming back. They just wanted the food, they didn't care what the money was going to.

eagreen · #44 05-07-2008, 08:49 AM

I agree. My * hopeful* idea for the upcoming year is that the MITs will still do the fund raiser but the "gift" that they give will be strongly recommended send will be to send the money raised to either SAI philanthropies or a philanthropy of their choice. That will give them experience running a fund raiser, dealing with the aftermath AND figuring out how to give a donation (which is more compicated for many organizations than I would have thought) I would like to set out guidelines for the gift, i agree that no one wants to participate in a fund raiser to buy sorority girls more stuff

In the future I think that a designation between the gift and the fund raiser would be good. We were told to fund raise for the gift, (which after all of the drama ended up being a measly clock and plaque) ad that is completely useless for training purposes. However, learning how to budget and chose a philanthropy for a fund raiser (if not a philanthropy, a concrete thing) might help teach them something.

Thoughts?

Zillini · #45 05-07-2008, 09:39 AM

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?