Student Organization Funding Agency (SOFA)

1. Go to Involvement at UND
   • NOTE: Your student organization must be officially recognized by UND and in good standing. 
2. Log in and click on your organization's icon
   • The button is on the left side bar (it is a small circle with a gear icon when you hover over it). 
   • Next, click the icon and select the "finance" option from the drop-down menu.
3. Create Funding Request. On the top right corner, click the blue "create Funding Request" button
   • Read the instructions carefully and follow the steps below.  All SOFA requests are submitted using ONE form online.
4. Once your SOFA request is submitted, a SOFA liaison will contact you to review your request and provide further instructions.
5. SOFA meeting
   • Your request will be held in a pending status for one weekly meeting and be heard by SOFA at the following weekly meeting.

Thank you for attending the recent Student Organization Funding Agency (SOFA) meeting. Now that SOFA has approved an allocation of money for your student organization, there are several steps necessary to ensure that your organization receives that money into its UND Student Organization on-campus account.

After your organization completes its travel, program, equipment, publication, or operations purchases for which you have been approved, complete your post report and submit expenses.

REMINDER: A post report is due 30 days after your travel, program, operations, or equipment purchase. 

1. Keep and make copies of ALL your expenses
   • Keep all your expenses and receipts into one PDF, if possible.
   • Receipts can be emailed or dropped off at the Student Involvement Office (Memorial Union 144) ONLY if they cannot be attached to the post report.
   • If you are submitting a travel post report, make sure to include the students' ID numbers that traveled to the event.
2. Your post report will need to be completed online
   • Go to Involvement Website, and log in
   • Click on the arrow with three lines on the top left corner, then click on "Forms" tab. 
   • Click "start" on SOFA Post-travel/equipment/operations/publications form
3. Reimbursement 
   • Your organization will receive reimbursement of approved expenses up to the amount that SOFA allocated during the meeting at which you were approved.
   • Your organization will not be reimbursed for more than the approved amount and will not be reimbursed for expenses that were not originally in your SOFA request. 

For assistance with SOFA questions, post-reports, or reimbursements contact: 

• Reese Furbur SOFA Chair
• Kari Holter SOFA Advisor

The Student Organization Funding Agency was established on February 26, 2010 by a meeting of the Committee Advisory and Advisement Panel. The CAAP was composed of members from Student Senate, the University Programming Council, the Multicultural Awareness Committee, and the Student Activities Committee. Through its proceedings the CAAP decided that in order to simplify the funding process for student organizations it would be in the best interests of Student Senate do dissolve the MAC and the SAC to form a new committee to oversee all of transfers out to student organizations for the University of North Dakota Student Government. Thus, it was recommended to form the Student Organization Funding Agency (SOFA). 

The SOFA was formed by combining the program funding from the MAC with the funding operations of SAC. The SAC was originally created in 1956 as a presidential committee, and later was given University Senate Committee status in 1966. In 1976 by action of the University Senate, SAC became a standing committee of the Student Senate. The MAC was originally created in 1987 by Student Government as the authorized student funding and programming body for the purpose of providing multicultural programming in order to supplement the formal education experience of all students at the University of North Dakota.

On April 14, 2013 by an action of the Student Senate the Student Communications Funding Committee (SCFC) was dissolved and all written publication funding responsibilities were then charged to the SOFA with the other responsibilities of SCFC being charged to other divisions of the University of North Dakota. The SCFC was originally established in order to form a permanent organization to provide student-managed media with an exchange of ideas and information relevant to student and faculty activities and interests, and to provide an opportunity for students to gain practical experience in the field of publishing. 

A. It will be the purpose of the SOFA to provide educational opportunities to individuals and recognized student organizations in obtaining their goals and objectives through support, guidance and oversight. The SOFA shall also strive to support and increase awareness and understanding concerning the cultures of the world, especially those of the University of North Dakota and the community. 

B.  Specific goals shall be: 

1. To increase awareness and opportunities by funding recognized student organizations. The SOFA shall provide funding in support of opportunities for active engagement in enriching opportunities and events, to educate the campus and student body of the University of North Dakota.
2.  To provide supportive funding for all student organizations in good standing with the University of North Dakota and the University of North Dakota Student Government as defined in the SOFA bylaws.
3. To work in a non-discriminative manner as set forth by the standards of the University of North Dakota Code of Student Life

The Student Organization Funding Agency, hereinafter referred to as the SOFA, shall be constituted under the authority of Student Senate. All recognized student organizations which submit requests for funding to the SOFA hereby agree to give SOFA access to their full budget, to include both SOFA and non-SOFA funds, and to all financial operations of said recognized student organization. The SOFA shall exercise financial oversight over each recognized student organization receiving funds from SOFA. This oversight only applies to the funds allocated by SOFA.

The SOFA will continue to have access to the recognized student organization's budgets and financial operations until all SOFA allocated funds have been accounted for.  All recognized student organization funds shall be deposited with the University of North Dakota Student Payment Services. The SOFA receives the right to freeze or withdraw its appropriated funds at any time with written notification to the respective organization and advisor within twenty-four (24) hours. 

The SOFA shall have the authority to place financial restrictions and/or sanctions on the SOFA funded recognized student organizations for violating SOFA policies and procedures or those of the University of North Dakota. Additionally, the SOFA may recommend that official recognition of a student organization be withdrawn for just cause. Recognized student organizations placed on probation by the Student Involvement may have action taken against them by the SOFA until probation conditions are met. The actions taken by the SOFA may include but is not limited to the following: 

1. Refusal to consider for further funding.
2.  Freezing of the SOFA funds.
3. Recall of the SOFA funds. 

The Student Organization Funding Agency shall be composed of eleven (11) voting members, to include a tie breaking vote of the Chairperson of the Agency and such ex-officio members, without a vote, as are provided for by the constitution.

1. Coordinator of Student Organization & Student Government Operations, SOFA advisor, non-voting 

2. Student Body Treasurer or designee, ex-officio, non-voting. 

3. Student Senate designated representative, ex-officio, voting member. 

4. Faculty member, one (1) serving a three (3) year term, to be appointed by the University Senate and approved by SOFA. The faculty member and his/her officially appointed representatives may not vote or give other members proxy to 

5. Student Affairs Representative 

6. Eight (8) students “in good standing” 

If at any time SOFA membership falls below quorum, SOFA will go through appointment procedures outlined in Artlcle IV of the UND Student Government Bylaws 

to create a SOFA Board. This Board shall retain all authority of SOFA until adequate membership is restored. Board membership shall be: