How to Ask for It = Plan First

Step 1.  Consider what you would like to do.  It doesn’t have to be what you’ve done in the past; feel free to innovate and go big!  You can submit as many requests as you like but, in order to spread the Undergraduate Student Fee to as many groups as possible, we reserve the right to not fund more than 3 regular (Boston area) requests per semester and 2 travel (outside the Boston area) requests per year

Step 2.  When you have an idea (film screening, speaker, creative fundraiser, concert, play, musical,……..), start to consider the costs.  This is where the ACs and programmers at SAO can be incredibly helpful.  They’ll be able to tell you which costs you’ll need to anticipate (from rights to security).  They can’t tell you exactly what SPS, FM&P, catering, whoever will quote you, but they can give you ballpark numbers based on similar events they may have seen before.    Note on working with SAO: we aren’t saying you have to submit paperwork before submitting AB requests.  We know that most groups may only see ACs when the time comes to submit paperwork; we are encouraging you to seek their advice on more than just filling out the forms by consulting them in the planning stages.  Utilize Bryan, Abby and the great ACs!

Step 3.  Once you have an outline of what costs you’ll need to cover, you’ll want to figure out how much you’ll need to come up with.  Again, this is where SAO can steer you towards the right departments or vendors.  You might reach out to potential speakers to find out how much they would charge you, or look up movie rights on a production company’s site, or you might look up whatever thing you want to buy online.  However you do it, you want to fill in the blanks next to cost type with an amount.  With regard to FM&P, SPS, BUPD, etc., you are not expected to get the actual quote from them before submitting a request at this point, however, you should be requesting a reasonable amount based on event and venue – seek SAO’s help if you don’t have past years’ costs to rely on.

Step 4.  Fill in the info on the Create Program page.  Give us whatever logistical details you’ve got.  The date and location are tentative.  Keep in mind you cannot hold an event on-campus before the first day of classes or after the last.   We ask for these details to get an idea of your vision for the event – are you aiming to do an event in Tsai or a CAS classroom (also note that planned location can impact costs, so discuss this with SAO/reservations as well).  You do not have to have your location reserved now, but try to avoid using TBD/TBA.  Note: For the biggest and most popular venues (Metcalf, Tsai, etc.) it is in your best interest to speak to reservations ASAP.

Step 5. Give us the best event description you’ve got.  Tell us:

• if the event has happened before
• how successful it was
• what you’re doing differently
• why you want to have so-and-so come and how awesome they are
• how awesome you are
• if you’re seeking other financial help, if its a collaborative effort (with who and how are the costs split)
• why you think it should happen on BU’s campus OR why it is happening off-campus
• what you think the event will bring to the BU community
• anything else you’d like to share
• feel free to email us any supplemental info as well

Step 6.  After entering all of this and saving it, when you’re satisfied – SUBMIT the request by going to the request page and pressing the SUBMIT button.

Important point: There is NO cap on how much money an event, or a group, can receive.  There is also no percent or algorithm that determines how much you will receive based on submitted costs.  Tell us all about your event and all about every cost associated with it (even those you’ll be footing the bill for, or departments/groups/sponsors are covering) and we will do our best to get you what we can with respect to our budget.  If you find the amount you get in regular funding insufficient, come back to us and we’ll reconsider it.