California Code of Regulations
Title 5 - Education
Division 5 - Board of Trustees of the California State Universities
Chapter 1 - California State University
Subchapter 5 - Administration
Article 15 - Alumni Associations
Section 42397.4 - Financial Activities

(a) Financial Control: Financial activities of a campus alumni association shall be administered and reported to its governing body in accordance with prudent business practices, generally accepted accounting principles, and this article.

(b) State Funds: State Funds shall not be transferred to a campus alumni association. Payments for commensurate value received are permitted, but gifts or unrestricted grants are not.

(c) Submission of Budget and Report of Expenditures: The campus alumni association shall submit its budget to the campus president for review at least 30 days prior to the commencement of the fiscal year. Within 180 days of the close of each fiscal year, the campus alumni association shall submit to the campus president a detailed report comparing budgeted to actual expenditures by fund source. Upon request, a campus alumni association shall submit to the president, within 30 days of such request, interim financial information.

(d) Bonding and Insurance: The governing body of a campus alumni association shall make an express determination of the appropriateness, necessity, and amounts of any bonds for officers and staff members. General liability and directors' and officers' liability insurance also shall be obtained in amounts determined annually by the governing body to be reasonable, appropriate, and necessary. The insurance may be provided by a campus auxiliary organization. Any general liability insurance obtained by or on behalf of a campus alumni association shall name the campus as an additional insured.

(e) Funds for Support of University Departments: Restricted funds received or unrestricted funds, including investment payout, allocated for support of campus departments or programs, shall be transferred at least annually to the campus, unless otherwise provided by the campus president, and shall be administered in accordance with campus policies and expended from campus department or program accounts.

(f) Bank Accounts: Only the following expenditures for campus alumni association activities may be made from bank accounts:

(g) Disbursements: All disbursements on behalf of a campus alumni association shall be approved by an officer or employee designated by the governing body. The governing body of the campus alumni association shall specify an amount beyond which checks must bear the signatures of two persons designated by the governing body.

(h) Financial Statements: Financial statements and expenditures by a campus alumni association shall be in accordance with campus policies, with detailed budgets approved by the campus alumni association's governing body.

(i) Payments to University Employees: A campus alumni association shall not (a) directly or indirectly employ, (b) supplement the salary of, or (c) provide any consulting fees, loans, or perquisites to campus employees outside of established personnel policies and practices of the California State University.

(j) Payments to Directors and Officers: Except for reimbursement for expenses incurred on its behalf, a campus alumni association shall not pay any salaries, consulting fees, loans, or perquisites to a campus alumni association director, officer, or volunteer without the campus president's prior written approval.

(k) Deposit of Gifts to the Campus: Campus funds or gifts payable to the California State University shall not be deposited with or transferred to a campus alumni association.

(l) Solicitation Literature: When a fundraising campaign has been approved by the campus president, a campus alumni association's solicitation literature shall make it clear when gifts are to be made payable to the campus alumni association. Each campus alumni association shall develop a procedure to document when gifts intended for it have erroneously been made payable to the campus and, when such documentation is provided, the campus may issue an exchange check to a campus alumni association.

(m) Gift Expenses: If charges against gifts are to be made for costs of administering a gift to the campus alumni association, the campus alumni association shall include in its literature a statement to that effect. The charges shall be approved by the campus president and the campus alumni association's governing body, and the nature of such charges shall be disclosed in the campus alumni association's audited financial statement.

(n) Report to Registry of Charitable Trusts and Statement of Domestic Nonprofit Corporation: Complete copies of the campus alumni association's annual report to the State Registry of Charitable Trusts and bi-annual Statement of Domestic Nonprofit Corporation shall be provided by the campus alumni association to the campus president, at the time the report or statement is filed.

(o) Political Activities: No substantial part (as those terms are used in the Internal Revenue Code and regulations) of the activities of a campus alumni association shall attempt to influence legislation, or participate or intervene in any political campaign in support of or opposition to legislation. No part of those activities may be on behalf of any candidate for public office. However, advocacy on behalf of the campus is permitted if it is consistent with the legislative, budgetary, and electoral objectives of the university, pursued in coordination with the campus president, consistent with state law, the Internal Revenue Code and regulations, and in accordance with the articles and bylaws of the campus alumni association.

(p) Conflicts of Interest: Business transactions involving the campus alumni association and the personal or business affairs of a director, officer, or staff member shall be approved in advance by the governing body. In addition, directors, officers, and staff members of a campus alumni association shall disqualify themselves from making, participating in making, or in any way attempting to use their official positions to influence a decision in which they have or would have a financial interest, as provided in Government Code Section 87100 and the definitions of the Political Reform Act and its implementing regulations, as if the director, officer, or staff member were a state employee. A financial interest exists if it is reasonably foreseeable that the decision will have a material financial effect on the director, officer, or staff member or his or her immediate family, or on any business entity in which a $2,000 or more investment is held; any real property in which a $2,000 or more interest is held; any source of income of $500 or more received within the past 12 months; any donor of gifts aggregating $250 or more received in the past 12 months; or any business in which a position of management is held.

(q) Services to Constituency Alumni Groups: With the approval of the campus president or designee, a campus alumni association may provide to officially recognized constituency alumni groups the following, subject to the same conditions pertaining to the campus alumni association: cash management, disbursement, and accounting services; gift reporting; and, in appropriate cases, coverage under the campus alumni association's insurance policies, inclusion in the campus alumni association's financial statements, external audits and tax reporting, or use of the campus alumni association's tax identification number.