Guidelines for Payment and Reimbursement

Paying a vendor for chapter activitiesAll payments for chapter events should be made by your staff liaison in the Office of Alumni Relations.

University Credit Card payments
The preferred method of paying for chapter events is with a university credit card. Coordinate directly with your staff liaison to make these purchases.

W-9 form for paying vendors and independent contractors

If a vendor is being paid by university check, the Office of Alumni Relations will need to obtain a W-9 form completed by the vendor (first-time payees only). Volunteers may be asked to request this form to assist the Office of Alumni Relations.

Contracts for chapter activities
All contracts must be signed by an authorized university official within the Office of Alumni Relations. A volunteer’s signature on a contract, estimate or invoice is not legally binding for the Office of Alumni Relations. Volunteers should have contracts faxed or emailed to your staff liaison as soon as possible.

Reimbursing a volunteer for expenses
In the event that a volunteer spends his or her own money on any aspect of a chapter event, that money can be reimbursed; so long as an original receipt is given to your staff liaison in the Office of Alumni Relations. It is in the best interest of the volunteer to check with your staff liaison prior to making any purchases with his or her own money.

Money received at events
If volunteers receive a check at a chapter event, ask it to be made payable to Johns Hopkins University. If cash is received, please keep the cash and send a check to the Office of Alumni Relations for that exact amount, made payable to Johns Hopkins University. We can include receipts in event packets that are sent to you. Finally, we have the option of billing guests after the event, as long as you capture their full name and phone number for us to follow up.

Gifts-in-Kind
If a volunteer makes an in-kind donation to an event, or to a portion of that event, a gift-in-kind letter may be sent to the individual. Examples of gifts in kind include alumni paying for alcohol for an event or covering the cost of renting a venue. Please work with your staff liaison if a gift-in-kind situation arises.