Convention of States Action (COSA) depends on the work of dedicated volunteers and is excited by the initiative its state teams take to organize events. COSA wants to help you in this process and has adopted the following policies and procedures to assist with funding these state events, including by making payments for registration fees, venue costs, printing charges, and certain other event expenses.

Attachment: 4580/Event_Payment_Request_Procedure_for_State_Teams_01_30_25.pdf

Event Payment Request Procedure for State Teams  Convention of States Action (COSA) depends on the work of dedicated volunteers and is excited by  the initiative its state teams take to organize events.  COSA wants to help you in this process and  has  adopted the following policies and procedures to assist with these state events, including by providing  funds  for  registration  fees,  venue  costs,  printing  charges,  providing  Certificates  of  Insurance,  and  certain other event expenses.  Please review the following guidelines for submitting payment requests:    1.   Submit the form.   To  request  payment  and/or  a  Certificate  of  Insurance  for  an  event,  please  submit  a  completed  Event  Payment Request Form   (EPRF)  to  [email protected]   at  least  21  days  before  payment  is  due .    Requests  submitted  after  this  deadline  may  not  be  processed  in  time.     A  copy  of  the  EPRF  can  be  <downloaded  from > <COSA’s> website  or  obtained  by contacting  a staff member at the  above  email  address.  Payment  requests shall be submitted by the State Director  or another  team  leader in consultation with the State Director.  The form must be fully completed, and submitted along  with  all  documents  and  information  relevant  to  the  event  to  avoid  delays  in  the  approval     process,  including documents such as the application, registration, vendor rules, vendor handbook and contract  or agreement.  These documents should not be submitted to the event organizers as the National  team needs to review and approve the request first.    2.   Wait for approval. Once your request has been submitted, it will be reviewed by multiple departments to ensure  payment  is appropriate for the organization’s purpose and strategic objectives.  Several factors will be considered:   1. Is considered in reviewing requests:the event consistent  with the organization’s mission? 2. Is the event a cost-effective use of the organization’s  funds? 3. Have similar events been successful in the past? 4. Would payment violate any state laws or regulations? 3.   Receive confirmation. Typically,  o nce  a  request  is  approved,  a  staff  member  will  submit  the  documents  to  the  event  organizer  for  you,  arrange  for  the  payment  to  be  made ,  and  email  you   confirmation  that  the  request  has been approved  and  payment has been made .    Please do not pay for the event out  of  your own  pocket.    State  laws  and  regulations  limit COSA’s ability to reimburse volunteers for  event expenses.  If the nature of your event requires you to be reimbursed, please clearly indicate  that  on  your  event  request  form  and  wait  for  COSA  to  approve  the  event  for reimbursement  before making  any payments.    4.   Complete the questionnaire. After  the  event  has  concluded,  please  review  and  submit  a  Post  Event  Questionnaire  form  to  [email protected]  within 14 days   or  complete  the  electronic  Post  Event  Questionnaire   at  https://conventionofstates.com/ePEQ .   This  form  enables  COSA  to  evaluate  the  success  of  these  events and learn how to better support its state teams with future events.  Submission of this form is  <required in order for your state team to be considered for future event payments.  Please  upload > <any  photos or  videos  from  the  event > <to  our  videographer  at  this  link> < so  that COSA can promote > your team’s event on social media.              Rev. 01/ 30 /25