Students United Budget
Students United’s Board of Directors sets the annual budget. Each year, students are asked to provide budget feedback to help the board pass a budget that reflects the values and priorities of students. If you would like to provide feedback on the next Students United budget, please fill out the survey. Students who fill out the survey will also be included in a drawing for a chance to win a $50 Visa gift card!
Budget Breakdown
Student Advocacy
Student Leadership
Student Connections
Operations
Fundraising
Students United’s revenue includes student fee revenue, individual giving, earned income from partnership agreements, and grants. In FY25 (July 2024-June 2025,) revenue will come from student fees, increased individual giving, and our sights set on grants from local and national funders.
Student fee revenue at the end of FY24 is projected to drop by 1.5% from the end of FY23 due to decreasing student enrollment rates at Minnesota State Universities. As revenue drops, we continue to look for ways to compensate for the gap. The good news is that the projected decrease is significantly less than the 4.5% projected decrease from the previous fiscal year. Fundraising will continue to grow in FY25. In previous years, fundraising has been focused on scholarships and is now shifting to focus on programs. Students United has three strategies: individual donors, grants, and sponsorships.
The Community Outreach and Fundraising Coordinator and the Executive Director solicit Individual Donors. An annual solicitation is also sent to alumni. These donations are meant to support our advocacy and student leadership work.
Grants are researched and applied for on an ongoing basis. Grants focus on supporting the Student Leadership Program and core mission work.
Sponsorships and Partnerships work with organizations mutually beneficial to all organizations involved. Partnerships in these areas focus on core mission work and the Advocacy Conference.
In FY25, we plan to continue to expand individualized giving, grants, and sponsorships/partnerships.
How do we get to a draft budget?
The draft budget is carefully designed after five years of feedback from students, alumni, and partners. Feedback was collected from the student-led governing board, delegates town hall feedback, conference and campus engagement surveys. Clear feedback was given that students want the organization to focus on advocacy. This feedback is reflected in the Advocacy Program, which is now the top-funded program. The feedback from the survey above will help aid the FY25 budget.
Students United 2021-2026 Strategic Plan:
The 2021-2026 Students United Strategic Plan was devised through a series of group and individual meetings between stakeholders. Our guiding philosophies are cemented in student voice, student leadership, and student development. Our strategic advocacy policy platforms for higher education are affordability, accessibility, and addressing JEDI (Justice, Equity, Diversity & Inclusion). Our two key themes, which transcend all policy and program areas, are 1. Black Lives Matter, and 2. Covid Pandemic Impact and Response. Click here to read our full strategic plan.
MISSION
Led by Minnesota State University students, we are the inclusive voice for all future, current, and former students. We actively work to represent and support Minnesota State University students and advocate at local, system, state, and federal level for higher education policies that make a positive impact for our students and communities.
VISION
Our vision is to create the model of inclusive higher education policies and leadership. Our goal is to ensure higher education is rooted in student voices and student needs. Student leaders at all decision-making tables strengthen student advocacy, which creates a more robust higher education system and community.
VALUES
Student Voice
Thought Leaders
United Leadership
Diversity
Equity and Inclusion
Next Level Thinking
Tangible Advocacy
Student Leadership
Definitions
Programs:
Student Leadership: includes the cost of development, training, and support of student fellows, board members, and officers. The student leadership program includes the Community Leader Fellowship, which provides a school-year-long fellowship with internship placements and a development curriculum that serves to empower and equip students to grow and apply these skills in their future careers. Major cost categories are human capital, fellow and officers' wages, board meetings, contractors, trainers, speakers, and events.
Student Advocacy includes advocacy costs at the Minnesota State Colleges and University system, state government, and federal government levels. Major cost categories under each program are human capital, public relations, rent and supplies, technologies, transportation, travel, lodging, and materials.
System Advocacy: System Advocacy mainly consists of participation in Minnesota State System office meetings, committees, workgroups, councils, student testimonies, Board of Trustees meetings, and daily groundwork, [including compensation for students/participants in these events/committees]. In FY24, we are advocating for increasing student involvement in system and university decisions, streamlining the student complaint and grievance process, ensuring student involvement in choosing a systemwide vendor for mental health services, promoting student collaboration in the development of Workday, increasing support for campus food pantries and basic needs, creating a get out the vote plan for the 2024 election and continuing work as part of the Equity 2030 coalition.
State Advocacy: State Advocacy mainly consists of State Advocacy Day and training, partner meetings, legislative committees, lobbying, and daily groundwork. In FY24, we are bringing students from the seven universities to the Capitol to advocate for broadening access to SNAP benefits, expanding Minnesota’s student loan borrower bill of rights, and advancing universal FAFSA completion.
Federal Advocacy: Federal Advocacy mainly consists of the Washington D.C. Fly-In, where students advocate on higher education issues to members of Congress and their staff members. Students also hear from higher education policy experts and gain additional insight into federal policy work. This also includes the cost of any additional federal-level advocacy and daily groundwork. In FY24, we are supporting increasing the Pell Grant, the Enhance Access to SNAP (EATS) Act of 2023, the Freedom to Vote Act, and The Enhancing Mental Health and Suicide Prevention Through Campus Planning Act.
Student Connections - includes the Students United Advocacy Conference and the cost of building our campus presence through campus meetings and outreach. Major cost categories under each program are human capital, rent and supplies, technologies, transportation, meals, lodging, materials, and public relations.
Students United Advocacy Conference: Students United Advocacy Conference is held fall semester to help get students engaged early in the academic year. There is generally a keynote speaker, panels, small group sessions, breakout discussions among students, and a town hall to gather student feedback about the issues they care about. It allows students to provide valuable insight to the Board of Directors and provides a space to learn exciting and meaningful skills and information they can apply as they return to campus and engage in their collective advocacy priorities.
Campus Visits: Students United’s officers and staff visit each of the seven university campuses twice a year to connect with students, outreach for Students United, and meet with major stakeholders to progress advocacy issues.
Fundraising:
Fundraising focuses on funding programs, engaging alumni, and deepening understanding of Students United's work in our communities. Fundraising efforts include seeking grants, meeting with individual donors, fundraising events, and engaging partners/sponsorships.
OPERATIONS:
This is the base level of what it costs to operate the business. Major cost categories are human resources, rent, supplies, technologies, subscription and membership, insurance, bank service charges, and operations contracted services.
PUBLIC RELATIONS:
This is the cost of advertising, merchandise, our website contract, communication services, social media, and more.
Why do “True Program Costs” matter?
Long-term planning is essential for nonprofits to maintain financial health and stability. True Program Costs ensure programs match the nonprofit’s mission and stakeholder wants. Understanding the actual costs of programs and their social return on investment helps organizations fundraise appropriately, connect to the mission, and deliver what the stakeholders want. This allows nonprofits to better plan and make wise choices about supporting mission work. Knowing the true costs of our programs will enable us to make more informed decisions that lead to mission and financial success. You can read more about this here.
Students United employs full-time professional staff. From the nonprofit perspective, 75% of the staff’s work goes directly towards student programming and organizing.
Technology, rent, and public relations is also a shared expense and split between each category.
As Students United is a nonprofit with a full-time staff this includes the expenses it takes to run the nonprofit.