Project Handbook Change Log

This handbook is constantly updated. You can see what we’ve changed here. Most recent changes appear at the top of the table

Date	What Changed	Notes
2/3/26	Note: Effective January 1, 2026, all Independent Contractors (ICs) earning $2,000 or more in a calendar year must have a contract in place. This is an increase from the previous $600 threshold, and reflects the IRS’s updated 1099 reporting requirements.	This change is reflected in a number of handbook sections, most notably in the Independent Contractor section.
12/17/25	Added language to Model C "What you need to know" section.	Added clarity about Model C grantees regranting the funds they receive from SGF
12/5/25	Added description of Donor Advised Funds
12/9/25	Added "Payment and Reimbursement Timing Policy" section in Accounts Payable section
10/30/25	Added examples of items not covered by fiscal sponsorship cost, including project- specific legal fees (including for employee disputes/claims) and insurance costs.
10/22/5	Added "Excluded Expenses" section into Model C Projects section
10/16/25	Added explanation that "honorariums" to non profits should be processed as donations
10/6/25	Added stipulation to Stipend and Honrariums sections that payment request cannot be made until after participation is complete.	Please note any stipend or honorarium payment cannot be requested until the related participation is complete.
10/5/25	Note: As of September 30th, 2025 Social Good Fund is no longer supporting Flipcause for donations, and has partnered with Fundrazr and Mazlo as our preferred platforms for projects to use for online fundraising. The online fundraising section as well as other parts of the handbook have been revised to reflect this change and will be updated with more information on those platforms in the coming months.
9/2/25	Clarified that credit card interest is not an eligible project expense.	Added into "Eligible Expense" and "Reimbursement" sections of Accounts Payable section.
8/26/25	Updated SGF's address of record for use with BREX cards	SGF's address of record updated to SGF's physical office in Portland, OR
7/1/25	Updated information required of invoices that projects submit
3/27/2025	Updated phone and methods of contact/ext
3/25/2025	Added a section on DMV checks for individuals driving on behalf of a project
11/27/24	PEX funding requests are no longer available on the PEX platform.	Removed previous language.
10/21/24	Role of Project Director and Primary Contact Section	Added this section.
9/24/24	Honorarium Section	Clarified that honorarium payments cannot be made to Project Committee members, i.e those listed on fiscal sponsorship agreement.
9/4/24	Removed references to WeDidIt fundraising platform	This is no longer a standard platform recommended to projects.
8/19/24	Securing Funding For Your Project	Added section on this topic.
6/4/24	Flipcause section	Elaborated on processing fees
5/2/2024	Pex/Brex Section	Removed “For projects with a regular balance of $200,000 or greater, a traditional credit card may be issued upon request for qualified accounts.” We no longer have this option.
4/25/24	Government Grant Admin Cost	Updated admin cost for government grants (of which new ones not currently accepted) to be up to 20%
4/17/24	Flipcause setup	Added Flipcause revenue types
4/9/24	Model C- what you need to know	Elaborated and clarified policies related to disbursing Model C funds to a grantee
3/12/24	Per Diem Section	Elaborated on process to request
2/27/24	PEX and Brex Cards (Prepaid Expense Cards and Credit Cards) (Model A projects ONLY)	Clarified that independent contractors are not eligible to be cardholders.
1/9/24	Receiving Online Payments section	Added information about receiving Bill.com payments
11/28/23	Depositing Cash or Checks directly into the SGF bank account section added
11/2/2023	Accounts Receivable- Incoming Money section - Facebook terms updated	Added new Facebook/Meta fundraising terms and fees that became effective on October 31, 2023.
10/2/23	Reimbursement section added	Added information clarifying when and how to request reimbursements
9/26/23	Authorized signatory	Authorized signatory changed to Ly Nguyen
7/27/23	Working With Volunteers	Added information to clarify what types of gifts can be given to volunteers.
7/27/23	Eligible Expenses and Gift Cards and Other Forms of Cash Remuneration	Updated both sections to provide additional guidelines re: purchasing gift cards.
7/20/23	Changes to your project - Name, Project Director, Mission/Activities	Added this section, clarifying scenarios in which an amendment is needed
5/9/23	Calculating Mileage Reimbursements	Added detail on process to request reimbursement
5/4/23	Accounts Payable Section updated	We have included clarifications on eligible travel expenses and a few other clarifying edits.
4/26/23	Donor Recognition and Donor Receipts	Updated to clarify and include links to donation receipt form
4/13/23	Model C Form Link	Grant disbursement form links updated to reflect new link on the new portal
4/5/23	Information on rallies, protests, and marches
4/2/23	Grants/Donations to Other Organizations - Info elaborated upon, including on grants to individuals.
3/20/23	SGF is moving to a new platform for our Members Portal during March - April 2023.	All links to the Members Portal in the Handbook have been updated to reflect new links to the new portal.
3/13/23	SGF Admin percentage is now applied throughout the month instead of after the end of each month for the prior month.
2/2/23	Sage has replaced Blackbaud as SGF’s accounting system	Updated the sections on the accounting system and finances to reflect that SGF is using Sage instead of Blackbaud as of 1/1/23
1/30/23	Information added on tiering pricing structure for admin cost for Model C.
1/20/23	Stipend section updated with information about honorariums and updated form links
1/12/23	Information added on tiering pricing structure for admin cost for Model A.
11/30/22	Elaboration regarding government grant restriction in section Submitting, Accepting, Managing, and Reporting onGrants
11/22/22	There is a new form to initiate a background check request.	The new background check request form can be used for volunteers, contractors, or employees whose roles have changed.
9/22/22	The contact email for volunteer background checks is now [e-mail] instead of [e-mail]	The HR Team is now handling getting background checks for volunteers.
9/21/22	The contact email for questions and adjustments on expense cards has been changed to [e-mail] instead of [e-mail]	Accounts Team is now handling Brex and PEX signups, questions and Brex limit adjustments instead of Project Support Team so the contact info has been updated.
7/1/22	Expense Card Policy document (for Pex and Brex) has been replaced by the Expense Card Request Form	Replaced link to the policy template with a link to the Expense Card Form.
6/24/22	Expansion of Stock Donation Section	Expanded Stock Donation section now includes more information and timelines.
6/23/22	Clarified background checks not required if under 18
6/23/22	Updated Staff Contact List
5/31/22	Employee reimbursements are processed via payroll/ADP and received on the next payday after processing.	Employees receive reimbursements the same way they receive their paycheck and at the same time. This means it may take a bit longer to receive the reimbursement but it’s automatically deposited just like their paycheck.
5/27/22	Projects wanting to use Square (card reader company) should reach out to SGF first before attempting to set up their own account.	Square changed their policies to require more information and documents at set up that may not be feasible for us to use. Please reach out to check first.
4/12/22	The Project Services Team is now Project Support Team	Name change for team
11/9/21	Updated staff list
11/9/21	“Working with Consultants/Independent Contractors” section has been revamped to accurately articulate new policies and processes beginning January 2022.
11/9/21	“Paying People to Work With Your Project” section has been revamped and reworded
10/21/21	Clarification on timing of payments and possibilities of delays when using 3rd party platforms	SGF is not responsible if funders or platforms have delays beyond our control
10/6/21	Susan’s last name is now Light	Director of Fiscal Sponsorship, Susan Staley changed her name to Susan Light
10/6/21	Clarified Venmo section	Clarified that Venmo should not be used for ongoing donation campaigns.
9/2/21	Additional language regarding SGF’s role in making a final determination of whether or not a person can be paid as an independent contractor	Independent contractor section under “Paying People”
8/10/21	Additional language for projects on submitting grant reports	Projects are responsible for tracking and submitting required grant reports to their funders.
8/9/21	Additional language around insurance for rallies, protests, and marches	Updated the insurance section to add information about the insurance process for rallies, protests, and marches.
6/7/21	SGF now offers two kinds of expense cards - PEX and Brex	Updated the section on expense cards to add information about Brex credit cards.
4/23/21	Blackbaud has replaced Aplos as SGF’s accounting system	Updated the sections on the accounting system and finances to reflect that SGF is using Blackbaud instead of Aplos as of 1/1/21
4/5/21	SGF is phasing out WeDidIt	Updated Online Fundraising section to explain that SGF is no longer signing up new projects to the WeDidIt online fundraising platform.
3/9/21	Correction of error on page 39	Employees are eligible for benefits if they work over 25 hrs a week. Corrected error that referenced 20 hrs on page 39.
2/23/21	SGF Zelle Account Info to receive payments	Zelle has made changes on their end to how we can get payments. For the time being, payers will need to contact us to get payment info if paying by Zelle.
2/3/21	Government Grants Section	Provided more context for why SGF does not accept government grants.
10/12/20	Corrected bank fee for outgoing wires	Chase currently charges $40 per outgoing wire.
8/27/20	Clarification that Project Directors / Staff should not pay Independent Contractors and then submit for reimbursement
7/2/2020	Updated suggestions for ACH and Wire memos	We now recommend donors / funders include a memo with ACH or wire transfers if possible.
2/24/20	Updated information in Youth Development section	List of often required and other types of recommended training for youth development projects
2/7/2020	Updated hyperlinks to forms Staff contact details	To access forms linked throughout the Handbook, users will need to sign in to the Member’s Portal.
1/21/20	Updated cost of Corescreening background check.
1/15/20	Added section “Talking About your fiscally sponsored project.”	How to communicate your project’s legal status to your stakeholders.
1/14/20	Added changelog	To allow projects to easily see what changes have been made to this Handbook and when.
1/14/20	Added new details about categories of employment (Employees, Independent Contractors, etc.) in the section on paying people.	Provide a deeper understanding of how to properly categorize and pay people to work in and for your project.
1/14/20	Fixed minor typos, etc...
12/18/20	Increased fixed assets threshold from $2k to $50k