Date Created:    April 18, 2024    Last Updated:   May 1, 2024

Overview: 

Conference and Event Services organizes and manages approximately 100 conferences per year with 50 average attendees.  Attendees pay directly for specific items related to their conference including parking, rooms, meals. Payments include credit cards, cash and checks. Credit card processing, cash handling, and check handling require due diligence from staff to prevent misappropriation, minimize individual and institutional risk by establishing appropriate internal controls, ensure proper segregation of duties, and prevent loss of income.

Criticality:  High

Frequency:  Daily

Turnaround:  1 week

Key Parties / Contacts: 

Customer: Pay charges on a timely basis with a valid form of payment

Service Center Staff:  Accept payments in the form of cash, and credit cards.  Verify cash received is not counterfeit, and secure cash in locked safe to ensure proper security of payments received.  When processing credit card payments, only staff trained in PCI compliance may accept this form of payment to ensure compliance with PCI requirements.  Service Center creates deposit and KFS AD Edoc for cash received. Account Coordinator then reconciles cash transactions and FTC reconciles credit card payments

Conference Services Staff: Accept payments in the form of cash, checks and credit cards.  Verify cash received is not counterfeit, endorse all checks immediately and secure cash and checks in locked safe to ensure proper security of payments received.  When processing credit card payments, only staff trained in PCI compliance may accept this form of payment to ensure compliance with PCI requirements.  Staff log payments into StarRez.

Accounts Coordinator:  Counts cash, checks and prepares deposits, reconciles deposits weekly, safe counts done monthly, and reports discrepancies to Office Manager, Executive Director and FTC.

Office Manager: Verifies safe counts, approves deposits, notifies FTC when safe combination is updated.  Receives notification of cash discrepancies for further action.

SCL FTC:  Reconciles clearing accounts each month to verify payments clear appropriately. Notified of discrepancies in deposits and safe.

Key Documents / Sources of Information:

  • Conference Contract
  • Kuali Financial System
  • StarRez
  • Micros

System Access Needed:

  • Excel
  • Kuali Financial System (KFS)
  • OAS Reporting Dashboard (KDW)
  • CardPointe
  • Micros
  • Flywire
  • Asana
  • StarRez

Possible Problems or Issues Encountered: 

  • Bad checks
  • Delayed billing
  • Delayed payments

Step by Step Procedures:

Safe General Handling:

  • Combination for safe is changed annually or when a staff person with access leaves their position.
  • Safe has a pad code entry which is kept behind two locked doors.
  • Daily received payments and receipts are kept secured in safe at tall times until deposit is completed.
  • Each day, reconciliation is done to ensure payments received match receipts.
  • There is never a cash drawer used outside the safe for any part of our daily operation.
  • Safe is reconciled once a month. Cash is counted and signed off by two different staff. The Accounts Coordinator and verified by Office Manager
  • Reconciliations are then signed and sent to BSC. Copy can be found at –
  • Z:\BSC and Residential Services Share\Petty Cash reconciliation

Loomis Armored Car Deposits and payment processing

  • Deposits are processed by Accounts Coordinator by completing the deposit form and verified by a second staff person.
  • The deposit is then placed into a locked bank bag and put in safe until deposit is picked up.
    • Bags with broken locks or fasteners should not be used. Damaged bags should be replaced or returned the Rifkin Co. for repair.
    • Ensure that each bag is locked before pickup.
  • Checks are sent to the bank along with any cash.
  • Credit card payments are also received over the phone and are processed while on the phone with the payer. No credit card information is written down.

Process Steps:

  • CES Cash Handling Process as of May 2024.docx
  • Z:\Conference Services\Business Process Instructions

Process Steps:

  • CES Cash Handling Process as of May 2024.docx
  • Z:\Conference Services\Business Process Instructions

Key Risks

Key Controls

Misappropriation of cash or checks. Theft of cash or checks could result in disciplinary action and/or legal implications to staff and loss of revenue for the University.


1.       Cash handling policies and procedures are currently in place.

2.       Main CES Office is in 206 RPCC and is a locked office during non-business hours with key entry or pad code entry.

3.       Payments are secured in a locked safe with limited access.

4.       Combination for safe is changed annually or when a staff person with access leaves their position.

5.       There are two cash boxes are secured at all times. One is $500 and other is $200.

6.       Daily received payments and receipts are kept secured in safe at all times until deposit is completed.

7.       Each day, reconciliation is done to ensure payments received matches receipts.

8.       Safe is reconciled monthly and verified by another staff member.

Lack of segregation of Duties

1.       Deposits and counts are verified by another staff member.

Credit Card data could be at risk of fraud if not handled appropriately.


1.       All staff handling credit card data complete PCI training annually and follow PCI process requirements.

Metrics:

Conference staff

  • Monitor actuals to budget
  • Required reconciliations

Glossary of Key Terms/Acronyms:

  • KFS – Kuali Financial System
  • OAS – Oracle Analytics Server, financial reporting tool (formerly known as OBIEE)
  • GL – General Ledger
  • FTC – Financial Transaction Center that processes financial transactions

C&ES Cash, CC Handling Process Flow Chart