AAUW branches are, in my experience, quite fiscally conservative. The notion of getting a debit card for the branch may seem to open financial issues that the branch just doesn’t want to address. However, in my branches we’ve had one for years without any issues, and if the general financial oversight procedures are sufficient, your branch may find one helpful, too.

Applying for a card has been a simple process. Check with your bank to find out what their processes are, but for us, it was simply a matter of having one of the people who was already on the account’s signature card apply. She needs to give her own social security number (though the account doesn’t show up in any credit reports I’ve checked for my SSN). Both her name and the branch’s appears on the card.

You may or may not need a “PIN” for the card. Since our financial policies prohibit writing checks to cash, we decided we didn’t need the pin: we don’t make any ATM transactions, and if we’re using it for local purchases we always have it run as a “credit” card. But check to see if the PIN might be needed for online banking transactions or other things that streamline the financial processes.

What are the benefits of having the card:

1. We can use the card for online payments and avoid extra reimbursement complications when online payments are the only/best way to make a payment. For example some ongoing services such as a web site might require an online payment. As another example, consider Shop AAUW.
2. The card has been absolutely fabulous to pay members’ dues using the Membership Payment Process (MPP). A new member can be on the national rolls and connected to the branch in about a week, much faster than when using payment with a paper check. Besides, it saves the effort of using the USMail and the cost of a stamp to send in the payment.
3. We use the card to “verify” our account with PayPal. Having a PayPal (business) account in the name of the branch, and tied to the branch bank account, allows you to accept online payments (via credit card, not just from those who also have PayPal accounts). Think how this might make things simpler in accepting dues or registration fees. Yes, PayPal gets a “cut” of the transaction, but you could increase the fee charged online to cover this — or, go along with the rest of the world and just consider this a “cost of doing business” that’s built into your budget.
4. The officers who are authorized to sign checks and who expect to have an ongoing need for making purchases in the name of the branch can use the card instead. Their personal funds aren’t used for branch projects, and the branch saves the effort involved in writing them reimbursements. Those reimbursements may get complicated if your policies say someone cannot write a reimbursement check to herself.  Of course, those who spend the branch’s money should expect to document it just as carefully if they use the card as they would if they were requesting reimbursement — but the bank statement will at least show a card number that can be tied back to an individual and a vendor.

Of course, as with all things financial, good policies and good oversight go a long way towards making this work — but do consider whether this would be a good tool for your branch.

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