As part of our commitment to honoring the expertise of partners and acknowledging that often university staff and faculty are paid for collaborative work for which partners do not get formal compensation, SCoRE pays collaborating community-based organizations (CBOs). Further, we urge widespread adoption of the practice. We use the term “CBO” to refer to a spectrum of partners we work with, from neighborhood-based grassroots organizations to larger nonprofits (some of whom may decline payment). Industry, corporate, and government partners are not included in the term “CBO,” and SCoRE does not compensate them. We recommend that when working with CBOs, researchers and academic teams ALWAYS offer compensation as a foundation of the collaboration, and do so based on the guidance below.  We refer to both research and course-based engagements below.

Please note that SCoRE focuses primarily on research-related partnerships and educational partnerships with a sustainability theme, while the Office of Community Based Learning (Director: Sarah Brackmann at sarah.brackmann@gatech.edu) is the primary point of contact for partners seeking students teams and/or course-based partnerships across all disciplines/topics.

Guidance for Compensating Community Partners

How do I pay my partner?

Working with the SCoRE office can help you quickly and easily get community partners listed as vendors in Georgia Tech’s procurement system so that any honorariums you have requested can be processed. Please read the following instructions closely and carefully and consult with YOUR UNIT's Financial Analyst first with any questions. The process differs depending on whether your partners are being paid as an individual or an organization, and whether your partner is being paid by SLS directly or by funds that have already been transferred to your unit.

Is your partner being paid as an INDIVIDUAL?

If your partner is being paid as an individual, they will register under their name following the instructions below. Once they are registered and approved in the vendor system, they do not need to submit any additional paperwork. To process the honorarium that you have offered, once the service or visit has occurred, you will simply submit a copy of an email as the documentation.  The email can be your invitation to the partner to participate in your class prior to the event OR an email after the event, thanking them for their participation. In both cases, the email should detail the date(s) of the service, what was provided by the partner, and the amount of the honorarium.

Is your partner being paid as an ORGANIZATION?

If your partner is being paid as an organization, they will register their organization following the instructions below. This registration process should occur well in advance of any anticipated visit or event. PLEASE NOTE THAT THIS PROCESS CAN TAKE TIME AND SHOULD BE INITIATED AT LEAST A MONTH PRIOR TO THE DATE OF SERVICE. Once they are registered and approved in the vendor system, they will need to submit a quote for the agreed upon stipend prior to the date(s) of service - AT A MINIMUM, 10 DAYS PRIOR TO THE DATE OF SERVICE.  The quote should be entered by your unit Financial Analyst into the Workday system and a Requisition will be issued.  Once that is approved, the service can be provided by the partner.  After the date(s) of service, your partner should then submit an invoice to you for payment of the agreed upon stipend. This invoice can be identical to the original quote - but the title should be changed to say "INVOICE."  Your Financial Analyst will then submit the invoice for payment against the requisition.  IF THIS PROCESS IS NOT FOLLOWED IN ADVANCE OF THE VISIT, THE ORGANIZATION CANNOT BE PAID.

Registering Your Partner as a Vendor

Please provide your partners with the following information to assist with the vendor registration process.

Directions:

1. Decide whether you want to receive your payment as either:
   1. Yourself as an individual, OR
   2. A payment to your organization.
2. Complete the online registration for you or your organization in the Georgia Tech Procurement System as a vendor:
   1. If you are requesting a payment for yourself, you need to be listed in the system. If you are requesting payment to your organization, your organization needs to be listed.
   2. If you (payment for yourself) or your organization (payment to your organization) have received payment from Georgia Tech in the past, please let us know. We will confirm that you/your organization are still listed as a vendor.  
   3. Otherwise, please take 5-10 minutes to complete the GT online vendor registration form. Please check out these instructions for more detailed guidance on vendor registration!
      1. The person registering as a vendor (whether for self or organization) must choose an appropriate category for the type of services rendered.
      2. If completing the vendor registration process as an individual, you will need to use your social security number (SSN) in place of a Tax ID number in the required field.
3. Once the profile has been submitted, please complete the following so your payment can be processed:
   1. If you are being paid as an organization, please submit a quote for services (sample quote found HERE), prior to your date(s) of service - WE MUST RECEIVE THIS NO LATER THAN 10 DAYS PRIOR TO THE DATE OF SERVICE OR YOU CANNOT BE PAID.  Following the date(s) of service, submit a final invoice for payment (sample invoice found HERE).
   2. If you are being paid as an individual, please just notify the appropriate person (see below) that you have completed the registration process by forwarding the email you will received from the system with your registration confirmation.
   3. If requesting payment to your organization, please submit the quote and invoice on letterhead.  If your organization does not have official letterhead, please ensure the name of the organization is on your quote and your final submitted statement of services or invoice. 

Payments to both individuals and organizations are typically processed within 30 business days. If that time has elapsed and no payment has been received, please follow up directly with the appropriate person so we can work to get your payment expedited.  Please note: for honoraria paid to individuals, Georgia Tech will provide a 1099 form at the end of the year for tax filing purposes.

Is your partner being paid by SLS Directly?

If you partner is being paid directly by SLS, please contact Kristina Chatfield with any questions, for assistance with the vendor registration process, with notification of vendor registration, and with documentation of the services provided and the agreed upon compensation (email confirmation, quotes, invoices, etc.).  

Is your partner being paid by you, through funding (grant, mini-grant, etc) that you already received from SLS?

If you are paying your partner with funds that SLS has already provided to you for this purpose, please work directly with your unit's financial analyst staff to assist your partner in completing this process.  SLS staff can discuss any questions about the process with the appropriate analyst, and that person can contact Kristina Chatfield with questions.

Tip: If you need to create an invoice or quote from scratch, Microsoft Word and Google Docs both have multiple invoice/quote template options available that are acceptable for the payment process.  A sample invoice can be foundHERE.