anusa gac handbook
DESCRIPTION
This publication helps clubs and societies affiliate to ANUSA.TRANSCRIPT
The Australian National University Students’
Association Incorporated
Clubs & Societies Handbook
Published by Australian National University Students’ Association
For executives of ANU Clubs and Societies 1st Edition 2011
Edited by Dallas Proctor
1
Quick Reference Grants and Affiliations Committee (GAC) Meets Thursday 2 – 4pm, ANUSA Boardroom Appointments necessary for grant/affiliation applications All welcome to attend To update your documentation or make a GAC appointment Student Space Assistants [email protected] To submit your expenditure receipts Office Administrator Eleanor Boyle Level 1, Students' Facilities Building 17a (Above the Student Space in Union Court) [email protected], 52444 Any further questions/concerns Social Officer Phoebe Malcolm [email protected] GAC regulations and documentation http://anusa.anu.edu.au
2
Getting involved in Clubs and Societies will be the highlight of your university experience. You’ll make new friends, learn new skills, be offered unique leadership opportunities and attend vibrant events – all at highly subsidised student prices. Our Clubs and Societies are formed by students and open to everyone. They usually focus on a particular interest, such as a language, activity, religion or study area. You can join by going along to an event, or by contacting the Club’s executive. If you can’t find a Club or Society you want to join, we encourage you to start your own! To all club and society executive members, best of luck and thank you for giving your time and energy to make our Clubs and Societies Program one of Australia’s most engaging.
3
Contents
Quick Reference 2
Contents 4
Affiliation at a Glance 5
Benefits of Affiliation 6
A-‐Z of Administration 7
Applying for Grants 14
Funding Guidelines 16
Alternative Funding Opportunities 22
Ancillary Entitlements 24
Managing your Finances 26
Disaffiliation 29
Dissolution 30
Preferred Suppliers 31
4
Affiliation at a Glance All Clubs and Societies are required to renew their affiliation annually. You will need to:
1. Fill out the online form, available on the ANUSA website
2. Email your constitution, membership list and transaction list (past 6 months) to [email protected] ANUSA will review your application and send you an email confirming your affiliation
If your Club/Society has not been affiliated with ANUSA in the past 12 months, you may need to seek affiliation approval at a meeting of the Grants and Affiliations (GAC) Committee. If this is required, we’ll contact you to make an appointment.
As a condition of affiliation, you are required to comply with the requirements set out in the Grants and Affiliations Regulations 2006. The key points of this document are included in this handbook.
5
Benefits of Affiliation
• The use of the name and logo of the ANU Students Association • Free O-‐Week stalls • Funding for events such as BBQs, dinners, balls, dance parties, cocktail
parties, screenings, seminars, camps, conferences and excursions • Free print quota • Opportunities to participate in various ANUSA events • Access to equipment hire from ANU Information Services • Free access to ANU rooms, including the ANUSA Boardroom • Free BBQ hire • Free pigeon hole at ANUSA for mail delivery • Special deals on functions held at ANU Union • Free publicity on the ANUSA website and in Woroni • Cover under ANUSA’s public liability insurance policy
6
A-‐Z of Administration ABN All Clubs and Societies require an Australian Business Number. This is the way in which you declare that, as a subsidiary of ANUSA, you are a not-‐for-‐profit organisation. You can register for a new ABN or look up the ABN of your club or society online:
http://abr.gov.au You are obligated to update your registration details each time you change your trustees.
Advertising
All printed advertising material utilised by a Club and Society must visibly contain the ANUSA logo. The logo will be made available on the ANUSA website. All web advertising and facebook pages must make reference to the ANU Students’ Association.
AGM
Within 14 days after holding the Annual General Meeting in each year, the trustees of each affiliated Club and Society must forward to the GAC Chair:
a) the Annual Report adopted by the Annual General Meeting; and b) the names of office bearers elected at the Annual General Meeting; and c) the annual statements of income and expenditure and the balance sheet
as adopted by the Annual General Meeting.
Calendar You should submit all events to the ANUSA events calendar on the ANUSA website. You can do this from your Club/Society page (refer to Website section below).
7
Constitution Each affiliated Club and Society requires a Constitution to govern its operation. You can use the model Constitution available on the ANUSA website, or write your own.
Should you choose the latter option, your Constitution must include the following:
• Affiliation Clause “This Club/Society is affiliated to the Clubs and Societies Committee of the ANU Students’ Association and the Postgraduate and Research Students’ Association and anything in this Constitution which is inconsistent with the ANU Students’ Association Clubs and Societies Regulations is null and void to the extent of inconsistency”.
• Not-‐for-‐profit Clause "The assets and income of the club/society shall be used only for the promotion of the clubs/society's objectives and no portion may be paid or transferred directly or indirectly to members of the club/society except as:
o Bona-‐fide remuneration for services rendered by the members to the club/society;
o Repayment of expenses incurred on behalf of the club/society; o Interest at a rate not exceeding interest at the rate for the time
being which is or would be charged by the clubs/society's bankers for money lent to the club/society; and
o Bona-‐fide rent for premises let to the club/society” • Dissolution Clause
“The club/society can be dissolved by decision of the current membership at a general meeting or when the club/society ceases to operate due to no members being elected to the executive/trustee positions and the club/society ceasing to function through natural attrition. In the case of the club/society being dissolved any excess assets, property, funds or money remaining after all debts and liabilities are paid shall not be given to members but shall be given or transferred to the ANU Students’ Association.”
Where a Club/Society’s Constitution is silent on an issue, the ANUSA Model Constitution will apply.
8
Your Constitution must allow a reasonable degree of control of the affairs of the Club or Society by its members by means of general meetings and/or resolutions, which may override or amend Executive actions or proposals. Any changes to a Club/Society’s constitution must be passed by a general meeting of the Club/Society, and in accordance with the constitution. Changes must be lodged with the Grants and Affiliations Committee Chair by email ([email protected]) within 14 days of the meeting, along with minutes from that meeting. End of Year The following records must be submitted to ANUSA by email before 30 November each year: Minutes of all general meetings (or equivalent meeting as specified in the
clubs/society’s constitution) of the club/society; Minutes of the annual general meeting of the club/society which include:
a) Attendance list (including student numbers), b) President’s report, c) Treasurer’s report, d) Results of election of office bearers, e) Any constitutional changes;
Ledger of all income and expenditure including copies of tax invoices/receipts for all expenditure (template available on the ANUSA website);
List of transactions from 30th November (previous year) to date of submission of records
The names and contact details of all incoming executive members/trustees.
Events
All events on campus (in any location other than the ANU Union Building) must be approved by ANU Facilities and Services, regardless of the number of people in attendance. The application form can be found through the following URL.
9
The Functions on Campus Policy is also available here, containing guidelines regarding noise, alcohol, fires, etc. as well as a link to the application:
http://facilities.anu.edu.au/?pid=892
Indigenous Events
When planning any event related to, or concering any Indigenous issue or event, the ANUSA Indigenous Officer must be notified via the below email address. They will then determine if consultation is necessary prior to the event being held.
All postal items should be sent to ANUSA, where you can collect them from the student space. Our mailing address is:
[Club/Society Name] C/-‐ ANU Students Association Students' Facilities Building 17a Australian National University
ANU Canberra ACT 0200
Membership You must have a minimum of 15 ANU student members at all times. You can have non-‐ANU student/general public members; however they must not hold more than one of the trustee positions and will not be counted in respect of funding decisions. As part of your own records, you must also maintain updated membership lists containing the following information:
• Member names • Student numbers • Contact details • Signatures
10
Student and non-‐student members must be listed separately. Unless a compelling reason exists (as determined by GAC), no affiliated Club or Society may deny an ordinary member of ANUSA or PARSA membership, provided that they are prepared to pay the relevant joining fee. You may not distinguish between undergraduate and postgraduate members in terms of membership fees or rights. Your Club or Society must respect the rights of members in regard to privacy and confidentiality. The following points should be adhered to in order to ensure this occurs:
• The forms your Club or Society uses to collect information on new members and potential members should be explicit as to why you are collecting the information and how the information may be used
• Your club must not contact members or potential members for any reason other than those reasons made explicit on the form on which details were gathered
• In the event that you collect details without the use of a form, you should advise the person providing details as to why you are collecting the information and how the information may be used
• You should never accept details from one person on behalf of another person
• Membership forms must specify which details will be passed onto ANUSA as part of the (re)affiliation process
Queer Events
When planning any event related to, or concering any Queer issue or event, the ANUSA Queer* Officer must be notified via the below email address. They will then determine if consultation is necessary prior to the event being held.
11
Responsibilities of Trustees
Each club and society must have at least three trusties that are held responsible for day-‐to-‐day business. Usually, they are the President, Secretary and Treasurer of the Club or Society -‐ but you can also use other titles if preferred. It is the responsibility of the trustees to:
• Hold meetings that are open to all members • Present the budget at such a meeting in accordance with the
Constitution • Reconcile the Club/Society’s funds at the end of the year • Arrange the handover to next year’s trustees -‐ all club/society records
must be passed to the incoming office bearers/trustees and contact details of all office bearers/trustees for the club/society must be updated with ANUSA
• Have the minutes of committee meetings and generals meetings, the Constitution and the current membership list available for inspection by GAC at any time
• Have any documentation relating to the bank account, as well as an up to date account book, available for inspection by GAC at any time
• Keep accounts and receipts of the Club or Society • Act as authorities on the Club/Society’s bank account • Ensure that the Club or Society complies with the Grants and Affiliations
Regulations the directives of GAC and the contents of this handbook, as well as those others set down in the Constitution of the Club or Society
If the Constitution of the Club or Society does not make provision for the appointment of trustees, then the President, the Secretary and the Treasurer are deemed the trustees for regulatory purposes. Womens Events
When planning any event related to, or concering any Womens issue or event, the ANUSA Womens Officer must be notified via the below email address.
12
They will then determine if consultation is necessary prior to the event being held.
Website
The ANUSA website enables Clubs and Societies to publish information about their activities. Visit http://anusa.anu.edu.au for instructions
13
Applying for Grants Key Steps
1. Submit the grant application online form, available on the ANUSA website
2. Your application will be considered and may be approved straight away. If not, we will contact you to schedule a GAC appointment, at which you will discuss the application with Committee members
3. Any approved funds will be made available retrospectively upon presentation of receipts for event-‐specific expenditure, in the form of a bank transfer to your society’s account
14
Helpful Tips
If a meeting is required, you should endeavour to send at least 2 trustees along to the meeting in order to best explain and justify your application.
You’ll need to tell us about your planned event(s), how much you expect to spend, and how much you expect to recoup on your own. You’ll also need to show how your events satisfy GAC’s comprehensive criteria for grants (see Funding Guidelines).
Post-‐event grants will be considered, but are not guaranteed. We suggest that you submit an application before each event in order to be exactly sure how much ANUSA support you will have to work with; otherwise your Club/Society’s executive may be left personally out of pocket.
Also, the Committee likes to consider applications in the context of your society’s long term plans and wider financial situation – We encourage you to upload additional supporting documentation when you apply for grants.
Certain prohibitions apply, for example you can’t request money for the purchase of alcohol or tobacco, and you can’t apply for more than $5000 in a year. Please be mindful of these.
You are obliged to spend any grant money as stated in your application. Each year, ANUSA’s accounts are audited – this includes those of your club/society. However the receipts that you supply to ANUSA for reimbursement do not need to be related to the event for which money was granted.
For example if GAC granted $150 for an event to be held next month, but your society had already spent $150 for unrelated purposes, you would be entitled to submit those unrelated receipts in order to obtain the $150 immediately.
This is just a brief snapshot of the grants process – you’ll need to read the Funding Guidelines section of this booklet before submitting a grant application.
15
Funding Guidelines
ANUSA Regulations
Affiliated Clubs and Societies may make an application for a monetary grant. Clubs and Societies must submit a budgeted proposal, including relevant evidence of income and expenses, to the Committee prior to the event, outlining the costs for which the grant is required. The following is an extract from Grants and Affiliations Regulations (2006):
3.2.2 New Clubs and Societies may make an initial application for a grant not exceeding $200, which may be paid prospectively at the discretion of the Committee. Such a grant may only be awarded for a proposed event, the purpose of which is to solicit membership.
3.2.3 Such applications must be approved by 2 office bearers of the relevant Club or Society
3.2.4 Monetary grants may only be approved for a single activity* 3.2.5 Affiliated Clubs and Societies will not receive funding for profit-‐
making ventures, but may apply for a loss guarantee 3.2.6 The Committee must not consider an application for a loan to a Club
or Society under any circumstances. 3.2.7 The Committee may approve, or partly approve, any application for a
monetary grant which it believes will bring benefits to students at the University.
3.2.8 In determining the level of grant to be awarded, the Committee should take into account
a) the intrinsic value of the Club or Society (or the specific event for which funding is being requested) to the University and in particular to the student population; and
b) the contribution made by the Club or Society (or the specific event for which funding is being requested) to university life and the University’s public profile; and
c) the degree of self-‐help (e.g. sponsorship) undertaken by the Club or Society; and
d) the degree of membership support through membership fees and members’ financial contribution to events; and
16
e) the number of participants taking part in or benefiting from the activity/event for which funding is being requested; and
f) the efficiency with which the Club or Society operates; and g) the extent of publicity of events; h) the extent to which the activity/event furthers the aims of the Club or
Society; and i) any such reasonable criteria as the Committee deems appropriate. *Where a club or society submits an application which comprehensively sets out the club/societies planned activities for the entire year, as well as accurate expected income and expenditure figures related to those events, GAC may, at its discretion, take “single activity” to mean that club/society’s annual program of events in its entirety.
Grant Structure
Clubs and societies may apply for funding in the following categories:
• Major event 100+ attendees, e.g. ball, musical, high profile speaker Max funding = $8 per ANU student in attendance
• Minor educational event Small event of a productive nature, e.g. careers fair, foreign language discussion, debate Max funding = $6 per ANU student in attendance
• Minor social event E.g. BBQ, restaurant outing, campaign not directly relevant to ANU students Max funding = $2 per ANU student in attendance
• Capital expenditure Includes T-‐shirts, website establishment, equipment purchase. Will only be funded if the Club or Society can demonstrate that the item(s) will be available for the use and benefit of all members of the society. Max funding = $500 per application, max 1 application per year
• Transportation Includes flight/coach tickets or petrol where Club/Society members plan
17
to travel interstate or overseas Max funding = 50% of cheapest economy class ticket
• Sponsorship bonus See Sponsorship paragraph in Alternative Funding Opportunities
18
Funding Caps
You can claim up to 50% of your expenses for each event, as long as your expected event profit is not more than $200. Should your final profit exceed this In this case, ANUSA is entitled to deduct, from your grant, the value of any profit over $200. In addition, any profits retained must be expended on other events during the year. Over the course of a year (January to December), ANUSA may fund each affiliated Clubs and Society up to an annual funding cap of 9% (or $5000) of the GAC budget.
Payment of Grants
The payment of monetary grants to affiliated Clubs and Societies will be made by a bank transfer of ANUSA’s funds to the bank account of the relevant Club or Society. The trustee presenting the required receipts (up to the value of the agreed grant) must sign a declaration undertaking that the money has been spent in the fashion agreed to by GAC.
19
Funding Prohibitions
Funding applications will not be processed for: i. Events or activities which are not open to the entire ANUSA
membership, or are not open to the entire membership of the Club or Society holding the event or activity. This clause may be waived at the Committee’s discretion for events that, for instance, are designed for specific year groups or are gender specific events;
ii. Events or activities for which the inclusion of the ANUSA logo and other acknowledgement of ANUSA’s support on promotional material is not present;
iii. Expenses incurred at events held by a Club or Society when such expenses are:
a) donations to charities or other external organisations; or b) directly intended to promote a candidate or candidates for any
office or appointment iv. Functions that do not comply with ANU Facilities and Services’ Functions
on Campus Policy; v. Funding for the purchase of alcohol or tobacco; vi. Cash prizes; vii. The purchase of items that become the personal property of Club or
Society members, excluding Club/Society branded clothing; viii. The payment of debts or overdrafts due to mismanagement of Club or
Society finances; ix. Any activity by a Club or Society which is intended to promote, or is in
itself, an illegal activity; x. Any activities (including their promotion) that do not comply with
relevant federal and territory anti-‐discrimination legislation; xi. Any activities that discriminate or harass on the basis of sex, race, age,
marital status, sexuality, religion, or disability; or defame, coerce, intimidate or physically threaten an individual or group;
xii. Any promotional activities that do not comply with ANUSA and University promotion policies;
xiii. Clubs and Societies affiliated with ANU Sport and Recreation; xiv. Functions held at private homes;
20
xv. Clubs and Societies that are not affiliated when the event or activity occurs and/or have been refused affiliation for the period in which the event or activity occurred;
xvi. Affiliation fees to other organisations.
21
Alternative Funding Opportunities Please appreciate that the capacity of ANUSA to fund your Club/Society’s activities is somewhat limited. Alternative sources of assistance are a great way to boost your revenues without having to increase the burden on your members or event attendees.
Profitable Events
Although Clubs and Societies are not for profit entities, you should not be hesitant to run specific events at a profit in order to generate surplus cash to contribute to future loss-‐making events.
You should not forget that students do gain a lot from participation in your activities and are usually more than happy to contribute to the costs incurred by the Club/Society. Often, the economies of scale involved can make it quite easy to generate a profit from an event despite student contributions being relatively small.
Some Clubs and Societies have the capability to run events where external parties are involved, for example invitational tournaments, productions and concerts. Such events are excellent opportunities for generating revenues completely independent of member contributions. Especially where adult guests are involved, Clubs and Societies are encouraged to charge prices which fully reflect the value one receives in attending the event.
Fundraising
Many clubs and societies choose to fundraise in order to fund their activities, through events such as trivia nights, raffles, cake stalls, chocolate drives, etc.
Be careful when selling food on campus; you may not sell food in Union Court or in “close proximity to commercial food outlets”. You must also comply with all relevant food safety regulations. Refer to ANU Facilities and Services’ Functions on Campus Policy for more details.
22
Sponsorship
ANUSA suggests that Clubs and Societies seek sponsorship from external sources, such as the university, local businesses and large professional firms. International groups may like to apply to embassies. In order to encourage this, GAC is currently offering to pay a bonus of 30% of the value of any external (not including from ANU) sponsorship/grant obtained, up to $1000 per year. In our experience, it is easier to acquire physical gifts or in kind contributions (e.g. printing) rather than money – such contributions are often useful as raffle prizes etc. There is also a myriad of government and community grants available to not for profit organisations. This website is a great place to start:
http://www.aph.gov.au/library/intguide/sp/spgrants.htm
Student Productions
Any student group, including those associated with a Hall of Residence or Affiliated College may make an application for a monetary grant for the purpose of staging a production. Such grants will be awarded from a separate Productions Budget, pursuant to regulations set out in Section 4 of Grants and Affiliations Regulations (2006).
Special purpose grants
Any student or group of students may make an application for a monetary grant for a special purpose. This is defined as productions/activities with a deep cultural focus, not encapsulated by Clubs and Societies and excluding those projects undertaken for academic reward.
The award of special purpose grants is pursuant to regulations set out in Section 5 of Grants and Affiliations Regulations (2006).
23
Ancillary Entitlements Printing
You can apply for print/photocopy quota by submitting the form available on the ANUSA website. Privileges are allocated on a needs basis, so Clubs and Societies with newsletters or publications will receive more points than those without.
Clubs and Societies may apply as necessary; however we suggest you apply on a term or semester basis.
Clubs are encouraged to take environmental responsibility for their actions. Double-‐sided photocopying is strongly encouraged!
Room Hire
All rooms on campus are booked by sending an email to [email protected]. You can request a specific room, or ask to find out which rooms are available given the expected number of attendees. There is no charge for affiliate Clubs and Societies.
To book a sporting facility, fill out the online form available at the ANU Sport and Recreation website. The charge varies depending on the venue.
http://www.anusportandrec.com.au/facilities/bookings.html
24
BBQ Hire
BBQs can be hired through the Student Space (Email [email protected]). You can also borrow a BBQ kit from ANUSA, containing BBQ utensils, sauces, serviettes, cups, plastic knives and forks, paper plates, cling wrap and oil spray.
AV Hire
Audio-‐visual equipment is available to hire through the Audio-‐Visual Hire Centre (call 55909 or visit the Space Service Desk, Copland, Bld 24, Rm GO37). This service is not free. ANUSA also has a PA system available for hire at no charge, subject to availability. Please contact the Student Space for bookings.
25
Managing your Finances Banking
All affiliated Clubs and Societies must have a bank account in order to receive a grant. You are free to choose any bank, although we suggest you choose one with a branch on campus: Commonwealth Bank of Australia, National Australia Bank or Service One Members Banking.
In order to open an account, you will require:
• Minutes from a meeting stating: o Full name of the Club/Society o Full names of the trustees, their respective positions and that they
are authorised to operate on the account o Method of operation (one to sign or two to sign to access funds) o Whether you require a cheques book, deposit book and/or debit
cards o That the Club/Society is (or will be) affiliated with ANUSA o That a new bank account is to be opened
• Society’s constitution, containing a mission statement; short term goals; long term goals; and meeting frequency
• An ABN • A completed Authority to Operate on a Business Account form, with the
names and signatures of all trustees (as well as their personal account number if they are a customer of the bank)
• All trustees who do not hold personal accounts with the bank to visit the bank together, with a Australian/NZ drivers licence or passport
You must use ANUSA’s address to open the account:
[Club/Society Name] C/-‐ ANU Students Association Students' Facilities Building 17a Australian National University
ANU Canberra ACT 0200
26
In order to change the authorities on an account, you will require:
• Minutes from a meeting stating: o Full name of the Club/Society o Full names of the trustees, their respective positions and that they
authorised to operate on the account o Method of operation (one to sign or two to sign to access funds)
• A completed Authority to Operate on a Business Account form, with the names and signatures of all trustees (as well as their personal account number if they are a customer of the bank)
• All trustees who do not hold personal accounts with the bank to visit the bank together, with a Australian/NZ drivers licence or passport
• Whether the new trustees require debit cards
Please note the submission of these documents will override any previous documentation. In other words, even if only one trustee changes, the existing two will have to go through this process again.
Be sure to include the account name, BSB and account number on your affiliation forms, as well as the names and contact details of all trustees. We cannot affiliate you without a bank account. If the bank account trustees change, please forward details of changes to GAC within 14 days.
Once you are affiliated, you can use your affiliation letter to have your bank fees waived. If the bank refuses to waive your fees, think about changing banks.
You should ask the bank to set up internet banking, so that you can view and print statements yourself, and reimburse people via internet transfer. Please minimise your use of cash as much as possible, for both security and record-‐keeping reasons. Also try to avoid writing cheques, as you will be charged when they are cashed.
Many banks now offer business debit cards, allowing you to administer your finances without ever needing to reimburse individuals.
If your society has a substantial bank balance (over $1000), you should consider a high interest online savings account. Certain banks have minimum
27
balances for business savings accounts, however others do not. Please discuss this when you meet with GAC to find out the best offers currently available.
Also note that many business accounts have an automatic overdraft facility of around $500. Be aware that withdrawing these funds will make you liable for any interest charged, as well as a monthly fee for use of the facility.
28
Disaffiliation The Grants and Affiliations Committee may disaffiliate any Club or Society which
a) GAC believes has provided it with manifestly false information in order to gain an unfair advantage; or
b) GAC believes, upon inspecting the accounts of the Club or Society, has been financially mismanaged; or
c) repeatedly fails to carry out the directives of GAC, provided that such directives are allowed under these Regulations; or
d) manifestly fails to carry out its obligations under these Regulations. The GAC Chair or her/his nominee must invite a representative of any Club or Society who is being considered for disaffiliation to appear before the Committee prior to any decision being taken. A motion proposing the disaffiliation of a Club or Society must be carried by a two-‐thirds majority of the Committee. The Committee may require the funds and assets of a disaffiliated Club or Society be returned to the Committee, provided that any assets recovered were purchased using funding granted by the Committee. The signatories of the disaffiliated Club’s or Society’s bank account must transfer the required funds and/or assets within 14 days of notice being given to the trustees of the Club or Society by the Chair.
29
Dissolution The GAC Chair or her/his nominee may, in consultation with the Treasurer of ANUSA, recover the funds from the account of any affiliated Club or Society whose account has remained dormant for more than 12 months. The GAC Chair or her/his nominee may, on behalf of the Committee, recover assets from any affiliated Club or Society whose account has remained dormant for more than 12 months, provided that such assets were purchased using funding granted by the Committee.
30
Preferred Suppliers In later editions of this handbook, we hope to include a short listing of ANUSA-‐friendly businesses. If your Club or Society has got a great deal somewhere, or simply received outstanding service from a particular business, we want to know about it! Email the ANUSA Social Officer: [email protected]
31