Societies
#NSUIJOINEDIT
Welcome!
YOUR NSU
Societies
HANDBOOK
Table of Contents New at the NSU
6
Your Committee
9
Getting Started
10
Your Accounts
11
Grants and Bursaries
12
Democracy & Handover
13
Events Trips and Socials
14
Student Committee
15
Staff Contacts
16
3
Welcome!
NSU’s Mission 2015-16
I’m Laura, your Vice President of Activities. I help to support societies and other student led activities within the Students’ Union. This handbook contains everything you need to know about setting up and running your own NSU Society. Please read it and then keep as a reference to use throughout the year. Of course, being on a society committee is a lot more than just using a handbook; you’ll have the opportunity to develop new skills, attend training and have lots of fun. Perhaps most importantly though, you will make a real difference in the lives of so many students. Together we can make 2015-16 the BEST year yet for societies. Your hard work and dedication is valued by all of us here at NSU, without you as a volunteer, societies would not happen. I wish your society great success and I look forward to working with you. Contact me at any time: laura4.charlton@northumbria.ac.uk
best regards, Laura Charlton
VP Activities @NSUActivities1
4
‘To have a positive impact on the lives of all our Students’ CONGRATULATIONS You are now part of Northumbria Students’ Union as a leader of a society! Societies are run BY students FOR students. As a volunteer we hope you take on our mission with everything you do, we’re all about having a great time. It can be hard work at times but.... THE MORE YOU PUT IN THE MORE YOU WILL GET OUT.
5
New at the NSU Adopt a Charity Working this year with NSU/Rag, your society can adopt a charity that you want to support. We help be looking after donations through the Students’ Union’s Virgin Money Giving page. For more information check our Society Resources online. Rewards & Recognition For those who log over 10 hours, you’ll get a certificate. Plus there’s an end of the year trip to a theme park every year for you. There will also be a prize draw for those who’ve logged over 10 hours – you can win vouchers, a t-shirt or even a hoodie. Any Society or Project will be eligible for a monthly prize of £300 to recognise their achievements. Each year we run the NSU/Activities Awards and Annual Awards recognising achievements, but there will also be the Education Awards this year. The Society Recognition Scheme can get your society cash rewards by recognising what you do. There’s Bronze, Silver and Gold to aim for, with more money the higher you get! For more info check the website. Higher Education Achievement Report (HEAR) By attending training and logging your hours, you can have your volunteering role recognised on your degree transcript. This is really important to boost your employability.
6
7
Your Committee Every society has 3 roles of President, Secretary & Treasurer. Here’s a quick reminder of what they’re broadly responsible for: President Leads the Society Chairs all meetinsgs and AGM Sets the agenda for committee meetings Overall reponsibility of the society Secretary Contacts new members and gets them involved Keeps a record of all members securely Promotion, communication & room bookings Completes all health and safety forms Takes notes/minutes in committee meetings and AGM Treasurer All Monies going in or out of the society accounts Applies for SU Grants Sets budgets for events Ensures society accounts are not overdrawn As a committee you are responsible for:
• • • • •
Planning and delivering events and activities Looking after members during activities Marketing and promoting your society Having over 10 paid members and being financially viable Ensuring your society is open to all Northumbria Students
Don’t Forget! You can have additional committee roles, such as: Vice-President, Events Coordinator, Head of Brand etc. But you must do this at an AGM or EGM. (see page 11) 8
9
Getting Started Members & Membership FULL MEMBERS of a society are current Northumbria University students. They are eligible to stand for committee positions and vote in committee elections. ASSOCIATE MEMBERS are able to join in all society activities but cannot stand for committee positions or vote in committee elections. Associate members can be any of the following: • Staff of Northumbria Students’ Union or Northumbria University • Graduates of Northumbria (up to 2 years after graduating) • Lifetime members of Northumbria Students’ Union • Students from another further education institution e.g. Newcastle College • Students from another higher education institution if over 18 years old e.g. Newcastle University Top Tips 1. Look after your members - keep them entertained with socials as well as your regular activities. 2. Keep in contact - use social media to keep in contact with members, and read your e-mails from NSU! 3. Say hello to members straight away – the latest list of members will be e-mailed to the President and Secretary every week.
Your Accounts Each society has 2 accounts that are looked after by the NSU finance department. The President and Treasurer will get a weekly e-mail about how much money the society has. Deposit Account • All membership fee money is paid into this account • Any sponsorship or fundraising money goes here • The balance rolls over each year from this account • You can spend the money on anything you like (within NSU policy) Grant Account • NSU grant money only is paid into this account • Each grant has its own deadline, any money not reclaimed will be put back into the NSU societies pot and cleared at the end of the year. • Must be spent on items/expenditure it was requested for. Access to funds is usually done via a ‘retrospective refund’ system. Society members spend their own money, keep the receipts and then claim the money back through the following: Petty cash – Up to £100 can be claimed back in this way and is refunded ASAP on weekdays between 9am and 5pm. Cheque Request – For amounts over £101 a cheque will be made to refund the volunteer, please allow 5-7 days. If money needs to be paid to a company directly please talk to NSU staff members, e.g. venue hire, expensive items.
4. Get feedback from members and listen to their ideas. 5. Ask the NSU staff questions, we’re here to support you. We have put all the resources you could possibly need online to make things as easy as possible. Including: Finance, Trips, Marketing, Elections and Safety. You can find them all here: http://www.mynsu.co.uk/getinvolved/societies/societyresources/ 10
If you have the money in your society account and are unable to pay out of your own money please get in touch with us. DON’T PAY £100’s OUT OF YOUR OWN MONEY.
11
Staying Safe with Money Societies are NOT allowed to use personal bank accounts to pay in or hold society funds. Ticketed events must be paid into society accounts, even if it’s a joint event with another University society shared profits can be transferred later. Cash should NEVER be taken away from the building. Give it to the finance department before 5pm or the duty bar manager if after 5pm (Habita).
Grants AMOUNT
DEADLINE
PURPOSE
Start Up Grant
£50
2 Months (from an
For new Societies to spend
agreed date)
£1 per member
31st May
Membership Bonus – now £1 Purpose ‘For every member who joins your society, you get £1 into your deposit account from us!’
Fair Grant
£20
4 Weeks after fair
When your society attends a fair in the SU we’ll let you claim back £20 on us for decorations and promotional materials
Termly Grant
Any
Oct Round – End of Jan
You’ll receive an e-mail about this closer to the time, we have a pot of money that you make an application for. This can be for anything to support your society. We will run drop in sessions to help you out and this money is decided by the Societies Leadership Committee.
Feb Round – End of May
Your Treasurer and President should work together on creating Society Grant applications – make it creative and get members feedback to help. Membership Fee Societies can charge a membership fee anything from £1 upwards in order to help cover the cost of activities, however make sure it’s still affordable. The average cost is £3. The committee set the fee each year. If it needs to be changed the society must hold an EGM and vote on the change. 12
• At the Welcome Desk in the Students’ Union • At the Coach Lane Welcome Desk or at the Shop • In person at the Societies and Volunteering Fairs • Online at our website (50p admin charge) mynsu.
http://www.mynsu.co.uk/getinvolved/societies/
Democracy
TYPE OF GRANT
Membership Bonus
How to Pay
Unless you are a new society you will have been elected through an AGM. It’s part of our democratic process to make sure that Societies are student led. Here’s a quick guide, but you can find full guidelines online under volunteer resources. AGM – Annual General Meeting In March every year, your committee must run an AGM for the next leaders of the society. You must give 2 weeks’ notice to all of the society’s members and return all forms to NSU. The AGM should cover a report from the committee including finances and then the election of the new committee. EGM - Emergency General Meeting If a member of your committee steps down before the AGM, the society needs to hold an EGM to replace the committee member and fill the role. This would work very similarly to an AGM. All societies must complete a Society Constitution. This includes the Activities Health and Safety Policy, NSU’s expectations and the Society aims and objectives. Handover When a new leadership committee is elected, make sure that a handover is provided. There is a handover toolkit that is available online to help you to do this. Having a good handover helps the society succeed. Between the new and outgoing committee a handover ‘phase’ must be agreed, to determine when the new committee comes into effect. 13
Students Supporting YOU!
Events, Trips & Socials We want you to have the best time possible and have regular trips, events and socials to make sure your members are getting the most out of the society. To make sure everyone can take part and do it safely, societies must follow our Risk Assessments and Trip Packs guidelines. These resources can be found on the Union’s website. Here are some ideas of events to run: Bowling / Scavenger Hunts / Fancy Dress / Team Challenges / Guest Speakers Group Fundraisers for Charity (e.g. Fun Runs) / Film Nights / Picnics
Societies Leadership Committee The Societies Leadership Committee are here to represent you and work as your mentors. They will be one of your first points of contact for advice. They lead on grant applications and decide how much grant money is allocated. They also help to organise regular events and catch-ups throughout the year offering advice and tips on how to run your society. The committee is made up of current Northumbria University Students who are or have been a committee member of a society.
What to do in an Emergency We have a set out an ‘In Case of Emergency’ procedure that should be followed at all times. Committee members are responsible for members during society activities. If no committee members are present then members should be aware of procedure. Daniel Ashmore
Committee Coordinator
In an Emergency please call:
Alicia Obafemi
Radha Sharma
Events and Promotions Coordinator
Finance and Resources Coordinator
Ryan Bush
Beth O’Doherty
Jack Watts
Graphic Designer
Available Everyday from 5pm onwards Security
0191 227 3999
Available Monday – Friday, 9am until 5pm
0191 227 4210
Societies Coordinator
0191 227 4796
Societies and Student Media Co-ordinator
0191 227 4757
Welcome Desk Tally Kerr
Societies Mentor
Activities with a ‘high risk’ factor should have a trained first aider present or be taking place at an approved centre.
14
Societies Mentor
Societies Mentor
Kenji Alesinloye Societies Mentor
If you are interested in being part of the Societies’ Leadership Committee please contact SU.Societies@northumbria.ac.uk
15
Staff Contacts
Staff Contacts
Student Activities
Finance Team
Laura Charlton
Vice President Activities Elected by students to oversee the activities of the SU laura4.charlton@northumbria.ac.uk
John Pinkney
Societies Coordinator Aiding societies to run events, trips and various activities John.Pinkney@northumbria.ac.uk
Joan Gilmour Finance Assistant
Lynne Pace
Finance Assistant
Deb Telford
Finance Assistant
Coach Lane
James Dix
Societies and Student Media Coordinator Supporting Societies and providing media opportunities J.Dix@northumbria.ac.uk
Paddy Rathbone
Student Activities Manager Looks after all activities including societies. Paddy.Rathbone@northumbria.ac.uk
David Jewell
Welcome Desk Manager Confirming room bookings and access to activities store. You can also ask the Info and Welcome Desk staff for help.
16
Chrissy Watt
Student Engagement Managerr
Brian Grey
Coach Lane Shop
Kath Collins
Coach Lane CafĂŠ
Coach Lane Buses You can take you and your whole society to Coach Lane on the number 1 bus service absolutely free with your Student Card. You can use this service everyday between 7am and 10:15pm. Northumbria’s four designated stops are the Civic Centre, the corner of Sandyford Road and Portland Terrace, the junction of Portland Road and Warwick Street and the Warwick Street/Stadium stop. 17
www.mynsu.co.uk MYNSU
@NorthumbriaSU
@NorthumbriaStudentsUnion