Resources for Clubs

Getting started & affiliation

If you're thinking about setting up a new club, we'd love to help you!

You just need 6 students (Bendigo or Bundoora) or 4 students (all other campuses/online) to get started! We can help you find new members if you are struggling to reach that!

The first step to get started is to come to our very special "How To Start A Club" Info Session.

The next How To Start A Club Info Sessions will take place  online on the following dates:

• Friday 31 March 3pm - 4pm
• Thursday 13 April 3.30pm - 4.30pm
• Monday 8 May 11.00am - 12.00pm
• Tuesday 13 June 2:00pm - 3:30pm
• Tuesday 11 July 11:00am - 12:30pm

You can book in to come to an upcoming (online) session on our Calendly page start your club journey! If you'd like to reach out first, you can also email us here.

If you are an established club (running for more than 12 months, with an elected Exec) who would like to look into affiliating with the LTU Clubs Program, please email us to discuss the best next steps for you.

Re-affiliation

If you were affiliated with the LTU Clubs Program in 2022 and would like to re-affiliate this year, please email us.

Helpful docs

Clubs Management

Need support? Got a question?

Book in with the Clubs Team either online or in the Bundoora Agora Office at calendly.com/ltuclubs

Drop Ins are now closed until Semester Two.

What happens when?

We support Clubs with stacks of administration and forms - It's always happening in Clubs World! To keep things simple for you, we process certain requests on certain days. Check out what happens when below.

Mondays

• Event Regos are processed
• Reimbursement Payment Run

Tuesdays

• Midweek Market (Bendigo), Week 2, 4, 6, 8, 10 [Semester Two]

Thursdays

• Market Day in The Ag (Bundoora), Week 1 - 10 [Semester Two]
• Invoice Payment Run
• Reimbursement Payment Run

Fridays

• Affiliation and Governance requests are processed
• Finance requests are process
• WBS Reports Distributed (last Friday of month, upon request)

Events

If Clubs are the heart of student experience, club events and activities are absolutely the soul of student life!

Clubs do events and activities of all different types including: Movie Nights, Trivia and Bingo, Dinners and meals, Trips and camps, Balls and parties, Social events, Stalls and promotional activities, Study Groups, Book Clubs, Casual catch ups, Large scale conferences and festivals, networking and professional development activities, Games nights, Workshops and training, Coffee catch ups, Freebie events and giveaway, Cultural and community celebrations, Religious practices and gatherings, Support and wellbeing activities, Food truck events, Tours, Competitions, Live music, Awards, Picnics, lunches, Pool parties, Sports and physical activities, Meetings... And so much more!

Events can be big or small, for everyone or just for a small cohort, casual or very formal. The good news is that we are here to help!

We support you with:

• Room and Venue Bookings on Campus
• Equipment Hire
• Promotions - including MyLaTrobe
• Risk Management advice
• Event advice
• Planning and documentation
• Budgetting, payments and income
• Ticketing
• Vendor communications
• Grant funding
• Insurance and emergencies
• Providing opportunities to be part of wider University events and activities (and pay you for it!)

What you need to do:

• Register your event/activity with us with at least two weeks' notice (four for larger events or with grant requirements)*
• Risk assess all activities and make a plan for reducing risks and for what you will do if something goes wrong
• Appropriately plan and document
• Have fun!

*This includes all events and activities, no matter how big or small.

The Events Rego

All events and activities should be registered with the Clubs Team at least 2 - 4 weeks (depending on the event size) in advance, using the Event Registration Form & Safety Checklist (known as the 'Events Rego'), This vital form (which you can download below) must be completed for all events and activities your club undertakes - including meetings, online activities and small catch ups.

The Events Rego will ask you to detail the:

• General overview of the event, including dates and times
• Budget, including any income or expenditure, as applicable
• Expected attendance
• General risk assessment and safety planning
• Promotions info, as applicable

For most activities and events, we require at least two weeks' notice. For larger scale events, or events which require grant funding, we need at least four weeks.

We also use the Events Rego to track our data and stats, so we can celebrate what Clubs are doing across all campuses, request more funding for you and showcase your activities!

The Events Rego allows you to:

• Book rooms and venues on campus
• Promote your events through MyLaTrobe and other internal promotions
• Risk assess your events
• Access support and guidance
• Have your event or activity covered by University Insurance

We always recommend getting your Rego in as early as possible, so we can help you as much as possible. Even if you're not sure of all the details or haven't got anything locked in - send it through and we can start working with you.

The Events Rego does not have to be perfect and if there are things you're not sure of, fill it in and just note what you are unsure about/don't know. You can also come to a Drop In Session and we can work through the form with you!

We've included some useful docs below to get you started.

OneStop

If you're looking for a quick and simple payment platform, where funds can be deposited straight into your WBS, OneStop is a great option!

It's works well for very simple ticketing, merch and membership payments. You don't have access to a 'back end' but will get an email notification every time someone has signed up/paid, so can keep a track.

To use OneStop, just complete the forms below and email it through to the Clubs Team to get set up!

If you'd like to know more to work out if OneStop is the right option for you, just get in touch!

Finance & Funding

One key way we help clubs achieve their goals is by providing funding!

We have grants for affiliation, attending Uni events, minor/major projects & events and development and training.

Clubs funding sits within the University and comes from your SSAF. When you successfully affiliate, we assign you an account line with a reference code (known as a 'WBS'). This is your main transaction account reference within La Trobe Finance and you should quote your WBS in any request for grants, invoicing, financial or transaction support via the Clubs staff. It is unique to your club and will remain the same for however many years you choose to affiliate with us.

Currently, students do not have access to the WBS system and so we provide you access to it. Treasurers can request a WBS report at any time, to see all the transactions that have gone in and out of your account.

Treasurers should have a budget planned for the whole year and the track all income and expenditure against it. Then when the Treasurer gets the WBS report, they should check it against their own spreadsheets/accounts to ensure it is all correct.

Treasurers have the oversight of all club funding and should always be consulted on purchases, financial decisions and plans. Treasurers should - as much as possible - approve reimbursement requests and submit invoices / payment requests to the Clubs Team. We are here to help - if you need support in managing your clubs funds, just let us know!

Accessing your funding

There are currently three key avenues for accessing and spending your funds:

• Reimbursements
• Invoice, Quotes & Purchase Orders (Purchase to Pay)
• LTU Clubs Team credit card

Details on each option are outlined below - but we know it can get complicated. If in doubt, get in touch with the Clubs Team and we can talk through the best option for you and your club!

Reimbursements

You (or a member of your club) spends money, submits a reimbursement request and the funds are paid into the bank account linked to your Student Online information.  The process looks like this:

• Student spends money and collects a Tax Receipt (not an EFTPOS receipt!)
• The student submits a request for a reimbursement via the Reimbursement Portal
• Two members of the Exec (preferably one being the Treasurer) assesses the request and either approve or reject the request (see Reimbursement 101 [PDF])
• If approved, the reimbursement request is forwarded to Finance who process the payments (on Mondays and Thursdays)
• The student who spent the money receives their reimbursement (it can take up to five working days from the payment date to arrive, depending on the Bank)

It's important to remember that, as the Exec, you have a responsibility to ensure the proper spend of your Clubs Funds and to check that all claims are legitimate... especially the evidence! Read through the Reimbursement 101 [PDF] handbook so you know what to look out for.

Tips for processing requests

The Club Exec will receive an email notifying them that a reimbursement has been claimed against their Club. Two Exec must then approve the request for it to be sent to Finance to be processed.

If you're assessing the request, you should check the following:

• Has the Treasurer confirmed there are the funds to pay the request?
• Does the claim relate to a club event, project or activity? If so, has the event been registered with the Clubs Team?
• Does the $ amount claim match the receipts?
• Have they included a proper Tax Invoice or Receipt for proof of purchase?

If the answer to any of the above is No or you are unsure, the Exec should reject the request and contact the student directly - they can always submit again. If there are issues, the Clubs team can help at this stage!

If everything is fine and dandy, the Exec should click ‘Approve’ and the reimbursement will be paid!

Invoices

Top tip: Invoices should be addressed to 'Club Name c/o La Trobe University'

This is a more formal process but is a very normal business "procurement" practice. It can seem a bit daunting and complicated at first, but it's pretty straightforward once you get the hang of it. This is the best option for payment as money goes directly from your WBS to the Vendor and no students are out of pocket.

The important thing to remember is it can take a bit of time - so the more notice the Clubs Team have, the more we can help you!  The steps are:

• Treasurer submits the invoice to the Clubs Team
• The Clubs Team processes the invoice and sends to Accounts Payable*
• Accounts Payable pay the invoice as per their terms with the Vendor.

Invoices can take 2-8 weeks to be paid, depending on the $$$ amount and the vendor (the organisation who you are working with).

If you are spending over $5,000 or the vendor will be used more than once a year (by your club, other clubs and/or University staff), they must be be set up as a formal vendor on the University's Finance systems.

If you are spending less than $5,000 and they'll only be used once a year or less, we process it as a one-off invoice. When you submit the invoice to be paid, let us know if you think it is a 'formal vendor' or 'one-off payment' situation. It's okay if you're not sure. We will also check on the system to see if they are already set up with the Uni.

Invoice Top Tips

Invoices must:

• be addressed to 'Club Name c/o La Trobe University'
• include an ABN*, Invoice Number and Invoice Date Include Banking Details (BSB, Account Number, Account Name)
• Detail GST (as relevant)

*If the Vendor does not have an ABN, they will need to supply a "Statement of Supplier" which details why they don't have an ABN. We can help with this!

We also need the contact details of the Vendor (Address, Email, Phone). If this isn't included in the Invoice, please add it in to your request email.

Invoices are paid on Thursdays. It can take 2-8 weeks to process and pay them, so get them in early!

If you have a short turnaround or need something paid asap, you can submit a 'Fast Track' request. Depending on the circumstances, we may be able to facilitate a quicker turnaround on payment. To do this, write in your Subject Line: "Invoice Fast Track Request. Payment Due - DATE". We won't always be able to get it across the line, but we'll work with you, the Accounts Payable Team, and the Vendor to facilitate payment/purchase.

Again, we're here to help and support you - so always just get in touch! We're happy to support you in communicating with the vendor.

Credit Card

We know sometimes emergencies come up, or certain payments can only be made with a credit card, so we have one especially for clubs. Just get in touch and we can facilitate making the purchase on your behalf. Please submit requests via email with the Subject Line "Clubs Payment Card Request - Due Date DATE". As standard, we process payments on Fridays, but can occasionally support out-of-timeline payments, if you're in real strife.

Prizes

A lot of clubs like to offer vouchers as gifts and prizes! While you can pick your own preferred gift card provider, we have an account with Prezzee which allows you to send a digital gift card to your giftee and they can choose which retailers/brands they wish to spend it at. The Treasurer just needs to contact the Clubs Team with the details of the gift cards required and we can sort that for you.

Training for Club Execs

As the LTU Clubs Program started in March '22, we're still working on developing our training and guidance for Club Execs.

In the mean time, we've partnered with the Student Experience Network to provide you with intro level guidance on how to undertake your roles and support the governance of your club. We will also offer training sessions throughout the semester - keep your eyes on your Club Email for updates and invites!

Exec roles

Running Your Club | Videos

Running Your Club | Guides & worksheets