Resources for Clubs
Clubs are the heart of University life and the LTU Clubs Team are here to help you be the best you can be! Read below for our top tips and handy hints for managing your club and get in touch to find out more.
Getting started & affiliation
If you're thinking about setting up a new club or an existing club looking to affiliate, the first step is to chat with the Clubs Team so we can get to know you and talk you through the process.
You can book in a meeting through our Calendly to start your club journey! If you'd like to reach out first, you can also email us here.
To fully affiliate, or just to register your club's initial interest, you can use this registration form.
Affiliation requirements
To affiliate with us, you'll need:
- A club email address
- A club Constitution and at least four Executive Members (usually President, Treasurer, Secretary and Vice President)
- AGM or IGM minutes from the past 12 months
- At least 10 student members and a membership list
- An Activity and Succession Planner
You'll be asked to submit all of the above when you register. If you haven't got everything ready, it's still worth completing the form as much as you can and then we can support you to finish affiliation when you're ready.
We've created some handy templates (below) just in case you don't have the documents on file already. You can also check out the LTU Club Regs to understand governance of the program.
Helpful docs
Clubs Management
Events
Events and activities are the lifeblood of clubs and we love to see everything you do!
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 (we call it the Events Rego). Just download and email it to us. Even if you only have an inkling of an idea and it's not fully planned out, it's best to register your activity early and fill us in later when you know more.
We can help you with planning, budgeting, risk assessment, booking spaces & venues on campus, and more, so just get in touch if you need help.
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 projects & events (up to $1,500), major projects & events (up to $5,000) and development and training.
Club funding
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.
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!
Purchase to Pay / Invoice
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. 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!
At the heart of it, the Treasurer submits an invoice to the Clubs Team and the Accounts Payable team in LTU Finance pay it for you. But there is a little more to it than that.
The first thing we need to check is if the vendor you're working with (in procurement terms we call it an "engagement") is formally on the system. You should email the Clubs Team with the details of your intended purchase/vendor ("engagement") and we can check if they are on the system (we usually just need the ABN and Company Name). You might also need to check with the vendor if they accept payment via invoice; most do, but some may not.
Vendor On The System
If they are, you should pay via Purchase Order.
In these cases, you submit a quote (or sometimes an invoice) to the Clubs Team and we submit a 'Payment Request' to the Procurement team in LTU Finance. They process it and send through a Purchase Order reference, which you provide to the vendor. Once you've completed your engagement with the vendor, they submit their invoice (if they haven't sent it though already) and LTU Finance match it to the Purchase Order. It then gets paid in line with their prior agreement with the University (usually 30 days after the end of the month the invoice is dated).
Vendor Isn't On The System
If the Vendor isn't on the system, we need to check if they should be! Vendors should be formally set up if:
- you are going to work with (or 'engage') them more than once a year; and/or
- the cost is over $5,000
If they don't need to be set up on the system, the Treasurer should submit the invoice to the Clubs Team and ask it to be paid "as a One-Off Payment". We will then submit it to the Accounts Payable Team who will schedule it for payment. It usually takes 2 - 4 weeks for invoices to be paid.
If they do need to be set up on the system, the Clubs Team can request this on your behalf. We'll need the Company Name, ABN, Email and Contact Number of the vendor, which we submit to the Procurement Team. The vendor receives a form to complete, which they send back to Procurement who pop them on the system. From there, we can either submit your invoice for payment or pay via purchase order. If you'd like the Clubs Team to speak with the vendor directly to explain the process, just let us know. We're always happy to help.
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.
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!