Running Your Club.
QPay:
Qpay is your very own purpose-built online platform for University Societies which allows your club to track memberships, payments, events and merchandise all in one single place.
When you affiliate with LUSA, you will be asked to set up your QPay account which will give you access to a range of features that help with running your club. In order to affiliate, you will need to provide:
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Contact details for your Exec
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An asset register
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A members list
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A signed copy of the LUSA Clubs & Societies Constitution and Code of Conduct
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Whether you intend to have a membership fee
Once affiliated, you will need to set up your membership form to allow other students to join your club! You can choose whether to charge a fee for memberships (recommended) which will be collected via a secure online payment portal within QPay and paid directly into your club bank account.
From here on out, QPay is your one-stop shop for managing members, sending out communications, organising paid and free events, selling merchandise, applying for grants, reimbursements and more. If you have any questions or need assistance with QPay, please contact clubs@lusa.org.nz.
Remaining Affiliated with LUSA:
Affiliation
Clubs must re-affiliate annually, affiliation expires in October every year.
Re-affiliation will also be necessary anytime there is a change to the Club's Constitution or Executive.
A club must have at least 10 members, with at least 75% being Lincoln University students. At the very least, your first ten members must be LU students.
Behaviour
Clubs and Club Members shall act in a manner that does not bring LUSA or Lincoln University into disrepute. Lincoln University and/or LUSA may take disciplinary action if required.
Clubs should always act respectfully toward other clubs. However, a little banter is acceptable, because you should be fighting it out to be the best club on campus.
Food & Alcohol
Grant funds are not to be used for alcohol without permission of the LUSA President/ Association Manager.
LUSA can assist with booking catering from a range of external suppliers.
No alcohol shall be brought onto, or consumed at any club meeting, event, or activity on campus unless arranged previously by Lincoln Hospitality Ltd.
Finances
You can't let your Club get into debt.
LUSA will only pay invoices for clubs with prior permission.
Grant Funds may only be used for the purpose requested in the Application Form. LUSA reserves the right not to reimburse clubs for purchases outside the intended use.
Any assets purchased with grant funds remain the property of LUSA. Any unused grant funds must be returned to LUSA at the end of the year.
The Rules
LUSA Clubs will abide by their constitution, LUSA and Lincoln University Policy. Clubs must follow New Zealand Laws too.
Clubs must be democratically run.
Open Grants
Wicked events and activities cost money, and we know from our experience of benders and bargains that students often don’t have much. We get that, so every year LUSA puts aside some money for club grants.
The purpose is to aid club activities by giving them the financial support needed to grow and succeed.
You can apply for grants to support a particular project, such as purchasing equipment or running a trip. As the grant money is limited, it is important that clubs put a lot of thought into their application and seek outside funding when possible.
Applications
Submit your grant application for any future event, activity or item, during term time.
Allow up to three weeks processing time before receiving the money.
Club Executives
Your club exec or committee is our first port of call to help your club be the best. The executive team drives the direction of the club, has a good relationship with LUSA, and work to deliver what makes your club amazing.
Some clubs will have a big executive, and some a bit smaller. At the very least it should be made up of at least a President, Secretary and Treasurer.
Everyone in your executive should drive the Club, not just one person!
Marketing Your Club & Activities
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Put your club on Social Media to bring some fun and easy interaction to your members and potential members
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Put your club in RAM. Write and send photos through of your activities, excursions, events etc and get your club noticed
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Run an event soon after the Clubs Market, and keep them up
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Create a club culture so that your reputation sells your club
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Regular events, social functions, and executive meetings
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Get the word out there by putting posters around campus
Considering a Membership Fee?
LUSA encourage all clubs to seriously consider a membership fee. This helps you out, as it provides some funds to kick-start your activities for the year. It also helps keep you on-track as your members will be expecting something from the club. We like it because we get a really good idea of how many people are involved, and what's popular.
In exchange for joining and paying the fee, there might be discounted event tickets, apparel, or some other sweet benefits. Some Clubs have been doing this for a while, and it tends to work a treat.
Money Stuff
LUSA has a special bank account set up just for clubs. For reporting purposes, all club activities must be transparent, including the use of grant money! All receipts and invoices should be kept in a folder or online, ready to hand on.
Using the LUSA bank account:
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Ensures continued access to the club funds from one year to the next once it is re-affiliated
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Safeguards the clubs funds by introducing a measure of internal control, saving the club committee from awkward questions
Deposits
Sometimes you might need to deposit cash into your club account, from events, membership fees, You can bring it into LUSA to deposit it into your club account, and you’ll get a receipt to keep track.
Withdrawals
Complete a Reimbursement Form
All receipts must be provided.