COMMUNITY

What has interested you in starting your Club/Society? Are you looking to bring together students interested in astrology, saving the Tasmanian Devil, or setting up a Korfball Club? The first step is to decide the aim of your club/society and what you hope to achieve.

To start a Club/Society, you need to have at least four other people (five including yourself) who are interested in becoming members. These individuals must be currently enrolled UTAS students. They can be your friends, classmates, or even fellow residents in your accommodation.

We recommend aiming for a minimum of 10 current UTAS students as members. This will make you eligible to apply for funding grants from the TUSA for organizing events and activities. It is important to keep a record of the interested individuals by noting their names, student ID numbers, or, if they are non-UTAS students, their associate status and email addresses in a document. This will demonstrate to the TUSA that you have potential members ready to join.

To help you with this, you can use our template by clicking here.

Each Club/Society is led by an executive team consisting of the following roles:

• President
• Secretary
• Treasurer

These roles are responsible for providing leadership and guidance to the Club/Society throughout the academic year. When setting up a new Club/Society, you have the flexibility to choose who will fill these positions.

As a group, discuss and decide who will take on each role. If needed, you can consult with the TUSA for assistance in understanding the responsibilities associated with each position. Additionally, you can opt to include additional positions such as Vice President, Activities Officer, or Education Officer if you believe they would be beneficial for running your Club/Society. Once you have determined who will fill these positions, use the club affiliation form on Qpay to submit the relevant information to the TUSA Clubs & Societies team.

At the end of the academic year, the executive team will be internally elected during your Annual General Meeting (AGM).

The Clubs and Societies Officer, Ingrid, is a dedicated staff member of TUSA who is available to support and facilitate the growth and development of all Clubs and Societies.

Ingrid will assist you in reviewing your constitution, which is the next step in the process. She is also there to address any inquiries you may have regarding committee roles and guide you through the process of becoming an official TUSA Club/Society. To get in touch with her, please send an email to Clubs@TUSA.utas.edu.au to arrange a meeting, either in person or via Zoom. Prior to the meeting, it would be helpful to compile a list of all the questions you may have for her.

To become an official TUSA Club/Society, you are required to write a constitution. The constitution serves as a document that outlines your aims and objectives while governing the operations of the Club/Society. After drafting the constitution, it is recommended to send it back to Ingrid, the Clubs and Societies Officer, for review. She can provide advice and suggestions if needed before it undergoes the approval process.

Once the constitution is finalized, your Executive team needs to hold a meeting to approve or adopt the new constitution. During this meeting, it is important to record the names of the new executive members. You can utilize the TUSA minute template to assist you with this task.

Afterward, you should submit the final version of the constitution, along with the membership list and a copy of your minutes, to Ingrid. She will then forward it to the TUSA Executive Committee for approval.

Hold your Inaugural General Meeting (IGM) to elect your office bearers, adopt your constitution, and determine the signatories for your bank account. You can refer to the Meeting Flow Chart. for guidance on the meeting process.

To complete the affiliation process, you need to register for QPay and submit the necessary affiliation paperwork. This includes your constitution, Affiliation/Re-affiliation Committee Information form, Inaugural General Meeting minutes, and Membership List. You can use QPay to lodge these documents.

To get started with QPay, you can find helpful information and resources on their platform. Additionally, they may offer upcoming training sessions to assist you further in navigating the registration process.

Register with QPay.

Every Club/Society is required to have an Australian Business Number (ABN) to facilitate payments from the TUSA. To register and obtain an ABN, you can find specific instructions on how to apply by clicking here.

During the application process, it is important to list the TUSA Clubs and Societies Officer as the authorized contact person. Additionally, the executive member who is filling out the application should provide their details as the Office Bearer of the Club/Society. This ensures proper identification and communication channels between the TUSA and your Club/Society.

Your Club/Society will need to set up a Commonwealth Bank account in the name of your Club or Society. This is where all the money from membership fees and any funds saved or received by the Club/Society will be deposited. To set up a Commonwealth Bank account for your Club/Society, please follow these steps:

1. Collect an “Authority to Operate a Business Account” (A153) form from the Commonwealth Bank branch located at the university.
2. The Clubs and Societies Officer (SSO) is required to write a letter supporting the account setup and sign the A153 form.
3. Choose at least two executive members to be signatories on the bank account, including the President and Treasurer.
4. Fill in the details of the signatories and ensure all necessary signatures are obtained on the A153 form and bank letter. All signatories must visit the bank together and present their identification.
5. The A153 form must also include the Clubs and Societies Officer as an authorized person to open and close the bank account. This is important in the event of disaffiliation, as the funds in the account belong to the TUSA.

Use the TUSA postal address when corresponding with the bank:

• For Hobart-based clubs: TUSA Club/Society name, Tasmanian University Student Association Inc., P.O. Box 5055, University of Tasmania, LPO SANDY BAY TAS 7005
• For Launceston/Cradle Coast/Rozelle-based clubs: TUSA Club/Society name, Tasmanian University Student Association Inc., Locked Bag 1333, LAUNCESTON TAS 7250

Do not send bank statements to private addresses, as it can cause complications during executive member handover. Instead, collect bank statements from the pigeon holes provided for Clubs and Societies. In Hobart, the pigeon holes are located near the elevators in the TUSA Building in Sandy Bay. In Launceston, they are upstairs in the TUSA Building in Newnham.

Once you have submitted the appropriate letter from the Clubs and Societies Officer, your Club/Society will be exempt from monthly bank account keeping fees at the university branch of the Commonwealth Bank.

If you require assistance with setting up your Club/Society, please reach out to the Clubs and Societies Officer for support.

Your Club/Society is approved, and everything is set up; you are ready to go! This is an incredibly exciting time, and we understand that it can also be a bit daunting and overwhelming.

The TUSA is here to support you, so if you have any concerns, don’t hesitate to reach out to your Clubs and Societies Officer or the Student Experience President (North/South).

Email Address – Are you going to have a generic email address for your Club/Society? For example, savethedevilTUSA@gmail.com. Having a specific email address for your Club/Society can be very useful as it doesn’t clog your UTAS account and increases your professionalism. You can easily set one up with multiple providers, and we recommend using a Google account so you can utilize Google Drive for file sharing and saving committee documents, etc.

*TIP – Make sure to take note of the email and use a password that you can share with your committee.

Create a Logo – If you have a knack for design or have a friend who does, it’s a good idea to have a logo for your Club/Society. There are also many online platforms, like Canva, that can assist you in the design process. Remember to adhere to the UTAS brand guidelines when creating your logo. If you need any advice or want to have your logo checked, please email the Clubs and Societies Officer at Ingrid.Lagerewskij@utas.edu.au.

Set Up Your Social Media Accounts – Social media is a great way to raise awareness about the existence of your Club/Society and to communicate with your members. Will you use Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter? Determine which options are best suited for your Club/Society.

Facebook offers the ‘Facebook Blueprint,’ which guides you through everything you need to know across the Facebook suite (Facebook, Messenger, Instagram) and helps you become an expert.

*TIP – Remember, your social media accounts reflect on your Club/Society and you, so be smart and consistent with what and how you post.

Signing Up Members – It’s important to have a way to maintain a membership list. We have a handy membership list template to assist you.

*TIP – Keeping your membership list up to date is crucial, so make sure you stay on top of it. You will be required to provide it to the TUSA for insurance purposes.

Arrange Your First Event – It’s time to plan your first meeting or welcome event to let people know that your Club/Society now exists. This could be a sausage sizzle on campus, a guest lecturer, a pizza party, or any event that aligns with the nature of your club/society.

*TIP – Give yourself enough time to plan your first activity/event/meeting. You want it to be great, as it will be the first impression your new members have of your Club/Society. We know you’re excited, but don’t rush into it too quickly. Check out our guide on running an event for everything you need to consider.

If you have any questions or need assistance, please reach out to the Clubs and Societies Officer, Ingrid, at 62262854 or Clubs@TUSA.utas.edu.au.