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This page answers some of the most common questions you might have when filling out your society's budget form. If you can't find the answer you're looking for, please contact the Student Activities & Development Officer.

On this page:

1. A account
1. What is the A account?
2. Why must we submit a budget form for our A account?
3. What should not be included in this budget?
4. Why must we submit this form electronically and in hard copy?
5. Why must we submit this form before the summer?
6. When do we need to spend our A and B account by?
7. How much will the Union contribute to each society?
2. Membership
1. Why should we elect next year's Committee now?
2. Why should the new Committee be involved with writing the budget form?
3. Can lifetime members join the society / be part of the committee?
4. Can students on a placement year join the society / be part of the committee?
3. Fees and Income
1. Why must we charge a membership fee?
2. Why should we charge above the minimum membership fee?
3. How can we realistically estimate the number of members we will gain?
4. Who needs to pay membership fees?
5. What if we want some of the membership fees to go into our B account?
6. Why is the minimum membership fee different for those using alot of transport?
7. What kinds of other income are there?
4. B Account
1. What is the B account?
2. Why can't we have our own account in a normal bank?
3. When do we need to spend our A and B account by?
5. Expenditure
1. What categories of expenditure are there?
2. What if we want to spend money on something that we don't put in this budget?
6. Transport
1. How much does it cost to hire a minibus?
2. How much should we contribute towards transport?
3. What about petrol?
7. Events
1. Why can't event expenditure go into this budget?
2. How do i organise a budget for an event?
8. What Next?
1. When will we know how much the Union is contributing?
2. Whats the next step?

A ACCOUNT

What is the A account?

Every society has an individual A account that membership fees, Society contribution and Union contribution are paid into. In order to comply with the Education Act 1994 this money can only be used to fund core activities of the society, this includes things such as: facility hire, transport, equipment, maintenance, affiliations, insurance, printing and administration, licenses, conferences and Societies Carnival.

Why must we submit a budget form for our A account?

The A account can only be spent on things that are approved by the Union and deemed to be core society activity, hence the need to forecast your expenditure for the next academic year.

What should not be included in this budget?

Anything that is not core to the functioning of the society. Most other things like social kit and social events can come from your B account.

Why must we submit this form electronically and in hard copy?

The hard copy allows the President and Treasurer to sign the form and we can keep it in our records. The electronic copy means that the form can be easily altered if needs be, and makes the process much more efficient.

Why must we submit this form before the summer?

This allows the new Committee to be involved, it allows time for any uncertainties to be clarified and it allows time for the Student Activities Officer to allocate grants over the Summer. Every Society will meet with the Student Activities Officer at the start of the next academic year and will know exactly what they have to spend over the year.

When do we need to spend our A and B account by?

The A account is allocated for use by the society during that academic year. Any monies which are not spent by the end of the academic year are cleared and the account is zeroed. The B account will roll over to the next academic year.

How much will the Union contribute to each society?

The Union will not contribute more than the society is contributing except in extreme circumstances. i.e. if your society contribution is £100 and you ask the Union for £300 then you need to re-think your membership fees and society contribution. The Union tries to 'match-fund' each society within reason, as there is a limited amount that we have to contribute to all societies. The Union will only contribute towards expenditure that we deem to be in your societies interest, anything that is not we will remove from this budget.

MEMBERSHIP

Why should we elect next year's Committee now?

Electing a new Committee before the Summer allows time for a handover to be given from the current Committee. The new Committee can then be involved in the budgeting process and will have the Summer to communicate with the Student Activities Officer and prepare for Freshers Fyare.

Why should the new Committee be involved with writing the budget form?

Every Committee will want to achieve different things within the Society and so it is essential that everything the new Committee want to achieve in the next academic year is included in the budget, otherwise they will not have any help in funding it.

Can lifetime members join the society / be part of the committee?

Lifetime members of the Union can join the society but only as Associate members, which means they cannot be on the Committee and are not entitled to vote.

Can students on a placement year join the society / be part of the committee?

Students on a placement year are still deemed to be members of nus and therefore members of the Union. Therefore they can still be on the Committee.

FEES AND INCOME

Why must we charge a membership fee?

The membership charge covers all administration costs and insurance costs for the society and the individual.

Why should we charge above the minimum membership fee?

We have kept the minimum fee low at £3/£5 for those societies that do not have any high costs. For those societies that do have a high expenditure it is recommended that you increase your membership fee to ensure your society contribution matches the amount you are asking the Union to contribute. The easiest way of doing this is to increase the membership fee, and highlight to the members what they will get from being a member. It makes it infinitely easier for the Committee and the Union as chasing up money each week can be very time-consuming. It is fair enough to have transport income as separate income as not every member will be going on every trip. However for those expenses that will benefit the whole society it is easier to increase the membership fee at the start than ask for contributions for every expense which is harder than it sounds.

How can we realistically estimate the number of members we will gain?

You can get figures from previous years from your Student Activities Officer and the finance office. Trends in membership numbers can then be seen and you will be able to make a realistic estimation.

Who needs to pay membership fees?

Every student that wishes to partake in your society activities need to become a member by paying their membership fee and completing the membership form. Their membership fees only entitle them to be a member for that academic year, and they must therefore join every year. Staff and lifetime members of the Union can join the society but only as Associate members, which means they cannot be on the Committee and are not entitled to vote.

What if we want some of the membership fees to go into our B account?

If you would like to increase your membership fee for some of it to go into your B account that is fine, but do not include it in this budget as this if for A account only. The fee that you put in this budget must go into you A account for the budget to run as approved. You can increase your membership fee at Freshers Fayre above what you put on this budget, please distinguish the difference when paying it into the cash office.

Why is the minimum membership fee different for those using alot of transport?

Transport is one of the most expensive things that societies do, and so by increasing the minimum membership fee to £5 we are trying to increase the Societies initial income and therefore the likelihood of their trips actually happening. Societies need to contribute towards half the cost of transport and so if they have made more income from membership fees then it takes the pressure off of them raising money throughout the year.

What kinds of other income are there?

Transport contributions, Sponsorship, Fundraising, Membership contributions towards large expenses e.g equipment and events.

B ACCOUNT

What is the B account?

If your society would like a B account we can set it up for you, however it is not compulsory. The B account is like a savings account for you society that you can use on things outside of the A account but are still deemed to be in the interest of your society. Money from this account is made available generally for social kit and social events, however these payments still need authorisation and receipts as proof of purchase.

Why can't we have our own account in a normal bank?

It is against the constitution for any society to hold a bank account anywhere other than the Union (Schedule 10, 2.3). If any Society is found to hold accounts elsewhere then your Society's Union funds will be frozen at the Student Activities Officer's discretion.

When do we need to spend our A and B account by?

The A account is allocated for use by the society during that academic year. Any monies which are not spent by the end of the academic year are cleared and the account is zeroed. The B account will roll over to the next academic year.

EXPENDITURE

What categories of expenditure are there?

Transport covers everything from minibuses, to trains to the hovercraft. Equipment should include any kit you need and potential repair costs. All equipment purchase via this budget remains the property of the Union. It must be place on the Unions Asset Register for insurance purposes and it must be checked by the Student Activities Officer each term. Photocopying / Admin includes all printing done at the Copyshop and external venues, all publicity and advertising costs, membership cards, stationary and administration costs of your society. Societies Carnival should include anything you wish to spend at the Carnival to make your presence there the best it can be. Affiliation fees should include details of the body you are affiliating to, and the cost per person. The total needs to match the membership number at the top of the form. Other popular categories include events (see below), licenses, Lecturers and guest speakers, External Facility hire, conferences, Freshers and Refreshers Fayre.

What if we want to spend money on something that we don't put in this budget?

Anything that is not in the agreed budget needs to be discussed with the Student Activities Officer. If it gets approved then you can make that purchase. If it is not then you may be able to pay for it from your B account or you will need to raise the funds.

TRANSPORT

How much does it cost to hire a mini-bus?

½ day = £45, 1 day = £70, Weekend = £140

How much should we contribute towards transport?

Where possible the Union tries to fund half the cost of transport, so members need to pay the other half. This needs to be paid into your A account before the trip, so the Union can see you have contributed half. This does not include petrol.

What about petrol?

The Union does not contribute towards petrol, as members are expected to pay this on the day and this should be considered when deciding how much to charge each member for the trip. For advice on petrol costs please speak to the Union. There is nothing stopping you charging a little above the required amount (totalling half the cost of the transport + petrol) to each member as this will raise more money for your society and the members are usually still getting a good deal on the transport when comparing it to the cost of public transport.

EVENTS

Why can't event expenditure go into this budget?

All events need to have an individual budget that is approved by the Union. If Event income and expenditure went into this budget then it would dramatically skew the figures and the income form events cannot be guaranteed. Any profit from events can then be put in you B account and used to help support the next event you do.

How do i organise a budget for an event?

Event budget forms are available from your Student Activities Officer and available on the website www.upsu.net/societies. A meeting with the Student Activities Officer is the most efficient way of getting an accurate event budget and getting it approved.

WHAT NEXT?

When will we know how much the Union is contributing?

The budgets are allocated over the Summer and your Student Activities Officer will be in touch around September time to arrange a meeting with your Committee.

Whats the next step?

We may be in contact once you have submitted this budget if there are any queries that we need sorting. We will also contact the Committee details given on the form to ensure they are accurate and will be used over the Summer.