FAQs

Frequently Asked Questions:

Here's a list of questions that we think will be really helpful. There's more detailed information in the Clubs Handbook and if you can't find the answers you need, or you prefer to talk to a friendly face/phone voice/use a personalised email, please contact Clubs staff.

Quick List: (Click on the question to jump to the answer)


Who do I go to for help with my Club?

What Clubs are currently operating?

Why should I affiliate my Club with Arc?
  • By affiliating, your Club gets access to grants, resources, training, support, room and space bookings, insurance, storage and events. In general, it's just easier to operate your Club with Arc's support.

I want to start a Club, can I affiliate with Arc?

When should I affiliate my Club?
  • New Clubs can affiliate at any time, so don't wait to submit your application
  • Affiliations expire after one year so you must hold an AGM and submit a re-affiliation application each year. Arc will try to remind Clubs when their affiliation is due to expire, but it is the responsibility of the Club executive to ensure that affiliation is up to date.

How do I affiliate my Club?
  • Check what type of Club you are
  • All Clubs must complete the appropriate Affiliation Package and return it to the Student Development Office (Level 1, Roundhouse)
  • Make sure that you follow the instructions on the Affiliation Package, because your application won't be accepted until it's complete.

How long does it take for my Club to become affiliated?
  • New Clubs along with Clubs that have made changes to their constitution need to be approved by the Student Development Committee (SDC), which meets once a month.
  • New Clubs will have access to all of Arc's Clubs resources as soon as their affiliation is approved by the SDC.
  • Existing Clubs will have continued access to all of Arc's Clubs resources as soon as their complete Re-affiliation package is submitted.

Is my Club a Regular or Constituent Club?
  • If all UNSW students enrolled in a particular program, school, faculty or college are automatically members of your Club and you have the approval of the appropriate authority, it's a Constituent Club
  • Any other kind of Club is a Regular Club

What does it mean if my Club is suspended?
  • Most likely you failed to submit your executive or full membership list for a membership audit. You may also have failed to attend the required Clubs General Meetings (CGM), or be suspended for another reason. In any suspension case, Arc will inform Club executives via email that they are currently suspended.
  • If your Club is suspended you may be denied access to Arc's Clubs resources, including grants, printing and copying services, room hire, and use of the Clubs resource room.

Do Club executives need to be Arc members?
  • Yes; all members of the Club executive must be current Arc members.
  • Sign up here!

Do Club members need to be Arc members?
  • All Clubs require a minimum of 3 Arc members
  • All members of the Club Executive must be Arc members, Clubs will meet this criteria on Executive members alone.
  • While 3 is the minimum number, the more Arc members your Club has the more benefits you'll be able to claim. The funding system is based on Arc membership numbers, as is the Secretarial Allowance, and a portion of the Activity Grant. See grant details.

What's the difference between a full member and an associate member?
  • A full member can vote and be nominated in Club executive elections and counts towards quorum for AGMs and EGMs. An associate member may participate in Club activities, but is not eligible for voting or nomination and doesn't count towards quorum.
  • For Regular Clubs, full members are any UNSW students. All other members, including students from other universities, are associate members.
  • For Constituent Clubs, full members are only those UNSW students who are part of the relevant program, school, faculty, or college. All other members, including other UNSW students, are associate members.

Can my Club charge a membership fee?
  • Regular Clubs may choose to charge a membership fee or allow members to join for free. The fee can be any amount, although you should keep in mind how much students are willing/able to pay. This may be a good way to raise funds, particularly for new Clubs.
  • Constituent Clubs may not charge a membership fee to full members since membership is automatic, however you may charge fees for associate members.
  • Non- Arc members must be charged at least double the Club membership fee charged to Arc members.

What are membership audits? How do they work?
  • Membership audits happen once a semester. You must submit an Excel-formatted list of your full members to Arc Clubs, including full names and student numbers. We will audit the list to check how many of your members are Arc members.
  • Once the audit is complete, your Club will be allocated a Secretarial Allowance of $0.50 per Arc member up to $200 per semester. The audit will also determine whether the grant funding level for your club is Gold, Silver, or Bronze.
  • If you do not submit a full membership list for auditing, your Club will be suspended from using Arc's Clubs resources.

What do the funding categories mean?
  • Clubs may be classed as Gold, Silver, or Bronze. Your funding level determines the amount of cash funding available to your Club. Check out the grants table to see which grants count towards this limit.
  • For Small and Regular Clubs, this is based on the number of Arc members in your Club.

Arc Members Club Type Annual Funding Limit
3-49 Bronze $1000
50-199 Silver $3000
200+ Gold $5000
  • Constituent Clubs are automatically assigned a funding level based on the type of constituency. If you wish to upgrade, you'll need to show us that you have enough Arc members for the next funding level (see above) by emailing us an Excel version of your member list.
Constituency Club Type Annual Funding Limit
Program Bronze $1000
School/College Silver $3000
Faculty Gold

$5000
How do I upgrade to a Silver/Gold Club?
  • If you think you have enough Arc members in your Club to qualify for the next level of funding, you just need to send us an updated Excel-format list of your current members. We'll audit it and get back to you about whether you're eligible for an upgrade.

What grants are available? How much can my Club get?
Grant Type Calculation Maximum Amount Bronze/ Silver/ Gold
 Requirements
Activity $$ 35% of expenses up to break-even plus $2 per Arc member up to $100
$500/ activity $1000/ activity $1500/ activity
See checklist on Activity Grant application form
Equipment, Merchandise, Publications $$ • 50% of cost for equipment, publications up to break even
• 30% for merchandise up to break even
$500 per purchase
$500/ year $1000/ year $1500/ year
See checklist on EMP grant application form
Innovation $ At the discretion of the Student Development Committee (SDC) $3000 Exceptional and innovative events, see form
Constituent $$ • $50 each semester for Program Clubs
• $150 each semester for School and College Clubs
• $200 each semester for Faculty Clubs		 Automatic, as long as you're currently affiliated (and not suspended)
Sec Allowance $0.50 of printing allowance per Arc member per semester $200/semester Must submit membership list for audit
SCDG $ Depends on quality of applications in the round, at the discretion of SDC. Culturally or academically enriching events - See form
Clubs Loan $ At the discretion of SDC Up to $1000/event Strong event with profit potential, and evidence of in-depth planning - See form

$$ - Cash grants that count towards the overall annual funding limit for your Club
$ - Cash grants that do not count towards the annual funding limit

How do I raise money for my Club?
  • Consider charging a membership fee
  • Sell tickets (but don't forget to charge non-Arc members a 110% premium!)
  • Run a fundraiser eg BBQ, bake sale, raffle, trivia night etc
  • Apply for a Clubs Loan: you'll need to show that your event is a good one, with the potential to make a profit and pay back the loan.
  • Apply for a grant
Does Arc have insurance that covers my Club? What are we covered for?
  • Yes - Arc has Public & Products Liability Insurance that covers Clubs
  • Public Liability Insurance protects clubs from third party compensation claims, for example if a member of the public falls at a club event and sues the club for medical costs
  • Remember, public liability does not cover individual members for personal injuries or property damage which happen during club events or activities
What resources does Arc have that my Club can use?
  • Heaps! And if you think of anything else that might be useful for us to have, let us know and we'll consider getting it.
  • BBQs
  • Data projector
  • Digital camera
  • DVD player
  • PA system and microphone
  • Screen printing equipment
  • Stereo with iPod dock
  • Tables
  • Chairs
  • Colour photocopier, scanner, printer
  • Computers
  • Graphic design software
  • Badge makers (you can purchase badge parts)
  • Laminator (you can purchase pouches)
  • Guillotine
  • meeting spaces
  • Pigeon holes
  • Storage space for Club assets
  • Staff support
  • Insurance
How do I get a stall in O-Week?
  • Get in early! Applications open in Semester 2 for the next year's O-Week
  • Keep an eye on the weekly e-Clubs Newsletter sent to you by Arc for notification of how to apply.
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