Information provided in this handbook is a guide only. We encourage you to seek further information and to seek advice for the best way forward for your Club

Understanding the Arc Membership Portal

This guide provides detailed instructions of the various functionalities of the Arc Membership Portal platform from the perspective of the two admins assigned to each Arc Club. If you would like to reassign your Arc Membership Portal admins to other executive club members, please use this form to request an admin change. 

Your Club’s Profile  

Arc members can view your Club’s profile by browsing, searching, or filtering the full list of Clubs.  

Go to My Clubs in the menu bar and select your Club to view its profile page. As the administrator you will see a lot more information than will be available to general users and non-admin Club Execs.  

  • The information that will be visible to all users is in the blue box below. Most of the information below this is only visible to the Club administrators.  

  • The yellow box in the top right is the user’s membership status (or a join button if they are not a member).  

  • The button in the red box is used to update the information in your Club’s profile.  

 


Admin Information & Tools on Your Club Profile  

Below the main profile information on your Club’s profile, you will find some additional information & tools for you to use as your Club’s Arc Membership Portal Administrator.

  • An Update Club Details button – allows you to make changes to the public information on your Club’s profile, as well as toggle the membership approval setting.
  • An Apply for Clubs Grant – Asset button – use this s to access the Clubs Grant form for equipment, merchandise, and publication purchases.
  • A Re-affiliate button – this will be used during the reaffiliation period. In the initial period button is generally visible, however in future it will be hidden unless your Club is due to reaffiliate.

The next section down is a tabbed box where you can use the tabs to show specific information


  • Membership  - view and manage members in the Arc Membership Portal
  • Files - view documents you have uploaded directly from the Arc Membership Portal (through from submissions)
  • Events - create and manage events posted on the Arc Membership Portal and apply for the Clubs Grant for these events.
  • Finances – view your Club’s bank account details, funding details and secretarial allowance details
    • Funding details – your funding level is automatically calculated based on the number of active Arc members for the current year that are registered as active members of your Club on the Arc Membership Portal. Your grant funding accounts for your funding level at the time your application is submitted. 
    • Secretarial Allowance details – this is the PAN ID and Password to access photocopying and printing services and other resources available in the Clubs Space.

Updating Your Club Profile  

As your Club’s Arc Membership Portal Administrator, you will be able to update your Club’s profile using the Update Club Details button on the profile page (this button is only visible to Admins of the relevant Club).  

  • Logo – If you are updating your Club’s logo, we recommend doing so by updating a file that is 150x150 px, with a maximum file size of 200kB. If no Club logo is supplied, a default image is shown.  

  • Description – use this to attract students to your Club. Make sure it is up to date - if you are not likely to update it regularly, make sure the information will still be relevant down the line (rather than just talking about specific upcoming activities). If you have a formal membership process, e.g., a membership form etc, include details here. E.g., Members must complete our membership form, available at <your Club website>.  

  • Categories – When browsing the list of Clubs, Students can select categories to see relevant Clubs. You can select up to 4 categories. If you have suggestions for new categories, please let us know! The categories must be applicable to a significant number of Clubs and be useful to students looking for Clubs that interest them.  

  • Keywords – Students can use keywords to search for relevant Clubs. A 255-character limit applies to your list of keywords.  

  • Membership Fees - Do not forget, Arc has requirements of how you structure your membership fees (if you charge any). Please refer to the Clubs Handbook (section 8) for full details.  

  • Membership Approval Setting - You can decide whether membership is automatic or requires approval (all Clubs have been initially set up with approval required). For those that require approval, a one of your Club’s Administrator will need to log in and change each member’s status. Remember: for Regular Clubs, membership must be open to all UNSW students. Constituent Clubs’ student's memberships must be open to students from the relevant Program/School/Faculty/Residence. Check your Constitution if you are unsure!  

The option to change to automatic approvals is on the same page where you update your Club’s profile.

Managing Club Membership

As your Club’s Arc Membership Portal Administrator, you can update your Club’s setting regarding whether new members will need approval or not to join your Club. Upon initial setup, all Clubs have manual approval turned on. If your Club has removed the requirement to approve memberships on Arc Membership Portal, you do not need to do much to maintain your Club’s membership list.

If you are manually approving your Club Memberships, use the Membership admin tab on your Club Profile to manage your membership list. 

  • Memberships awaiting approval are marked as Pending
  • To change them to a member, change their status to Active. These members will be able to see events that you post that have their visibility set to Member-only.
  • Inactive/Past – Currently both these statuses are used, however we will likely remove one. Use these to indicate people whose membership has expired.
  • To decline membership, change the status to Declined. This should generally be used very infrequently – check the Clubs Handbook for information on Membership requirements. The main use for declined memberships will likely be for Constituent Clubs that only have members that are students in the relevant Program/School/Faculty/Residence (make sure you have confirmation of ineligibility before declining).

Creating Club Events  

To create an event, go to the Events section of your Club Profile and click on the Create Event button. 

For your events, you may use a Facebook event’s image URL or upload an image directly.  

In this section you will be able to put in the details for your event and what categories it falls into. Events can be sorted by category, so make sure you include applicable ones! 

The description section can be used to provide a general summary or additional information about your event. If there are any specific requirements or things of note, make sure to put it at the top of the description section. A long description will be truncated!  

If you are creating a regular, repeating event then select the Repeating dropdown option and select the appropriate option.  


For ticketed events, select RSVP via external system and enter the link to your ticket purchasing site.


After you have created an event, it is NOT publicly accessible! You still need to Publish the event after you have created it and have made sure everything is correct.

Once you publish an event and someone joins, you cannot unpublish it, you will need to use the Cancel button and provide a reason.


For cancelled events, the event will be visible in My Events to anyone already registered, but it will be marked as cancelled and they can see the reason given. Attendees do not receive a notification through the Arc Membership Portal, so if relevant you can download a list of the registered attendees and contact them about major changes or cancellations.

Editing an Event

To check the attendees of an event, click the Attendees button for the event. This will only appear after you have published the event so people can join

Be wary that any changes to the event you make (editing, cancelling, un-cancelling) will NOT be automatically sent to attendees! Although the information will update and the status of the event will show up on Arc Membership Portal, attendees do not receive a notification. In cases where you do make important changes or updates, make sure to send out emails to notify everyone! You can download a list of the registered attendees through the Club Reports page.  

Exporting Club Membership and Event Attendance  

The Club Reports section is where you will be able to see your Club’s membership list with contact details and Event reports that show the attendance to a particular event.  

To access reports, go the Club Reports Section on the homepage under Club Exec Tools:  


After selecting if you want a club membership report or an event attendance report, you have the option to export the information (red box) to a spreadsheet. You also have options to display information in charts (blue box) and filter your selection (green box)

This can make tasks such as group mailings or creating contact lists MUCH easier. For general usage we would recommend the Details Only format:


Please note that these contact details must remain confidential and MUST NOT be provided any other parties without the permission of the individuals! For more details refer to the Clubs Handbook for information on Privacy (Section 13 – Legal Help).


The Arc Clubs grant has 2 streams – Activity and Asset (Equipment, Merchandise and Publications):  

  • Activity refers to opportunities for students to engage with your Club through activities that align with its aims & objectives. For example, BBQs, workshops, meet & greets, cruises, camps, and parties.  
  • Equipment refers to purchases made by the Club that are integral to the Club's aims or activities, are durable and for the long-term use of the Club.  
  • Merchandise refers to items produced by the Club to promote the Club's aims or activities. For example, t-shirts, pens, and membership cards.  
  • Publications refers to items published by the Club to promote the Club's aims or activities. For example, newsletters or websites.  


Clubs are encouraged to contact Arc Clubs staff at clubs@arc.unsw.edu.au in advance to discuss their funding needs and ensure that they are operating under the scope of the Clubs Grant policy, particularly in situations where Clubs are relying on Arc funding for budgetary purposes.

Details regarding funding limits, events for Executive members, and a complete list of application requirements and conditions can be found in the Clubs Handbook. It is your responsibility to ensure that your application is submitted correctly.

Submitting a Grant

To submit a grant for an activity, create an Event listing on the Arc Membership Portal. Once the event has started, the Club Admin will be able to submit a grant for that event. The form is accessed by going to the event admin section of the Club profile, locating the relevant event, and selecting the Apply for Grant - Activity button. 

To submit a grant application for equipment, merchandise, or publications, go to your Club's profile page and look for the Apply for Clubs Grant - Asset button below the main profile information. 

Please note that the following conditions are only a guide for general grant requirements

General Conditions 

  • Completed applications must be submitted within one calendar month* of: 

  • The commencement of the event or activity (for activity grants) 

  • The purchase or invoice date (equipment, merchandise, and publications grants). 

*For example: 

  • If you hold an event on August 15, your grant application must be submitted by September 15. 

  • If you hold a three-day event from April 4-6, your grant application must be submitted by May 4. 

  • If you receive an invoice for an equipment purchase on February 2, your grant application must be submitted by March 2 - even if you do not pay the amount owed until a later date. 

If you anticipate that you will not be able to meet this deadline, contact the Grants team in advance, otherwise your application will be denied. 

The lodging of an application form does not guarantee that funds will be granted. The approval of grants and the amount that Arc pays out is subject to budgetary restrictions. 

Clubs may only apply for one grant per event, for example: 

  • Merchandise or publications related to a specific event will not be eligible for Clubs Grant funding (they should be included as part of the cost of that activity) 

  • An activity that has already received other funding through Arc (e.g. the Student Community and Development Grant) will not be eligible for a Clubs Grant activity funding. Unsuccessful applications for other funding through Arc may receive an extension on the Clubs Grant for the same activity/purchase. 

Activity Grants

Your grant application must contain: 

  • Attendance List: featuring the Club name, event name, and event date, showing who attended the event (including names, student numbers, Arc membership status, and a signature). 

  • Activity Photo: a photo of the event in-progress, showing that the Arc logo (in the form of a Club banner or A3 printout) was on display for the duration of the event. The photo should show the activity in-progress. Exceptions to showing the activity in progress include: 

  • Attending events held by another organisation (e.g., attending an external conference). 

  • Events held at a public venue where there are other patrons (such as a restaurant where a room has not been hired out for the event). 

  • Events where there is not a set, consistent location (e.g., kayaking trip, Amazing Race competition).

  • Receipts: scanned copies of any receipts associated with purchases made for the event (if applicable).

  • Budget Sheet: detailing all income and expenditure associated with the event (if applicable).

  • Event Marketing: featuring the Arc Clubs logo and in the context, it was marketed. For example, a screenshot of the Facebook event photo in the event itself; or a photo of the poster displayed on a poster board. 

Activity funding calculation: 

You can find a guide to all the funding Arc can provide your Club here 🔗 

Executive-specific Activities: 

Executive-specific activities have not received grant funding since the end of 2022.

Equipment Grants

Your grant application must contain: 

  • the designs, draft designs or templates showing the position of the Arc Club logo. If Arc stickers are being used (available from the Arc Clubs Space, provide a photo of the equipment with the stickers attached (do not submit a photo of the equipment and a description of where the stickers will be located, as it will not be approved). 

  • If the previous options are impractical (that is, you cannot add the Arc Clubs logo to the design OR attach a sticker), provide a photo of the equipment or the design (including measurements). 

  • Receipts/Invoices: scanned copies of any receipts associated with the purchase 

Equipment Funding calculation

The grant is calculated as 50% of the cost of purchasing equipment up to $600 per purchase. 

For more details, consult our Funding & Grants page here 🔗


Merchandise Grants

Your grant application must contain

  • A photo or the design of the merchandise, featuring the Arc Clubs logo. 

  • Receipts/Invoices: scanned copies of any receipts associated with the purchase 

Merchandise Funding calculation

The grant is calculated as 50% of the cost of purchasing merchandise up to $600 per purchase (including multiple print runs/purchases of the same item). The grant will only be paid up to the total reimbursement of the loss (i.e., $0 profit). If you have not yet set prices, use this spreadsheet as a tool to optimise your grant amount and minimise costs for your members. 

For more details, consult our Funding & Grants page here 🔗


Publication Grant

Your grant application must contain: 

  • A photo or the design of the publication, featuring the Arc Clubs logo. 

  • Receipts/Invoices: scanned copies of any receipts associated with the purchase 

Publication Funding calculation: 

The grant is calculated as 50% of the cost up to $600 per purchase (including multiple print runs/purchases of the same item). The grant will only be 

paid up to the total reimbursement of the loss (i.e. $0 profit).


EGM Forms

The EGM form is used to submit the details of any Extraordinary General Meetings (EGMs) that you hold to do the following but not limited to: 

  • Make constitutional Amendments 

  • Elect new club executives 

  • Dismiss club executives 

Please read the Arc Clubs handbook Section 9.2 on EGMs to get a better understand for the cases in which your club will need to hold an EGM. 

As an Arc Membership Portal admin, the EGM Form button is displayed on your club’s profile as shown below.