How are student groups funded?
Student groups at Birkbeck Students' Union are funded via a grant provided by the Students' Union, which by extension comes from the funding provided by the University on an annual basis. This is in addition to any self-raised funds generated through any membership costs and fundraising. Sports groups are also privy to an additional Facilities grant which helps support fixed costs related to activity, such as venue hire and officials’ costs. All groups in the section can also apply for development grant funding for additional costs and projects throughout the year, which is funded by monies raised through the Activities Federation membership.
Liberation groups are funded largely the same, however, may benefit from additional monies and resources through their Liberation Officer's supplemental budget.
It is important to note that student group self-raised funds are ring-fenced, and are retained solely within the financial code associated with that group. As such, these funds cannot be spent on anything outside of the group's activity, remit or interest.
How do I spend student group money?
All expenditures must have prior approval from the Activities Manager.
In most instances, it is optimal for the Students' Union to handle transactions for various reasons, namely the ease of process, financial control, and avoiding students being out of pocket for extended periods of time. If a Committee member wishes to make an approved spend themselves, this must be done as outlined below;
• Gained approval from the Activities Manager to make the spend.
• The spend must be below £75.
• All receipts should be retained and recorded. It is advisable to make a copy (or take a photo) in case of damage or loss of the original.
• A reimbursement form should be completed, with receipts attached, and sent to the Activities Team as directed. You can find this form within the Resources library (link).
Please advise, we aim to process reimbursements within 30 days of receiving a completed reimbursement form, provided there are no errors or unexpected delays.
Suppliers, Coaches and External Payee Guidance
If a student group wishes to hire the services of a person, organisation or company outside of Birkbeck, there are a number of checks and processes that must be followed before doing so. Firstly, the supplier must be approved by the Activities Manager, and please note this may result in rejection at the first instance if they are deemed unsuitable. The Students' Union adhere to all Birkbeck, University of London financial policy and processes, and so therefore procurement rules on collecting minimum number of quotes from prospective suppliers, as well as seeing if pre-existing partners are suitable, will be followed - please allow 30 days for this process.
In the case that they are deemed suitable, any new coach, trade supplier or other external payee must complete an onboarding process (unless they are a truly one-off hire, which may mean the circumstances vary). This onboarding process must be completed before any payment is made, and so therefore it is advised this process is started at least 30 days in advance of any work or use taking place.
The onboarding process is outlined below;
• A New Supplier Registration form must be completed (Section 2) and returned.
• As part of our anti-fraud measures, we require a form of verification. Acceptable documents are limited to a; voided cheque; paying-in slip; or redacted bank statement.
• Official letterheaded document detailing full bank details must be returned.
The onboarding process in total should take a maximum of 7 days, provided no errors or delays are made in the provided documentation. Once it has been completed, all parties will be notified, and invoicing can commence.
Invoicing Guidelines
Please see below for guidance on acceptable invoice formatting, and payment timescales and processes;
• Invoices must include;
- Correct Date
- Our Address: Birkbeck Students' Union, Malet Street, Bloomsbury, London, WC1E 7HX
- Your Address
- Your bank details (these must match the ones provided in the onboarding process)
- Detailed description of goods and services rendered, and payment required
• Invoices will be submitted for processing as soon as they are received by the Activities Team. Please note, however, that approved invoices will, largely, only be processed on 30 day terms from their due date, and will be always done so on each Wednesday of the week. Invoices processed on a Wednesday may appear as paid on either the following Thursday or Friday, depending on the payee's bank
• Therefore, please allow a 30-day period between the invoice date and payment to be made.
Grant Development Funding
Through the income generated by the Activities Federation Fee, we are now able to provide more opportunity for student groups and their members to access funding aimed at developmental projects, activity and purchases. This funding is restricted to affiliated Birkbeck Students' Union Clubs and Societies that are a minimum of Bronze level accreditation, and the approval of applications will be at the discretion of the Activities Team.
Examples of uses for the Grant Development funding include; student training courses/upskilling, equipment purchases and membership recruitment projects. Applications for the provision of one-off events, consumables, general activity and venue hire will not be considered.
The windows for application are detailed below;
Apply for Grant Development Funding Here