Starting a Club
Have an idea for a student club at Flinders? Starting a Club is a great way to bring students together around a shared interest. It’s a great opportunity to develop a range of skills and contribute to campus life!
You don’t need to have everything figured out before you start. FUSA provides templates, resources and support to help you through the process. Have a read through the helpful information below before you start.
Make sure to check the FUSA Clubs List before starting a new club. There may already be an existing club that matches your idea, and joining an existing club can be a great way to get involved without having to start from scratch.
If your idea is different from any existing clubs, you’re welcome to explore starting a new one.
FUSA supports non-sporting student clubs. Make sure to check whether your club idea is a sport recognised by the Australian Sports Commission. If it is, your first step is to contact Flinders University Sport & Fitness to find out how to get started.
Affiliation is the process of formally recognising your club as associated with FUSA and Flinders University. It is a formal agreement for your club to abide by the rules and regulations set out by FUSA and the University. In return, affiliated clubs can access support, resources and opportunities.
When you apply to affiliate with FUSA, you can choose between two types of affiliation.
Financial Affiliation: Financially affiliated clubs can access FUSA’s ongoing grant funding. If you choose Financial Affiliation, your club will need to establish its own bank account and track its income and expenditure throughout the year. There are also financial reporting obligations the club will need to follow.
Non-Financial Affiliation: Non-Financially affiliated clubs can access all FUSA’s support and services but are not eligible for ongoing grant funding.
If you’re not sure which option is right for your club, we’re happy to help you work it out.
Being a FUSA affiliated club gives you access to a range of support and opportunities, including:
- Access to regular FUSA Club Grants (Financial Affiliates only)
- Access to a Start-Up Grant
- Free equipment hire
- Free room and space bookings at Flinders campuses
- Marketing and promotional support
- Free printing and laminating services
- Invitations to participate in FUSA events
- Access to the FUSA Club Space and McHughs Community Space
- Public liability insurance coverage for events and activities (conditions apply)
- Free locker hire for club equipment
- Leadership training
- Ongoing operational support from FUSA’s Clubs & Student Communities Team
Follow the step-by-step below to get started!
What has you interested in starting a new club? What are you passionate about and why do you want to create a community around it? It could be a hobby or special interest, area of academic study, or a culture or faith.
You’ll need to develop a clear set of aims and objectives for your club. These outline why your club exists and what you want to achieve.
You should also think about whether your club will apply for Financial or Non-Financial Affiliation with FUSA.
To start a club, you need to have at least 10 Flinders University students (9 including yourself) signed up as members. These could be your friends, classmates, or students you bump into on campus!
Ensure you keep a record of your new members using a copy of our Membership List template. You will need to record each student’s full name, Student ID number, email address, date of birth, and the date they officially joined the club. Keep in mind that your club’s membership must be composed of more than 50% current Flinders University students at all times.
At this stage, it’s a good idea to set up a club email address (e.g. Gmail) and a club website or social media page (e.g. Instagram). These accounts should clearly show that they are for a Flinders University student, rather than a University department or another organisation. If your Club is part of a larger organisation, make sure it’s clear that the page or account is specifically for the Flinders Club and is run by Flinders students.
At this stage, you can also create your club’s Rubric account. This platform allows you to take online membership applications and promote your club. Once the club formally affiliates with FUSA, this will also allow us to add your club to our Clubs List!
The next step is to draft your constitution. A constitution is the set of governing rules that outlines how your club operates. It sets out things such as your club’s purpose, membership and committee structure.
Don’t worry, you don’t need to write a constitution from scratch. Use our template below, which includes all the required clauses for FUSA affiliated clubs. You just need to add your club’s full name and aims and objectives.
You can make changes to the template, but we don’t recommend doing so at this stage. Changes may mean that your constitution does not meet FUSA’s requirements for affiliation. If you do want to make changes, we recommend contacting us first.
You’ll need to have your draft Constitution ready to discuss and formally adopt at your Inaugural General Meeting (Step 4).
Your Inaugural General Meeting (IGM) is the meeting where your members formally establish the club. At least 5 club members must attend your IGM. At your IGM, you will:
- Welcome your members and explain the purpose of the Club
- Formally adopt your club constitution
- Vote to affiliate with FUSA
- Elect your executive committee
- Pass a motion to open a not-for-profit bank account in the name of the club and appoint its signatories (Financial Affiliation only)
- Record the decisions made at the meeting in the minutes
Each club is run by an elected executive committee consisting of at least a president, secretary and treasurer. These roles are responsible for providing leadership and guidance to the club. You can include additional positions, such as a vice-president, if you believe they will be valuable to running your club.
All FUSA clubs must operate democratically. This means executive committee positions must be filled through an open election, giving club members the opportunity to nominate themselves for a role and vote for their preferred candidates.
It’s important to keep a record of what happened at your IGM. Your minutes should record:
- Who attended
- The decisions made
- Adoption of the Constitution
- The decision to affiliate with FUSA
- The results of Executive Committee elections
- Any other motions passed at the meeting
You’ll need to submit your IGM minutes with your FUSA affiliation application. Use the template below to help you record your meeting.
If your club is applying for Financial Affiliation, you’ll need to establish a not-for-profit or community bank account. We recommend opening a NAB Community Fee Saver account.
The account must:
- Be registered in the name of the club
- Require a dual authorisation process for purchases
- Have at least two executive committee members who are current Flinders University students listed as signatories
- Not have a debit card attached to the account
Your bank account details will need to be provided as part of your FUSA affiliation application.
Head HERE for additional information about setting up your club bank account. If you’re unsure about setting up your club’s bank account, contact FUSA for advice before opening the account.
The last step is to complete the Club Affiliation Application Form!
FUSA staff will review your application and supporting documents. Your application will then be considered by FUSA Student Council at its next available meeting. Student Council meetings are typically held monthly.
We may contact you if we need additional information or if changes are required before your application can be considered.
If your application is approved, your club will become formally affiliated with FUSA. We’ll then help you get set up with the systems, resources and support available to FUSA clubs.
Contact Us
If you’re stuck or confused at any point, get in touch with us at clubs@flinders.edu.au!
We recommend booking an appointment with us to speak about your new club before you host your Inaugural General Meeting. We can help you understand the requirements, talk through your idea and point you towards the templates and resources you’ll need!
