For Committee Members

Section	Question	Answer
General	Why get involved with a society committee?	Joining a society committee give you real life skills that you can't find in the classroom. It allows you to do what you love with likeminded people. You will be progressing your graduate attributes and demonstrating that you are open to learning new skills, coming up with new ideas and making a change in your environment. You can make a difference to the surrounding community and get them more engaged in your society. There are also 23 different trainings available to UCC Societies committee members which if you take part in. If you take part in at least 10 hours of these trainings you will be awarded the 'Effective Societies Committee Member Digital Badge'.
General	Who are the Societies staff and what do they do?	The societies staff consists of Societies President Chloe Boland, Senior Executive Assistant Catherine O'Boyle, and 2 student help staff. They provide practical assistance to UCC Societies and Societies Guild including financial management, administration of societies portal, room bookings, stamping of posters, printing and photocopying services etc. They provide a desk and telephone service from 9.15am to 5.00pm during term.
General	What is the Societies Guild?	The Societies Guild is a term used to refer to all Societies as a collective. It consists of all members of the Societies Executive as well as the Societies Chairperson from each society.
General	What is Senate?	The Societies Executive is required to hold Societies Senate four times a year. Societies Senate is a gathering of all the Societies in a council-like environment. The Senate gives you an opportunity to see what your elected representatives on the Societies Executive have been doing and gives you the opportunity to raise any issues directly with them.
General	What is a constitution?	Every Society has a constitution which lays out their aims and objectives as an organisation and the rules on how they operate. This can be found on the portal under the ‘Governance’ tab.
General	What is an AGM?	An Annual General Meeting (AGM) is usually held at the end of Semester 2. The society will present an overview of the academic year just gone by, a finance report detailing the financial status of the society and elect their committee for the following academic year.
General	What is an EGM?	An Extraordinary General Meeting (EGM) is usually held around October and the society will elect a 1st Year Rep and any other unfilled positions on the committee.
General	How come I can't log into the portal despite being on a committee?	If you are having issues logging into the portal, please first check with your chairperson that you have been added correctly, if you are still having issues please email admin@uccsocieties.ie where the team will be happy to help.
General	How do we contact our members?	The societies office can supply you with one email address (your 'mailing list') that you can send your membership emails to. This email address has been populated at the back end with the addresses of all your members! This has been set up for you to ensure your society are GDPR compliant.
General	How do we book a room on campus for our events?	Most rooms around UCC can be booked through the portal. A room booking needs to be put in at least 48 hours in advance of the event. You should also ensure that you’ve checked if the room is available before putting in a room booking request. This can be done through the UCC Web Timetables website. Do not request a room booking until you have an approved Risk Assessment for your event.
General	I find senate a little daunting. I'd love to meet the exec and fellow committee members in a less formal setting	Keep and eye on our social media account @uccsocieties as we regularly hold 'socs and scones' mornings. Pop along for a chat, a cup of tea and a scone on us.
Training	What trainings are available for committee members?	The Societies Guild offers comprehensive training sessions to committee members in many areas to aid students running the societies as efficiently as possible. Our trainings encompass a host of essential skills for running a society, such as: Leadership Development, Financial Management and Sponsorship Procurement, Secretarial and Administration, Event Management, Public Relations Training/ Media and Photoshop and Conflict Resolution. Sessions take place all year round with particular focus at the start of each semester (Sept and Jan). More details on trainings available can be found on our website
Equipment	I have booked equipment on the portal but it is still listed as pending, is my booking confirmed?	Yes, equipment is only available to book by you when it is not booked by another society. You request will remain as pending until you come to the societies office to collect the items at which point it will be marked as "on loan". It will be marked as completed once you return the items. Please return the items on the date and time stated in the booking as they may be booked by another society. Please Note: Book the equipment for the period of time you will have the piece of equipment and not just for the time of your event, otherwise it will become available for another society to book and it may not have been returned to the office yet.
Equipment	I have society equipment on my person. Can I return these items to the shed?	You can book keys out on the societies portal page then collect them from the office. When taking the key to the roll-up shed, the student must leave their student card in order be given the keys and the student card will be given back once the keys have been returned.
Finances	I requested payment to a payee but it hasn't been processed yet. What do I do?	If you have submitted the payment in the last 24 hrs/over the weekend: Please be patient, it will be reviewed. If it has been more than 24 hours/one working day, please double check that you have legible receipts, valid receipts (no visa card machine receipts) and correct payee information uploaded. The office will have been in contact with you if there are any issues, so check your society email account.
Finances	A committee member paid for items to be used for the society. How can I reimburse them?	You will need to make an expenditure request to reimburse the committee member. The guild reimburses through bank transfer only. First, login to the UCC Societies Portal. Then click expenditure, and "Add New". Complete the details required, attach receipts and click save. Clear, legible receipts must be attached, only itemised receipts will be accepted. Please ensure your committee member has given you their correct bank details (BIC and IBAN) and fill this out on the portal. You will also need their home address. The request will show as pending until it is completed and marked as such.
Finances	Can I reimburse a member through cash?	No, all reimbursements must be made via bank transfer, and submitted to the portal for approval.
Finances	Our supplier has said they cannot provide us with an invoice. What do we do?	All reputable suppliers should be able to provide you with an invoice. If there are unwilling to do this, it may be because they are not 100% legitimate. In this instance it may be better to try to find an alternative supplier who can provide an invoice.
Finance	In what instances can I use the societies credit card?	Some suppliers (e.g Ryanair) will by their very nature require you to pay by credit card and wil not accept bank transfer. Prior to using the card you must complete the usage form available from the office and create the expenditure on the portal.
Finance	If society funding is approved in the budget, do I have to do anything else before it can be used?	Yes, at least 2 weeks prior to the event, you must create a funding request on the portal. Once approved, the money will be lodged into your account and can be used from there.
Finance	Do I have access to our society bank statements?	Bank statements can be requested by emailing admin@uccsocieties.ie and the team will issue you with a digital statement.
Finance	How do I lodge the cash we collected?	Cash can be lodged in the Bank of Ireland on campus on a Wednesday 10am-4pm. You will need your IBAN (available on your portal account) so the money can be lodged into the society account. Once counted, cash can be dropped into the societies office where the team will store it in the safe until it can be lodged in the back. Ensure to record any cash lodged as income on the portal.
Finance	How do I know the amount of money we collected using the sum up machines?	The sum up reports will be generated by the societies office. The reports are then checked and a bank transfer is created to lodge the money into the relevant society account. The societies office will then send an email detailing the amount raised on a given date. You must then record this as income on your portal. It is important to ensure you sign into the sum up machines using your societies email address to ensure all the money collected can be attributed to the correct society.
Health and Safety	How do compile a Risk Assessment?	You will find the Risk Assessment form on the UCC Societies website under "Committee Resources". Include as much detail as possible about your events and it's potential risks and then email a completed copy to healthandsafety@uccsocieties.ie. This must form be filled out by committee members and approved before booking a room.
Health and Safety	A member got injured at one of our events- What do we do?	This must be reported to health and safety officer and societies officer and you will be asked to compile a report on the incident.
Events	We want to sell tickets for an event- how do we do this?	Ticketsolve is the online ticket sales website we use to sell tickets. To create an event just complete details on the Ticketsolve template which can be found under the forms and risk assessments section of the UCC societies website and email it to admin@uccsocieties.ie. The office team will then create the event and issue you with the link. Tickets can also be sold through sum up machines or cash but you would need to complete a risk assessment to set up a stall to sell tickets.
Events	How can our Society apply to travel on a foreign trip?	To apply to travel on a Foreign Trip you must fill out the 'Foreign Trip Proposal' on the portal at least 2 months prior to departure. This goes to the Societies Executive for approval. Once approved, you will need to complete a Risk Assessment. Two weeks prior to departure you will need to provide up to date plans and 'ICE' (in case of emergency) details.
Events	We want to host an Intervarsity- any tips?	Just treat it as you would any other event and get in touch with other University’s at least two months prior to the event.
Awards	How do we apply for a digital badge?	Our committee members will forever leave UCC as well-rounded graduates, laden with real-life transferable skills. Going forward every committee member be eligible to apply for the badge if they attend at least 10 of our training sessions. You can apply via the UCC websitehttps://uccireland.sharepoint.com/sites/CentreforDigitalEducation2/SitePages/Appl.aspx..
Awards	How do we apply for UCC Employagility award?	The UCC EmployAgility Award is a professional skills development programme, and demonstrates that you have engaged in, and developed professional skills through extra-curricular activities and work experience, all of which will help you to stand out from the crowd when applying for graduate roles and internships. After engaging in the experience you will need to reflect on the skills you have developed and learn how to articulate these skills to employers. You will do this by writing up a Reflective Report and preparing your CV before you actually receive the award at a formal rewards ceremony in the spring. Your society hours count towards this award! UCC Societies comes under the Student Life Pathway.https://www.ucc.ie/en/careers/areyouacurrentstudent/getexperience/awards/#:~:text=The%20UCC%20EmployAgility%20Award%20is,for%20graduate%20roles%20and%20internships.
Awards	What is BICS?And what can they do for us?	Board of Irish College Societies (BICS) is a national organisation dedicated to promoting and rewarding societies across all third level institutes in Ireland. They also act as a support mechanism for society administrators promoting the sharing of information and implementation of best practice. They host an annual awards ceremony at which students can showcase their societies and win awards.
Promotion	How do I add an event to the Societies Events Wall?	You can add events to the events wall by selecting the "Calendar" section on the portal and adding the event and entering the required details. Adding your event to the events wall is important to ensure it reaches as many people as possible, it helps to attract new societies members.
Promotion	How do I design a poster?	You can attend PRO training in semester 1 where you will be guided on designing your posters! If you have a fair idea already yourself you are welcome to use the computer suite in the societies hub to design your poster. The computers there have adobe software that you can use or you can use the societies office canva premium account.
Promotion	How do I get our poster/ advertisement on the digital screens around campus?	Send your poster/advertisement to the societies admin staff (admin@uccosocieties.ie) and they will upload it to the screens around campus !
Promotion	How do we get our event advertised on the UCC radio station?	Send an email with all the details to radio@ucc.ie who will be able to assist.
Promotion	How do we get a presence on the University's social media?	Each society has an Instagram account. When you are holding an event, advertise these on your social media platforms and tag @uccsocieties and they will regram your post. You can also email pro@uccsocieties.ie and ask that your event would be covered.
Promotion	How do I print posters for my event?	Posters can be printed by the admin team in the societies office however due to the sustainable campus initiative, we would ask that you be mindful when requesting printing. Only 10 posters can be hung around campus and they must be stamped by the socs office before you put them up. A digital copy of the poster can be displayed on the screens around campus. Just ask the admin team and they can organise this for you.
Promotion	We have produced a publication/ magazine/ booklet and want to make it available online	The Societies Office have a premium ISSUU account whereby you can easily and professionally share your publication online. contact admin@uccsocieties.ie to arrange.

For Committee Members

Section

Question

Answer

General

Why get involved with a society committee?

General

Who are the Societies staff and what do they do?

General

What is the Societies Guild?

The Societies Guild is a term used to refer to all Societies as a collective. It consists of all members of the Societies Executive as well as the Societies Chairperson from each society.

General

What is Senate?

General

What is a constitution?

Every Society has a constitution which lays out their aims and objectives as an organisation and the rules on how they operate. This can be found on the portal under the ‘Governance’ tab.

General

What is an AGM?

An Annual General Meeting (AGM) is usually held at the end of Semester 2. The society will present an overview of the academic year just gone by, a finance report detailing the financial status of the society and elect their committee for the following academic year.

General

What is an EGM?

An Extraordinary General Meeting (EGM) is usually held around October and the society will elect a 1st Year Rep and any other unfilled positions on the committee.

General

How come I can't log into the portal despite being on a committee?

If you are having issues logging into the portal, please first check with your chairperson that you have been added correctly, if you are still having issues please email admin@uccsocieties.ie where the team will be happy to help.

General

How do we contact our members?

The societies office can supply you with one email address (your 'mailing list') that you can send your membership emails to. This email address has been populated at the back end with the addresses of all your members! This has been set up for you to ensure your society are GDPR compliant.

General

How do we book a room on campus for our events?

General

I find senate a little daunting. I'd love to meet the exec and fellow committee members in a less formal setting

Keep and eye on our social media account @uccsocieties as we regularly hold 'socs and scones' mornings. Pop along for a chat, a cup of tea and a scone on us.

Training

What trainings are available for committee members?

Equipment

I have booked equipment on the portal but it is still listed as pending, is my booking confirmed?

Equipment

I have society equipment on my person. Can I return these items to the shed?

You can book keys out on the societies portal page then collect them from the office. When taking the key to the roll-up shed, the student must leave their student card in order be given the keys and the student card will be given back once the keys have been returned.

Finances

I requested payment to a payee but it hasn't been processed yet. What do I do?

Finances

A committee member paid for items to be used for the society. How can I reimburse them?

Finances

Can I reimburse a member through cash?

No, all reimbursements must be made via bank transfer, and submitted to the portal for approval.

Finances

Our supplier has said they cannot provide us with an invoice. What do we do?

All reputable suppliers should be able to provide you with an invoice. If there are unwilling to do this, it may be because they are not 100% legitimate. In this instance it may be better to try to find an alternative supplier who can provide an invoice.

Finance

In what instances can I use the societies credit card?

Some suppliers (e.g Ryanair) will by their very nature require you to pay by credit card and wil not accept bank transfer. Prior to using the card you must complete the usage form available from the office and create the expenditure on the portal.

Finance

If society funding is approved in the budget, do I have to do anything else before it can be used?

Yes, at least 2 weeks prior to the event, you must create a funding request on the portal. Once approved, the money will be lodged into your account and can be used from there.

Finance

Do I have access to our society bank statements?

Bank statements can be requested by emailing admin@uccsocieties.ie and the team will issue you with a digital statement.

Finance

How do I lodge the cash we collected?

Finance

How do I know the amount of money we collected using the sum up machines?

Health and Safety

How do compile a Risk Assessment?

Health and Safety

A member got injured at one of our events- What do we do?

This must be reported to health and safety officer and societies officer and you will be asked to compile a report on the incident.

Events

We want to sell tickets for an event- how do we do this?

Events

How can our Society apply to travel on a foreign trip?

Events

We want to host an Intervarsity- any tips?

Just treat it as you would any other event and get in touch with other University’s at least two months prior to the event.

Awards

How do we apply for a digital badge?

Awards

How do we apply for UCC Employagility award?

Awards