As consultants reviewing SU activities, we look at all aspects of how student groups work – what they do and how they’re run. It’s often in the detail where we can really learn about what’s working, or not, for your activities.
Student group finances can tell us more than just how much money your biggest societies have in their account. What we sometimes uncover is a complex, capacity-draining pool of paperwork, procedures, and endless meetings to approve minor spends from clubs and societies.
On the face of it, everything can look as though things are running fine – society balances look healthy, there are few societies in debt, and every week receipts come back on time. But dig a little deeper and you start to find a system which is failing students: static account balances, member-funded socials in lieu of using society funds, and a system which drives student groups away from using union bank accounts.
This isn’t just about preventing students from using money they’re entitled to so they can have fun. When unions get club and society finances right, it can give students real budgeting skills, make activities safer, and build better communities.
Three questions worth asking
SUs can review their society finance processes today by asking three simple questions.
Does the finance system create better graduates?
Students are used to handling money – they manage their budgets for accommodation, public transport, course resources, their social life, and a salary from part-time jobs. What clubs and societies budgets can add is an understanding of what it means to be a budget holder, which is something rather different from being responsible for your own money, as distinct from the money which supports every member of that group. It’s about planning large events – balls or sports trips – and working out when losing money on running a social is going to be worth it against the value it brings to members.
If an SU finance system is too restrictive about how students can access and spend their group’s money, this opportunity for critical thinking around budget planning disappears. Without access to clear information about how much money groups have and a straightforward process for spending it, many groups will become less ambitious in how they plan their activities. Unions absolutely should have spending limitations to mitigate financial losses, but usually we find that the stakes become lower when groups can only spend a small amount at a time.
By reviewing the opportunities to build in automated and digital expenses systems, SUs can free up time and be reassured they are collating everything they need for audit purposes while retaining appropriate control of spending. For students, digital finance systems offer a genuinely useful learning experience – they get to grips with the kind of expenses tools they’ll encounter in the workplace, better preparing them for life after graduation.
Are activities less safe because finance takes so long?
Administrating complex finance systems takes time from a variety of staff within a union – it might see the finance manager, an officer, and activities coordinators taking time each week or month to approve and scrutinise small amounts of society spending. Could the time spent authorising small spends instead be time spent scrutinising the health, safety, and risk profile of activities?
One of the key findings from the Safe Adventures report from Organised Fun is that not enough is being done by unions to assure themselves that activities run by clubs and societies are suitably and sufficiently safe to take place. Anything which takes capacity away from internal teams to do this effectively is doing students a disservice. Unions could redirect this time to support student group leaders with training, problem-solving on event logistics, and working with activity leaders on safety plans for trips and activities. Staff time is finite, and delegated authority models should prioritise areas where the stakes are higher.
What does your finance system say about trust?
We often hear officers and staff say they face an overwhelming number of meetings on a regular basis – enough to prevent them from spending time with members in more casual drop-ins or holding conversations on campus.
A complex finance process may suggest that a union is trying to do the right thing by its charitable objects – being rigorous about how the organisation’s money is spent and making sure groups don’t end up in debt with external vendors. What it really tells students is that there isn’t enough trust in the system, whether of students or staff.
Many unions hire student staff to support reception desks and run commercial spaces like bars and shops, yet this trust doesn’t extend to student staff being part of the delegated authority process for spending. Student leaders are elected and trained to be confident in leading their groups, yet are given little ability to authorise a few hundred pounds of spend in their group’s name. For staff and officers, they’re forced to go back and forth internally to decide spending for a group when the time would usually be better spent by everyone simply talking to the group themselves about their plans and what support they need.
No-one wins in this scenario. The risk mitigated by a complex process is too big a burden when contrasted with what students and staff might achieve if the reins on spending were looser. Building trust is a far better investment than teaching fear.
Fun is worth its weight in gold
The cost of living, among other constraints on students’ time, makes the moments when they do show up for union activities incredibly valuable. We shouldn’t be asking members to put in for costs which could be covered by student group accounts, expecting committees to pay upfront for big spends, or making a simple reimbursement a lengthy, difficult, and off-putting process.
Now is the time for students’ unions to look at their finance systems and consider when they were last reviewed, and whether they still reflect the operating reality of the teams and students who use them. How can we make them easy to use, digital, and efficient? How can we give students the confidence to spend group funds responsibly? How can we prioritise staff time to support student groups effectively?
Unions can train committees on appropriate spending, budgeting, risk-assessing activities, and event planning – but none of that matters if the bar to spending is so high that they don’t bother doing anything as a student group anyway. If you make your finance system less complex for 2026–27, your student groups will thank you in the time they spend having fun, giving your staff time back to make sure the activities which do run are safe and financially sustainable.
