We have created the following guide to assist you in creating club terms and conditions, including a refund policy.
Suggested title
[Your Club Name] Terms & Conditions
Suggested introduction
At [Your Club Name] we want club members to have a clear understanding regarding their membership and we understand that circumstances can change. We want to ensure the process is fair and equitable for everyone.
What to include in terms and conditions
We have created the following policy guidelines to assist you in creating club terms and conditions which will include a refund policy:
- What are the eligibility criteria to become a member.
- What benefits or services do members get when they sign up.
- How long each membership term lasts for (i.e. annual membership, per semester etc).
- Whether the membership fee is refundable once paid.
- When considering whether a fee should be refundable, clubs should consider what is fair and reasonable. Guidance for this can be found on the Consumer Affairs Victoria website. Note that its totally acceptable to refuse a refund purely for change of mind.
- If fees are refundable, the membership T&Cs should clearly describe the circumstances when a refund will be provided.
- Provide a contact person at the student club that members can contact for any issues they have with the club.
- Any other important aspects about the student club that people should know before signing up as a member.
Manage members expectations
RMIT Student Life clubs should view the membership T&Cs as an opportunity to set out (and manage) members’ expectations when joining the club.
For example:
- If the student club holds events through the year that may have limited capacity – the student club may wish to state in their membership T&Cs that as a member they will receive emails notifying them of the event, but they are not guaranteed a spot in all events.
- If they have events that will require the member to pay additional participation fees on top of their membership fee, the membership T&Cs could say “Additional event participation fees may be payable for events run by the student club”.
Resources
There are many publicly available resources that student clubs can refer to when preparing their membership T&Cs, including the following:
- Memberful: How to build a transparent membership refund policy.
- LegalVision: When Do I Have to Give Refunds?
- Small Business Development Corporation: What to include in your cancellation policy.
Note, clubs do not have to have terms and conditions including a refund policy, but it can help to reduce any ambiguity or conflict during the year.
Other clubs and societies resources
