Financial statements reveal UYCU annual turnover of £29,000
York MinsterThe University of York Christian Union (UYCU) has reported a £29,000 turnover in the past year, including an expenditure of over £22,000 on its two major events, the Minster Ball and the UYCU Houseparty.
In total, the group recorded a loss of over £4,000 in the year preceeding November 30 2007, with both income and expenditure falling by £1,000 compared to 2006.
This makes UYCU one of the richest student societies operating at the University, suggested Sam Bayley, YUSU Societies and Communications Officer, although they are not YUSU-affiliated. James Sharpe, UYCU Treasurer 2006-2007, said: “I think that we realise that we do turn over a lot in comparison with other societies, but most of that is on the Minster Ball. The rest, some £6,000-£7,000, is basically what we get in from donations.” Bayley said that the only campus society with a greater turnover is the York Student Cinema.
In the financial statements acquired by Nouse, the annual ball makes up nearly 60% of the expenditure. Last year’s event cost the organisers £17,161, while ticket sales, at £30 each, only raised £10,934, resulting in a loss of over £6,200. The ball has a capacity of 650 people. By comparison, the 2007 Fresher’s Ball, according to YUSU Services and Finance Officer Matt Burton, cost approximately £40,000, and was attended by around 2,500 people.
Sharpe justified the spending as a part of the UYCU’s religious mandate: “The idea is that the event is primarily just an evangelistic outreach event, so it’s not a real loss. Obviously we aim to break even,” he said. “The Minster gives us the building for free, we just pay reinstatement charges, such as wages to the Minster Police and the costs of clearing chairs and building the stage,” said Sharpe, who revealed that the bulk of the expense is on food. “Catering costs around £12,000-£13,000. We have to hire in outdoor catering facilities, and as we’re not allowed to cook in the Minster, they have to erect a marquee outside. Hiring a band also costs around £2,000,” he said.
The accounts show that the loss incurred on this event was offset by the £7,500 received in donations. “Donations come from alumni and current members; there is no membership fee,” said Sharpe, who suggested the average donation from the 150-strong membership was around £10-£15. The remainder originates from outside sources, including local churches and national organisations.
These donations also pay for other outlays, such as guest speakers, press and publicity, and the Fresher’s booklet produced to welcome arriving students and attract newcomers to the society. This year’s Fresher’s Week budget was £2,225. “[The £2,225] is allocated from the donations, and on some occasions we turn to local churches and ask them to fund specific parts of it,” said Sharpe. The UYCU itself donated £918 to charitable causes over the year.
Sharpe said the figures shown did not necessarily signify a loss for the UYCU since a large amount of the money raised from the sale of Minster Ball tickets was not included. “At the point at which the accounts were produced, not all the money raised from ticket sales had come in,” he said.
