Courses for committee members of associations recognized by EPFL

By François Türk, consultant in association management at Bénévolat Vaud

This course will enable you to discover the specifics of association governance: the different bodies, how they operate, the role of the committee, the place of members and many other essential legal and administrative aspects. As a member of an association’s committee, you’ll be invited to reflect on and question the way it works, to ensure its longevity and to gain pleasure and skills for your future!

Training plan :

• The bodies of the association
• The role of the committee
• The Articles of Association (Statutes)
• Governance and power mechanisms
• Financial issues: keeping accounts, non-profit status, commercial register
• Taxation: taxes and charitable status
• Insurance

Duration : 1.5 hours

Next course to be scheduled in September-October 2024 (french only!)

By Astrid Berger Tombet, PCC Coach & CSMC Mediator

This interactive workshop is designed to help participants improve their communication skills and recognise the warning signs of conflict.

Participants are encouraged to bring real life situations where they have encountered communication difficulties or even conflict.

Workshop objectives :

• Understand the fundamental principles of caring communication
• Acquire practical skills to communicate constructively
• Identify the early signs of conflict in interpersonal relationships
• Learn conflict management techniques

This workshop offers participants the opportunity to learn and practise essential skills for building positive relationships. They will leave with a better understanding of communication dynamics and practical tools to improve their day-to-day interactions.

Duration : 2.5 hours, 5.30 to 8pm

Next workshop to be scheduled in October 2024

By Sylvie Jungo Ayer and Noémie Cheval at Réseau Transition

This course will enable members of association committees to :

• Understand the basics of group dynamics
• Understand the challenges associated with changes in group life and how to reduce their negative impact
• Use simple tools and practices within their committees
• Create and develop a pleasant, satisfying and healthy working atmosphere and meetings
• Achieve your objectives while maintaining the team’s efficiency and well-being
• Work and reflect on your own position within a team

Its objectives are :

• To pass on theoretical and practical knowledge about group dynamics, changes in group life, power relationships and meeting management.
• To enable participants to discover and experiment with simple, effective and easily reproducible tools for improving group life and ensuring its sustainability (framework and rules for group life, work on posture, active listening and distribution of the floor, decision-making, collective vision, etc)
• To offer a space for sharing experiences, as close as possible to the realities and needs experienced by the participants.

Duration : 2.5 hours, 5 to 7.30 pm

Next course :

Monday April 15, 2024 (french only!) -> I register

By Sidney Picenni,  GastroSuisse

In order to ensure the purchase, storage, handling and distribution of foodstuffs without risk, in order to reassure you and provide you with the skills necessary for your associative activity, this training will review the important subjects in relation to food law and regulations.

This training is mandatory for any event organized by a student association where food is offered.

Conditions of participation: To participate, you must be an elected member of a steering committee of a student association acknowledged by EPFL. No more than one person per committee will be accepted.

A personal certificate valid for the association committee will be issued at the end of the course. This certificate must be presented in order to obtain authorization from EPFL for the event.

Duration : 3 hours, from 5.15 to 8.15 pm

Dates for the academic year 2023-24 (Spring Semester) :

Thursday March 21, 2024 -> I register

Places are limited to a maximum of 20 students per session.

By Dominique Rouiller, ElectroSuisse

This training seminar is compulsory for anyone having to set up a substantial electrical distribution as part of their associative activities. No event requiring this type of intervention will be authorized without a committee member being recognized as a “personne instruite” within the meaning of OICF, art 3, ch. 20. This qualification is obtained at the end of the seminar by validation of prior learning attested by the certificate issued at the end of the course.

The seminar will give you an overview of the legal obligations to be respected and will address the risks and dangers of electrical installations. The training has been designed to give you the best practices to apply during your events (drawing outlets, setting up booths and sets, intervention in electrical panels, simple troubleshooting, and protective measures).

Duration: 3h

Next course to be scheduled in September 2024

Hosted by Céline Bellier from EPFL Philanthropy Service

This workshop will give you useful information and helpful hints on creating a successful sponsorship proposal.

It will provide you with a step by step guide to follow when approaching a sponsor including the do’s and don’ts when looking for sponsors.

With helpful hints and best practices, this interactive workshop will enable you to better understand and meet sponsor expectations while respecting the EPFL guidelines on the topic.

If you wish, you can also submit your sponsoring file draft to our coaches who will give you personalized feedback. Deadline for sending files: 10 days before the event.

Please send a one page draft to [email protected] which should include:

• Description of the project: what, when, where, why, how many participants, timeline
• Team: who are you?
• Budget: Total funding needed, what you are looking for (e.g. cash, in-kind etc.) and if any secured already?
• Benefits: list the benefits you are ready to offer in exchange of a specific financial support
• Action plan: a general idea of how you would like to go about getting funds- contacts, prospects, via email, phone/Zoom, in-person.

Next workshop to be scheduled in October 2024

By Melissa Fattebert, consultant for CV Consulting, mandate manager with federal patent

1^st session : week 1, from 6.15 to 9.00 pm : Introduction to accounting
The first course aims at understanding the fundamentals of accounting. The purpose of this evening will be to understand how accounting works, learn the basics as well as the need to keep proper accounts.

It is, without a doubt, a good support to carry out your mission as part of the accounting and financial management of your association.

Various exercises as well as an interactive exercise on the creation and management of a business will be at stake during this first evening.

2^nd session : week 2, from 6.15 to 9.00 pm : Budget
The second session will focus on the budget process as well as cash flow planning. The goal is to understand how to manage the formal documents to be sent to EPFL to maintain their acknowledgement and/or submitted for the grant application. The course will provide plenty of exercices.

This evening will also be devoted to the organization in accounting (software, Excel sheets), as well as to various key processes (the most important being purchasing).

3^rd session : week 3, from 6.15 to 9.00 pm : Approach to taxation & Budgeting (practical)
Following a brief introduction to taxation, the course will include practical exercises and grant applications can be reviewed.

Only people who have followed the three sessions of the accounting course will receive a course certificate.

Next course to be scheduled in October 2024

Following the establishment of quotas and the obligation to submit a file for the coming academic year, these courses are suspended.

On the other hand, it is mandatory to fill in the form to announce the contact person by association. This person is the only person authorized to submit requests and is responsible for all procedures related to the association’s event requests.

The form and all the information can be found on the dedicated page: https://www.epfl.ch/campus/services/events/fr/evenements-dassociations-reconnues