Shane- For- Finance Manifesto To all UCC YFG members, My name is Shane Connolly and I am writing to inform you all that I am putting my name forward as a candidate for Treasurer of our next committee. I would now like to take the time to tell you why I have come to this decision. I joined UCC YFG because I wanted to get more out of myself, to challenge what I think I can do and develop more as a person while making a positive contribution to people beyond myself. In all these regards joining this society, this great group of people, has wildly exceeded my expectations. Since joining UCC YFG this year I have had some amazing experiences, from our weekly debates and socials to the Dรกil trip and National Conference. All along the way I have met some fantastic people and made some great new friends. This society has given so much to me. I would now love to be given the opportunity to give something back.
Knowledge, Skills and Experience The role of Treasurer is a vital one for the society. As a commerce student, I fully understand the importance of finances to the running of any organisation. In this regard, I believe that I have the necessary knowledge, skills and dedication to carry out the work of Treasurer. Financial Skills As part of my degree I have learned various financial skills from bookkeeping and fundraising to project management and promotion. These are skills which I believe I can bring to the position of Treasurer. Furthermore, as Assistant Manager of my secondary School Bank, I have experience in managing money. This role involved overseeing the general day-to-day running of the bank and making sure that all monies were processed accurately and in full. Additionally, I was also responsible for getting more people to join up to the bank and save their money with
us. This involved running information campaigns in the school and working with our local bank branch to secure funding for promotional campaigns. Committee Experience Another vital element of being Treasurer is working as a member of the committee team. This requires the ability to be open, flexible and approachable. These are qualities which I believe that I possess as a result of my work on various committees. As many of you may know, I was a member of our general committee this year. Although I have only just joined this year, I believe that I have developed a good understanding of how our society works. In secondary school I was elected a class rep on the Student Council for my final four years. Additionally, in my final year I was elected as a Prefect by the teaching staff. All of these positions required being able to work as part of a team, to communicate effectively and to be able to contribute my own ideas. These are all skills which I believe I can bring to the committee as your new Treasurer.
Policies If I have the privilege of being elected to the position of Treasurer, I would work to implement the following polices: In order to increase the revenues available to the society throughout the year, I believe we need to prioritise membership levels. This involves both attracting new members and retaining existing ones. I believe this can be achieved in a number of ways. For example: 
Holding and promoting more social events
As a new member, I found the prospect of going to a debate on my own when I didn’t know anyone quite daunting. What eventually attracted me was the Bowling Night, which I viewed as more approachable for first time members than a debate. I believe we should prioritise funding for these events in order to increase our membership. These social events could be in the form of movie nights, bowling nights, fun discussions and social drinks, for example. In addition possibly gaining access to the Vertigo Suite in
County Hall for a viewing and talk could be a good promotional event for the society and could also serve as an information evening for new members. Furthermore, I would also advocate having a few more informal and fun debates, relating more to pop culture themes as opposed to current affairs. These would allow people to come along and experience the joy of debating in a more relaxed environment. I should point out that these debates would not replace our core debates but rather complement them.
Societies Day Promotion
I believe that the funding we receive for both Societies Days is vital for the promotion of our society. In my opinion we should ensure that this funding is maintained and if possible even expanded. Furthermore, we should evaluate how we approach the promotion at each of the Societies Day. I would advocate that we look into how we use our resources for the 2nd semester society day. Although it is important to participate in this event, I believe that we should use some of the ‘free stuff’ from this event in our own independent promotions to attract students who have the potential to give a more long term commitment as opposed to just one semester.
Dáil Trip
I believe the Dáil trip is a fantastic part of the society’s social calendar and is one that could be used as a great promotional tool. In addition I would also look to have more trips to local government buildings.
Collaborations
As a means to attract and communicate with as many students as possible, I would advocate that we engage in more collaborations with as many societies as possible. I would hope to move outside of the traditional political and debating sphere on occasions. This is because these people often already have established political views. For example, we could possibly have a debate with the Science Society on the importance of state funding for scientific research and whether this money should be used for more important social purposes. Again this is as means of complementing our political and debating collaborations.
Conclusion In conclusion, I am very optimistic for the future of UCC Young Fine Gael. Our society is certainly one of the most active ones and contributes a huge amount to student life on and off campus, a fact I believe often goes unnoticed and underappreciated. I strongly believe that building on the success of this year, we can become the best society in UCC next year. To achieve this we need a strong committee heading a strong core membership. We are a society that should have high ambitions. I am willing to work tirelessly to achieve these ambitions for our society. I would hope that you would consider supporting me for the position of Treasurer at our upcoming AGM. Thank you very much for taking the time to read my manifesto. Best wishes and kind regards, Shane Connolly.