In March, AYY will be handing out operating grants to 1^st list associations. The scoring model has been lightly updated and the application form revised to ease the process for associations.

It is advisable to take care of some things ahead of the start of the application period:

1. Make sure the documents from the previous operational year (financial statement, annual report) and this year’s documents (operational plan, budget) are in order. These, along with the current rules, are required as appendices to the application form.
2. If possible, organise the association’s spring meeting before the end of March in order to have the documents mentioned at item 1 approved. If your rules stipulate different proceedings, comply primarily with the rules.
3. Update your member register. Find out how many of your members are members of AYY, for example, with a member survey.

Everything mentioned above is only for guidance but, in practice, they are small steps that you are advised to take into account. The above items (apart from the financial documents) also apply to associations who are only submitting an association notice. In addition, the following more recent items will be taken into account in the scoring:

4. The association has privacy statements in accordance with GDPR. If your association wants to prepare these, AYY’s instruction package can be found here: https://inside.ayy.fi/display/TIET/General+Data+Protection (login requires Aalto user details).
5. The relevant association operators are familiar with AYY’s Event Organiser Guide (https://yhdistysopas.ayy.fi/wp-content/uploads/sites/20/2018/12/Tapahtumaj%C3%A4rjest%C3%A4j%C3%A4n-opas.pdf; in Finnish only).
6. Equality practices have been discussed in the association, and written instructions may have been prepared regarding these. If you need some tips, you should take a look at the Association Guide’s section on the topic at https://yhdistysopas.ayy.fi/equality/?lang=en.
7. The association pays attention to ecological sustainability (e.g. recycling, sensible purchases).

Items 4–7 are changes brought on by the lightly updated scoring system, and their promotion is optional for associations. Operating grants are allocated based on the scoring guideline, which is available at https://inside.ayy.fi/download/attachments/12615842/Pisteytysmalli%20toiminta-avustusten%20jakoon%202018_EN.pdf?version=1&modificationDate=1549006812000&api=v2.

If you have any questions about the application round at this point, do not hesitate to get in touch at jarjestoasiat(a)ayy.fi. Naturally, more detailed instructions and dates will be provided in the association newsletter before the application period starts.