Clubs that make effective use of technology can save their time and effort. This guide explores various technologies that clubs can adopt to enhance efficiency, from digital payments and cloud computing to online marketing and member management.
Cloud computing
Why use it? Cloud computing offers a flexible, cost-effective solution for data storage and collaboration. Without the need for desktop installation or local upgrades, cloud services ensure automatic updates, easy access no matter wherever you are working from and significant savings on local resources.
Examples: Google Workspace, Dropbox, Microsoft
Online accounting systems
Why use it? Effective financial management is crucial for any club. Cloud-based bookkeeping packages simplify tasks like annual financial statements and grant acquittal, making financial management more accessible and enjoyable for volunteers.
Examples: Xero, MYOB, QuickBooks, Reckon
Electronic payments
Making and receiving payments: Electronic funds transfers and card payments are easy to manage, provide immediate receipts and minimise cash handling. Just make sure that your club is protected by dual authorisation for EFTs and organisational debit cards. Remember that while EFTPOS systems may take a small transaction fee, this system does help chasing money easier and is better than not receiving any money at all.
Examples for taking payments: Your bank, Square, Vend, Kounta, Stripe
Website and social media
Digital presence: A well-designed website sits at the heart of your digital presence and, unlike social media, you have full control of the content. Here’s the key things to keep in mind when putting your club’s website together:
Examples: Wix, Weebly, Squarespace, Zyro, Site123, WordPress
Social media for outreach: Social media is a great way to reach your members and stakeholders such as sponsors quickly and cheaply. Just bear in mind that the popularity and user demographics (such as age and gender) of social media platforms do change, so it’s a good idea to keep up to date on which platform is the best for your audience – or spread your content over multiple platforms to reach as many people as possible.
Check out platforms like Canva, which are helpful in creating engaging content.
Finding and managing volunteers
Recruitment: Sites such as SEEK Volunteer, Volunteering Queensland, GoVolunteer, FreddyMatch and LinkedIn Social Impact are all useful in recruiting volunteers.
Management: While volunteer management systems (used mostly for events that involve very large numbers of volunteers) can be costly, small clubs can benefit from using Customer Relationship Management (CRM) software to keep on top of volunteer training, qualifications, contacts and mail outs. If you do go down this path, remember that while many CRM systems are free or low cost for clubs, updates and fixes can be expensive. Do your research and choose your system wisely.
Examples: Rosterfy, Hivebrite, Bloomerang, SignUp
CRM membership management
Why use it? CRM systems are great for keeping on top of common challenges, such as finding member contact details, knowing when to start the membership renewal processes, ensuring events are well-promoted and properly scheduled, identifying missed payments, and ensuring that members hear important announcements. It’s also worth checking if your club has access to a membership management system via your peak body.
Examples: Hivebrite, PushPress, VeryConnect, Mighty Networks, ClubExpress, revSPORT, Direct Mail and Surveys
Communication: Direct mail software and survey platforms offer support when engaging with your members through newsletters and when using surveys to gather feedback. They are an efficient way to manage mass communication.
Examples: MailChimp, HubSpot, MailerLite, Zoho Campaigns, Survey Monkey, Jotform, Google Forms, Zoho Survey
Event management
Why use it? Event management software can help promote events, simplify ticket purchasing, and enhance event visibility – all of which means greater community participation.
Examples: Eventbrite, TryBooking, Facebook Events
Project management
Why use it? Project management software aids in efficiently managing large scale club projects, from planning to execution, and helps you prepare for important milestones along the way. It is not always the most efficient way of managing your club’s and your volunteer’s workload though.
There is plenty of software available that can help you with project management.
Online fundraising and donations
Why use it? Fundraising platforms enable easy donations and make it more likely that your club will reach its fundraising goals. Choose a platform that allows administration fees to be added to donations so that you maximise the value of each contribution.
Examples: GoFundMe, GiveNow, Donorbox, Stripe
Artificial Intelligence (AI)
AI can automate responses to member inquiries with chatbots, tailor event recommendations through predictive analytics, and streamline administrative tasks. Examples include using AI tools for analysing membership trends or optimising content delivery on social media. AI technology continues to evolve rapidly and clubs are ideally placed to use it for innovative engagement and management practices.
Cyber security
Do the right thing. Protect your club from internal and external threats by adopting strong cybersecurity measures, including dual authorisation for transactions, restricted access to sensitive software and passwords, and regular software updates. It’s also important to speak up when you see or hear something untoward happening.
Passwords and hacking. Strong password policies and awareness of hacking methods are essential for safeguarding your club’s digital assets. Use passphrases, enable multi-factor authentication, and stay vigilant against phishing and spoofing attempts.
Password tips
Hacking protection tips
Adopting technology in club operations not only saves time but also fosters a secure, dynamic and engaging environment for members. By staying informed about technological developments, your club will be better connected with members and supporters, your information will be protected and your community profile will be boosted – all of which leads to increasing your impact.
UQ Sport reinvests all profits into services, facilities, and programs, and is supported by funding from the Student Services and Amenities Fee (SSAF) to benefit UQ students.
UQ Sport Ltd is a division of UQ Holdings.
