Struggling to collect membership fees? Is it hard to do the things you want in your team or association because money is tight? There are many ways to improve this.
Sports clubs, associations and event organisers all depend on a steady flow of money to survive. Membership fees cover some of it, but they don't always come in by themselves. That's why it's important to have good systems that make it easy to pay, and just as easy for both members and administrators to keep a full overview. Fortunately, there are good systems that handle this well.
At the same time, there are many other ways to generate income that can give you a little more financial breathing room and make it possible to develop and renew yourselves.
External income
Membership fees don't always stretch to cover everything you want to do. Then you need to look for other sources of income. Here are some suggestions:
- Grasrotandelen – Register as a Grasrotandelen (grassroots share) recipient and encourage all your members and the local community to support you. Then 7% of everything they bet will go directly to the team or association.
- Kiosk sales – a classic that has raised a lot of money for teams and associations over the years. Try to get shops or producers to sponsor you with goods that you can sell alongside waffles and coffee.
- Bottle deposits – encourage everyone to leave their returnable bottles and cans when they come to training. It's important that everything is well organised, such as easily accessible bags for the returnables and a clear plan for where they will be handed in. Make an arrangement with your local shop to return them at fixed times.
- Spleis.no – If you're organising something special, such as a trip or an event, it can be a good idea to set up a fundraiser on Spleis with a target amount and get the local community involved. A good tip is to get the local newspaper to write a nice story about it – that way you reach a lot of people.
- Vipps – set up a Vipps number for the team and display it clearly everywhere. It's handy for payments at the kiosk, but can also generate spontaneous payments from generous donors.
- Flea market – Ask the local community whether they have things in the attic or basement they want to get rid of. Organise volunteers with cars to collect items, clothes, furniture and more, and hold a flea market at the clubhouse.
- Supporter merchandise – Have different types of supporter items made, from mugs and key rings to hoodies and dog clothes, which can then be sold at your own events and in the local shop. Feel free to use humour – there are few limits here.
- Volunteer work (dugnad) for others – Let volunteers in the team offer services to the local community, with the income going to the team. It could be transport, mowing lawns, making waffles at concerts – the only limit is your imagination.
How to improve payments from members
At the same time, it is first and foremost the members themselves who keep teams and associations going, through membership fees and other payments. Keeping track of invoicing membership fees and other payments – and not least following up – can be labour-intensive. Where a lot of time used to go on manually handling spreadsheets and sending out invoices, there are now, fortunately, far simpler solutions that do the job for both administrators and members in just a few clicks.
- Always up-to-date contact information
The first rule for collecting payments is having the right information: what the member is to pay (for several people, for a registration, membership fees or similar), that the name is correct, and anything else relevant to the individual. A system that gives quick and easy access to your own details via an app ensures that members update and check for themselves that everything is correct. This in turn ensures that the details are updated everywhere in the system. - Easy payment
Paper invoices are easily lost or forgotten. The easier it is to pay, the faster teams and associations will receive payments. This is very important for keeping things running. Paying directly in the app, with the option to pay with Vipps, makes it all simpler. A few clicks and the job is done, with the money in immediately. At the same time, members can see what they have paid on their own member page. - Good communication
A sense of belonging is important. Give members the feeling of being included and part of a community. That's why good communication matters, so that everyone always feels they know what's happening, when and where, and hears quickly about any changes. But also so that members can communicate the other way. Rubic Connect is built much like what we know from social media, with a news feed and the option to post photos, like and comment within the group you belong to. You also get push notifications about changes or anything else that affects you. And you can communicate with both an individual and a whole group. - Accessibility and overview
As a member, it's easy to forget to pay your membership fee or registration fee. With Rubic Connect, you have the entire membership system in your pocket and can easily pay. In the same place, you can sign up for competitions, events or training sessions.
As a leader or event organiser, you likewise get control of who has paid, and can also manage access control on that basis – from accreditation to actually unlocking doors and granting access at different levels.
If you're a member of a fitness centre, you can see all the sessions and sign up for the ones you want. If you're the parent of one or more children in a sports club, you'll always know where and when matches and training sessions take place.