Software Recommendation for getting my club in order.
September 13, 2020 6:20 AM   Subscribe

Can you recommend a software (or system) for sorting out my small private club?

So I am president of a small private club. We are not meeting in person for the time being; everything is digital.

Here is the situation:
As the club has grown over the past 55 years, we've had all these various tech adaptations that don't match each other and each board member has to do their job in isolation.

So there are three different emails - each of which go to a different person, but the notification for payments goes to the treasurer, but not to the membership person, who keeps a google or word doc based on a phone call or email from the treasurer. There are social media accounts, but each of them is controlled by a different person on the board. There is a PayPal link, but it has to be set up manually and the square reader isn't used because (insert why-ever). There is a blog that has been dormant for years and all of our membership contacts are in *another* separate doc in MailChimp. This is all *fine* but only just so and makes a lot of back-and-forth work for everyone. I am especially tired of three different membership lists that have to be reconciled ALL THE TIME.

Here is what I would like to do:
We've owned our own domain since the early web, so I would like a front-end club website with links to all of the social media.
I would like there to be a backend access point for members to access the member directory as well as newsletters, presentations, and updates to the schedule.
I would like there to be ONE membership list that all board members have access to that can be used as a directory, newsletter mailing list, as well as anything else.

Is there a business software that can be installed on different platforms that the board members could use on their desktop? Mailchimp has some functionality, but their monthly fee is a little high for us. We could handle a one-time payment to buy a suite of something, perhaps though.

What exactly am I looking for here? I'd really like to start pulling all of this together into place since our focus will be digital for a while.
posted by Tchad to Computers & Internet (2 answers total)
 
You may need to discuss more about what your goals are. But if the intent is a single landing page with backend restricted access and integrated with other services, it kinda sounds like you're looking for simple content management system (CMS). Something like WordPress at the Business Plan level perhaps?

This would give you access to a front-end website, subscriber-based access, newsletters, a payments system, integration with PayPal, and integration with Google Docs/G Suite if necessary.

Why are you looking for something installed on a desktop instead of a collaborative web-based tool?
posted by miasma at 6:53 AM on September 13, 2020 [1 favorite]


You don't need software as much as you need a person to integrate all of these things. Miasma is correct that it can all be fronted by WordPress, because that will integrate with payments, payment notifications, MailChimp etc. You have all the pieces you just need them to connect seamlessly. It's not an uncommon position to be in and on a positive note, none of the systems or requirements you've mentioned are weird outliers. They are all nicely standard and this is very do-able.

(Feel free to drop me a MeMail if you want a contractor to help with this.)
posted by DarlingBri at 7:28 AM on September 13, 2020 [1 favorite]


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