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37 articles

A typed sponsorship letter next to an envelope on a clean professional desk

Guides

How to Write a Sponsorship Letter for Non-Profit Organisations

A sponsorship letter is not a begging letter. It is a business proposal. Here is how grant writers, commercial managers, and sponsorship advisors would actually write one.

A green seedling growing through cracked dry earth in a sports field

Guides

Sustainability Is Not a Committee Agenda Item

Most clubs treat sustainability as a box to tick. A Harvard Business Review conversation and three governance leaders from different continents suggest it should be treated as something else entirely.

New member being welcomed at a registration desk

Club Operations

Membership Coordinator: Renewals, Onboarding, and Keeping People

The membership coordinator is the front door of the club. Here is how to handle renewals, onboard new members, and track engagement.

A grant application form, calculator, and pen on a wooden desk in warm natural light

Guides

How to Value Volunteer Time for Grant Applications

Grant assessors want numbers, not narratives. Here is how to calculate and present the economic value of your club's volunteer labour using the ABS replacement cost method.

British pound coins stacked in decreasing columns on a white surface suggesting declining value

Guides

£24.7 Billion and Falling: What the UK's New Volunteering Report Means for Sports Clubs

DCMS just put a price tag on volunteering in England: £24.7 billion a year. The problem is the number is based on 2021/22 data, and volunteering rates have been dropping ever since.

Volunteer team celebrating after a successful event

Volunteer Management

Volunteer Coordination: Recruit, Roster, Recognise

Volunteer coordination is not about finding people. It is about keeping them. Here is the three-step framework.

Phased rollout plan on a whiteboard

Governance

How to Roll Out a Platform to 400 Clubs Without Losing Your Mind

The technology is the easy part. Change management, champion training, and lowest-common-denominator support are what make or break it.

Orange volunteer bibs folded on a wooden bench in a community sports pavilion

Guides

The Economic Value of Volunteering in Australian Sport

Australian sport runs on volunteers. The ABS says their labour is worth $47 an hour. Most clubs have never done the maths on what that means for their organisation.

Event coordinator checking setup at a function

Events

The Event Coordinator's Playbook

You have been asked to organise the club event. Here is how to handle registration, ticketing, catering, and check-in without a meltdown.

An empty grass sports field at dusk in England with goalposts and scattered training bibs

Guides

10.5 Million Sport Volunteers and a £6.3 Billion Problem

Sport England's latest data shows sport volunteering is recovering — but still 1.7 million below pre-pandemic levels. The £6.3 billion question: what happens when those volunteers don't come back?

An American dollar bill next to a clock face suggesting the hourly value of volunteer time

Guides

The Price of a Volunteer Hour in America Just Hit $34.79

Independent Sector updated its annual volunteer value estimate. The methodology is simple, the implications are not, and most nonprofits are still not using the number.

Hands setting up a timing clock at a community running event with an athletic track in the background

Guides

Your Volunteers' Time Is Worth More Than You Think

A club secretary spending 8 hours a week on admin is burning $19,500 a year in volunteer labour. Most committees have never done this calculation.

Club equipment and paperwork ready for season

Club Operations

Pre-Season Checklist: Everything Your Club Needs Before Round 1

The pre-season scramble is predictable. Use this checklist to get everything done before the first game, not during it.

A large crowd at an outdoor community volunteering event seen from above

Guides

75.7 Million Americans Volunteered Last Year. Here's What That Actually Costs.

AmeriCorps just released the biggest volunteering dataset since the pandemic. 4.99 billion hours. $167 billion in economic value. And a massive shift nobody is talking about.

Analytics dashboard showing member retention metrics

Guides

How to Use Data to Keep Members From Leaving

Your membership data tells you who is about to leave before they do. Here is what to track and what to do about it.

An Australian Rules football oval at golden hour with red dirt edges and open sky

Guides

Australia's Volunteers Are Worth $566 Billion. So Why Do We Treat Them Like They're Free?

The 2024 Snapshot of Volunteering puts a number on what most of us already suspected: the country would collapse without its volunteers. The question is what we do about it.

Club newsletter on a phone screen

Club Operations

Communications and Marketing for Clubs: What Actually Works

Club marketing does not need a strategy deck. It needs consistency, the right channels, and someone who sends the newsletter on time.

Well-attended community club event

Events

How to Plan Club Events That People Actually Attend

Most club events fail because of logistics, not the idea. Fix the friction and attendance follows.

Secretary taking notes at a committee meeting

Governance

The Secretary's Survival Guide

You just became club secretary. Here is everything you need to know about minutes, records, correspondence, and keeping your sanity.

Members actively participating in a club social event

Guides

How to Increase Member Engagement at Your Club

Member engagement drops when communication is one-way and events are an afterthought. Here are five things that actually move the needle.

Sports club facilities with equipment and community spaces

Club Operations

How to Run a Sports Club: The Complete Guide

Running a sports club is part governance, part logistics, part community management. This is the guide nobody gave you when you put your hand up.

Membership tier comparison chart on a whiteboard

Guides

How to Set Up Membership Tiers That Make Sense

Most clubs have too many membership tiers or too few. Here is how to structure tiers that serve your members and simplify your admin.

Spreadsheet with red cells next to a clean digital dashboard

Comparisons

TidyHQ vs Spreadsheets: When to Upgrade

Your spreadsheet works until it doesn't. Here are the signs it is time to move to proper membership software.

Treasurer reviewing financial statements on a laptop

Guides

How to Manage Club Finances Without Losing Your Mind

Club finance does not need to be complicated. Automate invoicing, connect Xero, and give the committee real-time visibility.

Price comparison checklist for club membership tools

Comparisons

Free vs Paid Membership Software: What Clubs Should Know

Free membership tools exist. But they come with limits that cost volunteer time. Here is how to decide whether free is actually cheaper.

Diverse group of volunteers in club shirts

Volunteer Management

How to Recruit and Retain Volunteers for Your Club

Recruitment is not the hard part. Retention is. Here is how to stop losing good volunteers to burnout and frustration.

Membership renewal reminder on a phone notification

Guides

How to Handle Membership Renewals Without Chasing People

Stop chasing members by text and email. Automated renewals with the right timing convert 80% of members without manual effort.

Laptop open on a clean desk with communication tools on screen

Guides

How to Set Up Email and Comms for a New Committee

Don't use personal email for club business. Here's how to set up communications so the next committee doesn't start from zero.

Accounting software connected to membership platform

Integrations

TidyHQ + Xero: The Complete Integration Guide

Connect TidyHQ with Xero in 15 minutes. Automatic invoice sync, payment reconciliation, and GST-compliant reporting for your treasurer.

Sports field at dawn — ready for a new season

Club Operations

Pre-Season Checklist: Everything Your Club Needs

The season starts in six weeks and the committee hasn't met yet. Here's everything you should have sorted before the first whistle.

Small group of people at a community gathering

Guides

Membership Management for Small Clubs

You don't need enterprise software. You need something your volunteer membership secretary can use at 9pm on a Tuesday. Here's what to look for.

Two people reviewing documents together during a handover meeting

Governance

Committee Handover: How to Not Lose Everything

Every year, clubs lose passwords, contacts, and context when committee members change. A handover checklist that prevents the annual reset.

Online payment form for club membership fees

Integrations

TidyHQ + Stripe: Accepting Online Payments for Your Club

Accept credit card payments for memberships and events through Stripe. Setup takes 10 minutes and fees are 1.75% + 30c per transaction.

Paperwork and files spread across a desk — signs of systems overwhelm

Club Operations

Five Signs Your Club Needs Better Systems

If your membership list lives in someone's Gmail and your finances are a folder of receipts, you might have a systems problem.

Notebook and pen on a desk — planning the foundation of a new club

Club Operations

Starting a New Club: What You Need From Day One

Before the first training session or the first meeting, there are decisions that will shape your club for years. Here's what to get right early.

Meeting minutes being recorded on a laptop

Governance

Meeting Minutes for Clubs: Why Your Committee Needs a Better System

Good meeting minutes are not bureaucracy. They are the institutional memory of your club. And they should be consistent across every club in your sport.

Notebook and pen planning a new club

Club Operations

Starting a New Club: What You Need From Day One

Starting a club involves more than enthusiasm. Incorporation, insurance, bank accounts, governance — here is the practical checklist.