TidyHQ + Stripe: Accepting Online Payments for Your Club
Table of contents
Why Stripe
Stripe is the most widely used payment processor for online businesses and organisations. It accepts Visa, Mastercard, and American Express. Australian transaction fees are 1.75% + 30c per domestic card. No monthly fee from Stripe. No transaction markup from TidyHQ.
For a $100 membership fee, the processing cost is $2.05. Compare this to the cost of manually chasing a bank transfer: 15 minutes of volunteer time worth $7-8. Online payments are cheaper even when you account for the fees.
Setup in 10 Minutes
Step 1: Create a Stripe account. Go to stripe.com and sign up. You will need your club's ABN, bank account details, and a committee member's identification for verification.
Step 2: Connect to TidyHQ. In TidyHQ, go to Settings, then Payments, then Stripe. Click "Connect with Stripe." Authorise the connection.
Step 3: Test. Create a test membership invoice. Pay it with a test card. Check that the payment appears in both TidyHQ and your Stripe dashboard.
That is it. Members can now pay by credit card when they join, renew, or register for events.
How It Works Day to Day
A member receives a renewal invoice by email. They click the payment link. They enter their card details on a Stripe-powered payment page. The payment processes. TidyHQ records the payment and sends a receipt. The money arrives in your club's bank account in 2-3 business days.
No manual reconciliation. No checking bank statements. No updating spreadsheets.
Fee Breakdown
For Australian domestic cards:
- 1.75% + 30c per transaction
- No monthly fee
- No setup fee
- TidyHQ does not add any markup
Example costs:
- $50 junior membership: $1.18 in fees
- $120 senior membership: $2.40 in fees
- $25 event ticket: $0.74 in fees
For a club processing $20,000 per year in memberships, total Stripe fees are approximately $380. That is the cost of one committee dinner - and it saves hundreds of hours of volunteer time.
Refunds and Disputes
Refunds are processed through TidyHQ. The refund goes back to the member's card within 5-10 business days. Stripe's refund policy is straightforward - no additional fees for refunds on Australian transactions.
Security
TidyHQ never sees or stores card details. All payment data is handled by Stripe, which is PCI DSS Level 1 certified - the highest level of payment security. Your club's data and your members' payment information are protected by the same security used by Amazon and Shopify.
Adding Other Payment Methods
Stripe is one option. TidyHQ also supports PayPal, BPay, and POLi. Many clubs offer multiple payment methods to suit different member preferences. Younger members prefer card payments. Older members prefer BPay bank transfers.
Offering choice increases payment completion rates. The easier it is to pay, the more people pay on time.
References
- TidyHQ - Club management platform supporting Stripe, PayPal, BPay, and POLi payments
- Stripe - Online payment processing with PCI DSS Level 1 security certification
- Xero - Cloud accounting software that syncs with TidyHQ payment records
- Australian Sports Commission - National agency with resources on club financial management and governance
Header image: The Bordeaux bottle by Juan Gris, via WikiArt
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