Bishop Auckland & District Angling Club – Customer Story
KEY BENEFITS
Saved time on member admin, reduced costs, improved member communications, ability to share admin workload & removed over reliance on key individuals
Bishop Auckland & District Angling Club - Our Story
Bishop Auckland and District Angling Society (BADAC) has a long and storied history. First set up in 1936, it has since become one of the most prestigious clubs in the northeast, home to more than seventeen miles of prime game fishing waters.
We Had A Serious Admin Problem On Our Hands
We had a problem, though.
Before we started working with Clubmate, we were inundated with paperwork and admin. Managing memberships was almost a full-time job.
Worse yet, I was the only person equipped to carry out the Membership Secretary role. And so if I moved on, there would be nobody else to do the work. Thinking about it now, our old setup put the whole club at risk.
Before Clubmate, we had two main administrative problems: managing our member database and printing & distributing member photo cards.
Our old providers quoted us thousands of pounds to fix a card printing problem, which was clearly way over our budget. Plus, even if they had sorted out the immediate issues, our massive admin burden would have remained. We would still need to dedicate precious resources to manage memberships.
What we needed was a new system – something that would not only save us money but also make it possible for members to do most of the work for us plus allow other club volunteers to help out.
Our main fear was that we didn’t have a succession plan in place and that, once I left, the club might cease to function.
Clubmate Made Managing Memberships Easy
Naturally, we started looking for solutions and had heard some positive stories about Clubmate from another local club using their services.
I needed something that was easy to use and that non-technical people at the club could understand. Our Chairman approached Clubmate, explained our current predicament and asked them whether their product was suitable, and they said that it was. They were right!
We organised an online demo and then the committee unanimously agreed to give Clubmate a go.
Once we implemented the software, I was blown away. My only regret is that I didn’t find Clubmate sooner.
Had I known that there was such an easy tool for managing angling club memberships, I would have been onboard years ago. But never in a million years did I think that something like this would exist. Who would have thought that there would be somebody out there, developing easy-to-use software specifically for angling clubs?
I used to think that specialised software was for big businesses with big budgets not for little fishing clubs like ourselves. The market is clearly much bigger than I imagined.
The Clubmate Impact
Clubmate makes it incredibly easy for existing and potential club members to enrol themselves on the system.
For me, this was a massive change. I no longer had to collect paperwork, email people or send them mail in the post every time somebody wanted to sign up.
With Clubmate, you can do everything through the system. Members can sign themselves up without having to go through anyone else. I can’t tell you how much time I’ve saved using it. Now I can enjoy my role at the club much more.
Would I recommend this product? I’d say so. Right from the start, I’ve been thoroughly impressed by the service offered by Clubmate. They told me at the beginning that the product would be easy to use, and they were right. Everything they said was true.
What’s more, the software is completely usable by our less computer-literate volunteers. You don’t need a PhD in programming to figure it out. It is just as straightforward as using Facebook or any other app you might have on your phone.
I also really appreciate the support the club received from Clubmate. Throughout the entire process, they’ve been by our side, offering support and guidance, and helping with setup. Whenever I’ve had a problem, somebody has been on the other end of the phone, able to guide me through the issue.
It is tough to keep track of club memberships using paper records and spreadsheets, especially when you you are just a volunteer.
Things get messy fast, and you end up spending all your time printing, filing and posting – and that doesn’t include trips to the bank! But Clubmate gets rid of all that and simplifies everything. Even if you know nothing about computers, using Clubmate is more comfortable than going through all that nonsense.
Conclusion
In conclusion, Clubmate has had a massive impact on our club.
I no longer have to spend endless hours processing memberships. And now I feel like we have a viable succession plan in place. Club members can manage their affairs much more autonomously.
Right from the start, Clubmate helped guide us through the process of setting up the system. Their help meant that I picked up how to use it very fast – faster than I expected. And now it is changing how we operate.
I would recommend fishing club software if you’re not using it already. It makes a massive difference in how you run your club day-to-day. I’m hooked.
If you’d like to learn more about Clubmate and how it could benefit your fishing club, please get in touch (we don’t bite!):
0333 987 4677
or click Book a Demo, leave your details and we’ll call you!
CLUB NAME
Bishop Auckland & District Angling Club
CLUB MEMBERS
150+ members
CLUB WATERS
17 miles of River Wear
MAIN CONTACTS
Neil Walton & Keith Robson
WEBSITE
www.bishopaucklandanglingclub.com
KEY CHALLENGES
Time consuming member admin
Production & distribution of members photo cards
Over reliance on key individuals
Making it easier for the next generation
Succession planning
Interested in becoming a member of BADAC?
Membership is now open.
If you live in or around the Bishop Auckland area and would like to join our friendly club, click the button below to sign up.