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Southport Croquet Club Use Technology to Save Time & Attract Volunteers
Overwhelmed by club admin? See how Southport Croquet Club used simple tech to reduce volunteer workload, streamline payments, and make management easier.
If you're on a club committee, you already know the problems. The treasurer spends half their time chasing lawn fees and doing banking. And every year it gets harder to find anyone willing to take on these jobs because, honestly, they're tedious.
Southport Croquet Club got fed up with it. They started using an online booking system and a Square card reader for payments to help reduce workload. Nothing fancy.
COVID is what finally pushed them. Cash handling became a health issue, so they had to find another way. Charlie Ernst, the club president, calls it a "blessing from COVID."
The committee expected pushback. Croquet clubs aren't known for early adopters. They figured members would complain, refuse to use the new systems, maybe even leave.
There was some grumbling at first. Then everyone got used to it. Now members would be annoyed if the club tried to go back to the old way.
What the committee didn't expect was how much easier their own jobs became. The treasurer isn't counting coins anymore. Bookings come through the system instead of the phone. People actually want to volunteer for these roles now because the work isn't miserable.
Charlie's thinking: if committee jobs are awful, you can't fill them. Make the jobs reasonable and people will say yes.
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The club has a rule now. Any proposed change has to pass three tests:
1.Is it simpler?
2. Is it better?
3. Is it easier for the person doing the work?
All three, or don't bother.
2. Is it better?
3. Is it easier for the person doing the work?
All three, or don't bother.
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Square readers are about $60. Plenty of booking tools are free. The cost isn't the barrier. The barrier is getting a committee to agree to try something new.
Southport got past that, and it's made a difference. Their treasurer plays croquet now instead of doing admin. Their committee positions get filled. It's not revolutionary, but it works.
Got questions? Other clubs are talking about this stuff on Club Hub.
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