Useful free software for your club
Every club should make the most of the good-quality free and cheap computer software available.
Reducing your IT costs without compromising on quality means you will have more money to spend on other parts of your club operations. Some examples include:
- MailerLite – an email marketing software directed towards small businesses that is easy to use and complements content marketing platforms and strategies.
- Google Docs – an online word processing program by Google. Google Docs has smart editing and styling tools to help you collaborate between multiple users e.g. between committee and board members. As the document is saved in the cloud, the creator can share the link to the file for editing to other people.
- Canva – a multimedia design platform that allows users to create social media graphics, presentations, posters and other visual content.
Accounting software
One of the main reasons businesses fail is because there isn’t a good bookkeeping system in place that would provide warning signs the business could run out of cash.
You can choose to set up a bookkeeping system manually (using accounting books), electronically (spreadsheets) or use accounting software. Unless you want to get familiar with bookkeeping practices, accounting software is the most efficient choice.
When choosing an accounting software consider the following:
- does the system calculate all payroll requirements (PAYE, annual leave, long service leave etc.)?
- does the system track stock, orders, or other task management requirements?
- will the system be able to handle multiple bank accounts (if needed)
- does the system allow for interface with other computer systems such as online payments?
Some commonly used accounting systems used by small businesses are:
MYOB, Quick books and Xero are the most popular.
If you’re unsure which to choose talk to your auditor or a business adviser. Once you have chosen your system the initial setup will be important so once again seek advice or help when starting out. Training may also be available for inexperienced users.