Why This Guide?
Choosing club software is a significant decision. The right platform saves your committee hundreds of hours per year, improves member experience and provides the compliance tools you need. The wrong choice creates frustration, hidden costs and another migration project down the line.
This guide covers what to look for, questions to ask vendors, pricing models to understand, and red flags to avoid — whether you're evaluating Clubnest or any other platform.
Essential Features Checklist
Use this checklist when evaluating any club management platform. Not every club needs every feature — prioritise based on your specific requirements.
Membership Management
- Member database with custom fields
- Multiple membership types/tiers
- Online joining and renewals
- Automated renewal reminders
- Family/household memberships
- Junior member handling (guardian links)
- Waiting lists and applications
- Gift Aid integration (UK)
Payments & Finance
- Online card payments
- Direct debit/standing orders
- Invoicing and receipts
- Refund processing
- Financial reporting/exports
- Multiple payment gateways
- Transparent fee structure
- Treasurer dashboard
Communication
- Email to members/groups
- SMS messaging
- Push notifications (app)
- Newsfeed/announcements
- Event reminders
- Email templates
- Delivery tracking/analytics
Tickets & Events
- Day ticket sales
- QR code validation
- Event booking/registration
- Capacity management
- Calendar/fixture management
- Coaching session bookings
- Match/competition management
Compliance & Security
- GDPR compliance tools
- Consent management
- Data export (Subject Access)
- Audit logs/activity history
- Role-based permissions
- Safeguarding tools (juniors)
- UK data hosting
- SSL/encryption
Website & Content
- Club website/public pages
- Custom domain support
- Blog/news section
- Photo galleries
- Document storage
- SEO tools
- Mobile-responsive design
Questions to Ask Every Vendor
Pricing & Costs
- What's the total cost including all fees?
- Are there transaction fees on payments?
- What payment gateway fees apply?
- Are there setup or migration fees?
- What happens if we exceed limits?
Data & Ownership
- Can we export all our data?
- In what formats can we export?
- What happens to data if we cancel?
- Where is data physically stored?
- How long is data retained?
Support & Training
- Is support included or extra?
- What support channels exist?
- What are support hours?
- Is there onboarding/training?
- Is documentation available?
Contract & Flexibility
- What's the minimum contract term?
- What's the cancellation process?
- Can we upgrade/downgrade plans?
- How often do prices change?
- What notice do you give for changes?
Understanding Pricing Models
Monthly Subscription
Fixed monthly fee regardless of usage. Predictable costs but may be expensive for small clubs.
Typical range: £10-50/month
Best for: Medium-large clubs with stable budgets
Per-Member Fee
Pay per active member. Scales with club size but can become expensive as you grow.
Typical range: £1-3 per member/year
Best for: Small clubs expecting to stay small
Transaction-Based
Percentage of payments processed. No upfront cost but fees apply on every transaction.
Typical range: 3-5% per transaction
Best for: Growing clubs, pay-as-you-grow
Clubnest uses transaction-based pricing: Free for volunteer clubs with no payments, 5% for paid clubs (includes all features).
Red Flags to Watch For
No data export option
If you can't export your data, you're locked in. Always verify export capabilities before signing up.
Hidden fees in the fine print
Transaction fees, setup fees, migration fees — get a complete cost breakdown in writing.
Long-term contracts required
Be wary of 12-24 month minimums. Flexible or monthly terms protect you if the platform doesn't fit.
No UK support or hosting
For GDPR compliance and practical support, UK-based is preferable for UK clubs.
No free trial or demo
You should be able to test the platform with your own data before committing.
Vague roadmap or stagnant development
Check when features were last added. Active development means the platform is improving.
Typical Implementation Timeline
Setup & Configuration
Create account, configure club settings, branding, membership types and payment integration.
Data Migration
Import existing members, historical records and documents. Verify data accuracy.
Team Training
Train committee members on admin tools. Create user guides for common tasks.
Soft Launch
Invite a small group of members to test. Gather feedback and make adjustments.
Full Launch
Invite all members, promote new features and retire old systems.
Ready to Evaluate Clubnest?
See how Clubnest stacks up against your requirements. Start a free trial or book a personalised demo with our team.
Related resources: Migrate from Spreadsheets, All Features, Pricing, Case Studies.