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TeamUnify's Guide for Swim Clubs

By Andrea Ostrowski, 03/26/20, 4:45PM CDT

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A resource guide of helpful tips, tricks and best practices to keep your club moving forward

During this unprecedented time, situations for clubs are changing daily, if not hourly. We recognize that it can be very difficult to make decisions that are best for your club when no one knows exactly what is going to happen next. Since this has come to fruition, we have formally laid out a TeamUnify resource guide to help you with common actions that clubs are taking right now- including ways to communicate with your members and ways to handle financials. 

We’ve also chatted with several customers, just like you, to gather best practices, intel, and new ideas to implement during this time to ensure your club is running as smoothly as possible. Through doing this, we have collectively learned a lot about the determination, perseverance, and ability for so many of you to adapt quickly to an ever-changing situation. Keep it up!


Billing

Not sure what to do for your next billing run? There are many factors to consider that can feed into making the best decision for your club. Do you need to pay your staff? Do you have facility payments to make or will your facility give concessions on these? Will you be holding virtual meetings and/or workouts to stay engaged with your membership? All of these are very real questions that can help guide you. 

Below we have listed out the three most common approaches our customers have taken thus far, why they’ve chosen the path, and how you accomplish each of them within the TeamUnify system. 


Charge members the full amount of their dues

Many clubs have opted for this route because their billing is set-up in a way that members are paying for practices, meets, and services provided in previous months. These clubs also have continued to host virtual workouts and interactive sessions with their athletes and parents on a regular basis via the TU communication and video tools. Because of this all staff is still working and providing high value for all members in a new creative way.

Need assistance continuing your billing as normal?

Reach out to your account manager, or contact our support team via the “Need Help” button within your TeamUnify website.


Charge members a percentage of their dues

Some clubs have chosen this path because they have more flexibility with their finances- they don’t have facility payments, or have the option to defer, and they have chosen to continue to pay their staff or have volunteer staff. However, clubs choosing this route, have also continued to hold virtual practices, workouts, and meetings so both athletes and parents are staying engaged with their club. 

If this seems like a good fit for you here are some different approaches at collecting a percentage of dues:

  1. Define a single amount that everyone owes
  2. Define a blanket percentage of dues that everyone owes
  3. Ask your members how much they are willing to pay depending on their individual financial situations

If you like the third option- you can leverage the TU online registration system to understand what people can pay, then create sub billing groups to manage the multiple different amounts.

Need further assistance charging your members a percentage of their dues?

Reach out to your account manager, or contact our support team via the “Need Help” button within your TeamUnify website.


Do not charge members any of their dues

If you have the ability to continue workouts virtually, or perhaps start a social media campaign, contest or group zoom meeting with your swimmers and parents, you may want to consider invoicing your members at least a portion of your dues for this service. This way your club will continue to have cash flow to pay staff and for other items during this time.

We do understand that some of you will need to make the difficult decision to not charge members at all. You may be part of a greater organization that has made the decision for you, or you may not have the means to connect virtually with your members. 

If you do choose this path for your club, we would encourage you to use the “not billing months” field within your billing set-up, or remove April as a billing month in the sub billing groups, in order to pause the charging of your membership.

Need further assistance in pausing your members’ dues?

Reach out to your account manager, or contact our support team via the “Need Help” button within your TeamUnify website.


BILLING BEST PRACTICES

Run your billing simulation report at least twice prior to the 1st of the month to ensure everything is accurate. Keep in mind, volunteer hours will bill no matter which route you choose above, unless you deactivate it.

Send a message to your members regarding their dues for the month of April, and why you have chosen any of the given paths. Everyone is in this together, and people will understand the needs of your club during this time.

Remember you will always have unique situations with members that will need to be handled on a one-off basis.


ADDITIONAL FUNDING FOR YOUR CLUB

Some clubs may be looking for additional funding during this time. Below are some options that may work for you.

Apply for grants or SBA loans (US Customers)
NCYS small business resource (US Customers)
Advice and guidance for small businesses (UK Customers)
Sport business guidance (UK Customers)
Canadian business resources (Canadian Customers)


GOING VIRTUAL WITH YOUR MEMBERS

The most common theme throughout all conversations with our customers is transitioning into a virtual club. While there is an endless number of ways for clubs to achieve this here are some of our favorites that we’d recommend.

Zoom meetings - Chat with everybody within your club all at once!
Facebook Live - Run a virtual workout program for your athletes
Instagram Live - Run a virtual workout program for your athletes
Youtube channels - Setup a full video curriculum for athletes

 

TeamUnify also has several built-in tools that will allow you to stay fully connected to your members in fun and engaging ways. 

Video sharing - Use our video producer to upload specific clips to the OnDeck app or web
Workout sharing - Share out specific workout videos for everyone or specific athletes
Social sharing - Use this for everything from swimming-related stuff to other fun photos

Here are some great examples of what our customers are doing!

Newburgh Sea Creatures

Bicester Blue Fins

Swim Torrance

City of Bristol Aquatics

Swim GSA

Maxwell Swim Club

Don’t have SwimOffice Pro that includes the above capabilities?

Simply fill out this form, or reach out to your account manager. We can get you set-up in no time.


AT HOME RESOURCES FOR YOUR MEMBERS

At home workouts

Cares ACT Webinar

SwimOutlet Live Instagram Workouts

M-F 10 AM PST

USA Swimming Webinars

GOSWIM.tv VIDEOS

Planning webinar


RESOURCES FROM YOUR GOVERNING BODIES


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