Compare club software: what matters

What to look out for

For the audit and general meeting, the treasurer needs a balance sheet and an income statement. So check whether the software uses double-entry bookkeeping, whether you can adapt the chart of accounts to your club, and whether there is a budget and year-end closing. Just as important: invoices and payments should go directly into the accounting instead of you entering them a second time.

How DigitalMembers solves it

Club accounting is a fixed part of DigitalMembers, as double-entry accounting with debit and credit. You start with the chart of accounts for clubs or use your existing one and adapt it. The platform posts invoices and incoming payments itself. The balance sheet and income statement are always up to date, the budget is shown in the report directly next to the actual figures and the previous year. At the end of the year, you close the financial year, and the platform enters the opening balances for the new year itself. You take photos of expense receipts, and the AI receipt recognition reads the amount and currency.

What to look out for

The QR invoice is the standard in Switzerland. But the time-consuming step comes afterwards: finding out who has paid. Make sure you can upload your bank statement and that the software assigns the payments to the open invoices itself.

How DigitalMembers solves it

Every invoice automatically receives a Swiss QR code. You upload the account statement just as you download it from your bank's E-Banking. The platform recognises payments by the reference number and marks the matching invoices as paid. Anything that is not clear can be assigned manually, including one payment for several invoices.

What to look out for

The annual fee is the biggest source of income for many clubs. Make sure you can send fees to all members in one run, that families can receive a joint invoice, and that reminders are created without manual work. Also ask how members can pay, because with TWINT an invoice can be paid on a phone in just a few seconds.

How DigitalMembers solves it

With collective invoicing, each member gets their own invoice, and families can be combined on one invoice if you want. You set up recurring fees, for example annually or quarterly, once, and after that the invoice is created automatically each time. For each invoice, you define whether the platform sends reminders automatically if someone does not pay on time, or whether you send the reminder yourself. Payment is made by QR invoice. If your club has an account with the payment provider Payrexx, members can also pay by TWINT or credit card.

What to look out for

Member management is the foundation for everything else: invoices, registrations, messages, and sponsoring all build on it. So make sure members understand their area without instructions, can update their details themselves, and can see their invoices. Also ask how your current list gets into the new software.

How DigitalMembers solves it

In the member area, members see their invoices and update their profile themselves. You approve each change with one click. New members sign up via a public joining form that you link on your club website or embed directly into the page. With custom club fields, you record what only your club needs, such as roles, teams, or awards. You import your existing list via Excel import with a template.

What to look out for

Many clubs today use several programs side by side and enter the same details several times. Make sure the member list, invoices, accounting, events, and messages all work with the same data, so a change is applied everywhere.

How DigitalMembers solves it

At DigitalMembers, all modules use the same member list. A fee invoice goes directly to the members from the list, the payment ends up in the accounting, and a new address applies immediately to invoices, messages, and events. Invoices to sponsors also run through the same accounting.

What to look out for

Member data is personal data. Ask where the servers are located, which data protection law applies, whether backups are made regularly, and who owns the data. Also clarify in which format you can download your data if you switch later.

How DigitalMembers solves it

DigitalMembers uses hosting in Germany and complies with the Swiss Data Protection Act and the GDPR. The data is backed up regularly and encrypted with a second, independent provider. All clubs use the same platform, and each club's data is stored separately. The data belongs to the club. We process it on your behalf. You can download the member list as an Excel file at any time, and the balance sheet, income statement, and journal as Excel and PDF.

What to look out for

Calculate the price for a year and for your number of members, and check whether all functions are included or whether individual modules cost extra. Also pay attention to how long you can test for free and whether you already have to enter a credit card for that.

How DigitalMembers solves it

With DigitalMembers, the price depends on the number of members and starts at CHF 99 per year for clubs with up to 30 members. All modules are included in every tier, there is no setup fee, and the licence can be cancelled annually. You can test it free for 14 days and without a credit card. After that, you pay by invoice or credit card.

What to look out for

When switching, it also matters who helps you along the way. Ask whether someone will show you the platform personally, how quickly questions are answered, and whether the software can be adapted to your club's processes.

How DigitalMembers solves it

If you like, we will show you DigitalMembers in a personal online appointment and go through your processes with you. You ask questions in the support centre directly in the app. With the support package for CHF 149 per year, we personally support you with getting started and importing your data, and your requests are handled with priority. If your club needs a function that does not exist yet, we develop it on request and based on effort.