CRARC has a new membership system!

 

 

For the past few years CRARC has been searching for an online way to manage our membership, including renewals and new members.  Last year we thought we had found it in one called HamClubOnline.  After using it for nearly a year we came to the realisation that while HamClubOnline worked well for US Amateurs, it had some major deficiencies for us.  These deficiencies included being unable to take new memberships online and an inability to update addresses or callsigns.  At the start we were assured that these deficiencies would be solved, but after months of no progress and no communication we decided to look elsewhere.

 

We found an Australian company called “TidyHQ”.  TidyHQ is primarily aimed at sporting clubs but has all the features we need and a trial found the company responsive and the software suitable.  So we decided to move.

 

The move was completed last week and while it may take a little time for us to completely get across the new system we are ready to make the member part of the system publicly available and get people using it.

 

 

With PayPal and HamClubOnline we had moved most renewal transactions online.  The move to TidyHQ will complete the step.  As a member you can log onto the system and update your own details when they change.  When it comes time to renew, you can easily pay online with a reminder going out 14 days before your membership expires.  If you are unsure of your membership status, you can logon and check. One additional feature is an optional subscription.  If you want, you can have your membership auto-renew annually when due.

 

We expect most members won’t need to interact with the system apart from renewals, but the facility is now there when required.

 

 

TidyHQ will simplify the role of Membership Secretary and reduce the work needed by the Treasurer.  It will reduce the chance of errors that may occur by eliminating the manual handling of transactions and transcription of information from application forms.  The old online system still required a significant amount of manual handling by the Membership Secretary, TidyHQ removes nearly all of that.

 

 

The only unresolved issue we have found is TidyHQ doesn’t currently have the ability to renew for multiple years.  Any members that really want to pay for multiple years in advance we can still use the older payment methods and manually update TidyHQ.

 

 

As a club member you can go to https://crarc.tidyhq.com and use the “Log in” button.  Enter your email address, and use the “I forgot my password” link to get your password reset and an email sent with a link to put in a new password.  Once you have logged in, please check the information and if anything is incorrect, please feel free to correct it.  

 

If you have any issues contact us at membership@crarc.org.au for assistance.