In order to manage a successful and efficient booster club, it is helps to use the right online management tools. Not only does booster club management run their club verbally with other members discussing plans and strategies, but they also use booster club business tools to help manage their club as well. We want to provide you with a list of our favorite online management tools that we believe will help your booster club operate more efficiently and lead to greater success!
Website Hosting: A Basic Online Tool
A booster club, like any business and organization in today’s world will need to have a website. A websites is one of many key online business tools that convey who a club is and what they do, as well as help market fundraisers and events online.
Part of having a website is having an online host that stores the site and allows it to be accessible on the world wide web. Without having a web host a web site cannot be accessed by others online and can cripple an organization.
Some awesome website hosts can be found below:
- InMotion Hosting: InMotion is a great option for hosting a safe and secure website that provides a plethora of security options.
- BigCommerce (BC): BC is a webhost that specializes in e-commerce sites. BC is a great option for clubs that want to do online fundraisers.
- Weebly: Weebly is a great option for web hosting at a low cost. If your club wants to create a website but doesn’t want to break the bank this is a great option!
Online Management Tools That Allow You To Meet Remotely
Arguably the most important out of all the online management tools currently is meeting software. It has always been a priority and goal for booster club management to be able to meet and be accessible to others. However in a post pandemic world with many places still not fully back to normal, it is vital to have a consistent and reliable app to conduct meetings.
- GoToMeeting: One of the biggest conference software programs. Great for collaborating with internal and external parties of your club.
- Clickmeeting: Another great video software that allows users to share documents and other files in a presentation mode, for large group meetings and showcases.
Online Solutions For Ordering Supplies
Most of the time when one thinks of purchasing goods from a store they think of visiting a retail location to make a purchase. While there is nothing wrong with your club going into a store to grab your goods, be aware that using an online retail website to ship goods to your club is a great online management tool.
Office Stores
Some great places to find all the administrative needs for your club shopping wise can be found at a host of office retail stores.
- Staples: One of the defacto business supply dealers. Staples provides businesses with everything from office supplies, furniture, technology, and printing and publishing services.
- Quill: An office supply retailer, Quill is geared to business and organization directly online. Due to it being online focused, Quill provides a vast selection of office goods and needs for many companies and organizations, including your booster club.
- Discount School Supply (DSS): DSS specializes in school materials at a low cost. While this website is geared toward schools, many of the tools for school and managing your club overlap, making DSS an affordable option for booster club materials as well as schools.
Traditional/Niche Stores
In addition to shopping at office focused stores, sometime your club will need things from regular grocery/niche stores as well. This looks like visiting stores such as:
- Sam’s Club: A membership warehouse store that offers products across a wide variety. They also sell food in industrial sizes so if your club is having a fundraiser and needs a significant inventory of food, they are a good option to buy from.
- Fun.com: Part of having a fundraiser and event is decorating and marketing. Go to fun.com to find all your needs in aesthetics and marketing and event materials.
Remember, just because you need something form a brick and mortar store doesn’t mean that you have to go to the physical store. Websites are great online management tools to use.
Using Online Management Tools For Hiring
In some instances a booster club will need to hire an outside party to help. This could be a club hiring a graphic designer to make the club a logo, or a web developer to make them an official website.
A great online management tool for hiring freelance workers is Fiverr. Fiverr is an app where users can search for freelancers who serve as writers, graphic designers, web developers, and more and purchase their services. The best part is that all of the services start at only $5, hence the name.
Fiverr is a great resource for clubs to find someone to meet their needs while also going light on their funds.
Printing and Branding
No department of a booster club is more reliant on online management tools more that marketing and promotions. Due to this huge need for clubs and countless other organizations, there is an endless sea of graphic design and art programs that can overwhelm booster club management.
One of the premier graphic design/art programs that should be on the radar of booster club management is Vistaprint. Vistaprint is an online printing business that will allow clubs to create unique designs on products likes business cards, flyers, posters, social media assets (banner, social media page designs) and more.
Online Management Tools For the Workplace
Your booster club will need standard business management apps that help your club on a regular basis. These are tools and products that will allow your booster club management to efficiently work in the best way for your club.
- Microsoft: the de facto workplace office suite. Includes software such as a word processor, spreadsheet, and presentation software.
- Intuit Quickbooks: a financial business management software. Quickbooks provides a suite of products to handle all accounting and financial tasks for a club.
- Legalzoom: an online company that helps companies create and form legal documents without the help of a traditional lawyer.
- Checks Superstore: An online website that sells checks for businesses.
Online Management Tools for Shipping and Mailing
Arguably the most necessary and important booster club business tool is proper shipping and mailing. For instances where your club may need to ship or receive mail a great option to use for your club is FedEx. FedEx is a shipping service that delivers items faster than other delivery services.
Success Begins with The Right Tools
Running a successful booster club is more than just managing people, it’s also about selecting the right online management tools that will enable volunteers and booster club management to get their jobs done in the best way. With the proper tools and technology your booster club will be a well-oiled machine that continues to operate efficiently and successfully.
