Launch of New BSC Website and Club Management System

Published 19:07 on 31 Mar 2021

WE'RE LIVE

7th April 2021

NOTE: Online Sailing Programme and Duty Rotas STILL UNDER CONSTRUCTION !!

Behind this website is a new integrated Club management system that will assist us in managing our Club activities and allow the sort of flexibility and agility that we now need (particularly in COVID times).

Broadly our new system will provide:

• New Website
• Membership Database
• Electronic Payment Facilities
• Online Sailing Programme with Duty Rotas
• Bookable Events (Sailing and Social) with facility to restrict numbers
• Track and Trace (for COVID)

Notes of Thanks

As we move on to our new facilities there are a number of people that we need to thank.

We must thank Karl Peck who developed, maintained and hosted our existing website for many years at no cost to the Club. We must thank Simon Parker who developed the existing membership data base back in 1990s (when there were no off-the-shelf products for sailing clubs) and maintained and upgraded it since. This has served the Club well for almost a quarter of a century. A big thank you is due to John Lundberg who looked after the printing of our annual programme for more years than he'd care to remember.

New Website

On the front page of our new website you will see ongoing Latest News. You will have a direct link to weather and to the Harbour Cameras. You will also see the immediate upcoming events (both sailing and social).

We will have a Members Only area and when you are logged in you will see your own upcoming Rota slots.

Membership Database

Our new membership database will allow us to more easily manage our membership records and our contacts.

When logged in, you can update your own personal data. We have a very cleaned up record of members' data thanks to the great response to our email campaign earlier this year.

The membership record will also link Boat Register records to member records and assist us in managing our precious storage space into the future.

It will allow us to manage new membership applications and allow online application at a future stage. Our subscription renewal invoices will issue by email from this database each year and reminders will issue where a subscription remains unpaid or is overdue. We are currently in transition and the last batch of invoices to issue (Cadets) will issue in the coming days.

The system will today have issued email reminders to all who have not yet paid for 2021. So, don't be shocked or alarmed if you received an email. It's the system starting to do its job. Please accept our apologies if you have in fact already paid.

Electronic Payment Facilities

With the new system we have two new means of electronic payments:

• GoCardless which will debit the amount from your bank account
• Stripe Credit Card payments which can accept Debit or Credit Card (with a modest administration fee)

These payment methods can be used to pay our subscription, to pay for training courses, to pay for social events or to buy Club merchandise from our new online shop. The option to pay by regular EFT remains.

Bookable Events (Sailing and Social)

Our new system allows us to include bookable (social or sailing) events in our calendar. These events can be free such as:

• SkillBuild sessions
• Coaching Session
• Races (restricted by numbers for COVID or otherwise)

Or have a fee associated

• regattas,
• training courses or
• sailing suppers

Where a fee is applicable it can be paid electronically.

Track and Trace (for COVID)

Our system has Track and Trace facilities which we can set up as needed during the season to maintain COVID safety. We will give details later when this comes into play.

Shop

Our website will include an online Shop.

Through the Shop one can purchase

• Tickets for chargeable events
• Club Merchandise such as hoodies, burgees and ensigns
• Gift Vouchers

All purchases in the Shop can be paid for electronically by Credit/Debit Cards.

Online Sailing Programme and Duty Rotas (UNDER CONSTRUCTION)

Due to COVID we were forced to have our 2020 Sailing Programme online-only. This gave us the flexibility we needed to adapt to changing COVID restrictions. From now on, our Sailing Programme will be totally online. We will have the flexibility to adapt or change if needed. We will be able to run multiple separate racing events in one day where restrictions on numbers dictate. You will be hearing more about this from the Sailing Committee as things progress.

The sailing programme will be linked to the voluntary duty slots. Slots allocated will be notified to members by email. Members can log in and seek to swap a rota duty. Where a swap is successful, the rota will be updated automatically. From 2022 members will be able to log in and volunteer for unallocated duty slots on dates that they would like, before the remainder are assigned.

Calendar

The online calendar will include

• Sailing events
• Social Events
• Duty allocations
• Tide Times for Bray

The front page of the website will show the next six upcoming events in the calendar, and a link to your upcoming duties.

Going Live

Shortly we will be issuing an email issue to each member with a password to log in to the Members Only area.

We'd love your feedback which features you like and which features you don't. The system is capable of some configuration, so we will of course try to take on board feedback and suggestions where possible.

Best Regards,

Data Management Sub-Committee

Last updated 16:24 on 17 April 2024