4planning for associations

An association runs on volunteers, and volunteers are short on time above all. 4planning brings member administration, membership fees, the calendar and communication together in one environment, so you no longer keep them in four separate lists. This page collects the articles you need for that, in the order you usually need them.

Does your association work with matches and referees? Then see sports clubs. Do you make music, or are you a carnival association or a scout group? The pages that go deeper into those are listed at the bottom.

What an association looks like in 4planning

• Member list — one up-to-date member file with contact details, groups and roles, instead of a spreadsheet everyone fills in differently.
• Membership fees — plans per member type, collected by direct debit or iDEAL, with reminders when a payment stays open.
• Bar shifts — shifts with a date, time and the number of people you need; members sign up themselves, swap among each other and get a reminder 24 hours in advance.
• Calendar and attendance — activities with sign-up and cancellation, so you know in advance how many people to count on.
• News, polls and chat — one channel towards your members, with push notifications in the app instead of a group chat nobody reads any more.
• Documents — statutes, minutes and forms in one place, shielded per group.
• Sponsors — sponsor packages with a term, and a notification when a contract expires.

How to set it up

1. Create your environment and walk through the setup order — it determines how smoothly the rest goes.
2. Get your member file in: import your members via Excel or CSV and check the data afterwards.
3. Create your groups — committees, teams, the board — and assign roles and permissions.
4. Set up your fees with a membership fee plan; members then give their SEPA mandate themselves.
5. Put your first activities up with creating an event and decide who may sign up.
6. Schedule the first bar shifts and set the cancellation policy.
7. Only then invite your members — first read how to get members active and the go-live strategy.

Frequently asked questions

Do all our members have to install the app? No. 4planning simply works in the browser; the app is a bonus for push notifications and the member pass. See browser vs app.

Can we put the environment in our own house style? Yes, you set your logo and colours yourself, and you decide which menu items your members see.

What if a member has no email address? You can put a member in the list without them logging in. Without an email address they simply can't receive an invitation or notification.

Can parents pay their child's fees? Yes. Link child and parent accounts; the parent then signs one mandate for all their children.