Page 26 - ABF Newsletter December 2024

MYABF UPDATE with Julian Foster
Release 6.0
Full club membership management
myABF release 6.0 went live on 21 November. This release has been in the making for many months. It includes a lot of things but the most important is giving clubs the ability to fully manage their mem- bership list through myABF.
Some of the things that have been added for clubs:
• Add “Contacts” (non-members – regular visitors or beginner lesson attendees being the two ob- vious such groups), include them in email distri- butions, and later convert them to club members.
• Record your members and their details, including what date their membership is paid up to.
• Manage changes in membership status and per- haps membership type over time.
• Issue annual membership renewals – either indi- vidually or, more likely, as a bulk renewal sent to all members of the club.
• Allow members to pay for their membership online using bridge credits (automatically if the player gives permission). Other payment methods can obviously also be accommodated.
This release is also paving the way for the ABF Mas- terpoint centre functions (which include home club member management) to be incorporated into myABF in 2025.
There is a lot more information available for clubs at
https://www.abf.com.au/member-services/ my-abf-resources/clubs/
WHY WOULD A CLUB WANT TO MANAGE THEIR MEMBERSHIP IN myABF?
1. So that everything can ultimately be done in one place.
Today some clubs may be managing their member- ship records in as many as three different systems:
a. ABF Masterpoint Centre (still used to record home club members which the ABF in turn uses to deter- mine capitation fees).
b. myABF (where member lists already facilitate clubs sending emails to members, enabling them to pay club table money with bridge credits, plus potential- ly also giving access to member rates for congress entries and table money).
c. An existing membership management system (whether that’s an Excel spreadsheet or something like Compscore or Pianola).
Wherever the same data has to be maintained in multiple systems it’s a nuisance and risk things get- ting out of sync.
Release 6.0 now enables (b) and (c) to be done in myABF. Next year the plan is to merge (a) the Master- point Centre into myABF as well so clubs will be able to truly have everything in one place.
2. So that payments for membership can be made with Bridge Credits.
This option makes things really convenient both for players and clubs. It’s something that’s only possi- ble with myABF because we already have the bridge credits payment system.
Players can now pay their annual membership fees via bridge credits. Better than that, however, is a fur- ther ability to set those payments up to go through automatically.
We’ve called it “Auto pay”. It allows clubs to set a date on which the subsequent year’s annual mem- bership fee will be collected via bridge credits. This date is shown in the email communication sent to all players when a club initiates its annual membership renewals process (usually a month or so before its membership year end date).
PLAY YOUR CARDS RIGHT
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Check out their web site at www.tbib.com.au
TONY BEMROSE INSURANCE BROKERS
Page 26
Australian Bridge Federation Ltd. Newsletter: December 2024