Software for membership database - recommendations please

[basildonbond]

Hi - hoping one of the resident techy-types can help :)

I may be taking over as membership secretary for one of my children's clubs - the membership database is currently held on excel but I was wondering if anyone had any recommendations for more specific software for the task. (My kids' swimming club uses hytek but that's very focused on swimming)

Thanks

Microsoft Access - it comes with Office.

Access is good, but I don't think it comes with the standard version of Office does it? I have it at work but not in my home version of MS Office (although I use a Mac at home).

What kind of things do you want to do beyond what Excel will let you do, basildonbond?

Filemaker Pro comes with lots of ready-made templates and probably has one you could use straight off.

www.filemaker.com/

The million dollar question is what do you want to do with the membership information which Excel currently doesn't allow you to do.

Putting your membership details into a database might look good but it may make life much harder for the next person to take over your job and may mean he/she also has to buy the software.

I'm not saying it's not a good idea but its easier to advise if we knew what you wanted to do. As I often tell people at work. Just because you can, doesn't mean you should.

What niceguy2 said.

A friend of mine recently had the same problem for a Yacht Club membership thing and settled on www.wildapricot.com/ which seems to work okay for what he needed - YMMV.

thanks for the recommendations/advice

I won't know exactly what I need it to do until I have a chat with the committee but I think I will need to assign names to different groups (and change those groups easily), have people belonging to multiple groups, pull off contact details for each group, be able to send forms out easily

things like that - does that help narrow it down?

Right now I'd probably use a spreadsheet for the time being until you understand the sort of processes that need to happen (especially those that are particularly time consuming/boring/error prone) then you'll have a clear idea about what to look for when you go on research mission again. Think of it as a prototype.

(actually, that's a lie; I'd be arse-deep in writing my own application already, but that's not the point)

I think you can do all you want to do with Google apps. I have no vested interest & it costs I think £35. If you want a useful phone number then DM me.

For what it's worth - setting up a database from scratch in MS Access is very hard work! Even running one that someone else has written is fraught.

What niceguy2 said.

and think of how you would need to train others who would use the system after you. Might influence your choice.