The traditional way of managing clubs and associations with paper and shoe boxes is no longer holding up with the requirements put on organisations these days. Volunteers are hard to come by and the workload continues to increase. Just as accounting has been through a transition from manual to full digital disruption of the process, governance is on the same path. Governance may not be the most appealing task to focus on, but when we look at what governance really is, the processes of interaction and decision-making, we can see its vital importance to ensuring we continue to achieve the impact we desire of our clubs and associations.
Software is getting smarter so that what our current processes are can be completely distributed by platforms that take away the busywork and leave you to only focus on the unique value you add to the process. We can see how this transition has happened with accounting software.
We’ve seen many changes to many systems and processes as computers have permeated all areas of our lives.
Originally, accounting was done with pencil and paper. To do this, you needed training and expertise. It was slow and error prone.
Within our clubs we see finance, members, coaching, and communication software and apps available in every niche. This is all in attempts to reduce workloads and increase engagement. I propose however we are only at the beginning phase of this digital disruption. Software goes through ebbs and flows, like anything else, and we are on the edge of another transition. Anything a computer can do, you shouldn’t have to.
Enter the early days of desktop computing and introduce original spreadsheet programs like VisiCalc and then Microsoft Excel. What a boon! It adds everything up for you, has formulas, is more accessible and can be copied and shared unlike the paper beforehand.
It still required you to be well trained in accounting processes and practices though. Next up came in MYOB and others like it. These account packages changed the game. No longer did you need to be an expert, you could follow what the software told you to do and get about 80% there, and then use your professional services at a lower cost to ensure everything was correct. Xero has taken this even further with automatic bank feeds, a simpler user interface, and online and mobile access from anywhere.
With the world of Artificial Intelligence (AI) and large amounts of data these platforms sit on top of more will be done automatically for you, leaving you just the important things to evaluate.
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