Over half of Go-Ride Clubs are now running their clubs through British Cycling’s free Club Management Tool (CMT).

If your club hasn’t taken the leap yet, here are two Go-Ride volunteers with their thoughts about the benefits of the tool.

Andy Akers - Holmfirth Cycling Club

What encouraged you to start using the CMT?
The Club Management Tool covers everything the club needs to make the day-to-day running easier; newsletter manager, club membership management, club activity manager, the ability to generate reports and the ability to collect membership fees online, making managing the clubs affairs so much easier.

How has the CMT benefitted your club?
It has made the day-to-day running so much easier for example, collecting subscriptions, analysing membership trends and allowing us to communicate more easily with our members. Our constitution also requires members to have British Cycling membership so that they have insurance. The CMT allows us to see that members have the required cover. The ability to generate reports is useful for club presentations and for media purposes, allowing a quick visual interpretation of club numbers, gender and age splits.

What’s your top tip for other clubs?
Have a good look at the CMT. There are obvious benefits to its use and if it makes life easier for the club volunteers, then make use of it!

Alison Hinds - Welwyn Wheelers CC

What encouraged you to start using the CMT?
Our previous system consisted of storing hard copy application forms in a ring binder and copying the details to a spreadsheet, which was extremely time-consuming The CMT has given us the ability to keep an online database of our club members and to accept online applications/renewals.

How has the CMT benefitted your club?
The CMT has streamlined club membership administration. The reporting tools are very useful and we have started using the club activity manager. It has certainly made it easier for people to join.

What’s your top tip for other clubs?
Setting up a club profile will enhance your chances of picking up new members. The club membership utility will help you to administer new and existing members and reduce paperwork. Having your club membership details stored in a central, accessible and secure location for free means that they are available anywhere – you just need a web browser. If your club already has a similar system, moving over to the CMT could reduce any existing overheads. Once your membership is established in the CMT, running off reports for British Cycling or Sport England is easy!

To get started, visit your dashboard at britishcycling.org.uk. For help and advice, please email clubtool@britishcycling.org.uk or phone 0161 274 2094.