The short answer
Spreadsheets cost nothing and suit a small club with one record keeper and few or no Scheme vehicles. MemberCrew costs a monthly fee and suits clubs where several committee members share the records, renewals take real work, and log books and Scheme reports must be right every year.
Neither is right for every club. This page sets out where each one fits, so your committee can decide on the facts.
Where spreadsheets work well
A spreadsheet is a good choice when the club is small, the records are simple, and one person looks after them. Plenty of clubs run this way for years without trouble.
Spreadsheets have real strengths:
- They are free. Most committee members already have the software.
- Everyone knows them. No training, no new logins.
- They are flexible. Add a column whenever you need one.
- They are yours. The file sits wherever you put it.
If your club has, say, a stable committee, members who renew without much chasing, and no members on the Conditional Registration Scheme, a spreadsheet may be all you need. Keep it in one shared place, keep a backup, and write a one-page note on how it works for the next person.
If you do keep log books in a spreadsheet, our free log book register template gives you a sensible set of columns to start from.
Where spreadsheets start to break
The problems with spreadsheets usually come from people and time, not from the software. They show up as the club grows, the committee changes, or the Scheme adds record keeping.
Versions
The member list is emailed to the treasurer, who updates payments. The secretary updates addresses in their own copy. By the end of the season there are three versions, and nobody is sure which is right.
Handover
The person who built the spreadsheet knows which tab matters, what the colours mean and which column to ignore. When they step down at the AGM, that knowledge often leaves with them.
Renewals
A spreadsheet can list who has paid, but someone has to update it by hand for every payment, and someone has to work out who still needs a reminder. Payments made online still have to be copied across.
Log books
Each log book runs for up to three years from issue (the Code, clause 2.28), and a vehicle must not have more than one current log book (the Code, clause 3.5g). Tracking issue dates, expiry and cancellations across many members by hand is where errors creep in. See our log book rules guide.
Yearly reports
Clubs on the Scheme send yearly reports to the Registrar and the Federation, with due dates set by the Code. With a spreadsheet, these are usually rebuilt by hand each year, by filtering and cross-checking several tabs.
Privacy
A spreadsheet is all or nothing: whoever has the file sees everything in it. Once a copy is emailed, the club cannot take it back or see who opened it.
Side by side
| Spreadsheets | MemberCrew | |
|---|---|---|
| Cost | Free | From $150 a month, priced by club size, plus a one-off setup fee |
| Setup | Start today | Club’s records moved across, committee shown around |
| One shared version | Only if everyone is careful | Yes, one set of records for the committee |
| Who can see what | Anyone with the file sees everything | Each committee member sees what their role allows |
| Record of changes | No | Activity log of who changed what and when |
| Renewals | Updated by hand | Tracked per club year, with paid, outstanding and dues still to collect |
| Payments | Typed in by hand | Recorded against each invoice, including part payments; online renewal payments coming soon |
| Vehicles and log books | Columns you design and maintain | Vehicle register with log book history and status |
| Lapsed members holding log books | Worked out by hand | One list |
| Yearly Scheme reports | Rebuilt by hand | Each produced in one click (the club still sends them) |
| Handover | Depends on the person who built it | Same system for the next committee |
| Flexibility | Add any column you like | Set fields and a library of reports, with CSV downloads for anything else |
| Getting your data out | It is already a file | Full export at any time |
Cost honesty
Spreadsheets are free and MemberCrew is not. For a small club with simple needs, that difference can decide it, and that is a fair decision.
MemberCrew’s core plan starts at $150 a month for up to 100 current members, with bands for larger clubs, and a one-off setup fee to move the club’s records across, quoted per club. Paying yearly gives one month free. When online renewal payments arrive (coming soon), clubs will also pay Stripe’s standard card fees on those payments, directly to Stripe. See pricing for the full table.
The cost of a spreadsheet is volunteer time: chasing renewals, reconciling versions, rebuilding reports, and sorting out what the last committee left behind. Only your committee can judge what that time is worth.
If you stay with spreadsheets
If a spreadsheet suits your club, a few habits make it much safer. None of them cost anything.
- Keep one master copy. Store it in one shared place and never email the file itself. If people need a list, send them only the columns they need.
- Name one owner. One person updates the master; others send changes to them.
- Add a change note. A simple tab recording the date, who changed what and why goes a long way when something looks wrong.
- Separate the sensitive columns. Keep payment details and home addresses away from lists that go to events helpers or the newsletter editor.
- Keep a dated copy each year. Save a copy at the end of each club year. Clubs on the Scheme must keep membership records and log book records for five years (the Code, clause 2.39).
- Write the instructions down. A one-page note on what each tab and column means will save the next committee hours.
- Check log books against renewals. At the end of each renewal season, compare the list of unpaid members with the list of current log books.
These habits will not fix every problem above, but they will stop most of the common ones.
When to switch
Consider switching when the spreadsheet is costing more in time and worry than software would cost in money. These signs suggest you are there:
- there is more than one version of the member list
- the renewal season takes weeks of chasing and checking
- the registrar does not fully trust the log book records
- the yearly Scheme reports are rebuilt by hand each year
- a committee change is coming and only one person understands the file
- members’ details are emailed around the committee
If none of these sound familiar, your spreadsheet is probably doing its job. If several do, read how moving from an old system works, or our guide to choosing club membership software.
Moving from a spreadsheet
MemberCrew imports the club’s existing records: members, payments, vehicles and log books. During the changeover, MemberCrew is kept up to date from the club’s old system until the club is ready to switch over.
You do not need a perfect spreadsheet to start. It helps to find every list the club keeps, decide which one is the source of truth, and keep the original files safe after the move.