Member list in Excel: when is it time for something else?

The treasurer leaves. The handover has three files: “members”, “members-final” and “members-final-new”. Which one is right? Nobody is sure.

A member list in Excel is fine while one person knows the file and dues are ticked off by hand. It goes wrong when two versions circulate or someone deletes the wrong row.

Where Excel gets stuck

Excel does not know if a membership is still running, if the dues arrived and if someone may come in tonight. That lives in tabs, a group chat and the secretary’s head. When the board changes, the file is often the first thing to go missing.

Three questions that belong in one place

Who is a member? What do they pay? Who gets in? A member list does not need to answer more than that. New members sign themselves up, so nobody retypes an email. Dues run on direct debit, not a “paid yes/no” column.

That is membership management for associations. You import your existing list as CSV, members sign up via a QR code or link, and dues run through Mollie on your own account. Direct debit is part of the Basic plan, and the free plan is enough to begin with.

Is the board changing soon? Read how to hand over member admin.

When Excel is still fine

Stay with a spreadsheet if you have a few dozen members, one owner of the file and no need for direct debit or a door check. As soon as the board changes or the treasurer chases payments every month, the file is holding you back.