Welcome to ClubRunner's BlogSpot


Welcome to ClubRunner's BlogSpot - the place to stay on the pulse of hot off the press news updates about product developments, service announcements, local events and so much more!

Also, you can initiate discussions and share information among fellow ClubRunner users.

Your feedback is always welcome and necessary to help us make ClubRunner better. We want to know what you like, what you don't and what's on your wish list. Please let us know how we can enhance our service.

Wednesday, October 29, 2014

Tip of the Week: Adding Slideshows to your website

We've been getting lots of emails from clubs sharing how they've made their club sites even more dynamic using Version 3.0! There's nothing that makes us happier than seeing how our customers have customized their websites and added different elements to make it unique, without ever needing to know any technical language.

While some like to add custom graphics and stories about the club, others like to add videos and photo albums to share the latest happenings at the club. Did you know that you can embed PowerPoint presentations on your homepage as well?

Similar to how you add videos to your website, you can embed Slideshows using the Custom Content Widget. Follow the instructions on this help article to add a PowerPoint presentation to your website.

Be sure to comment below with the link to your site to share how you've customized your ClubRunner site too!

Saturday, October 18, 2014

Best Practices for Club Websites

Website Themes 

Did you know that you only have 5 seconds to capture the attention of your website visitor, before they leave? What's worse is that once they leave your website, the chances of re-engaging are very low. There's a lot you can do to make sure your website comes out on top. We get a lot of emails from clubs asking for tips on how to improve their websites and overall website experience, which is why we thought we'd share some best practices:

1.

Be Visual

Capture the attention of your visitors with imagery, photos of your club activities, your members, projects, etc. After all, actions speak louder than words and showcasing your club from a visual standpoint not only promotes your club more effectively but also helps visitors get a better sense of what you’re all about, without having to skim through text! The built-in photo albums in ClubRunner are a great way to showcase your activities, and with our web editor, you can easily drop in images alongside your text anywhere.

2.

Content is King - Update it often!

Content is King & Currency is Queen! The real factor that drives a website towards becoming popular and successful is freshly updated content throughout the site. If visitors are presented with outdated information, they have no reason to stay on your site to learn more, let alone return. Potential members may feel that your club is really not that active, even if that is far from the truth. Of course updating content on a regular basis is difficult if you have to rely on a webmaster. With no technical expertise required, updating your website on ClubRunner is hassle free!

3.

Make it easy to navigate

Your website is the hub of information and the first place visitors come to learn more about your club. If they can't navigate from one page to another or find the information they are looking for easily, they'll associate their negative experience with your club and this impacts your bottom line of recruiting and retaining members. When creating website themes and templates, we always think about the user experience first, which is why all of our layouts, menu options and website templates allow you to build professional and beautiful websites that are easy to navigate through.

4.

Go Mobile

Did you know that 17.4% of global web traffic comes through mobile devices, such as smartphones and tablets?  The majority of people are online on their mobile devices and not optimizing your website for such devices means you aren't reaching your potential members. Today, mobile optimization for websites is not a 'nice to have', it is a demand that must be met and this is why all ClubRunner websites are optimized for whichever device a visitor may use. If you're using Version 3.0, you can control the mobile settings of your website. 

5.

Be easy to find

The "if you build it, they will come" mantra might have worked before but it no longer applies! To attract visitors, your website must rank high in search engines. Not only does ClubRunner automatically generate meaningful permalinks for each page on your website, but you can also define your meta tags to generate even more organic traffic. We dominate all major search engines, so having a ClubRunner hosted website means your club will always rank high and be visible in all search results

Share your best practices with us! What does your club do to keep your website current and exciting? Need some inspiration for your website? VIsit our Live Sites page to see how other clubs have designed their sites. Want a completely new and unique theme? Connect with a ClubRunner Coach to give your website a fresh new look!

Tuesday, October 14, 2014

Meeting Responsibilities (Duty Roster 3.0) Now Available!

We're pleased to present the all-new Duty Roster 3.0, also known as the Meeting Responsibilities feature!

Available only in Version 3.0, with this upgraded feature, you have the ability to create and manage multiple tasks in an organized list for members to complete during meetings. Create groups and positions, and easily assign members to each task. In addition to all the original features that were part of the Duty Roster 2.0, this new version can also be added to your club website, bulletin or custom page as a widget!

To get started, navigate to the Meeting Responsibilities page and click on add new position. From here, you'll be able to associate your positions with groups, assign duties to members and more.

To learn more about this new feature, refer to our help guide.

Friday, October 3, 2014

Introducing ClubRunner's Volunteers Module 3.0!

Volunteer TasksWe're pleased to announce the release of our all-new Volunteers 3.0 Module! Based on the feedback we've received over the years from our Champions and Early Access Participants, we were able to further customize this new module to cater to virtually any scenario where you need to coordinate people in various commitments organized by time,day, task or group.

Volunteer Signups
The Volunteers module is available in two versions: Basic and Enhanced. We've already included all the essential features needed by clubs into the Basic version, and additional features were added to the Enhanced version. Click here to learn more.  

Available through the main menu on the Admin page, to navigate to the Volunteers module, click on the Events tab and then on the Volunteers link. Note that to access the Volunteers module, you must be on the Version 3.0 platform. Not on Version 3.0 yet? Click here to learn how to switch.
 

Refer to our knowledgebase for help articles and FAQ's to get started with using this module.