Background

Nestled between thousands of acres of open space and parkland in Lorton, Virginia, is the community of Laurel Hill, home to the Laurel Hill Tritons swim team. The Tritons are a division of the 50-year Northern Virginia Swim League, and 2011 marks their sixth year. Their team is comprised of boys and girls aged 4 through 18; more than 150 participate. In 2007, the Tritons were undefeated; the following year they finished second in their division.

Challenge

With actual team training and activities run by parents and other volunteers, it is Theresa Phillips’s role to handle the rest. This means getting word out about registration and events, organizing volunteers, processing and tracking registrations, maintaining files on participants, assigning participants the proper slots according to age, and of course processing and tracking funds. It’s a huge undertaking she took on only this year, one she is doing solo – something akin to an individual medley for this organizer.

Solution

When Theresa took over as Team Rep for the Tritons she had no practical experience with swim team management and no idea how much work it would entail. She began talking with Active Network, Sports about its swimming club registration software, and having had previous experience with workflow processes, she knew the power of effective management and how Active might help. Just before the new swim season started Theresa made her decision. “Adopting the automated registration system was the BEST decision I’ve made!” Going to an automated system from a paper/manual process eliminated hours of paperwork, trips to the bank, phone calls and more. In fact, prior to adopting online registration it was impractical to keep registration open throughout the swim season due to the logistical burden of data input and coordination that traditionally landed in the lap of the busy Team Rep. This year, with Active’s online registration software, up to one-third of the club’s participants signed up after the initial registration event. Because the swimmer inputs all the data and processes payment through the system, late registration is easy and a source of continuous revenue. “With a single email link sent to interested swimmers, who then do all those things themselves, it’s a ‘no-brainer’ to add as many as want to swim; the team gets more swimmers – and revenue – with almost zero effort!” She has been so impressed that she’s recommended Active online registration software to other team reps. For her, “The fact that it’s all automatic changes the entire deal, and the cost is affordable.”

Results

Last year it took at least five volunteers to process registrations; this year, thanks to Active’s online registration software, it was completely automated and Theresa did it solo. “Last year looked pretty chaotic,” she says. “Now all the swimmer information is correct and hundreds of hours of work have disappeared.” She especially likes how Active helped her customize registration pages so players can click on which schedule they want to participate in. “Now I have a roster showing me which children will be available for each meet – something always difficult to manage during the summer when families are going on vacation.” This has not only streamlined the process of slotting swimmers, but has greatly helped the families and coaches as they prepare for the season.

She’s gotten “a tremendous amount of feedback and not one complaint” since implementing the new system and raves about what she sees as “as an immense amount of forethought went into creating the system. If I need it to do something, it is do-able!”

She uses the online registration software to download reports, segmenting by age, gender, even which swimmers ordered silicone and which latex caps, making management of the various activities and requirements a breeze. It’s the same with the system’s flexibility for families, allowing them to go online and update email addresses, make changes in contact information, etc.

With Active as a partner, the Tritons’ program has grown by more than a third, increased branding and upped registration revenue by a third – this year about an additional $2500. A huge plus for Theresa is how the online registration links directly to the HY-TEK system and to their bank account, especially the credit card payment option. In fact, this is what really sold her on Active. “With 155 swimmers, this has paid off in dividends,” she says.

What’s Next

Theresa hopes to expand on the system’s customization capabilities and add swimsuit and goggle sales to the swim caps and t-shirts she currently sells online. She will continue utilizing the broadcast email capabilities, which have helped her with event announcements and getting out last-minute urgent updates. Overall, she hopes to expand her knowledge so that she can have more flexibility with communications (such as sending targeted emails to designated individuals on her list), implement special fundraising activities (possibly a camping trip) and continue to grow the Tritons in all ways possible.