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Website Size

How big can my website be?
There is no limit to the size of your website. You can create as many pages and upload as many documents, photos, videos, etc. as you need.
How many members does ClubExpress support?
Again, there is no limit. We have clubs and associations from startup (no members!) up to any number. The largest club or association using ClubExpress has more than 12,000 members and we have many organizations with members in the thousands
How many administrators and coordinators can I have?
There is no limit. ClubExpress supports seven separate levels of security and you can have as many people as you want at each level. Unlike other AMS platforms, our fees are not based on the number of admins you define.
How many committees, interests, news items, chapters, events, contacts, benefits, discussion forums, etc., etc., can I have?
There are no limits for any of these items! When the database is well designed, the system doesn't care if you have two committees or twenty. So you can also have as many interest categories and interest groups, chapters, events, contacts, benefits and discussion forums as you need.

Website Content

How is the website designed?
ClubExpress includes all the tools that you need. You start by picking a template. After that, you can individually customize the page header and footer, optional side panels, menus, backgrounds, watermark, fonts, text styles and other design elements. Then you use our built-in designers to create the home page and status web pages that appear in the "content" area of your website. ClubExpress gives you the tools to create website content, upload photos, link to audio and video files, create links to other parts of the website, etc. For experienced web designers, ClubExpress supports more advanced concepts, but you don't need to be a web designer to do any of these tasks.


Click here for website examples
Can members control what personal information is displayed?
Yes, clubs can optionally allow members to control what information is shown to other members or the public.
How easy is it to change the content?
The same built-in tools that are used to create content are also used to modify it. You never need to come to us to make changes in any part of the system.
Can I control what information is shown to members and the public?
ClubExpress websites have multiple areas for different audiences. There is the public side of the site where you promote the club to potential members, the public, etc. Once members login, they are on the members' side of the site where you provide information that's available to members only. Each member also has a personal Profile where they can maintain their own contact information (and which is not available to other members.) There is also a whole admin section of the site that is only available to authorized administrators or coordinators.
How easy is it to change the look and feel of the site?
The overall look and feel of the website, as well as the appearance of individual elements, can be changed at any time.
What if my club or association has a special need that's not provided by ClubExpress?
Call us! We do some kind of customization for about 10% of our clubs and associations. Sometimes it's just a custom member directory with unique search options; sometimes it's a unique module or function for use by your club or association only. Programming fees will apply for custom functionality.

Internet

Will ClubExpress work with my browser?
Yes, ClubExpress is compatible with all of the major browsers in their most recent versions:
  • Google Chrome version 30 or higher;
  • Mozilla Firefox version 27 or higher;
  • Microsoft Internet Explorer 11 or higher (IE 8, 9, or 10 users must explicitly enable TLS1.2);
  • Microsoft Edge – all versions;
  • Apple Safari version 7 or higher;
  • Android version 5.0 – “Lollipop” or newer.
  • iOS version 5.0 or newer.
Do I need a more powerful computer to use ClubExpress?
No. ClubExpress requires very little from your computer and will work properly even on computers that are 8-10 years old. For PCs, we recommend a screen resolution of at least 1024 x 768px, Windows 10 or later and enough hard disk space for normal operations. ClubExpress also works fine on a Macintosh or Linux-based machine.
Is ClubExpress compatible with my Apple Macintosh?
ClubExpress is fully Mac compatible.
Is ClubExpress compatible with my tablet or smartphone?
ClubExpress websites are fully responsive to mobile devices and will reconfigure themselves automatically if we detect a smartphone or tablet. ClubExpress also allows you to create mobile-specific versions of the home page and static web pages, perhaps with smaller images and less content. Finally, ClubExpress provides an optional mobile app with features specifically for mobile users.
Do I need any special software to use ClubExpress?
Users will get by with just an Internet browser. We recommend that club administrators and coordinators have access to a PDF reader; the latest versions of Windows and Mac OSX have this built in or you can download a PDF reader from multiple sources.
Do I need a high-speed Internet connection to use ClubExpress?
A high-speed connection is not required but a faster connection will certainly make some screens more snappy, especially screens with multiple photographs, but performance should be acceptable even at the minimum speed.
What about members who don't have an Internet connection or email or a computer?
Members without an Internet connection or email will continue to interact with your club or association as they always have, by attending events and receiving a printed newsletter. If they want to connect to the system, they can do so using a smartphone, at a friend's house, at work, at any library, or at an Internet cafe. ClubExpress can send welcome letters and renewal notices to members without an email address using regular mail (an additional fee applies.) They send renewal or event registration checks to the regular address and an admin can then record this information in the system.
We already have an Internet domain (www.myclub.org). Can we use it with ClubExpress?
Absolutely! ClubExpress allows you to enter one or more domain names that you own and we will set things up to point them to your ClubExpress website. (You will also need to work with your domain registrar to point your domains to our nameservers.) There is no charge for this and it's a simple configuration change. Full instructions can be found in the ClubExpress documentation.
We don't have an Internet domain but we'd like to get one. Can you help?
ClubExpress is not a domain registrar but you can use any registrar. (We use GoDaddy for our own domains.) Note that there is a small fee payable to the domain registrar (generally less than $10 per year) to own a domain.
We don't have an Internet domain and we don't want one. Can we still use ClubExpress?
Yes, you don't need an Internet domain to use ClubExpress. When you set up your account, we ask you to specify a "shortname" for your club or association (for example, mybikeclub.clubexpress.com). This name can be used to access your ClubExpress website at any time. This model also allows you to keep your current website active until the new one is ready.
We'd like to keep our existing website and use ClubExpress for members only. Is this possible?
Yes, some of our customers do this because their existing website is large and well-established and they don't relish moving years of content over to the new site. We can generally mimic the look and feel of the old site so that the transition is as seamless as possible. The main website will have a “Members Click Here” button to jump to the members’ and admin site to login. When members logout, we can redirect them back to the main website automatically.

Members

Can members join through the website?
Your ClubExpress website includes a member signup wizard which allows new members to join online and then pay, securely, via credit card or check. This wizard can be customized in a number of ways to match your club’s needs.
How do members renew their membership?
Based on a schedule which you determine, members will receive an email notification that their membership is about to expire. They click a link in the email to log into the site and display the first page of the renewal wizard. After stepping through the wizard, they are taken to the Payment page where they can pay online, securely, by credit card or PayPal (if enabled), or print an invoice and mail a check. Checks are sent to you by default or, optionally, can be sent to ClubExpress where we will process them for you (a small additional fee applies for this option.)
Do you support family or business memberships?
ClubExpress fully supports memberships with multiple people. Every membership has a single primary member. You can also optionally define one or more secondary members who each have their own login in the system. Secondary members can be on committees, register for events, participate in discussion forums, serve as administrators or coordinators, make payments, etc. You can also optionally define one or more tertiary members who are attached to the primary but who cannot login. But tertiary members will receive blast emails and can be registered for events as members by any primary or secondary members in the same membership.
How do memberships expire?
ClubExpress can be configured to expire memberships on the expiration date or a specified number of days after (or you can turn this option off and expire members manually.)
How do I expand the database?
Every club or association has unique questions that you want to ask of your members. ClubExpress supports this need using the Additional Member Data feature. You can define as many questions as you need and the answer to each question can be in any one of 25+ different formats. Questions can be limited by member type, can be optional or required, and can optionally be visible to, and editable by, admins only.

Fees & Expenses

How are collected funds remitted to us?
When we collect payments from new and current members using the built-in merchant account, they are processed by the credit card system and deposited in our bank account two business days later. Then, three times a month (on the 10th, 20th and the last day of the month), we make an automated funds transfer (ACH) from our bank account directly to your bank account. This transfer requires another two business days for processing by the Federal banking system. Using this model, we can also distribute funds into different bank accounts, such as dues owed to a separate chapter, or a bank account specific to donations.

If you are using your own merchant account, funds are deposited every 2 days by your merchant processor. ClubExpress does not charge separate fees for credit card transactions if you have your own merchant processor. But note that you cannot distribute funds into different bank accounts, since these funds are not flowing through ClubExpress.
How are credit card processing fees charged to us?
If members paid by credit card, we deposit the gross amount and then separately withdraw the credit card fees processing charged by our merchant processor. We do this as two separate transactions for accounting reasons.
How are PayPal transactions handled?
When members and non-members choose to pay using PayPal, a special popup window will appear to allow them to login to their PayPal account and pick the payment source method. These funds are then transferred to your club’s or association’s PayPal account, after which you can decide where to move them. PayPal transaction fees are charged directly to your PayPal account. ClubExpress does not charge separate fees for PayPal transactions.
How are ClubExpress fees charged to us?
Our monthly hosting fee is charged at the end of each month and based on the number of active members at that time. For organizations in the US, this fee is withdrawn from your bank account using the same ACH facility described above. For clubs and  associations outside the US, this fee is charged to a saved credit card. In each case, the fee covers the following month of service.
Can we review the details of each transaction?
Absolutely. Club administrators have access to detailed reports showing every deposit or withdrawal. We designed this function so that each line item on the screen matches a transaction on your bank statement. Users can then click on each transaction to drill into it and view the individual items grouped into that transaction.

Payment Processing

How do credit card transactions appear on the member's credit card?
For organizations in the US, ClubExpress includes a merchant account to process credit card transactions using Visa, MasterCard, Discover, or American Express. Members will see "CLB*" followed by the name of your club or association abbreviated so it fits within 18 characters. For example "CLB*My Bike Club". You have the option of disabling Amex since they charge slightly higher fees. 

You also have the option to configure your own merchant account with any merchant provider, as long as the payment gateway is Stripe or Authorize.Net (many independent merchant processors can use Authorize.Net as their payment gateway. Note that under some situations, you must have your own merchant account. For more information, see this page on our website. If you want help in setting up your own merchant account, we have established partnerships with both Stripe and Authorize.Net to offer merchant accounts to our customers at the same rates as we pay.
We already have a credit card processing account. Can we use it with ClubExpress?
Yes, as long as the payment gateway is Stripe or Authorize.Net. It is advised and recommended that you try to use Stripe with your ClubExpress website.
How secure are credit card transactions through ClubExpress?
Like any merchant who accepts credit cards, ClubExpress must follow the rules of the Payment Card Industry (PCI). Because of our size, the rules we must follow are much more stringent than, for example, your local dry cleaner. ClubExpress is fully PCI Compliant; credit card transactions are performed, from end-to-end, fully encrypted, so the transaction itself is secure. We only store what data we are allowed to store, and then it's heavily encrypted.
Does ClubExpress support PayPal?
ClubExpress fully supports PayPal. For this feature to be enabled, your club or association must have a PayPal account and it must be configured to allow ClubExpress to initiate charges and have them deposited into this account. On the Pending Payment page, users will select PayPal as their payment option. When they do so, a PayPal button will appear; clicking this button opens a PayPal screen to allow them to login, select any source of funds already configured within their personal PayPal account, and have the funds automatically and immediately transferred to your PayPal account. Once there, you can move them anywhere you want! Users are then transferred back to the ClubExpress receipt page, indicating that the payment was processed successfully.

ClubExpress Platform

What is ClubExpress written in?
ClubExpress is written using Microsoft technologies, including ASP.NET, C#, and SQL Server. On the client side, we use HTML5, CSS3, AJAX, and jQuery, among other systems and libraries.
Where do our website and data reside and how is it connected to the Internet?
ClubExpress servers are cloud based and hosted by AWS. The servers are located behind an industrial-strength firewall that has been locked down as tightly as we can. AWS gives our customers a reliable network, allows us to easily and rapidly scale when necessary, and provides better reliability and security than our previous physically hosted solution.

ClubExpress also uses Amazon Web Services (AWS) for selected features, including the storage of documents, photos, and audio/video files.

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