Most soccer clubs are 501c3 non-profit entities that are run by volunteer boards and part-time staff. Boards are re-elected every couple of years and there is a fairly high turnover rate with staff. The high turnover rate and reliance on volunteer and part-time staff present a set of challenging operational problems.

There are a few easy things you should implement right away to protect your club from issues arising from high turnover.

Keep a current and active list of vendors. Create a list of your club’s vendors, their contact information and your account information. This could be an account number or a username and password for accessing online services.

Here are just a few things to keep on file and updated:

1. Username/password to manage your domain name. Someone at your club bought your domain name (mysoccerclub.com) and from time to time you will need to either renew the domain name, configure your DNS to point to a new service provider, or update your records to change email providers. If you don’t know where you bought it, you can do a WHOIS lookup. You also need to keep your WHOIS information up to date every year so that the contact information is current.
2. Bank Account info and who the authorized signers are. As the board changes you will need to keep that up to date so no confusion arises if changes need to be made.
3. A current address and phone list for all current and past board members and staff. This comes in really handy if you need to contact them with questions after their tenure with the club ends. Trust me, this happens all the time!
4. Uniform Supplier contact info and pricing. Keep a current file on who your uniform supplier is, what uniform style you have, any customizations that you’ve done, and your pricing. This will help for reordering or shopping around for another vendor.
5. Key league and state contacts. Keep a list of all the people at your league, state or governing body office, so that you can easily stay up to date on all the rules, regulations, votes and changes that your league or state put into place.
6. Insurance Agent Information. Keep your policy and your agent’s contact information in case of any claim that may arise.
7. Contact information for you club’s accountant so you can make sure returns are filed accurately and on time and you can research any questions that your club may get from your state or the IRS

So as we get closer to the New Year keep these housekeeping things in mind and have a happy and safe Thanksgiving!