Easing the Squeeze: How Afterpay Can Help Your Club Survive and Thrive

As inflation worsens, the cost-of-living impact on clubs and volunteer committees must modernise their club membership payment options to keep their communities intact. Implementing buy now, pay later for associations is now a crucial strategy to retain club members who can no longer afford large, upfront annual fees. By taking advantage of the secure Member Jungle Afterpay integration, your committee receives full payments instantly with zero assumed risk. Learning how to leverage Afterpay for clubs doesn't just save your renewal season; it also helps increase event attendance by making expensive gala tickets, training courses, and uniform purchases manageable for everyday families.

Money can be tight, and for a lot of us, it can be a pretty big source of stress. Paying rent, mortgages, school fees, groceries, car bills, petrol; it’s a lot. There is a reason that the cinematic shorthand for a stressed-out family is showing a parent sitting by a table, balancing the books.

That’s before you even get into trying to afford a hobby. It’s no wonder that with the cost of living skyrocketing and salaries failing to keep pace, so many people are feeling the strain. According to a new Australian National University poll, 34.9% of Australians “are finding it difficult or very difficult to get by on their current income.” which is a record high for this poll. The same poll “also found that life satisfaction among Australians has fallen to its lowest recorded level in the ANUpoll series, reaching levels below even the depths of the pandemic lockdowns.”

That’s right, people are more broke than ever and less happy than they were during COVID; an ill omen if ever I’ve seen one. 

For your club, this reality highlights two crucial points:

1. People are far less able to pay high, upfront costs for their hobbies than they used to be.
2. Because stress levels are so exceptionally high, people need their hobbies and social clubs more than ever right now.

I know all of that sounds a bit doom-and-gloom, but don't worry, this isn't an article about how tough things are, and it’s definitely not going to be an article reminiscing fondly about lockdowns. Let’s instead look ahead and talk about how you can help your members by allowing them to use Afterpay. 

Quick Answer: How Can Afterpay Help My Membership Organisation? 

If you are just looking for the short version, integrating Afterpay into your club's payment system is a great way to boost member retention during tough economic times. Here is how offering Buy Now, Pay Later helps your club:

• You get paid upfront: Your club receives the full payment immediately (minus the processing fee), meaning your cash flow is never interrupted.
• Zero risk for the club: Afterpay assumes 100% of the risk. If a member misses a fortnightly payment, it does not affect your club at all.
• Retain more members: It allows members to split large, stressful costs, like annual renewals or family registrations, into four manageable, interest-free instalments.
• Increase event attendance: Members are much more likely to buy tickets to major club events or galas if they don't have to pay the full lump sum all at once.

What Is Afterpay?

Look, I’m sure you know what Afterpay is, but let’s just go over it quickly to make sure we’re on the same page. 

Afterpay is an Australian service that allows people to make purchases online and pay them off in four equal, interest-free instalments. Payments are due every two weeks. So, if a member spends $400 on an event ticket or a family membership renewal, they only pay $100 upfront today, and then three more $100 payments over the next six weeks. 

What Does This Mean For Your Club? 

From your perspective as the merchant, the process is incredibly safe. When someone buys that $400 ticket via Afterpay, your club receives the money upfront (usually within a few business days, depending on your settlement dates).

Now, let's talk about the only catch, the fees. Afterpay takes a merchant fee of roughly 6% plus a $0.30 transaction fee. So, on that $400 purchase, your club would receive about $375.70.

I’m not going to pretend that $24.30 isn't a decent chunk of change to lose to fees, but people who can afford to spend that $400 upfront won’t use Afterpay; the only people who will use it are the people who, without it, would not have made the purchase at all. 

So, yes, it costs $24.30 in fees, but that fee comes with $375.70 in revenue that your club never would have seen without it.

Plus, if the purchaser doesn’t make their remaining payments to Afterpay, it does not affect your club whatsoever. Afterpay assumes 100% of the risk of non-payment. You keep the money, and your cash flow stays completely uninterrupted.

Look, at the end of the day, I don’t work for Afterpay, and it’s not my job to sell their business model. But when it comes to keeping clubs and associations afloat during tough economic times, the benefits of giving your members this flexibility far outweigh the drawbacks.

How Afterpay Can Help Your Membership Organisation

Let's be real, your members aren't going to use Afterpay to split a $20 club hat into four $5 payments. Where Afterpay truly shines is taking the sting out of those big-ticket, lump-sum purchases like annual memberships and major event tickets.

By offering this financial flexibility, you are allowing people who otherwise couldn’t afford the upfront cost to join your club, attend events, and stay engaged and active in your community.

Here are the three biggest ways offering Afterpay can help protect your organisation's retention rates right now:

• Easing the Burden of Membership Renewals: Annual memberships can be a hefty upfront cost, especially if your renewal period hits at a notoriously tight time of year, like right after Christmas. Whether it's a standard individual renewal, an expensive professional association fee, or a family group registration, allowing members to spread that large chunk of money over six weeks can be the difference between them staying with your club or letting their membership lapse.
• Boosting Event Attendance: Do you host an annual gala, a state conference, or a major end-of-year presentation night? When event tickets cross that $100 threshold, attendance often drops as members tighten their belts. Afterpay lets your members secure their spot at the table without having to sacrifice their weekly grocery budget.
• Making Necessary Gear Affordable: Club kits, winter jackets, and specialised training gear add up incredibly fast. If a member needs to drop $150 on gear right at the start of the season on top of their standard fees, Afterpay makes that pill much easier to swallow.

Key Takeaways: Why Your Club Should Consider Afterpay 

The bottom line is that giving your members the option to use Afterpay is a win-win for both their household budgets and your organisation's financial health. If you want to implement it, remember these key points:

• It is an investment in retention: The 6% merchant fee you pay on an Afterpay transaction is a small price to pay to secure hundreds of dollars in membership renewals that you otherwise would have lost.
• It's best for big-ticket items: Afterpay truly shines when used for significant lump-sum expenses like expensive family memberships, major event tickets, and club uniforms.
• You need the right setup: To offer Afterpay to your members through Member Jungle, your club will need to be using its own custom Stripe Payment Gateway.

Ready To Help Your Members Out?

Ultimately, giving your members the flexibility to spread out their payments without hitting them with credit card interest is a massive win-win. It takes the stress out of renewal season for them, and it helps ensure your organisation's retention rates and cash flow stay healthy as we all weather this economic storm together.

If you want more information on how Afterpay works and how to get the ball rolling on using Afterpay with your club, please read Afterpay in Member Jungle. 

If you want to look at other ways to make money with Member Jungle to help ease the budget, then check out How You Can Make Money With Member Jungle.