Fee Waivers & Hardship Policy — GoClubPro

Training Module 68 | Handling Members Who Can't Pay With Respect and Good Governance

What This Guide Covers

Every club has members who face genuine financial hardship. How you handle these situations defines your club's values more than almost anything else. This guide covers the governance side (policy framework) and the practical side (how to action waivers and adjustments in GoClubPro) so the Treasurer and Admin can act with both compassion and clear process.

Primary audience: Treasurers, Club Admins, Club Presidents Note: This module assumes good faith on all sides. Persistent non-payment without genuine hardship is covered in Module 07 (Treasurer & Accounting) under debt chasing.

SECTION 1: THE POLICY FRAMEWORK

Why You Need a Written Hardship Policy

Without a policy:

Waivers are ad-hoc → some members get them, others don't → perceived unfairness
The Treasurer makes decisions they're not authorised to make → governance breach
Word gets out that fees can be waived → requests escalate
Committee members feel pressure to personally subsidise members they know

With a policy:

Members know what to do → they ask through proper channels
The Treasurer has authority to act within defined limits
Decisions are consistent → defensible at AGM
The process is dignified → member isn't embarrassed asking

Sample Hardship Policy Elements

Your committee should adopt a policy covering:

1. Who can apply

"Any current financial member in genuine temporary hardship may apply for a fee adjustment."

2. What can be waived or adjusted

"The committee may grant: (a) a payment plan extending due dates; (b) a partial waiver of registration or match fees; (c) a full waiver in exceptional circumstances. Season Plan fees are not eligible for waiver (they are already discounted)."

3. How to apply

"Members apply in writing to the Club President or Treasurer. Applications are treated in confidence — only the President, Treasurer, and Club Admin are informed."

4. Who decides

"The Treasurer may approve payment plans and partial waivers up to $[X]. Full waivers above $[X] require committee resolution. In either case, the decision is documented."

5. What it's not

"This policy does not cover members who can pay but choose not to. Persistent non-payment without hardship application follows the standard debt management process."

SECTION 2: THE HARDSHIP CONVERSATION

Approaching the Conversation

Members experiencing hardship rarely initiate the conversation — they more often quietly disengage. Watch for:

Payment that's overdue much longer than usual for that member
RSVP rates dropping alongside payment delay (disengaging due to embarrassment)
A direct approach from a coach: "I think [Member] might be struggling"

Initiating sensitively:

Don't: "Your fees are 60 days overdue." Do: "Hi [Name], just reaching out to check in — I noticed your fees haven't come through yet. If there's anything making it difficult this season, we have options. Happy to have a private chat."

This framing gives the member an easy off-ramp. They don't have to volunteer that they're struggling — you've opened the door.

The Conversation Itself

Conducted by: Treasurer or Club Admin (not the coach) Format: Private — phone call or in-person (not text or Noticeboard)

Structure:

Acknowledge: "We appreciate everything you contribute to the club"
Enquire: "Are you in a position to pay this season, or is timing a concern?"
Present options: "We have a few ways we can help..."
Decide together: agree on the approach
Confirm: "I'll set this up and send you a note with what we've agreed"

Confidentiality: The outcome of a hardship discussion is not disclosed to coaches, other members, or at committee (except at the required approval level). The Treasurer and Admin maintain confidentiality.

SECTION 3: OPTIONS FOR HARDSHIP CASES

Option 1: Payment Plan

Member pays in instalments rather than a lump sum.

Example:

Registration fee: $150
Payment plan: $50 now, $50 by Round 5, $50 by Round 10

In GoClubPro:

The fee generates as normal (let it appear as outstanding)
Treasurer → Accounting → for each agreed instalment date, add a note to the member's ledger: "Payment plan agreed [Date]: 3 × $50 instalments — Round 1, Round 5, Round 10"
As each instalment is received: reconcile in Accounting and update the outstanding balance
If Aging runs: the Treasurer knows this member is on a plan and should not be sent an automated chaser

Best for: Members with cash flow timing issues but stable income. They will pay — they just need flexibility.

Option 2: Partial Waiver

Committee approves reducing the fee below the standard rate.

Example:

Standard registration: $150
Agreed: $75 (50% reduction)

In GoClubPro:

Treasurer → Accounting → find the member's registration fee entry
Edit or adjust the amount to $75
Add a note: "Partial waiver approved — committee resolution [Date] — $75 outstanding"
The member sees $75 outstanding (not $150)

Who approves: Per your hardship policy (e.g., Treasurer up to $50 reduction; committee above that) Who records it: Treasurer adds the committee resolution date to the ledger note

Option 3: Full Waiver

Committee approves writing off the fee entirely.

Example:

Standard registration: $150
Agreed: $0 (full waiver for this season)

In GoClubPro:

Treasurer → Accounting → find the fee entry
Mark as Waived (if that option exists) OR adjust amount to $0 with a note
Note: "Full waiver approved — committee resolution [Date] — exceptional hardship"

Who approves: Should always be a committee resolution for full waivers — not a unilateral Treasurer decision (unless explicitly delegated in your hardship policy)

Option 4: Volunteer Exchange

Member contributes volunteer hours (canteen duty, ground maintenance, working bee) in lieu of fees. This is an informal arrangement requiring committee approval and clear documentation.

In GoClubPro:

Mark the fee as waived with the note: "Fee waived in exchange for volunteer contribution — [X hours] agreed — [Date]"
Track the volunteer contribution externally (roster sheet or similar)
If the member doesn't fulfil the volunteer commitment: committee discusses reinstatement of the fee

Important: Volunteer exchange is not a standard feature of GoClubPro — it's an arrangement you manage externally and record in the ledger note.

SECTION 4: GOVERNANCE AND DOCUMENTATION

Recording Hardship Decisions

Every waiver or adjustment needs a paper trail. For each case:

Field	What to Record
Member name	[Name]
Date of agreement	[Date]
Original fee	$[X]
Agreed outcome	Payment plan / Partial waiver ($[Y]) / Full waiver
Authority	Treasurer discretion / Committee resolution [Meeting Date]
Ledger note	"Waiver approved — [Authority] — [Date]"
Follow-up	[Date to check if instalment paid / arrangement complete]

Keep this record in your committee's confidential files — not on GoClubPro and not accessible to coaches or other members.

AGM Reporting of Waivers

At the AGM, the Treasurer should report:

Total fees waived this season (without naming individuals)
Example: "Hardship waivers: $340 across 3 members"
This appears as an expense/reduction in the I&E statement

This level of transparency (aggregate, anonymised) is appropriate. Individual hardship cases are never disclosed at AGM.

When Hardship Becomes Chronic

If the same member needs a waiver two seasons in a row:

The committee should have a private conversation about whether the member's financial situation is likely to improve
Consider: is this a temporary hardship or an ongoing affordability issue?
Options: ongoing fee reduction (a different fee tier), ongoing volunteer exchange, or a sensitive conversation about whether membership is sustainable
Document the committee's decision carefully

This is a delicate situation requiring pastoral care, not just financial administration.

SECTION 5: DISTINGUISHING HARDSHIP FROM NON-PAYMENT

Hardship vs. Deliberate Non-Payment

Signal	Likely Hardship	Likely Non-Payment
First time in several years	✅
Recent life event (job loss, illness, separation)	✅
Still engaging actively, RSVPing, attending	✅
Multiple seasons of overdue fees		✅
Responds to enquiry with engagement	✅
Avoids contact, no response		✅
Directly requests help	✅
Claims to have paid (but no evidence)		✅

When in doubt: Give the benefit of the doubt and open the door for a conversation. If genuine hardship, the member will engage. If non-payment, the debt management process (Module 07) takes over.

VISUAL: Hardship Decision Flow

OVERDUE FEE IDENTIFIED IN AGING
 │
 ▼
Is this member usually reliable?
 │
 YES │ NO (chronic non-payer)
 ▼
Sensitive enquiry: "Any difficulty this season?"
 │
 YES │ NO
(hardship │ (non-payment)
 confirmed) ▼
 ▼ Standard debt process
Discuss options: payment plan / partial waiver / full waiver / volunteer exchange
 │
 ▼
Committee approval if needed
 │
 ▼
Ledger note + Accounting adjustment
 │
 ▼
Follow up at agreed intervals

TOOLTIPS & HINTS

Policy before precedent — establish the hardship policy before you have cases, not after
Confidentiality is non-negotiable — one breach destroys trust and prevents future members from seeking help
Ledger notes are the audit trail — "Waiver approved — committee resolution 15 July 2026" in the note makes the AGM report straightforward
Don't confuse hardship with bad debt — hardship gets compassion; persistent non-payment gets a debt process
The conversation is the hardest part — once the member knows you're open to helping, most cases resolve quickly

FAQ

Q: Can the Treasurer unilaterally waive a fee without committee approval? A: Only if your hardship policy explicitly delegates this authority. Most clubs should have a threshold: Treasurer can approve up to $X independently; above that requires committee.

Q: A member has $500 in outstanding fees from last season and this season. What do we do? A: If they haven't contacted you and haven't engaged with enquiries: this is debt, not hardship. Escalate to committee. If they do reach out: have the hardship conversation and discuss what's achievable for both past and current debts.

Q: How do we track who is on a payment plan to avoid sending them Aging reminders? A: Manually note in the Accounting ledger entry: "On payment plan — do not chase." The Treasurer checks this before sending any Aging reminders and excludes these members.

Q: A junior member's parent is struggling financially. Should we offer to help? A: Yes — the same policy applies. Approach the parent (not the junior) privately. Junior participation is one of the most important outcomes to protect in hardship situations.

COMMON MISTAKES

Mistake	Consequence	Prevention
No hardship policy	Ad-hoc decisions; perceived unfairness; governance risk	Policy adopted at start of each season
Disclosing hardship to coaches or at AGM	Trust destroyed; members afraid to ask	Strict confidentiality protocol
Treasurer acting outside their authority	Governance breach; committee may reverse decision	Policy defines Treasurer's approval limit; above that → committee
No ledger note on waivers	Treasurer's successor can't understand the accounts	Every waiver has a note: who approved, when, why
Chasing Aging for members on payment plans	Member distressed; feels misled	Note "on payment plan" in ledger; check before sending Aging reminders

SHORT ONBOARDING SCRIPT

"Fee waivers should follow a written policy — not ad-hoc decisions. The policy defines: who can apply, what can be adjusted, who has approval authority, and how confidentiality is maintained. In GoClubPro, every waiver or adjustment is implemented by the Treasurer in Accounting with a ledger note citing the approval authority and date. The hardest part is having the conversation — open the door with a sensitive enquiry, present options, and let the member choose. Confidentiality is non-negotiable: waivers are never disclosed to coaches, other members, or named at AGM."

MICRO-TRAINING QUICK TIPS

Hardship policy: establish before you have cases
Enquiry opener: "Is there anything making fees difficult this season? We have options."
Options: payment plan / partial waiver / full waiver / volunteer exchange
Every decision: ledger note with authority and date
Aging: exclude members on payment plans from auto-chasers
AGM reporting: aggregate total waived (no names)
Confidentiality: Treasurer + Admin only (not coaches, not committee unless approval needed)

Training Module 68 | See also: 07 Treasurer & Accounting · 04 Payments · 34 AGM & Financial Reporting · 58 Club Policy & Governance · 66 Club Financial Budgeting