Why clubs should sort out their website, email and member list properly
Are the member list and email with one volunteer? The risks when the committee changes, what the GDPR asks, and how to sort it out simply.
By Daan, September 4, 2026. 2 minute read.
At most clubs and associations it has just grown that way. A handy member once built the website. The secretary uses their own Gmail address. The member list is in an Excel file on the treasurer’s laptop. That works, until someone steps down.
What goes wrong when the committee changes?
- The club’s email disappears along with the secretary’s private address.
- Nobody can get into the website any more, because only the person who built it had the password.
- The member list is on a private laptop, or has been sent round in ten different versions.
- Old agreements and minutes can no longer be found.
What privacy law asks of the committee
A club keeps personal data: names, addresses, phone numbers, sometimes dates of birth or bank details. Under the GDPR (in Dutch: AVG), the committee is responsible for that data. Among other things, that means:
- not keeping more data than necessary;
- storing it safely, so not everyone can get to it;
- knowing where it is;
- deleting it when someone is no longer a member.
If the member list is drifting around on private laptops and in private mailboxes, that is difficult.
How to sort it out simply
Email addresses per role. For example secretaris@uwvereniging.nl and penningmeester@uwvereniging.nl (secretary and treasurer). When the secretary steps down, you pass the address on to the successor. All the old email is kept.
One shared folder for the committee, with a European company. That is where the member list, minutes and agreements live. Anyone who leaves the committee loses access. Anyone who joins gets access.
A simple website with the information members and newcomers are looking for. Fast, with no hassle over updates.
One fixed point of contact who manages access and helps when the committee changes.
Why European?
As a committee you are responsible for your members’ data, so you make life easier for yourselves if that data is with a European company. Then the European privacy rules simply apply, with no exceptions.
What does it cost?
A fixed amount per month, so the club knows where it stands. Feel free to get in touch, and I will take a look, with no obligation, at what your club has now.
Would you like me to arrange this?
Website, email and shared documents for sports clubs, churches, choirs and foundations. Everything stays with the club, even when the secretary steps down.