How to Automate Payment Reminders (So You Stop Sending Awkward Texts)

Split screen showing an awkward text message versus a clean automated dashboard

It's 8:30 PM on a Tuesday. Practice is tomorrow. You're sitting on your couch, staring at your phone, trying to draft a text message to a 24-year-old center back who owes the club $150.

You type: "Hey man, just checking in on dues." Delete. Too passive.

You type: "Need that payment by tonight or you can't play." Delete. Too aggressive.

You type: "Hey! Hope you're good. Any update on the fee?" Send.

Then you wait. And wait. And feel that familiar knot of anxiety in your stomach.

If you are a team treasurer or club director, you know this feeling intimately. The worst part of the job isn't the math—it's the social friction of asking your friends and teammates for money.

It turns you from a teammate into a debt collector. But what if you never had to send that text again?

The "Bad Guy" Trap

The problem with manual dues collection isn't just the time it takes (though updating spreadsheets for hours is its own nightmare). The real problem is that it relies on personal enforcement.

When you use Venmo or cash, you are the system:

If they don't pay, you have to remember
You have to nag them
You have to decide if you're going to be the "bad guy" and bench them

This creates tension in the locker room. Players start dodging you at practice. You start resenting them for making your volunteer job harder.

Why Automation Changes the Psychology

The secret to 100% collection rates isn't being stricter. It's removing the human element from the transaction.

When a software platform sends a payment reminder, it's not you nagging them. It's "The System."

Manual Collection	Automated Collection
You send awkward texts	System sends professional emails
You track payments in spreadsheets	Dashboard updates in real-time
You decide who to bench	Clear policies enforced automatically
Players resent you	Players just pay their bill

Psychologically, players don't get mad at a system. They just pay it. It shifts the dynamic from "I owe Dave money" to "I have a bill to pay."

How ClubSplit Automates the Awkwardness

We built ClubSplit specifically to solve this "Treasurer Burnout." We wanted to build a tool where the only thing you have to do is set the budget, and the software handles the rest.

Here is how an automated workflow looks compared to the manual grind:

1. The Setup

Instead of texting a Venmo handle to a group chat, you enter your costs into ClubSplit. The Budget Calculator determines exactly what each player owes based on your roster size.

ClubSplit generates a unique, professional payment link for every player. They receive an official email—not a text from you—breaking down exactly what the fee covers (League fees, fields, refs, etc.).

Transparency increases payment speed because players can see where the money is going. No more "what am I even paying for?" complaints.

3. The Follow-Up (The Magic Part)

This is where you get your life back.

If a player hasn't paid by the due date, ClubSplit automatically triggers a reminder email. You don't have to lift a finger. You don't have to check your bank statement to see if the check cleared.

You just look at your Real-Time Dashboard and see the status change from "Pending" to "Paid".

Stop Chasing, Start Managing

Your time is valuable. You shouldn't spend it cross-referencing Venmo screenshots with an Excel file at midnight.

By automating your payment reminders, you do three things:

Recover Revenue: You stop losing money to "I forgot" excuses
Save Time: No more manual data entry
Save Relationships: You get to be a teammate again, not a bill collector

The average amateur club loses 10-15% of expected dues to non-payment each season. That's $500-$1,000 walking out the door—enough to cover referee fees for the entire year.

Ready to ditch the spreadsheet?

We are accepting a limited number of Founding Clubs for the Spring 2026 season to use ClubSplit completely free.

Join the Pilot Program