Gym use compared to pre-pandemic levels has nearly doubled. More people are purchasing wellness products and services and watching and engaging in sports and local leagues than ever before.
Most importantly, in a survey conducted toward the end of 2023, 90% of respondents said they wanted to spend either more time or the same amount of time at their local community center.
All this translates to one simple truth: People are more interested in health and wellness than ever before, and as a result, nonprofit sports and recreation organizations are experiencing a surge of interest. But supporting this influx of new arrivals isn't exactly easy. Running even a small community center can be a pretty complex undertaking — and the different departments historically haven't always worked well together.
Let's talk about how enterprise resource planning (ERP) software can change that.
Running a community center or local sports organization is no small task. Managing multiple amenities like pools, squash courts, climbing walls, gyms, and basketball courts requires a complex web of scheduling systems to track bookings, availability, and usage. Add to that courses, programs, membership accounts, rental payments, and administrative tasks, and the workload becomes overwhelming.
As interest surges and memberships grow, the need for streamlined operations becomes critical. That’s where tools like Sparkrock 365 can make all the difference. By consolidating key areas of your operations into a single platform, Sparkrock 365 helps you simplify and optimize your workflows.
With Finance and Procurement, Sparkrock 365 enables effective management of project and grant accounting, fund accounting, cash management, accounts payable and receivable, and more. Its robust reporting and forecasting tools provide the insights needed for smarter budgeting and better financial decisions.
For Human Capital Management, Sparkrock 365 handles position management, employee onboarding, benefits tracking, leave management, and expense claims. It features a self-service portal that empowers managers and employees to handle tasks efficiently, saving time and reducing administrative back-and-forth.
Sparkrock 365 also integrates seamlessly with the Microsoft ecosystem—syncing with Outlook, Teams, Word, Excel, and Power BI—allowing your team to work more collaboratively and make data-driven decisions in real time.
What sets a modern ERP system like Sparkrock 365 apart is its ability to work alongside specialized systems. With API integration, Sparkrock 365 connects seamlessly to your existing registration, booking, and course management platforms. This ensures a smooth flow of information across systems, eliminating data silos and reducing manual effort. Specialized tools for registration and scheduling often lack a robust ERP backbone, but Sparkrock 365 bridges this gap, offering the scalability and efficiency required to handle the complexity of modern operations.
By streamlining these critical functions and enabling integration with your key systems, Sparkrock 365 ensures that all parts of your organization work together cohesively. With fewer administrative hurdles, your team can focus on providing exceptional experiences to your members and meeting the growing demands of your community.
We've already touched on the fact that your average community center or sports league is potentially going to have a ton of different revenue sources and expenses to juggle. There are plenty of organizations that rely exclusively on bookkeeping software to manage their cash flow. Thing is…that's not really what it's designed to do.
It's right there in the name. Bookkeeping software is meant to help you maintain accurate financial records. It doesn't integrate with your business processes, nor is it capable of managing things like purchase orders, vendor agreements, and or membership renewals.
Never mind the number of manual entries you'll have to commit to making — leaving ample room for error.
An ERP solution like Sparkrock provides an integrated system that seamlessly consolidates your finances. Through intelligent automation, our software streamlines your organization's financial management, eliminating tedious administrative tasks while reducing both errors and duplication in everything from membership fees to payroll. What's more, through cash flow forecasting, your community center can plan out its budget and make better long-term financial decisions.
Take a moment to think about all the inventory you might find in an average rec center, from sporting equipment to cleaning and office supplies. Keeping track of everything can be incredibly daunting, not to mention time-consuming. And again, just like accounting, there's significant potential for error.
Sparkrock lets you automate your inventory management in much the same way as automating your budget. Rather than having to manually keep track of your assets, you can use Sparkrock to efficiently note where every piece of equipment is at a given time. And that's not even the most exciting part.
We've also designed Sparkrock for easy integration with a variety of software, making it easy for you to start embracing the Internet of Things and other popular technologies.
People expect a great deal more of community centers these days. They expect more of all organizations with which they interact. It's not enough for your organization to simply provide them with service while they're at your facility.
You also need to provide them with amenities like online booking and virtual fitness classes. More importantly, you need to meet them where they are, providing them with personalized service and building strong relationships with them in the process. Sparkrock facilitates this in a few ways.
First, because your team's going to be spending less time on manual administrative tasks, they'll have more time to dedicate toward community and member engagement. Some of Sparkrock’s robust budgeting features include grant accounting that’s directly tied into the Microsoft Suite, comprehensive reporting, and seamless integrations with Power BI to improve decision-making. Plus, with multiple pre-built templates, real-time updates an intuitive interface, self-service portals for managers and employees, and remote access — Sparkrock goes well beyond a standard ERP, freeing up your finance and HR teams to focus on other important parts of their job.
Is it time for your sports & rec organization to embrace ERP software? Reach out for a demo, and we'll help you find out.