Keeping a Tight-knit Beach Community Connected
Every summer, the small coastal town of Venus Bay transforms into a lively hub of surf, sun, and community spirit. At the heart of it all is the Venus Bay Surf Lifesaving Club, a seasonal club that comes alive from mid-December through to Easter.
With an average membership of 700 people, the club welcomes everyone, from families and kids getting their first taste of surf life, to seasoned volunteer lifeguards who proudly patrol one of the region’s most challenging stretches of coastline.
“We’re a family-oriented club and the hub of the community during the season,” says Cain, Membership Officer. “Our volunteers do incredible work keeping the beach safe. We’re really proud of what they do.”
Switching to a Simpler System
This season, Venus Bay SLSC made the move to Friendly Manager, bringing over 250 members online straight away. For a club that had long relied on the national SurfGuard system alone, it was a big shift, but one that paid off almost immediately.
Before Friendly Manager, signups were a yearly headache. “The old process caused a lot of anxiety for members,” Cain explains. “People would forget their login details every season, payments were on a separate portal, and some members would register without paying, which meant a lot of chasing up.”
Venus Bay needed something smoother—a system that could simplify registrations, require upfront payments, and pull all communications together in one place.
A Smarter Way to Manage Memberships
Now, Friendly Manager acts as the club’s main membership hub. Members sign up and pay online, and Cain handles the link between Friendly Manager and SurfGuard, syncing the data as needed.
It’s not a perfect world yet (an automatic integration between Friendly Manager and SurfGuard is the dream), but even with two systems running side by side, the change has been transformational.
“People might assume running two systems would take longer,” Cain says. “But it’s actually saving me days' worth of time compared to using SurfGuard on its own.
“Bulk approvals have been a game changer.
“With SurfGuard, I had to manually go in and approve every member one by one,” Cain explains. “Now, with Friendly Manager, I can approve everyone in bulk. That alone saves me hours during peak membership season.”
Smooth Onboarding and Solid Support
Getting set up wasn’t without its challenges, but the club had plenty of help along the way.
“Nicole from Friendly Manager was fantastic,” Cain says. “She helped us work through the setup and get everything structured the right way. Once we were up and running, it was smooth sailing.”
The club has also found that members adapt quickly to the system. “The interface is really intuitive and easy for people to understand,” Cain adds. “We’ve had hardly any questions about signups or payments this year.”
More Efficient. More Connected.
With communications, memberships, and payments now consolidated under one roof, Venus Bay has reclaimed hours of volunteer admin time and reduced member stress in the process.
Cain says it best: “Friendly Manager has made a huge difference. It’s simplified how we manage memberships and payments, and even though I still enter some data into SurfGuard, it’s so much more efficient than before.”
The club’s looking forward to what’s next, including the launch of the Friendly Manager mobile app, which will make communication and member engagement even easier.
Advice for Other Surf Clubs
For clubs thinking about making the switch, Cain’s advice is clear: “There are real benefits in automating your processes. Don’t be put off by the idea of running two systems. Friendly Manager actually saves time and makes life so much easier once it’s set up.
“It’s easy to use, easy to embed into your website, and the member experience is so much smoother.”
Key results
✅ 250 members onboarded with minimal issues
✅ Hours of admin time saved through bulk approvals
✅ Upfront payments = fewer follow-ups
✅ Communications now managed in one system rather than using multiple disparate channels
✅ Happier members and a smoother signup experience.
