Verzögerter Zahlungseingang aus Mitgliedsbeiträgen (Time‑to‑Cash‑Verzögerung)

Definition

Australian membership organisations commonly structure renewals on fixed cycles, requiring invoices to be raised and paid within a defined window. Governance Institute of Australia sets renewals due before 31 December each year and applies a late fee from 1 March, indicating that a material slice of members pay weeks or months after the initial due date.[2] Non‑payment by the deadline can result in lapsed membership, but many organisations keep chasing late payers manually to preserve relationships, extending their effective Days Sales Outstanding (DSO). For think tanks with hundreds of institutional members on purchase‑order and invoice terms, each renewal involves issuing tax invoices, reconciling EFT or cheque payments, and following up overdue accounts. Assuming a finance or membership officer spends 5–10 minutes per member on issuing invoices, reminders and reconciliation, a 1,000‑member base consumes roughly 80–160 hours per annual cycle. At a conservative loaded labour cost of AUD 50 per hour, this is AUD 4,000–8,000 per year in avoidable internal cost. On top of this, if 20% of membership revenue (e.g., AUD 120,000 on AUD 600,000 total dues) is collected 30–60 days late, the organisation bears 1–3% annual opportunity cost on those receivables in the form of higher overdraft interest or foregone investment returns, equivalent to AUD 1,200–3,600 per year. Automation—such as online self‑service renewals, card‑on‑file auto‑renew, and integrated payment gateways—reduces manual touchpoints and shortens DSO, as promoted by Australian membership platforms emphasising simplified renewal and retention processes.[6][9][10]

Why This Matters

The Pitch: Think tanks in Australia 🇦🇺 lose 40–120 Stunden pro Jahr in der Finanzabteilung und tragen 1–3% Opportunitätskosten auf ausstehende Mitgliedsbeiträge. Automatisierte Fakturierung und Online‑Zahlungen beschleunigen den Zahlungseingang.

Affected Stakeholders

Finance Manager, Membership Officer, CFO, Board Treasurer

Related Business Risks