NAMDA already has the hard part: collegiality, a welfare culture, and five years of doing the work. What it doesn't have is a platform that collects the dues, keeps the register current, runs a clean EXCO ballot, and survives every change of guard.
NAMDA was formed in 2020 and is heading for around fifty specialists and GPs across the ACT. At that size, everything still works. But it works because a handful of people carry it manually. These are the points where that starts to hurt.
Bank transfers arrive with unhelpful references. Matching them to members means opening statements beside a spreadsheet and hoping the names line up.
One in email, one in WhatsApp, one in a spreadsheet from a previous EXCO. Nobody is confident which one is current.
People genuinely intend to pay and then forget, because paying means finding an account number in an old message thread.
When a member needs help, contributions are gathered by message and tallied by hand, at exactly the moment nobody has the energy for admin.
The current EXCO holds a two year term. The next election means nominations, eligibility checks, a confidential ballot and a count, all done by hand and all needing a defensible record.
Records live in personal laptops and personal inboxes. Every change of guard loses a little more of the association's memory.
namda.com.au does its job as an introduction. But it was built as a brochure, and a few things a visiting doctor or a prospective partner will notice are worth fixing regardless of anything else in this proposal.
None of this reflects on the association. It reflects on the tools it was built with.
Observed from the live site, August 2026
One platform, delivered in three packages. Each builds on the one before it, so NAMDA can start where it makes sense today and extend later without rebuilding. Every item below is labelled with the package it belongs to.
Home, About NAMDA, EXCO and leadership, news and announcements, events and contact. Rebuilt around NAMDA's own identity rather than a theme.
The constitution, AGM papers, minutes and policies published as readable pages with controlled downloads, rather than a single file link.
Nominated EXCO members can edit pages, post announcements and add events without going through a developer.
Responsive across phone, tablet and desktop, with the search engine basics configured so NAMDA is findable.
A prospective member applies through the website and the EXCO is notified by email, with the details in one place instead of scattered across inboxes.
A Stripe payment page so members can pay dues by card from the website. The EXCO reconciles these against the register manually, which Package 2 then automates.
Doctors apply online with their professional and AHPRA details. The EXCO reviews and approves before an account becomes active. Members maintain their own profiles.
A members only directory, searchable by specialty and practice location, with each member controlling what colleagues can see.
Ordinary, associate, registrar, concession and life member categories, each with its own dues rate and its own renewal behaviour.
Members pay and renew online through Stripe. Payment is matched to the member record automatically and a receipt issues immediately.
Scheduled reminders before expiry, and a clear overdue state afterwards, so the EXCO decides what follows rather than chasing individuals.
Current financial members, overdue members, income for the period and year to date totals, with search, filtering and export.
A record of welfare appeals, contributions and disbursements, visible to the EXCO and reportable at the AGM.
Event registration, RSVPs and paid ticketing, plus donations for the annual walk with receipts for donors.
NAMDA's existing member records cleaned and loaded, so the register is complete at launch rather than rebuilt over months.
Nominations, candidate statements, eligibility checking, confidential voting, results and an audit trail, run to NAMDA's own election rules.
Membership trends, retention, dues collection rates and welfare activity, in reports the EXCO can produce without asking anyone.
Rule based messages tied to member events such as approval, renewal, lapse and reinstatement, alongside manual segmented email.
Structured request, review and approval steps for welfare matters, with confidentiality controls and a full decision record.
This is the part that saves the most administrative time, so it is the part built most carefully. The aim is that the treasurer stops matching bank transfers to names by hand.
Sample data showing the treasurer's view
Membership payment is often described as one feature. It is really three, and being clear about which is which matters for governance as much as for accounting.
Card and bank payments are processed by Stripe, a regulated payment provider, into a Stripe account opened in NAMDA's name and linked to NAMDA's bank account. Funds move from the member to the association. They do not pass through me, and I cannot initiate, hold or refund a payment on NAMDA's behalf.
When Stripe confirms a payment, the platform updates that member's status and renewal date. This is the only part I build. If a payment fails or is disputed, the platform reflects the status Stripe reports rather than deciding it independently.
Receipts issue to the member automatically, and the payment history sits against the member record for the treasurer, the AGM and the auditor. NAMDA can export it at any time and can reconcile it against Stripe independently of the platform.
Third party fees. Stripe charges approximately 1.7% plus 30c per Australian card
payment, with higher rates for international cards. These are Stripe's fees, billed to NAMDA
directly by Stripe. I take no margin on them and they are not part of my fee.
Account ownership. The Stripe account is opened by NAMDA using NAMDA's own
details. I can assist with configuration if invited, and my access can be removed at any time
without affecting payments.
Sample view showing turnout only, not individual votes
The current EXCO took office in December 2025 for a two year term, so the next election is foreseeable. An online ballot reduces the administrative burden and produces a consistent record. It supports the process NAMDA defines, it does not replace NAMDA's judgement about that process.
NAMDA supports members through difficult periods. The platform removes the administrative load from that, and creates a record the association can stand behind, while keeping the details restricted to those who need them.
Sample view with amounts hidden
Every significant feature in this proposal appears in the table below, assigned to exactly one package. Anything not listed here is not included, and is quoted separately.
| Feature | P1Professional WebsiteA$2,500 | P2Association PlatformA$4,000Recommended | P3Association ManagementA$5,500 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Public website | |||
| Home and About NAMDA | Included | Included | Included |
| EXCO and leadership pages | |||
| Constitution and document library | |||
| News and announcements | |||
| Events listing | |||
| Contact form | |||
| Responsive mobile design | |||
| Search engine basics | |||
| Content management for the EXCO | |||
| Secure hosting and deployment | |||
| Membership | |||
| Online membership application form | |||
| Member registration and profiles | Not included | ||
| EXCO approval of new members | |||
| Member directory | |||
| Membership categories | |||
| Membership status management | |||
| Secure member only areas | |||
| Member search and filtering | |||
| Import of existing member records | |||
| Dues and payments | |||
| Online dues payment page through Stripe | |||
| Payment matched to member record automatically | |||
| Annual dues tracking | |||
| Online membership renewal | |||
| Automated payment confirmation and receipts | |||
| Expiry and renewal reminders | |||
| Paid event ticketing and walk donations | |||
| Administration | |||
| Administrative dashboard | |||
| EXCO role based administration | |||
| Basic reporting and export | |||
| Segmented email to members | |||
| Welfare records and reporting | |||
| Advanced member reporting | |||
| Automated communication workflows | |||
| Advanced welfare approval workflows | |||
| Elections | |||
| Online voting | |||
| Nomination and candidate management | |||
| Eligibility verification against the register | |||
| Confidential ballot | |||
| Election audit trail | |||
| Result management and publication | |||
| AGM motions using the same mechanism | |||
| Security and data | |||
| Encryption in transit and secure hosting | |||
| Secure authentication for members | |||
| Role based access control | |||
| Regular backups | |||
| Administrative audit logging | |||
| Handover | |||
| EXCO training session | |||
| Written handover documentation | |||
| 30 days of post launch corrections | |||
Hosting, security and the namda.com.au domain run at A$30 per month on every package. An optional care plan is available separately at A$90 per month.
All figures in Australian dollars, excluding GST. Each package includes everything in the package before it. Payment terms are 40% to begin, 40% when the staging site is approved, and 20% on launch.
A credible public presence, plus the two things that let NAMDA start operating online straight away: people can apply to join, and they can pay their dues by card. The EXCO still records and reconciles both by hand.
What this solves The current site's broken identity and demo content, the lack of any way to apply for membership, and the absence of any online payment method.
Everything in Package 1, plus the membership engine. This is the step that moves NAMDA from having an online presence to running the association online: members join, pay and renew themselves, and the register maintains itself.
What A$1,500 more buys Package 1 lets members pay. Package 2 means nobody has to record it. Payments reconcile themselves against one authoritative register, and the dashboard answers how many financial members NAMDA has today.
Everything in Package 2, plus online elections and the reporting and workflow depth that a larger or more formal association needs.
What A$1,500 more buys Online EXCO elections and AGM balloting, run to NAMDA's election rules, plus advanced reporting and structured welfare approvals.
Package 1 gives NAMDA a credible presence and lets members apply and pay online, but the EXCO still records every application and reconciles every payment by hand. It moves the work rather than removing it. Package 3 is worth taking when an election is close enough to plan for, and it can be added later without rebuilding what came before.
Package 2 is where the association changes how it operates day to day. Dues collection, the member register and EXCO reporting are the three tasks that currently consume volunteer time every month, and all three are solved at this level. For an association of around fifty members, this is the point where the platform pays for itself in time rather than in appearance.
From Package 2 onwards the platform holds member names, professional and specialty details, contact details, AHPRA registration information, membership status, payment history and, where NAMDA chooses to record it, welfare related information. Some of that is sensitive, and it is treated accordingly.
Role based access control, secure authentication for members and administrators, encryption in transit, secure storage, regular backups, audit logging of administrative actions, and controlled administrative access with individual accounts rather than shared logins.
Members see their own record and whatever colleagues have chosen to make visible in the directory. EXCO roles see only what their office requires. Welfare information is restricted to nominated roles. Access is granted and revoked by NAMDA, and every administrative account is attributable to a person.
The member register, payment records and all content belong to NAMDA and can be exported at any time in a standard format. The domain, hosting and Stripe accounts are in NAMDA's name. My own access exists to build and support the platform and can be withdrawn by NAMDA at any point.
An honest limit. No system can be described as completely secure, and I will not
claim otherwise. What I commit to is applying the controls above, handling member data only as
needed to build and support the platform, and telling NAMDA promptly if I become aware of a problem
affecting it.
Privacy obligations. The platform is built to support NAMDA in meeting the
Australian Privacy Principles, including a privacy policy and a members' collection notice. NAMDA
remains the party responsible for its own privacy obligations, and I would recommend the EXCO
review the privacy policy before launch.
You see working software at the end of every stage rather than a status report. Package 1 is approximately five weeks. Package 3 adds approximately three weeks for the election module, which is best scheduled well ahead of any actual ballot.
We confirm the dues structure, membership categories, what the register holds, and approve the look of the site. The constitution is reviewed for anything the platform must respect.
The new site goes up on a private link. Members can apply to join and the EXCO can approve them. Share it with the committee before anyone else sees it.
Payments, renewals, reminders, receipts, welfare records and the administrative dashboard, all tested end to end using Stripe's test mode before any real money moves.
Existing members imported, the EXCO trained in one session, payments switched live, and namda.com.au pointed at the new platform.
None of these are onerous, and most already exist. Listing them up front is the difference between an eight week build and a six month one.
Design, build, testing, deployment, data import, documentation and training are all mine. So is the responsibility for making the estimate accurate.
Being explicit about this now avoids the uncomfortable conversation later. Nothing below is intended to be restrictive, and reasonable requests during the build are normal.
Variations. Anything additional is described, estimated in hours, priced at my
consulting rate of A$100 per hour, and approved by the EXCO in writing before I start. Nothing
reaches an invoice without that approval.
Third party costs. Stripe's transaction fees are billed to NAMDA by Stripe.
Optional services such as a Google Workspace or Zoom account, if NAMDA chooses to add meeting
integration later, are billed by those providers. I take no margin on any of them.
Ongoing versus build. The one off fee covers the build. Hosting, security and the
domain are A$30 per month. An optional care plan at A$90 per month covers backups, updates,
business hours support and two hours of small changes each month. Future feature development is
quoted as a variation. These are four separate things and are never bundled into one number.
A platform nobody logs into solves nothing. The launch includes importing existing members so nobody starts from an empty account, and an announcement sequence the EXCO can send. Renewal reminders do most of the ongoing work.
Most are. Import includes cleaning and a reconciliation list showing what could not be matched, so the EXCO reviews the gaps rather than discovering them later.
Everything is in NAMDA's accounts, the data exports in standard formats, and the handover documentation is written for someone who has never seen the system. A different developer could take it on without a rebuild.
Election rules are agreed and documented with the EXCO before any ballot is configured, and the platform enforces what was agreed rather than interpreting the constitution itself.
Committees have day jobs. Each stage has a defined approval point, and if one slips I raise it at the time and reforecast rather than absorbing it silently.
The comparison table is the reference point. Additions are quoted in hours and approved in writing first, so the final invoice matches the approved figure.
Approve the package that fits and we can start on the register and the dues structure next week. If the EXCO would rather talk it through first, I am happy to join a committee meeting and answer questions before anything is signed.