Blog

Hamilton Community Schools is a public school district located in southwestern Michigan. The district, which consists of one high school, one middle school, and four elementary schools, has roughly 2,500 students and 170 staffers.

Contine Reading

Leading an athletic department is no easy task. The job requires coordinating with thousands of people including parents, coaches, administrators, medical professionals, facilities managers, and officials. It also requires managing multiple deadlines, budgets, and most importantly student-athlete health and safety. 

Add it all up, and there’s little room for error in this pressure-packed environment. This is why many athletic directors are turning to student-athlete management systems to simplify their daily grind.

Let’s take a closer look at what student-athlete management systems can provide and what to look for in a platform.

Contine Reading

Coaches have a lot on their plate. From planning practices and communicating with parents to “peaking” athletes and monitoring academic performances, it’s a full-time job on part time hours.

To ensure student-athletes have the best possible experience — and that coaches are able to build individual relationships and achieve team goals — more and more districts are investing in FinalForms, a student-athlete management system that makes it easy for coaches to manage forms, eligibility, and communication along with relevant regulations, policies, and guidelines.

We recently talked with 3 coaches about the impact that FinalForms has on their day-to-day role as a coach.

Contine Reading

Congratulations, you’ve found the “one-stop-shop”, “all-in-one” technology that does everything for your athletic department. You’re excited, and it’s easy to understand why. We all love technology’s latest and greatest innovations. Heck, maybe it’s even “free”.

We’ve all been in this position before. You GOTTA GET IT, right? Not so fast, Turbo.

Let’s think back to your childhood. Did you ever get that Atari 2700? It was going to be all the rage. Atari promised to elevate their current model with a futuristic matte-black design and space-age controllers. Ads, packages, and pitches were created. Rumors swirled about release dates. Well, those dates never came, and yeah... we’re still salty. 

Your IT Director and Superintendent likely have similar stories when it comes to dealing with vile vendors who over-promised solutions that ultimately failed your staff and students. 

When it comes to education-based athletics, vaporware is a disservice to athletes, coaches, and administrators. Over-promised and under-performing solutions can leave your athletes at risk, your coaches unprepared, and your athletic department open to risk, controversy, and liability headaches. 

Don’t worry, we’re here to help you avoid the pitfalls of vaporware. Here’s a few easy steps...

Contine Reading

Want your school board to embrace your new technology initiative? Preparing your pitch is key.

School boards play a critical role in approving district-wide initiatives including technology. Boards typically want to see your pitch as a puzzle piece that fits nicely into their budget, needs, and strategic plan. They have a responsibility to stakeholders. Good news is, you do too, and that responsibility can unify the board behind your vision. 

We know that some boards can be tough when it comes to tech. There’s a good reason for that. U.S. school districts spend $13 billion annually on new technologies and a whopping $11 billion is wasted on “solutions” that are a poor fit or implemented incorrectly according to Jefferson Education Exchange. 

Don’t worry, we’re here to help you design a perfect pitch, practical plan, and implementation procedure that will pave the path to success.

Contine Reading

"Emergency preparedness" is skyrocketing as a buzzword in board meetings. How can you best prepare for what promises to be a year full of surprises?

Prevention, mitigation, preparedness, response, and recovery. The 5 steps of emergency management. They sound simple, right? Well, we all know that emergencies lasting from 10 seconds to 10 months can have a lasting effect on a school and a community. 

According to Coach & A.D., the number one concern among athletic directors is the health and safety of their staff and students. We assume the concern is shared amongst superintendents and school boards. While administrators care for facilities, maintain equipment, and follow safety guidelines, data management is often overlooked. Any experienced administrator will tell you that accurate information can improve outcomes as much as anything else. 

Let’s take a look at how real-time data can improve outcomes in emergency management in these 6 scary situations.

Contine Reading

You have choices when it comes to an athlete management system. You also have the right to be choose-y! Here's the lowdown on finding the right solution for your school. 

We all understand there’s a huge time and cost savings when going electronic. But, what differentiates a basic online forms system versus one built for athletics? Companies who understand that every athletic department, school, and state have unique needs “get it”. After all, schools do business based on relationships. The best products are built based on customer feedback and supported by a team of “school people” that are driven by a mission to serve, not a mission to deliver ads or process credit cards. 

Here is a list of key reasons why you need a form management system built for athletics:

Contine Reading

This 5-minute read and a quick practice session is all you need to succeed at the AD Conference.

The NFHS NIAAA National Athletic Director’s Conference has been the premier event in the industry for 51 years. The excitement of visiting the host city, arriving in a big hotel room, learning new things, eating at new restaurants, seeing new gadgets and gear, and socializing with fellow ADs is an unparalleled opportunity that we all appreciate just a little bit more right now.

Soooo… yeah, 2020 will be a bit different. 

The good news is you can still get a lot out of it. The AD Conference is more accessible than ever. Sessions, vendors, and new relationships await. It’ll just take a little more effort than your nice, big smile this year. Don’t worry, we’re here to help. We’ve come up with a simple checklist that includes all the skills and savvy you’ll make the most of the 2020 AD Conference. 

Huddle up… here we go…

Contine Reading

Tight budget. Shrinking budget. No budget...
You have options.

We get it. COVID-19 sucks up funding, crushes budgets, disrupts time lines, and creates chaos in every athletic department. Your job as an AD is more demanding right now than it's ever been. As you look at your budget, it's time to cut unnecessary commitments and identify options that can save you time, money, and headaches.

(Stick around for the kicker at the end!)

Contine Reading

Responsible choices reflect the mission, vision, and values of any organization.

Dave Baker, our longest tenured Sales Team member, sees a change in AD's attitude toward technology.

"There is an expanding gap between companies that perform, and those that don't," claims Baker, "The best tech companies are delivering personable, reliable, and adaptable services. Decision making is getting easier... But only if you ask around. And I am thrilled that more and more ADs are looking to their peers to verify promises."

When Dave Baker left VNN to join FinalForms in 2014, he set a goal to create a positive impact on the culture of a business, his state, and an industry. Six years later, Baker looks back at explosive growth, key decisions, and the integrity behind FinalForms' impact.

Contine Reading