# How an application moves from the form to election

> The stages of a membership application, who is emailed at each, how a proposer is found and asked, and when it is ready for the committee.

Who this is for: Anyone with “Membership applications” (by default: Administrator).
Last checked in release 2026.10.23, on 23 October 2026.
Source: https://sportsclubos.net/help/applications/how-it-moves/

An application goes through a few stages, each shown on Club > Members > Applications with a label. Most of the moves happen by themselves, from links the applicant and the proposer press in their emails. The office records only the committee's decision.

## The stages

| Stage | What it means | The Applications tab |
|---|---|---|
| **Email not confirmed** | Sent from the form, but the applicant has not yet pressed the link in their email. | **Not confirmed** |
| **Waiting for proposer** | Confirmed. The proposer has been asked and has not said yes. | **To decide** |
| **Ready for committee** | The proposer said yes, or the applicant wrote to the committee and named no proposer. | **To decide** |
| **Elected** | The committee accepted it, and the member records are made. | **Elected** |
| **Declined** | The committee did not accept it. | **Declined or withdrawn** |
| **Withdrawn** | The applicant withdrew. | **Declined or withdrawn** |

## 1. The form

The applicant chooses a membership and fills in five steps: who is joining, their details, an emergency contact and other clubs, their proposer, and a check of everything before they agree to the club's rules and send it. See [Apply to join the club](https://sportsclubos.net/help/applications/apply-to-join/index.md).

The application is then **Email not confirmed**, and the applicant is emailed **Confirm your membership application**.

## 2. Confirming the email address

The email has a button, **Confirm my application**. Pressing it opens the club's page, where the applicant presses **Confirm and send**. Only then does the application reach the office. This makes sure the email address is really theirs.

The link works for 30 days. An application nobody confirms is shown under **Not confirmed** for a week, and then no longer listed.

## 3. Finding and asking the proposer

As soon as the application is confirmed:

- Sports Club OS looks for the proposer among the club's current members, by the membership number or the email address the applicant gave. It must find exactly one.
- If it finds them, it emails them at the address the club holds for them, never one the applicant typed: **… has named you as proposer for membership**, with a button, **Answer now**. A seconder, if named, is found and asked the same way.
- If it cannot find them, the application says so, and the office finds the member. See [Chase a proposer](https://sportsclubos.net/help/applications/chase-a-proposer/index.md).
- Everyone who handles applications is emailed **Membership application: …**, saying whether the proposer was asked or needs finding, with a link to the application.

The applicant is never told whether the person they named is a member.

## 4. The proposer answers

The proposer's link opens a page asking **Do you know …?**. They say how long they have known the applicant and press **Yes, I know … and support the application**, or **No, I can't support this**. See [Answer as a proposer or seconder](https://sportsclubos.net/help/applications/answer-as-proposer/index.md).

- **Yes** moves the application to **Ready for committee**.
- **No** leaves it at **Waiting for proposer**, and the application says **The proposer said they do not support the application.**
- Either way, everyone who handles applications is emailed what they answered.

A seconder's answer is shown on the application, and does not change its stage.

An applicant who knows no members writes a few sentences to the committee instead of naming a proposer. Their application goes straight to **Ready for committee** once confirmed.

## 5. The committee decides

The office records the decision: **Elected: make them a member…**, **Declined** or **Applicant withdrew**. A decision can be recorded at **Waiting for proposer** too, if the committee chooses. See [Record the committee's election](https://sportsclubos.net/help/applications/record-the-election/index.md) and [Decline an application, or record that the applicant withdrew](https://sportsclubos.net/help/applications/decline-or-withdraw/index.md).

An application is decided once. If two people record a decision at the same moment, the second is told **This application is already decided.** and nothing more is done.

## What the office sees of one application

- **The committee's decision**: what is still needed, and **If elected today, the first invoice would be:** each person's fee and joining fee, and the total.
- **Proposer and seconder**: who was named, whether they were matched to a member, and their answer, with what they wrote.
- **The application**: everyone on it with their date of birth, contact details, address, profession, reasons for joining, emergency contact, other clubs, any refusal by another club, and who agreed to the rules and when.
- **Notes**: for the office and committee. The applicant does not see them. Press **Save notes** after typing.
- **What has happened**: every step, newest first, with when and who.