asVerein

asVerein is a WordPress plugin for German clubs, federations and membership sites, and its newsletter module lets a club email its members and outside subscribers straight from the member database that the same plugin manages. The newsletter page describes it as "spezialisierte Newsletter-Software für Vereine" (specialized newsletter software for clubs) that "verknüpft deine Mitgliederdaten nahtlos mit deinem Mail-Versand" (links your member data with your mail sending without friction), running inside the club's own WordPress site. The home page says "Bereits über 1000 Vereine vertrauen auf asVerein" (over 1000 clubs already trust asVerein), and names sports and music clubs, cultural associations, aid organizations and federations as users.

Because it is a plugin rather than a hosted service, the club decides where its WordPress installation runs and which hosting provider it uses, and the member data stays there.

What a sender actually gets

Lists that maintain themselves. The pitch is that ordinary marketing tools do not know a club's structure: who paid dues, who plays on which team, who sits on the board. asVerein reads the member database in real time. When an address changes in the member records, the newsletter list updates immediately, and the FAQ says a newly entered member is ready for mailing at once and, depending on how the lists are built, "rutscht das Mitglied vollautomatisch in die passenden Gruppen" (slides fully automatically into the right groups), for example by department or age group, with no CSV export or import.

Targeting. The newsletter page gives three typical uses: sending training cancellations or match-day information only to the players or age groups affected "ohne die passiven Mitglieder zu stören" (without bothering passive members); filtering the "Funktion" (role) field to reach only the coaching team or department heads; and generating a list for the extended board when the chair or treasurer needs to brief them. The FAQ's examples are lists limited to people whose role is chair, treasurer or youth officer.

Recipient lists. For each newsletter a sender can choose all members, newsletter subscribers, newsletter list recipients, or selections by membership, by address group or by group, and can combine these to build a custom audience.

Sign-up and subscribers. A widget places a sign-up form anywhere on the club website. People enter their name and email address and confirm the processing of their data. Fans, sponsors and parents of youth players can subscribe this way, and the FAQ says the system keeps these outside contacts separate from member records. In the admin area the club edits the subscriber list, which shows both form sign-ups and manually added subscriptions, and can import its existing newsletter lists.

Writing and sending. Messages are written in an interface where the sender types the text, adds images and picks the recipient group, with no programming knowledge required. Sending happens in blocks: the club sets the number of recipients per block and the pause between blocks in the options, which the page says keeps the provider's mail server from being overloaded and falling under suspicion of spam.

Mail delivery. asVerein uses the sending setup of the existing WordPress environment. The FAQ says ordinary server sending is usually enough for small and mid-sized clubs, and recommends that very large clubs with thousands of members connect a professional SMTP relay server, naming Mailjet and Sendinblue/Brevo, for better inbox delivery.

Consent and data protection

The site presents the newsletter as "100 % DSGVO-konform" (100% compliant with the German GDPR), and the FAQ answers the question "Ja, absolut", because as a native WordPress plugin all member data and email addresses stay on the club's own server and are not transferred to third-party servers abroad. The page lists three features:

• Automatic double opt-in: new subscribers or members go through the legally required confirmation process automatically.
• Simple opt-out: every email carries an unsubscribe link, and when a member no longer wants optional mail, the system records it in their file at once.
• Separation of mail types: the system distinguishes mandatory information, such as the chair's invitation to the general meeting, from optional club newsletters.

The FAQ explains the distinction. Organizational emails needed to fulfill the club's purpose, such as meeting invitations or changes to dues, need no separate consent because membership covers them. Classic newsletters with match reports, sponsor offers or summer party updates require explicit opt-in.

The rest of the plugin

Email is one module of a full club management system. The home page lists dues management with SEPA direct debit files, a digital cashbook with booking lists, chart of accounts, results statement and invoices, an event calendar with registrations, task management where members can sign themselves up, meeting minutes and agendas, donations with a form and QR code, inventory with online reservation and lending, a document download area, digital membership cards, a chat, a newsfeed, frontend editing and an internal messaging system. A protected member area can be configured with user roles. Member data can be imported from Excel or CSV.

A separate club app for iOS and Android brings dates, news, documents and chat to members' phones, connected to the same WordPress data.

Pricing

asVerein charges no fees per member and has no automatic renewal. The pricing blocks show:

• Base: 0,00 € as a download, with the member area, member management, membership applications and dues.
• Pro ("Am beliebtesten", most popular): shown at 59,00 € and 99,00 € including VAT, with all modules, 12 months of updates, email support, optional renewal and lifetime use.
• App: shown at 299,00 € and 399,00 €, with the iOS and Android app, the asVerein plugin and premium support.

The home page adds that the license stays usable after it expires, with updates and support optionally renewable. The FAQ says there is no limit on member numbers beyond the resources of the WordPress environment.

Support

Support runs by email on Pro and as premium support with the App package. The site has a forum, FAQ, changelog and blog, a page for agencies and a partner program. A testimonial from Sportverein Lauchheim calls the support "ausgezeichnet und schnell" (excellent and fast), with regular updates.

Who it suits and who it does not

asVerein suits a German club or association that already runs its website on WordPress and wants newsletters to go out from the same database it uses for members, dues and events, with consent handling and role-based lists built in and no per-member bill. It does not suit a business looking for a marketing email tool, an organization without a WordPress site, or a club that does not want to run and maintain its own hosting.