Is this suitable software

[Mike or Penny Novack]

On 1/14/2016 3:13 PM, 425 Treasurer wrote:
> I am an adult leader of a Boy Scout Troop.  I am looking for simple book
> keeping software that will do the following:
Yes gnucash would be suitable. Though not actually gnucash questions 
(would apply to how to do even the old fashioned pen and ink on 
accounting paper way or the slightly more modern way with spreadsheets 
having columns like accounting paper).

 >>Subaccounts - I have 40 boys. Each with their own money they have 
earned. All of their money is kept in one bank savings account, a "Scout 
Account". I want to be able to track each boys money inside the 
software, while all being reconcilable under one bank account number. 
This is done separately in an Excel spreadsheet now. As they earn money 
I need to be able to deposit it into the savings account under their 
individually named subaccount. As the need it, I need to be able to 
transfer it to checking to cover the expense of a .....

Method: In effect the troop is holding money owed to each scout. So 
money coming in, while an asset in the bank account, is a liability to 
the troop until those funds are used. Under "Liabilities" create a 
parent for "Scouts money" and under that a child for each scout paying 
in. You then debit cash (the bank account) and credit the individual 
account.

You can prepare a report (for the balance of each scout) by running a 
"Balance Sheet" report.


 >>camp trip, for example. Job budgeting/Job costing - When we go 
camping I have a event "job" budget to follow. I need to be able to set 
a budget amount, apply expenses to that "job", and apply transfers 
(deposits) from the boys individual subaccounts to off set the expenses. 
Then be able to report if the campout came in at budget.

Method: You have some choices here and for the moment I am going to 
ignore the budgeting aspects (because there are issues for "events" 
where while the expected net might be small (small expected profit or 
loss on the event -- actual budget item) the interim gross might be 
large. Using a budget for "authorization of expenses" and for "checking 
that cash flow constraints are followed" quite different.

You are paying for the event from the checking account; debit event 
expense and credit checking. If being paid for by money held in the 
"scout accounts" then debit that scout's account and credit event 
income. In the event a scout's share, or pat of it paid by tunring in 
cash at the time, debit cash and credit event income. You a have a 
choice here. Ordinarily all income accounts and all expense accounts are 
in a separate part of the tree. But you can still produce an "event 
report" by running an "Income Statement" selecting JUST the income and 
expense accounts pertaining to that event. However some prefer to have a 
more obvious "job" description, in which case you decide to treat either 
income or expense accounts for that event as negative (income as a 
negative expense, for example) and so have all the accounts for the 
event together and can always see the state of the net without running 
any reports.


 >> Other than that, I just want to be able automatically download 
statements from the banks to reconcile the two savings accounts and one 
checking account with the bank. Have I found the perfect software in 
GnuCash? Rick Halvorson Treasurer BSA Troop 425

Gnucash offers the facility but whether YOUR BANK works with that I do 
not know. I live in a rural area, no broadband at home, and since I 
would be loathe to use on-line banking from an insecure public access 
site, don't do on-line banking. I have no idea what percentage of banks 
can interact with gnucash.

Michael D Novack
Treasurer for some 501(c)3's   <but none of them boy Scout troops>