[GNC] Ideas and recommendations for community project

[gibelium at gmx.net]

I have recently started using gnuCash and am trying to figure out if I
can use gnuCash in a meaningful way to map the cash flows in a community
project. I think I understand the basic concepts through the tutorial
and with a test project, but am still looking for ideas and
recommendations for some specific circumstances.

## Membership fee
The membership fee with which a member 'buys in' to the community is to
be paid in by a certain date. With the contribution a member acquires
shares in the community assets and buys a private plot of land. The
total amount can be paid in full, flexibly with several installments or
with monthly transfers.
How do you map the community's outstanding claims against a member who
has not yet paid the contribution in full?
It would also be useful to have an overview of which payments are due
from whom and when, so that payments received can be compared with them.
Reports that show the current status of deposits for all members and
list the deposits made for each member would certainly also be helpful.

## Community assets & shares
The community assets (land, machinery, buildings, etc.) are 'divided'
proportionally among the members, i.e. each member 'owns' a certain
share (1 / number of members) of the community assets. In the case of a
company, this would be comparable to the shares of several shareholders,
who (in this case) all own the same share in the company. In the case of
a corporation, it would be shares owned by the investors.
This is interesting for cases where the community generates income that
can be paid out to the members, if necessary. How can this scenario be
mapped in gnuCash and illustrated in reports?

## System boundaries
How to map cash flows between accounts inside and outside the system
boundaries?
An example: A member buys something for the community with his private
cash (outside the system boundary). When the invoice is submitted, the
amount is paid to the member from a community account (inside the system
boundary). The member's cash account basically lives outside the system
boundary and is not mapped into gnuCash, right? How does such a scenario
work in double-entry accounting?

Many thanks for the help and recommendations,
Sebastian