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-------- Original Message --------
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<th align="RIGHT" nowrap="nowrap" valign="BASELINE">Subject: </th>
<td>Re: [hackerspaces] [Noisebridge-discuss] accounting
software / websites</td>
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<th align="RIGHT" nowrap="nowrap" valign="BASELINE">Date: </th>
<td>Tue, 5 Oct 2010 19:12:56 -0700</td>
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<th align="RIGHT" nowrap="nowrap" valign="BASELINE">From: </th>
<td>Mitch Altman <a class="moz-txt-link-rfc2396E" href="mailto:maltman23@hotmail.com"><maltman23@hotmail.com></a></td>
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<th align="RIGHT" nowrap="nowrap" valign="BASELINE">Reply-To:
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<td>Hackerspaces General Discussion List
<a class="moz-txt-link-rfc2396E" href="mailto:discuss@lists.hackerspaces.org"><discuss@lists.hackerspaces.org></a></td>
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<th align="RIGHT" nowrap="nowrap" valign="BASELINE">To: </th>
<td>Al Sweigart <a class="moz-txt-link-rfc2396E" href="mailto:asweigart@gmail.com"><asweigart@gmail.com></a></td>
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<th align="RIGHT" nowrap="nowrap" valign="BASELINE">CC: </th>
<td>Kelly Buchanan <a class="moz-txt-link-rfc2396E" href="mailto:hurtstotouchfire@gmail.com"><hurtstotouchfire@gmail.com></a>,
hackerspaces-discuss <a class="moz-txt-link-rfc2396E" href="mailto:discuss@lists.hackerspaces.org"><discuss@lists.hackerspaces.org></a></td>
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Hi Al, Kelly,<br>
<br>
I started with a simple spreadsheet. That was do-able when we
had only 35 members when we started. It was do-able, but took lots
of time, when we had 50 members. And it was barely do-able, with
lots and lots of time, and was very error prone, when we approached
100 members.<br>
<br>
The problem is that each month the people who are and are not
members changes. We need to keep track of that. And people
pay variable amounts of money every month. And the money people pay
each month can go for any combination of starving hacker rate, full
membership rate, and donations -- and can go for a fraction of one
month, or any number of months in advance payment (plus fractions of
a month). And some people are some number of months (including
fractions of months) behind in their payments. So, keeping track of
who's a member in good standing is not a very simple task. It is
not difficult, but it is time-consuming using a spreadsheet.<br>
<br>
I had a separate worksheet for each month. Each spreadsheet had the
members who were required to pay membership dues that month. As
members paid their dues, I marked them off as paid for the month. I
had two other worksheets: one for active members in good standing,
and one for people who were voted in, but for whatever reason are no
longer a member in good standing (like, they told me they no longer
wanted to be a member, or they stopped paying dues for 3 months
without communicating with me). <br>
<br>
I actually didn't keep track, on the worksheets, whether a member
was a starving hacker member or a regular member that month. But I
kept track of the amounts paid on my bookkeeping software (I used
Quicken -- not the best, but it worked totally fine -- except it did
not allow for me to download data from our bank accounts, or from
PayPal, or from Square).<br>
<br>
If we had software that could do all of the above, then the
treasurer's job would be way less time-consuming.<br>
<br>
And if it could automatically generate nag-emails when a member
hasn't paid their monthly dues by a certain date, that would also
help a lot! (Of course, the emails shouldn't go out without the
approval of the treasurer, or the ability of the treasurer to edit
the email).<br>
<br>
As you can see, a simple spreadsheet is helpful, but is not really
OK for an organization as complex as Noisebridge (or most
hackerspaces).<br>
<br>
There are people at other hackerspaces working on software for all
this, but it is (as you know) complex and time-consuming to write
such software. But whoever gets theirs going will make treasurer's
around hte hackerspace world much happier.<br>
<br>
Mitch.<br>
<br>
<br>
----------------- <br>
> From: <a class="moz-txt-link-abbreviated" href="mailto:asweigart@gmail.com">asweigart@gmail.com</a><br>
> Date: Tue, 5 Oct 2010 17:06:59 -0700<br>
> Subject: Re: [Noisebridge-discuss] accounting software /
websites<br>
> To: <a class="moz-txt-link-abbreviated" href="mailto:maltman23@hotmail.com">maltman23@hotmail.com</a><br>
> CC: <a class="moz-txt-link-abbreviated" href="mailto:hurtstotouchfire@gmail.com">hurtstotouchfire@gmail.com</a><br>
> <br>
> I started writing some software that would help us track
membership<br>
> dues, but the more I kept looking at the problem, the more I
thought<br>
> we were overengineering it. If we can't figure out a way to get
Xero<br>
> to issue reoccurring invoices, then a simple spreadsheet would
work<br>
> just fine.<br>
> <br>
> I have loose plans for writing up some reporting/emailing
software,<br>
> but the spreadsheet idea is (I'm convinced) the simplest way to
go.<br>
> <br>
> I'll notify you guys on the progress for the other software
tools.<br>
> <br>
> -Al<br>
> <br>
> On Tue, Oct 5, 2010 at 4:51 PM, Mitch Altman
<a class="moz-txt-link-rfc2396E" href="mailto:maltman23@hotmail.com"><maltman23@hotmail.com></a> wrote:<br>
> > Perhaps not exactly what you're asking for -- but there
are people at<br>
> > various hackerspaces around the world currently writing
software to take<br>
> > care of hackerspace treasurers' needs. Whoever gets some
software up and<br>
> > running first, will share it with the world. Isn't Al in
the process of<br>
> > writing such software for us?<br>
> ><br>
> > Mitch.<br>
> ><br>
> ><br>
> > ---------------------<br>
> >> From: <a class="moz-txt-link-abbreviated" href="mailto:hurtstotouchfire@gmail.com">hurtstotouchfire@gmail.com</a><br>
> >> Date: Tue, 5 Oct 2010 16:47:30 -0700<br>
> >> To: <a class="moz-txt-link-abbreviated" href="mailto:noisebridge-discuss@lists.noisebridge.net">noisebridge-discuss@lists.noisebridge.net</a><br>
> >> Subject: [Noisebridge-discuss] accounting software /
websites<br>
> >><br>
> >> Wherein you are invited to disclose your opinions on
things you will<br>
> >> never take any action on yourself! A rare Noisebridge
opportunity!<br>
> >><br>
> >> Here's the deal:<br>
> >> I, your new treasurer, already hate xero.com (our
current bookkeeping<br>
> >> system). I'm planning to finish out 2010 using xero,
but I'll have a<br>
> >> good 9 months of 2011 to look forward to, and they
could be accounting<br>
> >> bliss. That's the fantasy.<br>
> >><br>
> >> Here are features we need:<br>
> >> -import and reconcile transactions from Wells Fargo,
Paypal & Square.<br>
> >> -keep repeating invoices for membership dues and an
option to have the<br>
> >> member invoiced automatically via email.<br>
> >> -some smart suggestions to reconcile incoming
transactions with their<br>
> >> matching invoices (xero is betarded at this. It
searches only by<br>
> >> amount, not by name and amount)<br>
> >> -custom categories for flagging transactions as
various types of<br>
> >> expenses and income to make taxes easier<br>
> >> -some reasonably convenient way to output data (graphs
and reports<br>
> >> would be nice, but good clean csv files would do. I
can matplotlib<br>
> >> that shit.)<br>
> >> -clear tracking of unpaid invoices<br>
> >> -reasonably forgiving and customizable system (i.e.
xero won't let you<br>
> >> delete invoices once created, you can only mark them
invalid. Not A<br>
> >> Feature.)<br>
> >> -generate receipts easily<br>
> >> -web-based or linux-compatible local app. Some sort of
remote data<br>
> >> storage and ability to access from multiple machines
is required.<br>
> >><br>
> >> Here are features that would make me especially super
happy:<br>
> >> -direct access to the full details of paypal or square
transactions<br>
> >> (i.e. notes to the payee, etc)<br>
> >> -really smart algorithms for invoice reconciliation,
alteration and<br>
> >> deletion (i.e. delete invoices for this member during
these dates or<br>
> >> change the invoice amount on individual invoices
without affecting<br>
> >> repeating invoices)<br>
> >> -an interface which isn't bleeding edge flash that
trips up in Linux.<br>
> >><br>
> >> Ideas?<br>
> >><br>
> >> -Kelly<br>
> >> _______________________________________________<br>
> >> Noisebridge-discuss mailing list<br>
> >> <a class="moz-txt-link-abbreviated" href="mailto:Noisebridge-discuss@lists.noisebridge.net">Noisebridge-discuss@lists.noisebridge.net</a><br>
> >>
<a class="moz-txt-link-freetext" href="https://www.noisebridge.net/mailman/listinfo/noisebridge-discuss">https://www.noisebridge.net/mailman/listinfo/noisebridge-discuss</a><br>
> ><br>
<br>
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