Topic: Treasurer....new allotment committe...any tips/advice?

[Kea]

I have just been made Treasurer of our new Allotment committee ::) (well someone had to do it!!). I have been treasurer of a club before but can't remember what to do. I know I could keep the accounts on the computer but it then restricts the post in the future to someone with a computer plus I'm not the person in control of the computer at home and could find my files 'disappeared' so I plan to have an account book...double cash?? Maybe use office money as well. Need to get a suitable bank account as well any suggestions? We're not talking a lot of money so the account needs to be free.
Thanks.

[saddad]

Having spent most of yesterday and today trying to balance the books, get someone else to do it!!. :-[

[Kea]

No, I was the only mug there!

[manicscousers]

I use a simple in and out, used to do double book keeping for a living..didn't like it  ;D
keep receipts in monthly piles, make petty cash slips out if you haven't a receipt, we're with RBS, have been for years..just a simple account, 2 signatories..I try to balance the accounts every three months  :)

[PurpleHeather]

Hi there been doing the task for 7 years and yes a book is fine Keep opposite pages one side for income the other side for expenses and then start again the following year. On fresh pages.

Write in pencil if you want to so that you can rub out mistakes before going over it in ink.

There is not a lot of 'turn over' with ours to be honest. But it is essential to keep receipts for everything and enter them up as soon as possible. It sometimes does not seem worth the hassle for one small transaction but it is easy to forget. That is when you get in a mess.

Just keep everything together. And In date order. Make photo or scanned copies of anything you have to send off anywhere.

It is a lot of belt and braces we would not dream of doing with household accounts but needs must with other peoples money.

You have no idea the state of the accounts when I first got them for hardly anything, the person who was doing it just gave me loads of notes which made no sense at all to them, so you can imagine the trouble I had.

Fortunately there was more money than paperwork to cover it all so in the end I just put the extra through as as excess monies recieved in case at some time in the future something came up to cover it but it never did.

I have two auditors who check the accounts each year after I have done a summary on the computer.  That is presented for acceptance at the AGM.

E-mail me if you want to. I could end up rabbiting on for ages telling you things you do not need or want to know.
 

[Kea]

Ok Thanks Purpleheather.

Our association is not running the site so the level of income and expenditure should be low but as I'm the first I want to keep it as clear and simple as possible.

[snipsnip]

Our account is with Nationwide, it's called a Treasurer's account.

Kea even if you are only dealing with a few pounds when it is other peoples money I would do it PurpleHeathers way, never leave yourself open to be accused of anything.

[PurpleHeather]

Re the Bank

We have a few within walking distance so I asked each of them about opening an account and most said that it would be treated as a small business and would charge accordingly.

However. Nat West have given us free banking since the turnover is low. Handy for me it is the nearest one to me.

Much easier if you can get people to pay out first then give you receipts and you give them a chq in repayment.

You may not be insured either for keeping other peoples cash in your home on your household insurance so I am told... 

Halifax also do a 'treasurers savings account, no cheque book but it gets interest added, may be handy if ever we start getting interest on savings again. lol

[Kea]

Thanks
We need to choose a bank in the local town as we will require more than one signatory on the account however we have a very good selection including the 3 most recently mentioned.

I wouldn't touch RBS now with a barge poll (even if it was available) I banked with them for a long time then they made mistake after mistake and i lost a lot of money in one case because of it. One thing they did was pay one of my ex-husbands direct debits from my account even though he had never banked at the same branch and I had opened the account after our divorce! Apparently just because we had the same surname...good luck to all the Smiths' and Joneses out there!

[saddad]

We use the Co-Operative  ;D
We get a cheque book, free banking and some (!) interest on a deposit (reserve account).