account for 2016-11

[chadwhitacre]

@nobodxbodon @JessaWitzel Here's a start on accounting for 2016-11.

Here's our situation: existing accounting tools (QuickBooks, Xero, GnuCash, etc.) aren't transparent and collaborative enough. The path we've started down here is to roll our own accounting system based on Git and Ledger. However, that means that in the early days here it's going to be quite painful and slow to work with while we get the code written. It's sort of like in the early days of Git itself, the basic idea was sound from the beginning but it was a few years before it matured into general usability. Square the challenges! It's the Gratipay way! :-)

[chadwhitacre]

The alternative is to start with Xero, QB, GnuCash, etc. and then write code to add transparency and collaboration. We have to write code one way or another. Because we're an open organization, we're out ahead of the tooling that exists today.

[kaguillera]

The alternative is to start with Xero, QB, GnuCash, etc. and then write code to add transparency and collaboration. We have to write code one way or another. Because we're an open organization, we're out ahead of the tooling that exists today.

I think that this is the better approach. Let us get the accounting done and then we can see about getting it transparent and collaborative. In the mean time we could always produce a monthly static report as a temporary stop gap for full transparency.

[chadwhitacre]

@kaguillera I'm open to that. Do you want to lead the charge? :)

[kaguillera]

😱 I will think about it.

[chadwhitacre]

Somebody's got to step up and own/drive this! :-)

[nobodxbodon]

The alternative is to start with Xero, QB, GnuCash, etc. and then write code to add transparency and collaboration. We have to write code one way or another. Because we're an open organization, we're out ahead of the tooling that exists today.

I think that this is the better approach. Let us get the accounting done and then we can see about getting it transparent and collaborative. In the mean time we could always produce a monthly static report as a temporary stop gap for full transparency.

+1 The page/app as planned in No.2 and No.4 seem to be pretty independent with the actual book-keeping process. IIUC we just need an exporter to transform data from whichever tool used for accounting to the format used for the public accessible page/app.

[mattbk]

If I understand correctly, any of the accounting tools will work (Ledger included), but the main obstacle is easily getting the numbers into the system, correct? This is the main advantage of tools like QuickBooks and Xero over Ledger--they hook up to your bank and pull everything in. With regards to tracking potentially thousands of transactions monthly, some questions are

• whether those tools are quicker and less-error-prone than exporting CSVs from PayPal and the bank every month, and
• whether we need something more granular than a monthly report.

After that, what @kaguillera said.

[chadwhitacre]

@kaguillera @nobodxbodon @mattbk So what's the plan here? Who should I start giving my receipts to? :-)

[nobodxbodon]

@whit537 ever considered using mobile app like this to scan receipt?

Also, maybe @JessaWitzel has some experience in book-keeping and suggestion?

[chadwhitacre]

@nobodxbodon I don't have a smartphone. :(

The more important thing than scanning receipts is setting up an accounting system to put the info into! :-)

[nobodxbodon]

@whit537 part of that app's feature is to export records. This could simplify the input part, maybe plus a scanned copy of receipt for back-tracking. This is supposed to address part of "Who should I start giving my receipts to?".

As I imagine, most likely you are not sending the actual receipt to the accountant, but sending a scan instead. Then the accountant needs to input numbers into accounting system. So at least the app like above may save the part (hopefully >90% of the effort) to input the numbers, if the OCR is accurate enough. Ideally, the CSV exported from it can be transformed to the format our accounting system uses.

[chadwhitacre]

the format our accounting system uses

Right. This is the bottleneck right now: having an accounting system that we use! :-)

[kaguillera]

Ok yes I am willing but since Accounting is not my main background I am a little hesitant. Once I have some direction on how to correctly perform my duties I am willing. Remember the stress we had trying to figure out how to account for stuff when we first started using ledger. If there is some one to vet it and ensure that I am doing it correctly. I am game.

[chadwhitacre]

Woo-hoo! 💃

!m @kaguillera

@nobodxbodon Would you be willing to work together with @kaguillera on this important aspect of Gratipay's operations?

[chadwhitacre]

If we're truly in over our heads on this then another option would be to outsource it. We do have a CPA (gratipay/inside.gratipay.com#285). We could ask them to give us a quote for setting up and managing our books.

[kaguillera]

I think lets try it first and then if it fails then go to a professional