To get started with troop accounting:

• Enter or upload your complete troop roster of scouts and adults.
• Decide if you want to use the fund accounting feature and, if so, set up the funds, categories and transaction types
• Create one or more troop accounts.
• Enter the starting balance for each troop account.
• Enter or upload the starting balance for each member account.
• Enter the starting balance for any event for which the books are still open.
• Enter the starting balance for each fund (only if you are doing fund accounting)

As treasurer, you may not be responsible for the first step, but you must wait until this is complete before you can start.  The troop roster can be entered manually.  If you are coming from another troop management package, such as TroopMaster™, you may be able to Upload Your Roster into TroopWebHost.

Create Troop Accounts

To create your troop accounts, go to the Money menu and select Troop Accounts.  Click the Add a New Item button to begin creating an account.

You should create one troop account for each location where you keep troop funds.  Specifically, you should create a troop account for each location for which you wish to track the current balance.  This may or may not include locations like a petty cash drawer, depending on whether you want to record all of your cash transactions into the system.

The Account Name should describe the location briefly but accurately, like this: Wells Fargo checking account

We recommend that you include the name of the bank in your account name;  this will make it easier to manage the transition if you ever move to a different bank.  We also recommend that you include some other descriptive word, such as checking account, in case you ever create more than one account at that bank.

Check the checkbox labeled Default Account if this is going to be the main account in which you track troop funds.

Click the Save & Exit button to save your work, or Save & Add Another to do just that.

Enter Starting Balance For Troop Accounts

To enter the starting balance in each troop account, go to Money --> Individual Transactions and press the Add a New Item button.

Select the transaction type Starting Troop Account Balance.  As soon as you leave this field, you should see the Credit Troop Account field displayed in the middle of the page;  all other account fields should disappear.  If you do not see Credit Troop Account, please go back to the transaction type and reselect it.

The Transaction Date should be the date on which this balance was current.  This could be the closing date of your last bank statement.

The Description is optional;  it should describe this transaction.

The Reference is also optional;  it can be left blank.

The Amount should be the current account balance.  Assuming you are not overdrawn, this should be a positive number.

Select the troop account for which this is the balance in Credit Troop Account.

Click Save & Exit to save this transaction.

Starting Balance For Troop Members

If you are moving off of TroopLedger™, you can export the current balances for scouts and adults into files that can be Uploaded into TroopWebHost.

If not, you should enter a transaction for each member's starting balance.

Select the transaction type Starting Member Account Balance.  As soon as you leave this field, you should see the Credit To Person field displayed in the middle of the page.

If the troop member currently owest the troop money, the amount should be a negative number, like this:  -42.00.

If the troop member current has a surplus in his troop account, the amount should be positive, as shown at left.

Click Save & Add Another to move on to the next account.

Starting Balance For Events

This is an optional step, and is only needed for recent events for which you have not yet finished the accounting.

Select the transaction type Starting Event Balance.  As soon as you leave this field, you should see the Credit Event field displayed in the middle of the page.

If this event has accumulated more income than expenses - perhaps a fundraiser - the amount should be a positive number.

If this event has more expenses than income - like a campout that has not yet been charged back to the participants - the amount should be a negative number.

This transaction will not affect the balance of any troop account.  It just creates an initial balance for the selected event.

Click Save & Exit to save this transaction.

Starting Balance For Funds (Optional)

This is an optional step that you would only do if you are using the fund accounting feature.

Select the transaction type Starting Fund Balance.  As soon as you leave this field, you should see the Credit Fund field displayed in the middle of the page.

If this fund has accumulated more income than expenses, the amount should be a positive number.

If this fund is currently in arrears, the amount should be negative.

Click Save & Exit to save this transaction.

Create one transaction for each fund that has a balance.