Scout Account Bookkeeping
Scout Accounts without the Spreadsheets
One account per scout, a full transaction ledger, and a balance parents can check themselves. Record a deposit once and everyone sees the same number — no shared spreadsheet, no weekly "what's my balance?" emails.
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The Spreadsheet Only One Person Understands
Troop money lives in a Google Sheet that only the treasurer can decode, and every "what's my balance?" question lands in their inbox. Parents can't see what they owe, so they keep asking. And when the treasurer steps down, the whole system goes with them.
The Ledger
One Account per Scout, One Number Everyone Trusts
Every scout gets an individual account the moment you add them — just a first and last name, no setup. Deposits, charges, and credits each land as a ledger entry with a date, a note, a running balance, and a record of who posted it. That's a real audit trail, not a spreadsheet cell someone overwrote in October.
- An account for every scout — just a first and last name
- Every deposit, charge, and credit logged with a date, a note, and a running balance
- Each entry records who posted it, so there's a real audit trail behind every number
- Transfers post to both accounts as linked entries, so both ledgers always agree
- Transfer history keeps account names readable even after an account is archived or removed
- Shared unit accounts — general funds, trips, fundraisers — live in the same ledger system
- Guardians get an email whenever their scout's balance changes — note included
Parent Self-Service
The End of "What's My Balance?"
Parents log in and see their own scouts' balances anytime — and only their own. The scout's profile shows the full picture: current balance, every trip they're signed up for, what each item costs, when it's due, and what's already covered. The balance questions stop, because the answer is already in their hands.
- Parents log in anytime to see their own scouts' current balances — no asking, no waiting
- Family connections keep it private: parents see only the scouts connected to them
- A Trip Dues section on each scout's profile lists every trip, item by item, with due dates
- Every trip shows a status — Paid, Current, Free, or Owes — and what remains
- Balance-change emails tell parents what was posted and why
- Works on any device — check a balance from the parking lot
Getting Paid
Overdue Balances That Chase Themselves
Parents pay the way your troop already collects money — Venmo, Zelle, or a check at the meeting — following instructions you write once. The treasurer records the payment, and the same balance shows for everyone. And when an account slips negative, the reminders handle themselves.
- Write your payment instructions once — Venmo handle, Zelle contact, or who to make checks out to
- A "How to Pay" button appears on the scout's profile whenever money is owed
- The same instructions appear in every financial email
- Accounts that go negative get an automatic reminder email every week until the balance clears
- Reminders reach every connected guardian, not just the parent who signed up
- A built-in cooldown prevents duplicate reminders — families get nudged, not nagged
- The treasurer records the payment once, and the new balance shows everywhere immediately
Trips & Families
One Payment Covers the Whole Family
When a signup is approved, each participant's charges post to the scout's account. When money lands, Sites for Scouts applies it to unpaid trip charges automatically — earliest due date first — so a single family payment covers siblings and family members on the trip without anyone doing math.
- Trip signups post per-participant charges straight to the scout's account
- Deposits apply to unpaid trip charges automatically, earliest due date first
- One family payment covers siblings' charges — no manual splitting across kids
- Need to earmark money? Direct a payment at a specific trip and it stays there
- Pay toward several trips at once with a single recorded deposit
- Cancel a signup and freed-up payments re-apply to the family's remaining charges
- Each trip item shows amount, paid-so-far, and status, updated the moment money posts
Switching
Your Spreadsheet's History Comes with You
Most troops arrive with a spreadsheet full of history. Export it to CSV, import it into each scout's account, and it reads exactly the way it happened — original dates, notes, and amounts intact. Transfers between accounts are recorded on both ledgers, so mid-year moves never turn into mysteries.
- Import past transactions from a CSV file — up to 500 rows per import
- Imported entries keep their original dates, amounts, and notes
- Row-by-row validation flags bad dates, missing notes, or invalid amounts before anything posts
- Families get an email when imported transactions post to their scout's account
- Transfer balances between scout and unit accounts, with a note recorded on the transaction
- Mark opening entries as initial balances and build forward from there
Who It Helps
What Everyone Gets
For the Treasurer
- Record deposits, charges, and credits in seconds — the running balance takes care of itself
- Parents answer their own "what's my balance?" questions
- Weekly overdue reminders go out without you writing a single email
- Import the old spreadsheet instead of retyping a year of history
- Hand your successor a complete, readable ledger — not a shoebox
For Leaders
- See who still owes for a trip without chasing the treasurer
- Per-participant trip charges post to scout accounts automatically
- Granular permissions control which leaders can view or change balances
- The books stay with the troop, not on one volunteer's laptop
For Parents
- Check your scout's balance anytime, from any device
- See every trip's dues, due dates, and what's already paid
- Get an email when the balance changes, with a note explaining why
- Payment instructions are one tap away whenever you owe
Coming Soon: Online Payments via Stripe
Right now, money is recorded in Sites for Scouts — not collected through it. Parents pay by Venmo, Zelle, or check following the instructions you set, the treasurer records it, and everyone sees the same balance. We're building online payments via Stripe so parents will be able to pay dues and trip fees by card or bank transfer, with each payment posting to the right scout account automatically. Everything else on this page works today; online payments are on the way.
Frequently Asked Questions
Not yet — today, money is recorded in Sites for Scouts, not collected through it. Parents pay the way your troop already collects money (Venmo, Zelle, or check, per the payment instructions you set), the treasurer records the deposit, and everyone sees the updated balance immediately. Online payments via Stripe are in active development. You can try the full bookkeeping system free for 30 days — no credit card required.
No. Parents only see the scout accounts connected to their own login through family connections. Viewing all balances requires a specific leader permission that admins grant deliberately — it doesn't come free with being logged in.
Export it to CSV and use the built-in transaction import — up to 500 rows per import, per scout account. Every row is validated before posting (dates, amounts, and notes are checked individually and problems are flagged), and imported entries keep their original dates so the history reads the way it actually happened.
Record it as a deposit and Sites for Scouts allocates it across the family's unpaid trip charges automatically, earliest due date first — no manual splitting. If a parent wants the money on a specific trip, you can direct it there instead, and directed payments stay where you put them.
Yes — the moment the balance clears. Reminders go out weekly only while an account is negative, they reach every connected guardian, and a built-in cooldown prevents duplicates if the schedule ever fires twice. Families with a zero or positive balance never get one.
Not yet — ledger filters and export are on the roadmap but aren't built today. What you can export today is per-trip: download a CSV of a trip’s full roster and billing — every participant, their charges, payments recorded, and remaining balance.
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It All Works Together
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