Tips on Book Keeping and Reporting on the Club Financial Affairs
January 29, 2008
Annually a report must be presented to the members on the clubs money affairs and financial position. The form of the report presented will depend on the size of the club and the volume of its activities. In the case of a club with a few members, and of which all transactions are for cash, a statement of receipts and payments will be sufficient, but in the case of a big club an income and expenditure statement and also a balance sheet are desirable. The size of the club and the volume of its transactions will also determine whether a complete set of books must be kept or not. In the case of a small club with cash transactions only it will be sufficient to enter all transactions in an analysis cash book or in separate cash receipts and cash payments journal and then prepare a statement of receipts and payments from it. In a larger club complete ledger accounts will be opened from the nature of the transactions, a cash receipts Journal, a Cash Payments Journal and a General Journal will normally be used. It is essential that a complete list of members will be kept on which will be recorded that membership fees are paid.
Accounting Procedures
The accounting procedures to be followed:
1. Documents must be issued or obtained for the various transactions. Receipts must be issued for all cash receipts, for membership fees a receipt issued separately to each member. The amounts deposited must correspond with the receipts issued, for payments the necessary purchase vouchers must be submitted and each payment should be authorised by two persons if a current account is kept two persons usually the secretary and the chairman. When only a savings account is kept as is often the case, the withdrawal slip must be signed jointly by two authorised persons.
2. The documents the transactions are entered in the appropriate journals. These journals will entail the following, the Cash Receipts Journal, the Cash Payments Journal and the General Journal. Sometimes a petty Cash Journal is also used. As the transactions of a club are usually not so voluminous the journals are closed off annually at the end of the accounting period.
3. The journals posting is done to the ledger, accounts are cast and pencil footings written in. A trial balance is extracted to test the posting and arithmetical correctness of the work. At the end of the accounting period the necessary journal entries are made for the adjustments and posted. A post adjustment trial balance is prepared.
4. The closing journal entries are made and posted, in the case of clubs posting is done to an income and expenditure account in which the surplus or deficit is calculated and posted. Income and expenditure account is closed off to the accumulated fund account instead of the capital account. A post closing trial balance is extracted. The financial statements are drawn up.
Depending on the size of the club and the volume of the transactions, the above mentioned procedures are often departed from as a short cut can be followed to attain the final result to report to the members. Instead of working according to a complete system of book keeping with all the ledger accounts as described in the paragraph on accounting procedures, clubs often write up only Cash Receipts and Payments Journals or an analysis cash book and then prepare the financial statements for the members from the information found in them. First of all it is necessary to note how an analysis cashbook is adapted for recording the transactions of clubs. In analysis cash book the bank account is kept in the cash book itself. Suitable analysis columns are used to enter the various receipts and expenses and the total of each column is found. At clubs the cash book is closed off only at the end of the year, from the Cash Book a summary of the receipts and payments can be made for the year.
Zola Mathe is the writer and a researcher for more information go to http://www.allwiseinformation.com/Banking_Information_online.html share your ideas to us.
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Book Clubs: How to Get the Best Deals Online
January 29, 2008
(1) If you see a magazine or newspaper ad for a discount book club, visit its online site to join. You will typically find a much larger selection of titles than what fits on one or two printed pages.
(2) Read the fine print (it’s usually called “terms and conditions” or “membership agreement”). Discount clubs typically offer introductory deals such as five books for $1. The shipping charges, however, may total $15 or more. That’s still a good deal, but you should be aware that you are paying more than $1 for your books.
(3) When you join a club, you will be obligated to purchase additional books in nearly every case. Typically the club will give you a year or two to get this done. You may have to purchase one book within a year, or four books within two years.
(4) Book club editions are slightly different than the books you buy in a store. The words are the same, and they’re all there, but the paper may be less expensive, or the physical size of the book slightly smaller.
(5) Every three weeks or month, depending, you will receive a paper catalog in the mail, along with a card that shows your featured selection. If you would like to receive the book, you can do nothing. If you don’t want the book, you must return the card before the due date with that indicated, to prevent the club from shipping the book. Many clubs now offer an online option that lets you log-in and decline or accept.
(6) There are more than 150 discount book clubs available with online options, covering everything from bestsellers to audio books to kid’s books to every type of fiction and non-fiction. The largest clubs — Doubleday Book Club, Crossings Christian Book Club and the Literary Guild — each of which has more than 1 million members. But there are many smaller clubs that offer paperbacks, rental books and other services
Remember Family And Friends Year-Round With The Perfect Gift
January 11, 2008
Many of us restrict gift-giving to birthdays, holidays, and other special occasions; but why not surprise family and friends with a present that continues to delight all year? Magazine and newspaper subscriptions, book clubs, even flower and gourmet food clubs will send your loved one a new present periodically throughout the subscription period.
Food clubs have become tremendously popular and amazingly varied. The Fruit of the Month Club has been around for decades, and has been joined by offerings from gourmet chocolate to coffees to pastries to wine and beer; the growth of the Internet has boosted the popularity of these clubs tremendously. Whether your friend is a gourmet coffee fan or a sushi freak, there’s probably a food of the month club out there to suit her.
Of course there’s the issue of paying for the club offerings. Magazine subscriptions can be paid up front, but gifting with a food club is trickier. Contact the club and find out if you can prepay for the monthly specials, or whether the club can send the gift to the recipient and bill you. Also check to see how the club runs; does it simply offer one item to be shipped automatically, or, like book clubs, does it offer a special each month and alternatives that can be ordered in addition to or instead of the special? If the latter, you might want to ask if you can set a price limit on the orders.
Don’t restrict yourself to holiday and birthday giving, even with these clubs. If you come across a club that’s absolutely perfect for someone, order it on the spot; don’t wait for Christmas, or you may forget about it. Just let the recipient know something’s coming in the mail so he won’t question why the package arrived and possibly send it back.
Aldene Fredenburg is a freelance writer living in southwestern New Hampshire. She has written numerous articles for local and regional newspapers and for a number of Internet websites, including Tips and Topics.
Making Your Book Club an Interactive Experience
January 11, 2008
Book clubs and reading groups alike are a great way to get out in your community and meet people! Sometimes, however, these clubs can suffer from a lack of excitement, involvement and most of all, fun! When the book club members in your group are excited and enthused about being a part of your team, they are more apt to participate readily in discussions and have more to contribute overall.
One way to get your group more excited is to make it interactive. There are many ways to do this and really, the sky is the limit on what you choose to do! Here are a few of the tried and tested ways:
1. Invite an Author to a Teleconference
An easy way to get your members involved in the reading process is to e-mail or call the author of the book you are reading (granted they are still living!) and invite them to attend a teleconference with your members. Most authors are glad to do these teleconferences because they understand that they will be selling quite a few books to your book club.
Teleconferences are also easy to setup. There are free teleconferencing sites available on the web that do not charge for the usage of the line but rather each member of your club would pay for their own long distance charges to call into the line. If you are a non-profit group, which most book clubs are, this is a great way to keep costs at a minimum.
2. Plan a Screening Night
Whether the movie is brand new in theatres or has been out for a long time, make a night to screen the film that accompanies the book, if there is one. These nights take the pressure off of your members to have to “think” about the book and they can sit back, relax and enjoy watching their book on screen. If you choose to have it at a theatre, ask your theatre manager if they can work out a discount for your members.
Once the movie is over, you can round up your book club members and go for coffee to discuss what they thought of the movie versus the book. It’s a great way to get out and be social while having something book club related to talk about!
3. Visit a Museum or Local Attraction that Ties into the Book’s Story
If you read a book on pioneers, for example, take your book club to a local museum that features pieces from that era. If you were reading a book that was based on the creator of the first rollercoaster, head to an amusement park! The possibilities are endless in this particular category so have fun with it! A lot of local attractions will also provide your book club with a discount if you book yourself in as a group.
The only word of caution here is not to choose books solely based on what you can do afterward. Choose your book and let those ideas form with some basic research as you read your book. That makes the suspense and the anticipation of something coming much more exciting for your members!
There are many, many things you can do to make your book club more than just a reading group. Ask your members for ideas as well, what they like and don’t like to do, and then run with it! The more enthused you are about these events, the more your book club will respond making a great relationship for everybody!
Often - Westside Liberals Do Not Allow Conservatives in their Book Clubs
January 11, 2008
In California, especially in Los Angeles and the Bay area many people have formed book clubs. It is great to see people reading and that is so great for our nation as it sets a good example for our next generation to learn to read and keep reading books even after they finish High School. Recently some friends in Beverly Hills, CA told me they were in a book club with friends and they decided to expand the book club by five more people.
One of the ladies in the groups said to everyone to see if you have any friends who would like to join and then she added a caveat; No Republicans. This is interesting because as many Liberals in these regions of our Nations seem to claim to be all-knowing. Most folks know that these reading lists are quite selective and apparently their book clubs are quite exclusive as well, at least this particular one seems to be. So much for treating everyone equal, political correctness and everyone deserves empathy approach to Utopia?
It seems rather amazing that the comment we sometimes here in the media; that Republicans only read selective reading material and converse with only conservative viewpoints is indeed the exact problem that this particular book club in Los Angeles, California Westside suffers from. Perhaps it makes sense to get these folks to look at another perspective. The Right Perspective I might add.
Starting a Children’s Book Club
January 11, 2008
Many adults enjoy belonging to monthly book clubs. If you have a child or children who enjoy reading, you might want to consider starting a children’s book club. There are many questions to keep in mind before organizing a children’s book club.
Why have a book club?
Are you creating a book club because your child wants to be in one? Adults mean well, but sometimes they get children involved in an activity that they themselves enjoy, not the child. A book club can be an excellent supplement to a child’s education. It is excellent for encouraging children to think critically about a book. Did they enjoy the book and why or why not? Book clubs also teach children that not everyone has the same opinion as them.
How will the group be organized?
Who will be included in the book club? There are many different ways you can organize a book club. The group could consist of parents and their children or it could consist of all males or females. Next you will need to decide how large the group will be and the age of the children in the group. Keep the spread in the children’s ages to no more than 2-3 years apart. This will be helpful when selecting age appropriate books for the kids to read.
Where will the meeting take place?
Where and when will your group meet? Book clubs should probably meet about once every month. This will give the participants time to read the book selection. If participants are too busy during summer or winter holidays, you can skip a month or two. The size of your group will help you determine where you should meet. A smaller group can meet at someone’s home. A larger group might want to reserve a room at the library or meet in a bookstore.
Who will lead the meetings?
Normally a children’s book group is lead by an adult. A parent who loves to read or a librarian or teacher would be an excellent choice. You might also consider letting several adults share the role.
How should we choose the books?
What type of books do your young readers enjoy? You need to consider the age and reading level of the kids in the group. Children in book clubs will read books that they might never have chosen on their own. It is nice to choose a variety of old and new titles from different genres. Some kids enjoy mysteries while others might like fantasies. There are many websites that list reading selections for children. Check out www.hedgehogbooks.com or www.guysread.com for some suggested reading lists. You might also want to look at www.kidsreads.com for reviews of recent titles.
Make sure you include the children in the decision process. They will buy into the book club more if they helped create it. Teaching your child to enjoy books is a gift that will make them life-long readers.
Creative Club Ideas For a Kid After School Activity
January 11, 2008
School is back in session and you’re looking for a creative after school activity for kids. Whether you’re a parent or after school care provider, keeping kids busy, happy and safe can be a challenge. Between 3:00 and 6:00 p.m. is when kids need fun activities to keep them from being bored. I have listed ideas for after school clubs that are easy to plan and fun for kids to do.
Organize a cooking club to make a nutritious snack for everyone. Make a healthy trail mix with granola or cereal, peanuts, pretzels, seeds and dry fruit. Mix up fruit smoothies in a blender with low-fat yogurt, fresh fruit, honey and ice. Put together mini-pizzas with small bagels, pizza sauce, and cheese. Review math concepts such as fractions, addition and subtraction with the cooking lesson.
Physical fitness is an activity to plan each day. Kids need about an hour of physical exercise each day. Have a fitness club to organize a team sport such as dodge ball, softball, and volleyball to play with everyone. The club can also plan relay races and fitness and movement games. If weather is rainy or snowy, play indoor volleyball, basketball or set up an obstacle fitness course.
Putting on a play or puppet show is an activity that can be ongoing for several weeks or more. Have a drama or puppet club, which meets twice per week. The kids will pick a story or play that they like, design costumes or puppets, create props, and practice their parts. Pick a date for the performance and invite other students, friends and family to come see their production.
Eight more great after school club activity ideas:
- Science Club: do experiments and record results
- Chess Club: have tournaments
- Book Club: read a book, discussion, and write book reviews
- Dance Club: learn dance steps from all over the world
- Language Club: learn sign or a foreign language
- Photography Club: take photos of other clubs
- Journalism Club: put together a monthly newsletter
- Art Club: drawing, painting, sculpture, and cartooning
Plan on each club being between one half to one hour in length. Offer sessions so everyone can have an opportunity to participate in many of the activities. A different club or activity can be offered each day. Have kids sign up for a club that they are interested in. Involve the kids in the planning, preparation, and even leading the club. The more the kids are involved in the activity, the more successful the activity will be.
Book Club Questions
January 11, 2008
Different kinds of people with very diverse opinions meet to discuss books in a book club, and if there are no guided questions to funnel these discussions, the results can be chaotic. The participants may feel shortchanged, some may grow uninterested, and some may even end up fighting!
If you are a book club moderator or a very active participant, it is therefore very important to have a set of questions to guide the flow of discussion and make sure that it achieves its purposes – to dissect the literature into relevant pieces, and to make sure that participants go home more analytical and inspired. Here are some things to remember when formulating book club questions.
Focus on character analysis. Most books are not about the plot, but about the people. Each one of the participants can probably relate to one or more of the characters in the book, so it’s a good idea to ask everyone who they can relate to and why.
Relate the theme and conflicts of the book to real life. Literature is only relevant when it contributes something to the ‘now.’ Ask the participants how they connect the conflicts in the book to day-to-day struggles. Ask them how they feel about the resolutions and conclusions, and what specific elements of the book are especially relevant to the patterns of modern human interaction.
Always ask for suggestions. Avid book readers probably have alternative suggestions to every book they have ever read – and a book club is a good place to bring all of them out. Ask the members how they think the novel could have been better – how they would write the ending, for example, or how they would change any character or setting.
Before giving a book assignment, it is a good idea to ask the participants to highlight parts of the book they think should be talked about, so they can easily refer to them during the discussion.
During the meeting itself, give everyone a chance to speak. Politely interrupt a ‘monopolizing’ member by offering him or her food or drinks, or segueing into another question and then asking someone else to answer it.
Celebrate God’s Love with Christian Books
January 11, 2008
Reading Christian books, listing to Christian music, and partaking in other contemporary Christian entertainment can be a source of spiritual renewal and great joy. Christian entertainment can also present a wonderful opportunity to fellowship with other Christians in an environment infused with the spirit and love of God.
You can participate in the joyful celebration of God’s work through man by starting a Christian book club, a Bible study group, or hosting a “listening” party for the latest contemporary Christian music.
To launch a book club, decide upon the date and time of the first meeting, then post a notice on the bulletin board at your church, or make an announcement in your church’s newsletter or bulletin. Try and recruit book club members from diverse age groups and backgrounds. Having differing views will add interest to later book club discussions. Ask each book club member to bring the titles of two suggested books to the first meeting.
At your first meeting, decide upon a regular day and time for future meetings. The maximum time between meetings should be one month, although many book clubs meet every two weeks. Also discuss who will lead the book club discussions. Some clubs have a single leader for all books, while others choose to have the person who selected the book lead that particular book’s discussion. You may also wish to decide whether refreshments will be served and, if so, who is responsible for providing snacks and beverages.
The final - and most fun - step is deciding which book to read first. Take a vote, make a list of the top three choices, and read the books in that order. Book club members should commit to reading the book prior to the next meeting, and the discussion leader should commit to developing a list of study guide questions or points of discussion. If themes in the book correspond to passages in the Bible, the discussion leader should be prepared to guide book club members to those passages.
Each of the book club members should then purchase the book that has been chosen. The Fisher of Men online bookstore offers deep discounts on Christian books, music, software, Bibles, videos, and gifts.
Whether your book club chooses a Christian novel or a non-fiction book, such as “The Purpose-Driven Life,” you can have a lively discussion of Christian principles in an environment of fellowship and community.
According a recent study, about half of Americans will buy at least one Christian book this year. The uptick in the sales of Christian titles has led secular online and brick-and-mortar bookstores to carry unprecedented numbers of Christian books. However, instead of shopping at secular bookstores, many Christians are choosing to support online bookstores owned and operated by other Christians. Common thought is that Christians should monetarily support the ministries of other Christians who are spreading God’s word through the sale of bibles, as well as through the sale of Christian books, videos, software, music, and audio books.
The 5 Important Steps to Take When Starting a Book Club
January 11, 2008
Reading groups and book clubs are excellent platforms to get together with other like-minded individuals and discuss books that you’ve all agreed to read. They can be rewarding and also comforting.
If you have thought about starting up your own book club, whether it be an online book club that caters to a wide range of people or a local book club that is primarily just for your community, here are the five most important steps you should take.
1. Get a Website
Regardless of how far away people are going to be, you want your book club members to have access to information at any given time. It doesn’t need to be anything over the top but you should at least have a page where they can e-mail you to sign up, check out the current book selections and review past selections. Other “extras” that you may want to consider for your website include: a chat room, a message board and a guest book for comments.
2. Write a Press Release
Press releases are the best way to spread the word around about your book club locally. The press release should contain information on the book club, how often you plan to meet with your members, whether it will be held out of people’s homes or in external locations and what type of books you plan on your group reading. As for where to send it, you can easily find media contacts by running a search on Google.
3. Contact Your Local Library
The library is a great resource for people in your community so make sure you reach out to that medium! Post a flyer for your book club if they have a community bulletin and ask about possibly holding your meetings there. Sometimes, if the library does not currently have a book club, they may even suggest recommending it to many of the library patrons as an added service that the library now has!
4. Contact Your Local Book Stores
As with the library, be sure to post flyers up in your local book stores. This is where your target audience goes to purchase books and they will be keen on contacting you if a book club is something that they wish to participate in! Another tip when contacting book stores: ask if they could provide your book group with a discount for the first three selections. You’d be surprised how many people would say yes!
5. Get Organized!
Now that you’ve put yourself out there to accept new members, get organized! Get a binder, fill it with dividers and set yourself up so there is no room for failure! Set up meeting schedules with times and locations and create a book list for your book club members to select from for the first voting period. Decide how often you’ll meet, how many books you’ll select in advance and all of those other items that your members will have questions about.
6 (as a bonus!). Have Fun!
Managing a book club can be stressful at times but it’s rewarding so have fun with it! Plan interactive excursions for your book club members that will hold their interest and make sure to keep in contact with them often, the last thing your members want is a lack of enthusiasm!
This site offers tips and guides how to open a community book club.
