Here in Saint Paul the Sibley Bike Depot uses QuickBooks for managing our finances. We have used this program for 7 years now, and it's a great tool. We use it as a register, and run all sales through the it to collect and report sales taxes. We keep our checking account balance there, and can generate spending reports.
For cash control, we do a nightly deposit and send a small till home
with the volunteers for the next day business. We keep NO money in the
shop after hours, it only took a few break ins to realize that. Once
thieves realize that you keep money in the till, you will get visitors!
We have just a few designated cash handlers that take care of cash and
recording sales.
We have more than one person reviewing our finances, and rotate our treasurer position every few years. No sense tempting anyone with embezzlement.
We have a checking account, and a credit card account, and a card machine. We are now investing in a cell-phone card machine for our sales at remote locations - mostly student sales at colleges. This has been a great market for us. We partner with the campus organizations, and create a bike club. We work with the college to collect abandoned bikes, and we have sales to incoming students. It's a true reuse and recycling project!
Our shop has grown dramatically over the last few years, and the financial controls we put in place have been a life-saver for us!
Wilbur Ince Sibley Bike Depot