Hi all! We're a new bike collective operating out of a 10x10 storage unit. To raise funds, we're selling a few of our nicer bikes on Craigslist at market value, but when someone pays us, I think it looks unprofessional (and perhaps even shady) to just stick the money in one of our pockets. We don't have the space, money or need for a "proper" electronic cash register.
In all honesty, after the customer leaves we'll just put it in an envelope and stick it in our pocket until we get to the bank, so this is just a matter of what the customer sees.
Here are a few options:
- I have a little metal cash box. We could mount it to our tool pegboard
and put the money in there, but then again, putting a customer's $100-$300 in a tiny metal cash box in an open space with lots of teenaged volunteers around could look just as bad.
- Maybe we'd be best off pulling out an envelope, writing "Bike Broward
customer name $100" on it, putting the money inside the envelope and into our pocket, then writing them a receipt on carbon paper?
- We could also request payment by check for bikes over, say, $100, but we
don't have our 501(c)(3) yet, so it'd have to be in my own name, which isn't a much better option.
Am I just overreacting? We're all 18 or younger and won't have our 501(c)(3) for a couple of months, so I've been putting a lot of work into having a reasonably professional appearance.
Thanks so much!
Ryan Feller, Co-Director Bike Broward (954) 232-3790 www.bikebroward.org