A new treasurer is handed a spreadsheet, a shoebox of receipts and a Charities Online login that nobody wrote down. At the first committee meeting someone says, 'Surely there's software for this.' That evening disappears into browser tabs, free trials and pricing pages that say slightly different things. By the end you know more about software and not much more about your own accounts.
Choosing well is worth an evening. Work through the questions below, then write the answers into your committee minutes so the next person can see why you chose what you did.
Why a volunteer treasurer should compare differently
A paid bookkeeper learns one system and uses it every day. A volunteer treasurer usually serves a year or two, works a few hours a month, and has to explain the figures to a committee that did not ask for a technical report. The software has to be something you can learn from the handover notes, and something the next volunteer can open without ringing you.
That changes the comparison. Cost matters more than it would for a finance team, and so does plain layout. A PTA with a few hundred pounds in its account and a Scout group with a hall hire bill have different needs from a church with a building fund. A sports club will have members and subscriptions to track as well as bar takings. Keep the questions general and then test each product against the jobs your own organisation actually has.
Question 1: does it keep a proper cash book?
A cash book is the record of every payment and receipt. A good one lets you tick each line against the bank statement, so you can see where the difference between your figures and the bank comes from. It should also keep restricted funds separate from unrestricted ones. If a grant was given for a specific project, it should not quietly pay for the summer fete. Look for receipts that can be attached to the entry and reports the committee can read without a glossary.
Be wary of a single running total with no fund split, or a bank feed with no way to tick lines by hand. Vasker's free starter cash book holds one fund. That is enough for some groups, and you should check whether it is enough for yours.
Question 2: can it hold Gift Aid declarations and build a claim?
Gift Aid adds 25p to every eligible pound donated by a UK taxpayer, at current HMRC basic-rate relief. That is general information, not tax advice, and rates and rules can change, so check live HMRC guidance before you rely on any figure.
The tool needs to hold declarations of each type: enduring, single and verbal. It also needs to keep the records you will need if HMRC asks a question. HMRC expects Gift Aid records to be kept for at least six years. Many tools stop at the books and leave you to build the claim by hand. Ask whether the software builds the claim, checks it, and keeps the submission record.
The Gift Aid Small Donations Scheme (GASDS) tops up qualifying small cash donations that have no individual declaration. It is subject to HMRC rules and caps, and it does not replace declarations for named regular gifts. Collecting-tin cash does not always qualify. Membership subscriptions do not automatically qualify for Gift Aid either, so check the membership-benefit rules before you claim on them.
Question 3: what does the year-end give you?
At year-end the committee wants to see how the year went against the year before. Look for an income and expenditure report with a prior-year comparison, the figures you need for the annual return, and an examiner pack if your charity needs independent examination. The pack should be a set of documents you can send, not a screen you have to photograph.
A good pack makes the examiner's work easier. It does not guarantee an examination with no findings. Ask the examiner what they want to see before you choose a format, and read the Charity Commission, OSCR or CCNI guidance for your type of organisation.
Question 4: what happens at handover?
This is the question most treasurers ask too late. The inherited login is the problem that makes the next year hard. Ask whether the software can add a second treasurer without sharing a password. Ask whether you can export the full cash book, the members list and the Gift Aid records in a form someone else can open. Ask whether there is a handover pack that includes the figures and the notes.
Vasker produces a treasurer handover ZIP. It is worth checking with any product what the handover file contains before you commit.
Question 5: what does it cost per year?
The price is only part of the question. Check whether it is charged per year or per month, whether it renews automatically, whether there is a setup fee, and whether there is a sales call before you can try the product. Work out the cost for the whole year, not the first month.
Vasker has three plans, as one example. Free costs £0 and gives you a starter cash book with one fund. Standard costs £59 a year and covers full books, members, subscriptions, reports and grant matching. Plus costs £119 a year and adds Gift Aid and GASDS claim tooling, along with examiner access tooling. There is no sales call and no setup fee. Compare the plan that covers your jobs with the cost of paying someone to do them.
Question 6: how are Government Gateway details handled?
Any product that sends Gift Aid claims to HMRC needs your organisation's Government Gateway login. Ask how that login is handled. Vasker does not store Government Gateway passwords. The sender ID and password are typed only at the point of claim submission and then discarded. The treasurer or chair submits each claim with their own login, so the organisation's credentials stay with the people who hold them.
Every Vasker account uses two-factor authentication. Nothing in the software is a check by HMRC on your figures. Keep your own records of every claim you send.
Question 7: does it need a connection?
Vasker's cash book needs a connection to work. It is not an offline bookkeeping tool, and it does not promise to keep working without a signal. It is available as a web app, with App Store and Google Play clients and a PWA install. If you often work from a church hall or a pavilion with no signal, test that before you rely on it. Ask whether you can export your records, so that you are never locked out of your own figures.
Comparison table
Copy this into the committee minutes, or use it as a checklist when you speak to a provider.
| Question | What a good answer looks like | What to be wary of |
|---|---|---|
| Does it keep a proper cash book? | Bank ticking by hand, separate restricted and unrestricted funds, attached receipts, readable reports | One running total, no fund split, bank feed only |
| Can it hold Gift Aid declarations and build a claim? | Enduring, single and verbal declarations; claim build and checks; a stored submission record | Books only, with the claim left to you |
| What does the year-end give you? | Income and expenditure with prior-year comparison, annual return figures, a pack the examiner can use | Screenshots instead of documents, promises of no findings |
| What happens at handover? | A second user without a shared password, full export, a handover pack with notes | An inherited login and no export |
| What does it cost per year? | Clear annual price, plan list, no setup fee, easy to cancel | Unclear renewal, a sales call before you see a price |
| How are Government Gateway details handled? | No stored passwords; the treasurer or chair submits each claim; two-factor authentication | Requests to share your login, or no explanation at all |
| Does it need a connection? | A plain answer about offline use and export | Offline claims that are not explained |
Choosing the plan that fits
Pick the plan that matches the jobs your organisation actually has. A starter cash book with one fund is enough for some groups, such as a small Scout group or a PTA with a single account and few restricted funds. If you need Gift Aid claims, that is a Plus feature. Check the rules for each type of income before you decide, and check current HMRC guidance first.
You can see how the starter cash book works before the committee decides. Create your free account and try it with one fund. There is no sales call and no setup fee.
General information
This article is general information for volunteer treasurers. It is not tax advice or legal advice. Check current HMRC guidance on Gift Aid, GASDS and Charities Online. For your own organisation, check the Charity Commission, OSCR or CCNI guidance that applies to you.