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Houston Area Traditional Dance Society

Houston Area Traditional Dance Society

Contra Door Accounting Overview

This page addresses only the financial aspects of the door manager job at regular contra dances and special events. Instructions not directly related to finances are found elsewhere.

We separate dance accounting into four categories:

  • Regular contra dances
  • Regular English dances
  • Special Events
  • Weekend Festivals

Special events are dances that are not regular contra or English dances or weekend festivals. Prime examples include square dances and a combination contra/English Holiday Ball.

Accounting procedures and forms for regular contra dances and most special events are almost identical. This overview, the accounting demo, and door manager lists apply to both. However the data entry forms used and the reports generated by each are separate.

Accounting for English dances and weekend festivals is done differently and separately. The contra overview and demo do not apply to them.

Terms Used Throughout

COH: Cash on Hand
The sum of all of the cash in the cash box: starting cash + extra cash.
DAP: Dance Accounting Program/Pages
The online forms and pages that guide you through the accounting process and create the official record of the dances.
The door
A metaphor for taking admissions and welcoming dancers. You open the door before the dance begins and close the door at the break.
PayPal POS
We use the PayPal POS (Point of Sale) application to take credit cards and digital wallets. Detailed instructions for using the app are on the Using PayPal POS page .

Cash On Hand Divided

COH is divided into two groups:

  1. We call the cash in the top tray starting cash or cash in the tray. It should always be $50 in 5s and 10s at the start and end of a dance.
  2. Beneath the tray is the extra cash envelope that contains small bills for making change. We allow some 20s in the extra cash envelope as long as there is a minimum number of 5s and 10s.

While the distinction between the starting cash and extra cash amounts may blur while the door is open, the two amounts should be physically separate before the dance and after the accounting is finished.

Unlike starting cash that is always $50, the extra cash amount will fluctuate. The extra cash envelope has space to record the amount in the envelope—and only the amount in the envelope.

Do not record the starting cash amount or the full COH amount on the extra cash envelope unless instructed to do so by the DAP (very rare).

Payouts

No payments of any kind, including for Other Expense, are made until after the door is closed, the COH counted and recorded, and the income calculated by the DAP.

The DAP tracks denominations of bills, not just monetary values. It will tell you whom to pay, when to pay them, how much to pay, and the bills to use. It's important to follow the DAP's instructions.

When Change Is Needed

If the COH contains too few small bills or too many large bills after payouts are made, the DAP will indicate that change needs to be made before the next dance. Change can be made at a bank, grocery store, etc.

A reminder email will be sent to the person making change, and a note should be added to the extra cash envelope.

When change is made, all bills other than 5s and 10s should be converted to 5s and 10s.

Float and Reset

To reduce the need for trips to the bank, we allow COH to float between $200 and $500. If the COH after payouts is outside that range, a bank deposit or withdrawal is required before the next dance. The deposit or withdrawal will reset the COH to $300.

A reset should eliminate all bills except 5s and 10s.

This is the ideal mix after a reset to $300:

Starting Cash ($50)Extra Cash ($250)
4$5 bills14$5 bills
3$10 bills18$10 bills

The DAP will notify you when a reset is necessary. It will also send two emails, one to the treasurer, the other to the person identified as making the withdrawal or deposit.

Deposits and Withdrawals

All deposits into the bank account and withdrawals from the bank account should be made within a week. They must be made before the next dance.

Anyone can make deposits. Only a signatory on the HATDS bank account can make a direct withdrawal, although in a pinch a door manager can withdraw the funds from their personal account. They will be reimbursed ASAP.

We have deposit slips in an envelope with a sample filled out and taped to the envelope. They should be in the one of the tote bags. If not there, look in the cash box.

Dance Accounting Pages/Program

The DAP is in two basic parts:

  1. The Pre-Dance form for recording the amount of COH before the door is opened.

    2. If you have the cash box with you, you can count the COH and fill out the form anytime before the dance.

  2. The main Data Entry form with additional instructions for payouts, sorting the money in the cash box, etc.

    3. This part must be done at the dance even if there is no admission charge and no payouts to be made.

Order of Financial Operations

  1. Count and record the pre-dance COH before opening the door.

    2. If the COH wasn't recorded in the pre-dance form before the dance, you must count and record COH before opening the door, even if you're running late. This step is critical for accurate accounting!

    If the count was recorded before the dance, you will be taken directly to the main Data Entry form when you go to the DAP.

  2. Open the door and take money until the break.
  3. During the break or the first dance after the break, follow the instructions in the DAP to record data, make payments, etc. Please do not wait until the end of the dance.

    Why not wait until the end of the dance? Because doing the job correctly may take more time that you think. You risk holding up everyone who's trying to clear the hall and the talent who are waiting to be paid. (It's happened!)

While taking money:

  • Discourage checks in favor of cash or PayPal POS. A check will require a trip to the bank even if a cash deposit or withdrawal is not needed.
  • Discourage coins. If you must take coins, give them away in change or exchange them for bills out of your wallet or the tip jar so we don't have to deal with them after the dance. The DAP does not account for coins.
  • Discourage 50s in favor of PayPal POS or smaller bills. A single 50 may affect your ability to correctly pay the talent and/or require that someone make change before the next dance.
  • Do not take 100s at all, no matter how much cash is in the cash box. Insist the dancer use PayPal POS or smaller bills instead. The DAP does not allow 100s.

In the future, checks and any bill larger than a 20 may not be accepted at regular dances. It's best to discourage them now.

Data Entry on Day of Dance

Although the pre-dance COH count can be done before the day of the dance, the final accounting must be done on the day of the dance, not days later.

If there is no income and no expenses to be paid out of the cash box, it might be tempting to forget about the accounting until later, or even forget about it totally.

Don't. We still need an account of the dance for our records including rent to be paid, talent names, attendance, etc.

The best time to do that is at the dance. Therefore the main Data Entry part of the DAP is hard-coded to be used on the day of the dance, not later.

If you are taking the certification quiz, do not continue to the Demo until instructed to do so. You'll want this page open for the first several questions.