What worked- Overall estimate was accurate – The overall cost of the Workcamp was within +5% to -5% of the estimate (including risk reserve). I expected higher, since this is my first time to manage a Workcamp. The category estimates, however, were more inaccurate. The overestimates and underestimates evened out, so the overall actual cost was near to the overall estimate. I consulted architects and construction contractors for estimates of materials given certain dimensions and plans, and asked suppliers for estimates of the prices of materials.
- A glorified excel sheet – I have discovered an enhanced version of excel. It is extremely mobile and energy efficient, has an infinite battery life, no license cost and multi-user (with an option for concurrent usage). It is extremely useful for tracking expenses.
a future version of excel- Not carrying all the cash – The site was 30 minutes away from a city. And we brought our own van. So instead of carrying cash, we deposited to several ATM cards, and just withdrew cash as needed.
- Included management reserve in the budget (buffer for unknown risks) – Part of the budget was for unknown risks. I pegged it at ~25% of the budget, since this was the first time I organized a Workcamp. This was also useful for positive risks (ie, opportunities). Instead of painting just one classroom, we decided to paint three.
- Having some accounting background – I did accounting work for a non-profit for around two years before this Workcamp. Since I did not have any formal accounting training, those were two painful years. But accounting, it turns out, is one of the most useful things in life. For the Workcamp, it was quite useful. Creating the financial reports were straightforward, but it wouldn't have been that simple if I didn't acquire the habit of accounting for each single centavo.
What didn't work- Category estimates were way off the mark:
- Food: 15% lower than budgeted (we were 27% fewer than expected). Food was 32% of the total expense.
- Transportation of volunteers: 50% higher than budgeted. In the last minute, I decided to bring only 1 van. Most of the volunteers had to take the bus. I was supposed to be the driver for other van, but I did not want to have on my shoulders the risk of driving teenagers in a 13-hour drive. My estimate was also not sufficiently conservative. Transportation, like food, was 32% of the total expense.
- Transportation of materials: I was not able to anticipate this. This ended up being 4% of the expense.
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a future version of excel
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