Operating Budget and Transparency¶
Why Beancount?¶
We use Beancount for our financial tracking because it's:
- Plain text, version-controlled, and auditable
- Built for double-entry bookkeeping without the complexity of Xero/MYOB
- Open source, with tools for reconciliation and reporting
The ledger currently resides in our private repository, with scripts that:
- Import and process ANZ bank statements (via Akahu Open Banking API)
- Categorize transactions with classification rules
- Export aggregated summaries for the public report you see below
Current Snapshot (22 July 2026)¶
Reconciled through July 22. Includes the $100 DevOpsDays Wellington 2027 donation, $650 earmarked for SFD 2026 (Cookies $250, Facilitator $300, Swag $100), and routine monthly expenses.
- Total founder equity contributed: $10,241.24 NZD (initial funding of $10,000.00 in July 2025, plus payroll-allocation contributions)
- JJobs held funds: $5.59 NZD (getjjobs.nz renewal deducted from held funds)
- Project earmarks: $755.59 NZD (DevOpsDays 2027 $100, SFD 2026 $650, JJobs $5.59)
- Expenses to date: $4,674.44 NZD (hosting — DigitalOcean, AWS, Rimu, Bytescale, Namecheap, Metaname, ForwardEmail; events and meetups; trademark R&D; AI subscriptions; marketing; meals; equipment; operational costs)
- Income (interest, donation): $57.41 NZD
- Net result: -$4,617.03 NZD (loss while bootstrapping)
- Current bank balance (ledger): $5,606.04 NZD (Call $5,151.01 + Current $455.03)
- Discretionary funds available: $4,850.45 NZD (bank balance minus project earmarks)
- Prepaid Metaname credit: $104.67 NZD
- Stripe funds pending settlement: $19.09 NZD
Expenses & Income (NZD)
| Account | Amount |
|---|---|
| Expenses:AI:Anomaly | 99.44 NZD |
| Expenses:AI:Anthropic | 51.14 NZD |
| Expenses:AI:Github | 0.60 NZD |
| Expenses:AI:OpenAI | 45.29 NZD |
| Expenses:Equipment | 447.99 NZD |
| Expenses:Events | 855.89 NZD |
| Expenses:Fees:Stripe | 0.91 NZD |
| Expenses:Hosting:AWS | 652.93 NZD |
| Expenses:Hosting:Bytescale | 95.69 NZD |
| Expenses:Hosting:DigitalOcean | 540.76 NZD |
| Expenses:Hosting:ForwardEmail | 186.42 NZD |
| Expenses:Hosting:Metaname | 157.54 NZD |
| Expenses:Hosting:Namecheap | 252.75 NZD |
| Expenses:Hosting:Rimu | 185.92 NZD |
| Expenses:Legal:Incorporation | 205.25 NZD |
| Expenses:Marketing | 250.00 NZD |
| Expenses:Meals | 167.00 NZD |
| Expenses:Professional:Memberships | 146.44 NZD |
| Expenses:RnD:Trademarks | 322.00 NZD |
| Expenses:Tax:RWT | 10.48 NZD |
| Income:Donations:OpenCollective | -20.00 NZD |
| Income:Interest | -37.41 NZD |
Assets & Liabilities (NZD)
| Account | Amount |
|---|---|
| Assets:Bank:Call | 5151.01 NZD |
| Assets:Bank:Current | 455.03 NZD |
| Assets:Payments:Stripe | 19.09 NZD |
| Assets:Prepaid:Metaname | 104.67 NZD |
| Liabilities:Projects:DevOpsDays2027 | -100.00 NZD |
| Liabilities:Projects:JJobs | -5.59 NZD |
| Liabilities:Projects:SFD2026:Cookies | -250.00 NZD |
| Liabilities:Projects:SFD2026:Facilitator | -300.00 NZD |
| Liabilities:Projects:SFD2026:Swag | -100.00 NZD |
Sustainability Principles¶
- Keep burn rate low
- Avoid dependence on a single funder or partner
- Use open-source and decentralized tools where practical
- Build systems others can fork and reuse
This budget is intentionally lean — as we grow, our operating model may evolve. Our goal remains: reliable infrastructure with minimal financial friction, built on planning and relationships. We’re not here to rack up billable hours; if you find value in what we do, we invite contributions and collaboration.