Plain Desk · Guide
Free Stokvel Tracker vs Full Treasurer Pack (SA)
Search for a stokvel contribution tracker and you will find free Excel and Google Sheets ledgers: members, who paid this cycle, whose turn it is, arrears in rand. Those tools are useful. Many treasurers should start there.
A treasurer pack is a different job. It keeps the tracker idea and adds the paperwork your group still needs outside the chat: adaptable constitution wording, a member register, fine/loan logs, and a year-end payout sheet for December/January clubs.
This page helps you choose. It is not financial advice, not a bank product, not insurance, and not a NASASA filing service. You keep the money and the member data (POPIA common sense).
What free trackers usually solve
A good free SA stokvel tracker typically gives you:
| Piece | Why it helps |
|---|---|
| Members list | Names + contacts in one place |
| Contributions grid | Who paid each cycle |
| Payout rotation | Whose turn, pot size |
| Summary / arrears | Cash on hand without scrolling WhatsApp |
If your only pain is “who paid this month?”, a free ledger can be enough.
What free trackers usually leave open
After the PDF is signed and the sheet is shared, groups still fight about:
- Written rules everyone agreed to (beyond a chat scroll)
- A clean member register when people join mid-year
- Fines and small loans that never hit the contributions grid
- A year-end share-out that is not the same as a rotating payout
- Explaining to a new treasurer “where everything lives”
Free trackers also sit next to monthly SaaS apps (contribution reminders, dashboards). Apps are fine if the group wants a login forever. Many burial societies and savings clubs still want a one-time download they own offline.
Quick comparison
| Need | Free tracker | Monthly stokvel/burial app | Treasurer pack (one download) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cycle contributions | Strong | Strong | Included (Sheets/Excel) |
| Constitution / rules wording | Usually no | Sometimes docs | Yes (adaptable template) |
| Member register + fine/loan log | Partial | Often yes | Yes |
| Year-end / Dec–Jan payout sheet | Rare as a dedicated sheet | Varies | Yes |
| Hold member money | No | Usually no | No — you keep banking |
| Price shape | Free | Subscription | One-time (Plain Desk Stokvel OS is R199) |
When to stay on a free tracker
Stay free if:
- The group already has a signed constitution elsewhere.
- You only need a cycle ledger and everyone trusts the sheet.
- Nobody wants to buy tools yet — start clean books first.
Upgrade later when year-end, fines, or “where is the constitution?” become the argument.
When a treasurer pack is the better fit
Choose a pack when you want one folder for:
- Adaptable constitution wording (not a replacement for official NASASA or bank PDFs — use those when you need them)
- Member register
- Contribution / payout tracker (Excel or Google Sheets friendly)
- Fine / loan log
- Year-end payout sheet + calendar thinking
That is the Plain Desk Stokvel OS shape: paperwork for treasurers, not a wallet and not a claims system.
Burial societies note
Burial societies can use the same contribution and member sheets. That is records, not funeral insurance and not claim payouts. If you need policy or claims software, look at specialised tools separately.
How to decide in one meeting
Ask the committee three questions:
- Do we have a signed constitution we can find in under a minute?
- Can we show every member’s year-to-date contributions without scrolling chat?
- Can we produce a Dec/Jan payout list with arrears and fines cleared?
If any answer is no, a free tracker alone is not the whole system yet.
Get the pack
Plain Desk Stokvel OS — constitution template + contribution tracker + registers + year-end payout sheets for SA stokvels, savings clubs, and burial society bookkeeping.
https://stofficial.gumroad.com/l/ydbgne · R199 · instant download · faceless Plain Desk brand
Not a bank. Not insurance. Not legal advice. You keep the money and the member data.