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10:00 Little Acorns
Every room, every regular group, one diary
Staff, trustees and duty volunteers all see the same bookings, by day, week or month, and by room. The person on the front desk can answer "is the small room free on Thursday?" without ringing anyone.
- Every room in one calendar, or one room at a time
- Weekly, fortnightly and monthly bookings for regular groups, changed one session or all at once
- Clashes refused before they happen, with the booking already there shown
- Closures, holidays and maintenance days blocked out for every room
- The whole diary on the free phone app, iPhone and Android
What a busy community centre needs from its booking system
A community centre is a small business run for the public good. The bookings have to pay for the building, and the trustees have to show that it is used fairly.
Regular groups are most of the income
The Monday slimming club, the Wednesday lunch club and the weekend martial arts all go in once and repeat. Each regular hirer can be invoiced for a whole month of sessions in one invoice, instead of four.
Different rates for different users
Local voluntary groups at one rate, private parties at another, businesses at another, and seasonal prices if the heating costs more in winter. The right price is applied when the booking is made.
Funders ask how much the building is used
The utilisation report shows how much of each room's bookable time is taken, on which days and at what times, and which hirers use it most, so grant applications and the annual report use real figures rather than estimates.
Equipment and extras
The projector, the tea urn, extra tables or kitchen use can be added to a booking at their own price, so the invoice is right first time.
How an online booking works
Hirers do the asking, you do the deciding, and nobody retypes anything.
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1
They check what is free
Your community centre has its own booking page, showing when each room is available. No phone call to find out.
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2
They send a request
The hirer picks a date and time and sends their details. It lands in your diary as an enquiry and you get an email.
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3
You accept it
One click confirms it and the hirer gets a confirmation email. Nothing is booked until you say so.
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4
The invoice follows
The price comes from your rate card, and the invoice is raised from the booking itself.
The rest of running the building
A community centre carries the same duties as any public building. These sit in the same place as the bookings.
A hirer portal
Hirers see their bookings and invoices, agree your conditions of hire online, and read a hall guide with the wifi, the alarm and how to lock up. A key safe code can be released shortly before each booking.
Payments and reminders
Hirers can pay invoices by card straight into the centre's own bank account, and reminders chase anybody who has not paid.
Safety and compliance dates
Fire risk assessment, electrical and gas safety, legionella, insurance and more, each with a reminder before it falls due, plus Martyn's Law if you can expect 200 people or more at once.
Maintenance jobs
Hirers and volunteers report a fault, it becomes a job with someone responsible, and nothing is forgotten between meetings.
Trustee meetings and minutes
Agendas, papers, minutes and action points in one place, on the Standard and Professional plans.
Accounts for the treasurer
Budgets, income and spending by category, bank statements and management accounts on the Professional plan, built from the same bookings and invoices.
More on the booking system, invoicing and the compliance checklist.
Moving from a paper diary, a spreadsheet or another system
Nobody wants to type a year of bookings in again. Bring across your rooms, rate cards, hirers, bookings and invoices from a spreadsheet or another booking system. You match your columns to ours on screen, and every import has an Undo button.
Still comparing? Read our comparison of UK hall booking software, including Hallmaster, Hall Booking Online and My Hall Wizard, and what booking software really costs.
What it costs
Every plan has unlimited bookings, the public booking page, your own website, invoicing and the phone app. Free for 30 days, no card needed.
Community
£12.99 a month
Up to 2 rooms and 3 volunteers, with your own website
Standard
£24.99 a month
Unlimited rooms, hirer portal, compliance alerts
Professional
£39.99 a month
Everything, plus the full accounts
Questions people ask
What is a community centre booking system?
It is the centre's diary for every room, kept online. Staff and volunteers see the same bookings, hirers check availability and send their own requests, and each booking carries its price, invoice and payment. It replaces the paper diary, the spreadsheet and the phone calls.
Can it handle a lot of rooms?
Yes. The Standard and Professional plans have unlimited rooms, each with its own rates. The Community plan covers up to two rooms for smaller buildings.
How does it deal with regular hirers?
Set a booking to repeat weekly, fortnightly or monthly, or on chosen days, and every session goes into the diary at once. You can change a single session or every session from a date onwards, and invoice a whole month of sessions in one go.
Can we report usage to our funders?
Yes. The utilisation report shows how much of the bookable time was used, room by room, by day and time of day, and which hirers use it most, over whatever period you choose. On the Standard and Professional plans the bookings behind it can be exported to a spreadsheet.
Can hirers pay online?
Yes. Hirers can pay invoices by card, and the money goes to the centre's own bank account. Payments by bank transfer, cash or cheque are recorded against the invoice too.
How much does it cost?
Community is £12.99 a month for up to two rooms, Standard is £24.99 with unlimited rooms and the hirer portal, and Professional is £39.99 with full accounts. Every plan includes your own hall website and the calendar for a website you already have. A year costs the same as ten months, and every plan is free for 30 days with no card needed.
Can we move our bookings from another system?
Yes. Import rooms, rates, hirers, bookings and invoices from a spreadsheet or an export from your current system, matching your columns to ours on screen. Every import can be undone.
Video guides
See a booking taken
Short guides, most under a minute, with the steps written out underneath.
