Growth over time

Below are five tables showing how much Free Geek has grown over the years measured by five different criteria:

1. the number of volunteers recording hours in the database
2. the number of monitors received into the database
3. the number of systems received into the database
4. the total amount of donations (excluding monitor fees) recorded into the database
5. the total amount of sales recorded into the database

All of these criteria are based on data entry in the database, and so poor data entry habits may have affected the results to some degree.

How to read the tables

In each table there are three columns.

Year (first column)

The year the data was recorded in the database.

(second column, labeled according to category)

The count or total dollar amount for the year.

Diff (third column)

The amount of change (growth) over the previous year, for example 113% in 2006 (donations) reflects an amount that is 13% larger than the year 2005. The first year that the difference is recorded is generally not a very useful number. A number less than 100% indicates an actual shrinking number.

Volunteers recording hours

Year	Volunteers	Diff
2000	63
2001	658	1044%
2002	826	126%
2003	1145	139%
2004	1576	138%
2005	2049	130%
2006	2003	98%

<gnuplot>

 set output 'volunteergrowth.png'
 plot '-' using 1:2 t 'volunteer growth by year' with linesp lt 2 lw 3
 2000 	63 	
 2001 	658 
 2002 	826 
 2003 	1145 
 2004 	1576 
 2005 	2049 
 2006 	2003 
 e

</gnuplot>

Monitors received

Year	Monitors	Diff
2000	749
2001	3473	464%
2002	3522	101%
2003	5499	156%
2004	9187	167%
2005	12786	139%
2006	11938	93%

<gnuplot>

 set output 'monitorgrowth.png'
 plot '-' using 1:2 t 'monitor donation growth by year' with linesp lt 2 lw 3

2000 749 2001 3473 2002 3522 2003 5499 2004 9187 2005 12786 2006 11938

 e

</gnuplot>

Note: Some of the 7% drop between 2005 and 2006 could have resulted from not recording monitors in the database as they came in. (That practice was laxly enforced as the year progressed.) However, the monitor fees recorded in the financial books indicated about a 4% drop in that income stream for the same time period.

Systems received

Year	Systems	Diff
2000	543
2001	4124	759%
2002	4709	114%
2003	8444	179%
2004	14117	167%
2005	17849	126%
2006	19613	110%

<gnuplot>

 set output 'systemgrowth.png'
 plot '-' using 1:2 t 'systems received growth by year' with linesp lt 2 lw 3

2000 543 2001 4124 2002 4709 2003 8444 2004 14117 2005 17849 2006 19613

 e

</gnuplot>

Donations in dollars

This excludes monitor fees.

Year	Donations	Diff
2000	$50.00
2001	$7,724.33	15449%
2002	$14,092.80	182%
2003	$29,067.20	206%
2004	$77,201.83	266%
2005	$85,348.40	111%
2006	$96,257.41	113%

<gnuplot>

 set output 'donationgrowth.png'
 plot '-' using 1:2 t 'cash donations by year' with linesp lt 2 lw 3

2000 50.00 2001 7724.33 2002 14092.80 2003 29067.20 2004 77201.83 2005 85348.40 2006 96257.41

 e

</gnuplot>

Sales in dollars

Year	Sales	Diff
2000
2001	$2,086.90
2002	$30,218.78	1448%
2003	$60,941.27	202%
2004	$98,190.69	161%
2005	$156,779.83	160%
2006	$224,665.56	143%

<gnuplot>

 set output 'salesgrowth.png'
 plot '-' using 1:2 t 'sales growth by year' with linesp lt 2 lw 3

2000 0 2001 2086.90 2002 30218.78 2003 60941.27 2004 98190.69 2005 156779.83 2006 224665.56

 e

</gnuplot>

What this tells us

All of these measuring sticks show that Free Geek has grown over the years. In general the rate of that growth has dropped each year from the previous one but each year is larger than the last. However, in the case of volunteers the number actually fell slightly between 2005 and 2006 (mostly it remained flat). And in the case of monitors received the number fell a little more sharply between 2005 and 2006. We might want to look more closely at the volunteer situation and decide if more volunteers are needed (and where). We may want to anticipate the effects of a drop off in monitor related income and costs on the organization.