COURSE DESCRIPTION:

What is so special about nonprofit organization budgets? Like all other types of corporate and business entities, nonprofits must manage acquisition of funds and use of limited resources, but with the added heavy responsibility that they exist to support the “public good” while being governed by volunteers. Consequently, budgets serve an even greater role for nonprofit organizations.

Budgets help nonprofits use (expend) limited financial resources in a manner that not only advances mission but also recognizes capacity constraints, supports sustainability, and promotes continuity. Culture, management styles, and assigning budget responsibilities are important elements of proactive working budgeting systems and budget building processes.

In this presentation we will discuss actions and tactics you can use to enhance budget building processes including adding an annual budget process assessment, finding the right time to start the budget building process, budgeting for revenue and support, special tactics for budgeting for salaries, and how decentralizing the budget building process and documenting budget assumptions is key to success.

LEARNING OBJECTIVES:

• – Learn about how an annual budget process assessment can set the stage for change and improved performance.
• – Explore options related to finding the right time to begin the budget building process and how even a small change will have many benefits.
• – Learn about funding-first approach to budget building and how prioritizing budgeting for revenue and support on the front-end of the budget building process will help with funding assessments and aligning and scaling programs, activities, and operations to available funding.
• – Look at how the use of special tactics for budgeting for salaries, and how decentralizing the budget building process and documenting budget assumptions is key to success.