Hands on Budgeting

Wendy WatsonApril 18, 2008

Agenda• Why and when to budget?• Types of budgets• Revenues• Expenses• Cost allocation • Types of budget Reports• A few brief words about accounting systems• Budget work session

Wendy’s Disclaimer

Why budget?• Planning

• Track use resources over time

• Inform decisions

• Record of what an organization plans to do, and did

• Supports integrated funding• It’s required

When to budget?• Annually

• For grants or start ups

• In advance to allow time for approval processes

• Allow time for adjustments

• Over time to keep track of pending and secured funding

Types of budgets

• Pie in the sky budgeting

• Reality budget

• A hybrid model

• Single service, single source budgets

• Integrated, or braided or blended

Who should budget?

• Administrative staff (coordinators, directors, managers) may help prepare and implement budgets

• Oversight groups – boards, councils, executive committees inform, approve and monitor budgets

• Staff Inform, may help prepare and may implement budgets

• Fiscal Agent

Revenues• Grants

– Restricted– Unrestricted

• Donations

• Fundraising possibilities– Learn the rules that guide donations,

fundraising, fees• Public Dollars from taxes

Revenue considerations

• Cost effectiveness

• Audit requirements

• Are overhead costs allowable for the funding source

Expenses

• Expenses: Generally do not have a future value

• Capital Expenditures: Generally have a future value

• Direct and indirect expenses and grants

• Overhead

Questions to use in budget review• Are the amounts realistic?• Can you understand what is being funded

and how the amount was determined?• Are line items in appropriate categories?• What does this budget tell you about

priorities of this organization?• Is there anything that may cause concern?• Note anything else about this budget you

wonder about or find intriguing?National Economic Development and Law Center

Budget Review: Small Group Activity

Common Challenges with ECC Budgets

• Lack of specificity

• Math mistakes

• Cost Allocations between funding sources logic

• Line items under wrong categories (e.g. contractors listed as staff)

Budget Spread Sheet Uses

• Establish the fiscal plan projection– Secured Funding– Pending Funding

• Identify gaps and needs for further fundraising

• Plan for in-kind and match

Cost Allocation

• Process of assigning expenses to more than one funding stream

• Tracking of expenses charged to more than one funding stream

Accounting systems

• Cash basis

• Accrual basis

More accounting system considerations

• Fund Accounting

• Technology

• Audits

Financial Statements• Measure efficiency

• Track adequacy of resources

• Trends– % of total budget– Compare to previous periods

• Monitor cash flow

Financial Indicators

• Surplus, deficit

• Budget to actual

• Functional Expense Ratios– How much is administrative versus

programmatic

Financial Indicators cont.

• Balance sheet– Shows resources for current

expenses

• Secured funding versus pending request

Financial Reports: Balance Sheet

Tracks the following:• Assets• Liabilities• Net worth:

– unrestricted assets, – temporarily restricted assets– permanently restricted

What to look for in the balance sheet

• Does it balance?• Are net assets positive or negative?• Do current assets exceed current liabilities?• Are accounts receivable reasonable?• How much of the net assts are restricted?

• National Economic Development and Law Center

Cash Flow StatementPurpose is to monitor when revenues and

expenses are incurred

• Cash in

• Cash paid out, disbursed

• Cash Balance

What to look for in a Cash Flow Statement

• Is the cash balance positive?• Is there a time a year when cash flow is a

problem?• Is revenue received in a timely, consistent

manner?• Can the timing of expenses and revenue be

improved to increase the monthly cash balance?

National Economic Development and Law Center

Financial Statements: Statement of Activities, Budget to Actual

• Statement of Activities

• Budget to actual reports–Against current years budget–Historical comparison

What to look for in Statement of Activities, Budget to Actual

• Does the organization have a surplus or deficit?

• Are there any actual line items that differ from the projected budget?

• How does this difference affect the budget?

• Was this difference approved?

National Economic Development and Law Center

Budget to Actual Review: Small Group Activity

Common challenges in Budget to Actual ECC Reports

• Lack of specificity

• Failure to fill in all applicable columns

• Missing grant amendments

• Math errors

Work session on budgeting – recommended steps

• Establish time period• Estimate revenue sources and amounts• Estimate expenditures (linked to

strategic plan and work plan for the year)– Fixed expenses– Salary– Program or funder requirements– Everything else