Blackbaud

JANUARY 9, 2025

Find the Right Number for Your Nonprofit Operating Reserves The Nonprofit Operating Reserves Initiative (NORI) Workgroup suggests that the minimum operating reserve ratio at the lowest point during the year should be 25 percent, or about three months of the annual operating expense budget. However, this is not a universal benchmark.

Contracts

Grant Professionals Association

JUNE 27, 2025

Organizations often view post-award management as the responsibility of finance or program teams. Author Bio: Julie Assel, GPC, CGMS, is CEO of Assel Grant Services, a national consulting firm specializing in strategic grant research, proposal development, management, and training.

Award

Allied Grant Writers

DECEMBER 25, 2024

Well-articulated grant proposals demonstrate an applicant’s understanding of the project’s goals, budget implications, and anticipated impact. Detailed Budget Proposal A comprehensive budget proposal is essential in demonstrating the financial viability of a project.

Grant Writing

DoJiggy

JANUARY 8, 2025

Here are some tips to keep your finances organized: Set a Budget Determine the costs of your event, including venue, marketing, supplies, and any other expenses. A clear budget prevents overspending and ensures profitability. Consult a tax professional if needed.

Fundraising

DH Leonard Consulting & Grant Writing Services

JULY 23, 2025

A development director might initiate an application, a program manager might input project details, and a finance officer might submit budget information or financial reports. In these organizations, the grant-seeking process is often a collaborative effort involving multiple staff members.

Grant

Blackbaud

JUNE 20, 2025

Most nonprofit finance teams have been taught to keep their overhead costs buried deep within their financial statements. Office of Management and Budget (OMB) revised their uniform guidance in 2024, increasing the de minimus (or standard) rate allowed for indirect costs—overhead for federal grants—from 10 to 15%.

Indirect Cost

Blackbaud

JULY 8, 2025

Limited budgets, complex grant requirements, and fluctuating revenue streams can make managing finances a significant challenge. We talked with three experts—Stephanie Skryzowski with 100 Degrees Consulting , Andrew Horrow with Finnovate for Good , and Jerilyn Dressler with Your Part-Time Controller, LLC (YPTC) —to understand more.

Finance

NonProfit PRO

JUNE 23, 2025

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Funding

Grant Writing Made Easy

MAY 20, 2025

Financial Information: Latest budgets, audited financial statements, and cost breakdowns. Budget Narrative A standard explanation of costs that can be tweaked for different applications. Ask Your Team for Updates: Program staff, finance, and leadership should share new numbers or impact stories.

Grant Writing

Pamela Grow

FEBRUARY 27, 2025

Because your organization cant turn a profit by definition, the goal of tracking your finances is to demonstrate to donors, funders, the government, and the community that youre using your funding responsibly to further your mission. Internally, this report is most useful for budgeting.

Liability

NonProfit PRO

JULY 29, 2025

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Retail

Blackbaud

JANUARY 9, 2025

Able to Realize Budget Surpluses: Operating reserves are often accumulated through financial planning that includes assembling operating budgets with an annual surplus, along with a track record of actual surpluses being realized most years. Consult your auditor and CPA to identify the options that work best for your organization.

Policy

Blackbaud

NOVEMBER 5, 2024

To produce meaningful reports to help you do this, you must track all financial activity and ideally compare it to your budget, or your financial representation of what you think you’ll pursue during the year. You can run them with just a few clicks, and easily add columns for budget to actual, balances, and activity year-over-year.

Liability

Grant Writing Made Easy

AUGUST 3, 2022

At our most recent Grant Writing Made Easy workshop, we did a deep dive into nonprofit program budgets. Of all the topics I teach inside the course, the budget is the one that students have the most anxiety and confusion around. (By Follow this 3-step process for creating nonprofit program budgets. Understand the key terms.

Budget

Peak Proposals

APRIL 3, 2023

Grant proposals have at least two parts: the project narrative and the budget (aka cost proposal). There may not be a division of responsibilities between the cost and narrative proposals at a small nonprofit, leaving the project lead (or the grant writer) to both write the proposal narrative and prepare the budget.

Budget

Just Write Grants

SEPTEMBER 6, 2023

With our digital school bells ringing, it's time to attend a masterclass in nonprofit finance. Organizational Budget : A detailed outline of how a nonprofit plans to earn and spend money over a certain period. Creating a budget involves: Making realistic projections about revenue and expenses.

Finance

Blackbaud

DECEMBER 20, 2023

Working with a lean budget means even the slightest unexpected expense can create a stressful situation. From creating a financial cushion to clearly managing your financial reporting, your finance team can create a strong foundation to help you weather whatever the new year has in store.

Indirect Cost

Get Fully Funded

APRIL 14, 2022

Nonprofit consultants specialize in a number of different aspects of nonprofit management from fundraising and accounting to web design. The right consultant can bring your organization new insights, leaping your nonprofit forward in terms of progress. What you need a consultant for . How to research consultants .

Consulting

Grant Writing Made Easy

MAY 1, 2024

If hearing about nonprofit budgets makes you cringe a little ( or a lot ), keep reading. In 2024, the grant landscape for nonprofits has evolved significantly, emphasizing the need for meticulous financial planning and transparent budgeting to meet funder expectations. We’ve got you.

Budget

Blackbaud

APRIL 1, 2024

Cybersecurity on a Budget: Leveraging Open-Source Software and Trusted Vendors Presented by Don Rahn, Director of Security Operations, Blackbaud In the high-stakes world of cybersecurity, defending against threats is non-negotiable. But what if your budget doesn’t match the magnitude of the risks?

AI

The NonProfit Times

JUNE 13, 2024

Community Brands partnered with third-party research firm Pacific Consulting Group (PCG) to field a survey which was conducted online during the fourth quarter of 2023. When it came to revenue streams, the list started with “donations” at 73% and dropping down to 23% of use for “text-to-give.”

Budget

Candid

MARCH 25, 2024

One of the first things you need to do, then, is to detail your expenses in a budget and determine what is eligible for grant funding. Therefore, it’s important that your house be in order and that you are prepared to be transparent about your operations, strategy, finances, and staff. Do you have a track record?

Grant Readiness

Assel Grant Services

OCTOBER 6, 2024

As a result, evaluation costs fluctuate, and the conventional guidance to devote 10% of the program budget to evaluation isn’t always accurate, at least for federal grant programs. There are three primary factors that influence the evaluation budget: program, evaluation design, and reporting/dissemination.

Budget

Millionaire Grant Lady

JULY 3, 2024

For example, finance personnel must provide budgets and applicable financial documents, and can help provide cost analysis and other essential services. It might be tempting to think of the responsibility for grant applications as solely belonging to a grant writer, but in reality, many parties contribute to a successful application.

Federal Grants

Tech Soup

APRIL 5, 2010

Is there any correlation between budget, IT spending, staff size, or organizational size and tech leadership? Organizations face difficult challenges — from insufficient data and lean budgets to overworked staffs — just trying to keep up with changing technologies and trends, and with the rest of the sector. And it's free! >

IT

Blackbaud

MARCH 7, 2024

Often, this leads to large audit adjustments, budget vs actual reporting difficulties, and other funding challenges. The Financial Accounting Standards Board (FASB) introduces guidelines on how nonprofits should handle grants and contracts, and these updates help nonprofits report their finances accurately and in a standard manner.

Finance

Get Fully Funded

JANUARY 13, 2010

As a consultant to nonprofits, my blood just boils when I am asked by executive directors or board members, “So, we are thinking about hiring a development officer, how long it will take before this person is raising more money than the salary we pay them?” Linda Lysakowski, ACFRE.

Publishing

Blackbaud

MAY 19, 2023

Errors in your nonprofit financial data can not only cause issues in your planning and budgeting processes , but you could also lose grant funding—or donor trust—if you aren’t tracking your expenses properly. And there is no difference in tracking, reporting, or budgeting capabilities with a segmented chart of accounts.

Nonprofit

DoJiggy

SEPTEMBER 19, 2024

Nonprofits demand more from managers, especially when it comes to finances. Nonprofit financial management requires greater transparency and increased contingency planning of your budget. Your nonprofit needs to manage its finances responsibly to be prepared for these thin donation times. Your nonprofit budget is also flexible.

Management

Get Fully Funded

JUNE 20, 2022

Many Boards have a Steering or Executive Committee, a Finance Committee, and a Governance Committee, which oversees Board recruitment and makes sure the Board operates according to the bylaws. Organization finances: When does the organization’s fiscal year begin and end? When does the Board adopt an annual budget?

Nonprofit

DH Leonard Consulting & Grant Writing Services

JUNE 24, 2022

And while having an official grant writer on staff is not a prerequisite to receiving grant funds, it is difficult to juggle the rules and regulations, deadlines, and application requirements on top of your typical workday duties when you are fighting fires, shaping young minds, running programs, balancing the budget, or leading your community.

Grant

Blue Avocado

JANUARY 30, 2024

As we’re all probably aware, the grant application usually begins with the detailed conceptualization of the project, followed by the creation of a budget and narrative. On most application budgets, M&G is the last line item and is calculated by multiplying the organization-wide M&G rate by the project’s total expense.

Application

Grant Writer Team

JULY 11, 2024

The amount of salary you budget for the job post can go a long way in choosing qualified candidates who know vital grant writing techniques. In the bid to cut costs, they discard skilled and experienced consultants for less qualified individuals. Specific nonprofits estimate way too low for salaries of grant writers.

Grant

The Fundraising Coach

JULY 29, 2024

If you’re uncertain about which type of grant to pursue, you may wish to discuss your options with a fundraising consultant or fundraising coach. Lay out your grant budget. Work with your finance team to create a realistic budget and break it down for the grantmaker in your proposal.

Grants

Grant Writing Made Easy

MAY 13, 2024

Financial Oversight: Keep your finances as neat as a new pin with stellar budget tracking and expenditure monitoring. As experienced grant writing consultants, we’ve thoroughly explored the options and identified the best tools to streamline your grant management processes. But fear not!

Grant Management

Tech Soup

OCTOBER 22, 2013

Your finances : Your onsite systems can probably clunk along for a while without much support. All nonprofit needs, budgets, concerns, and priorities are also different, so there is no "one size fits all" answer about whether a cloud-based solution is right for your organization. More Cloudy Goodness. Want more Tech Impact?

SAM

Tech Soup

MAY 30, 2014

The latest version of QuickBooks can help you manage your organization's finances all in one place. Teespring campaigns are free to anyone, but through TechSoup you can get help and consulting to design your campaigns as well as a discount on each shirt sold. Shopify is now open to all budgets!

Telecommunication