Blackbaud

MARCH 20, 2025

But when your organization faces funding uncertainty, strong cash flow planning can help you make data-driven decisions that provide a clear perspective and breathing room. In a Q&A conversation with consultant and nonprofit CFO Andrew Horrow , many people asked about ways to understand cash flow when funding sources were fluctuating.

Management 102

Management Finance Budget Nonprofit 102

DH Leonard Consulting & Grant Writing Services

DECEMBER 6, 2024

However, proper financial oversight is critical to make the most of those vital funds. Effective grant management goes beyond tracking funds in your CRM its also about budgeting effectively, prioritizing programs that need financial support, and delivering timely reports to grantmakers. Focus on funding gaps.

Finance 52

Finance Grant Management Management Grant 52

Blackbaud

JUNE 16, 2025

For finance teams in donor-focused and grant-funded organizations, working hand-in-hand with fundraising partners is critical to crafting reports that truly engage and tell a story. Grant Reports Grant stewardship requires detailed reporting on how funds were allocated and whether they achieved the intended outcomes.

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Ann Green's Nonprofit

MAY 5, 2025

With all the economic uncertainty right now, you may be worried about your nonprofits finances. This is important during this time of economic uncertainty and funding cuts. Dont skimp on your communications budget. Maybe you need to reallocate your budget to cover some of these expenses. Shorter is better.

CRM 147

CRM Budget Nonprofit Finance 147

Blackbaud

JANUARY 13, 2025

Ask the finance team. Finance teams can help their nonprofit organizations evaluate new revenue streams, enhancing the organizations stability and mitigating risk while intentionally experimenting with varied income sources. Even your IT team suggested selling the research tool they built to other organizations.

Finance 105

Finance Strategic Plan Consulting Consulting 105

Blackbaud

MARCH 3, 2025

But how do you justify spending money on a budgeting tool instead of supplies for an after-school program? Here are a few considerations when advocating for technology investments in your accounting and finance departments. Would this investment speed up budgeting, provide more accurate data, or mitigate risk?

Finance 88

Finance Strategic Plan Proposal Nonprofit 88

Blackbaud

DECEMBER 23, 2024

When your nonprofit is just getting started, your budget for an accounting system is likely very close to $0. Those low-cost tools can be a great way to launch and gain momentum, but there comes a point for every nonprofit when the time it takes to manage your fund accounting workarounds outweighs the cost of upgrading your system.

Finance 105

Finance Organizational Budget Budget Nonprofit 105

Blackbaud

MAY 21, 2025

Budget scenario planning may not be for everyone. If your programs always bring in their budgeted revenue, if your major donors always come through when they say they will, and if you receive every grant you apply for, you dont need budget scenarios. And if it does sound like your organization, please share your secrets!

Budget 88

Budget Strategic Plan Pass-Through Federal Grants 88

Blackbaud

JUNE 12, 2025

Many nonprofits rely heavily on grants to fund their missions, but successfully securing and managing grants requires a clear understanding of the grant lifecycle. The grant lifecycle refers to the full process a grant goes through from identifying opportunities and applying to implementing funded projects and reporting outcomes.

Grant 72

Grant Grants Grant Management Award 72

Blackbaud

JUNE 4, 2025

For example, a newly hired finance manager is stepping into a nonprofit with no formalized internal control policy. Without proper controls, the organization may inadvertently misuse funds, jeopardizing both its grant eligibility and reputation. Personnel Controls Require background checks for new hires in finance-related roles.

Policy 98

Policy Policies Finance Training 98

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.

Contract 104

Contract Contracts Budget Nonprofit 104

Blackbaud

FEBRUARY 13, 2025

As a nonprofit finance professional, you want all your data to be accurate. Maintaining compliance can protect existing funding, as well. The Importance of Accurate Time Allocation for Nonprofits Accurate time allocation is a cornerstone for nonprofit organizations, especially those with grant funding.

Grant 104

Grant Grants Indirect Cost Budget 104

Blackbaud

APRIL 16, 2025

The finance team shoulders immense responsibility to make sure funds are well-stewarded, often while being understaffed and under-resourced. A well-thought-out system can do the following automatically: Track Funding Sources Nonprofits often receive funding from diverse sources , such as grants, donations, sponsorships, and events.

Finance 93

Finance Budget Nonprofit Management 93

Lightning Fast Grant Writing

MAY 9, 2025

Your heart is racing, your inbox is a graveyard of unanswered pleas, and youre still waiting on a budget breakdown, an updated program description, and that one elusive staff bio written in something resembling human English. Or convinced the grant wont be funded anyway, so why bother? Picture this: the grant deadline is in 48 hours.

Grant Writing 130

Grant Writing Grant Grants Logic Model 130

Blackbaud

APRIL 7, 2025

Like your K12 private school budget. A well-crafted budget is essential for aligning financial resources with the strategic goals of your private school, and with the right processes and tools, it doesnt have to be stressful. Your school may have multiple budgets, each with a different purpose.

Budget 59

Budget Strategic Plan Template Conference 59

GrantNews

DECEMBER 11, 2024

On average, sources estimate that 1 in 7 applications are approved for funding. 9 Tips to Increase Your Chances of Winning a Grant 1) Target Your Funders There are many different types of funding sources, but which funding source is best for you? What are your chances of winning a grant? GrantWatch is here to help!

Grant 115

Grant Grants Proposal Application 115

Blackbaud

MARCH 7, 2025

As leaders in nonprofit finance, it’s our job to be prepared for the inevitability of change. We build a budget that is fair, balanced, and built on evidential history, but flexible ready for whatever hiccups and bumps come along. Im sure everyone is mildly familiar with budgeting. Why Do Nonprofit Budgets Change?

Budget 82

Budget Management Finance Utilities 82

Blackbaud

AUGUST 20, 2024

There are several exciting times of the year for nonprofit finance professionals—budget season, audits, year-end close. Whether you want to hear about product updates like automated payments and AI or brush up on fund accounting best practices, you don’t want to miss these bbcon 2024 financial management sessions.

Finance 105

Finance AI Federal Grants Indirect Cost 105

Blackbaud

MAY 6, 2024

Like a good recipe, your nonprofit budget requires high-quality ingredients, easy-to-follow steps, and a knowledgeable cook or two to put it together. But when you have all the pieces—accurate data, a clear process, and a finance team to put it together—you can make a three-course meal look easy.

Budget 119

Budget Strategic Plan Finance Insurance 119

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. If you are using fund accounting software built for nonprofits, these reports will be native in your system.

Liability 111

Liability Finance Template Budget 111

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 Revenue: All the funding coming in that you’re allocating to the program.

Budget 98

Budget Grant Writing Nonprofit Consulting 98

Get Fully Funded

AUGUST 27, 2023

Nonprofit budget. Yet a budget is a critical tool in managing your organization. A nonprofit budget can bring so many positives: Finances are much easier to manage because you know what expenses and revenue to expect. If you want to grow your nonprofit, a budget is not optional. and no organizational budget.

Budget 98

Budget Finance Organizational Budget Management 98

Grant Professionals Association

MAY 1, 2025

Working as a grant professional for the past 30 years, I have witnessed a honeymoon phase when you receive the exciting news that your grant is funded. For larger organizations, this could include staff from Human Resources, Finance, Information Technology, etc. These are all valid concerns when you receive an award notification.

GPC 64

GPC Award Finance Grant 64

Get Fully Funded

MARCH 20, 2023

When you’re just getting started, it’s critical that one of your first steps is to create your nonprofit’s first budget to help you manage both your organization and your finances as it grows. Without a budget, you can find yourself in deep water, fast, with more money going out than coming in.

Budget 98

Budget Finance Software Liability 98

Blackbaud

JULY 3, 2024

A Director of Finance at a nonprofit shared this sentiment with us during our research on the value of AI in fund accounting. AI in fund accounting has the power to drive deeper analysis and increased efficiency across your nonprofit accounting team, with the right safeguards for accuracy and privacy. Not bookkeeping.

AI 105

AI Finance Funding Training 105

Blue Avocado

DECEMBER 17, 2024

Nonprofit Grant Proposal Budget Calculations: A Road Map Whats the best way to make your nonprofits budget stand out on a grant application? Income inequality has forced nonprofits to rely more and more on the wealthy to fund their efforts to fight climate change. Explore the realities and challenges of food insecurity.

Budget 97

Budget Finance Burnout Grant 97

Blackbaud

APRIL 4, 2024

Let’s face it—budget planning can cause a lot of stress and anxiety for nonprofits. Do we have the funds this year to maintain our programs? Most organizations face frequent budget cuts, which creates organizational uncertainty and a scramble for new funding options. And what do we do if the answer is “no”?

Finance 119

Finance Budget Indirect Cost Indirect 119

Get Fully Funded

OCTOBER 26, 2022

The following checklist covers the basics of everything you need to get funded , become official, and stay organized: Define your nonprofit’s mission clearly. Getting your programs off the ground, ensuring legal compliance, recruiting staff and volunteers, and correctly managing your nonprofit’s finances can be daunting.

Finance 98

Finance Management Nonprofit CRM 98

Blackbaud

FEBRUARY 14, 2025

Its hard to choose to put funds into operating reserves when that could help one more person transition out of homelessness. By tapping into operating reserves, organizations can bridge temporary gaps in funding without compromising their immediate operations.

Management 104

Management Policy Policies Budget 104

Candid

MAY 14, 2025

But it has always been precarious, relying on a combination of government funding and razor-thin operating margins. How will shifts in government funding affect affordable housing? Now add to these pressures questions about long-standing government funding. In February 2025, our organization received from the U.S.

Finance 66

Finance Government Nonprofit Policy 66

Allied Grant Writers

DECEMBER 26, 2024

This funding can help cover various costs, including materials, studio space, and living expenses. For many artists, especially those working independently or within non-profit organizations, grants can mean the difference between a project coming to fruition or being abandoned due to lack of funds.

Grant 52

Grant Grants Grant Writing Application 52

Blackbaud

MARCH 31, 2025

But its difficult to drive impact when your grantees cant access their funds, arent sure when the funds are arriving, and dont have a clear understanding of their requirements for using the funds. Start by making it simple for grantees to track the status of fund transfers.

Grant 59

Grant Grants Grant Management Award 59

GiveSmart

NOVEMBER 27, 2023

Managing your annual budget—and multiple budgets within it—is one of the most crucial components of running a nonprofit organization. Understanding where your funds go and how they come in allows you to make better decisions that benefit your bottom line and streamline your financial close-out once the fiscal year-end comes around.

Budget 92

Budget Finance Calendar Software 92

Grant Writer Team

MARCH 27, 2025

The board approves budgets, reviews financial reports, and ensures proper controls are in place to keep finances in check. Risk Management From finances to reputation, the board identifies and mitigates risks. Part of a nonprofit governing board’s job is to secure funding for operation costs and special projects.

Government 64

Government Ethics Proposal Finance 64

Blackbaud

FEBRUARY 4, 2025

If losing tags is putting you one step closer to finding a new fund accounting softwareor you are just scrambling to figure out how to track restricted revenue in QuickBookshere are some tips for what you can do in the short term, and what you need to look for in the long-term. There is a better way.

Software 87

Software Nonprofit Finance Management 87

Blackbaud

JANUARY 9, 2025

These are funds set aside by the Board for a future special designated use, such as supporting the purchase of a headquarters building, acquiring a program from another organization, or funding a one-time future project, for example, a rebranding or a special event like a 100 th anniversary celebration.

Policy 98

Policy Policies Budget Management 98

Blackbaud

MAY 27, 2024

It’s budget season, and the spreadsheet chaos has begun. You want to document your process to save yourself valuable time next budget season. You want to be able to easily report on budgets in a variety of accurate, clear ways without too much fuss, and know what was approved versus what’s been modified. What if it raises more?

Budget 59

Budget Software Funding Utilities 59