Manage Your Nonprofit Program Costs and Move Toward Sustainability

In mid-November the Northwest Minnesota Foundation hosted Phil Hatlie, NonprofitAssistance Fund (NAF) to deliver the workshop, “What Do Your Programs Really Cost”.  

Phil introduced a great new tool called Program Budget Allocation - which helps nonprofit organizations manage their program costs, create an effective budget and work toward sustainability.

What do your Programs Cost - November session

This free tool launches in mid-December, and if you register with Nonprofit Assistance Fund, you will be one of the first nonprofit organizations in Minnesota to receive this tool.

NAF has put the finishing touches on this new program budget and allocation tool to walk you through the mechanics and produce some great financial information. The guide and accompanying spreadsheet template breaks down the process of understanding true program costs, either through budgeting or financial reports, into several stages. 

The narrative that accompanies the tool guides the user through defining the programs, identifying direct costs, allocating shared costs, and calculating and allocating administrative and fundraising costs. Because a reliable and practical allocation system is a cornerstone to clarifying program costs; the narrative includes definitions and guidance to choose which allocation methods to use for which expenses – and then the budgeting spreadsheet does the math.

To read the NAF blog post, click here. If you’d like the early bird notice and link, please sign up here. You’ll be the first to have the resource so you can start digging in to your true costs.