A free webinar about getting your nonprofit’s financials in order!

Bookkeeping is one task that many nonprofits neglect or make half-hearted efforts at doing.  Both options are a mistake.

In the accounting process, you are classifying, reporting and analyzing financial data –none of that can happen without accurate, organized data.  Bookkeeping is the first basic step to this process!

We invite you to spend some invaluable time with CharityNet USA and learn a number of ways to make sure that your nonprofit gets its financial house in order!

Topics of Interest:
   •Things Needed to get Started
   •Bookkeeping & Accounting Process
   •Financial Reporting Tools
   •Solutions and Tips on Record Keeping

Learn the importance of basic financial management, bookkeeping and accounting and how to master it so your organization can reap the benefits by attending our FREE nonprofit webinar on June 24, 2010 from 3:00 pm – 4:00 pm (EST)!

Many non-profits do not take the time to hash out an estimated budget for their programs before embarking on the grant proposal process. However, establishing a budget is an essential step in the operation of every organization, regardless of whether or not they are seeking grant funding. Without conducting some research regarding costs and making financial calculations, a non-profit cannot accurately determine how much money they need in order to achieve their goals, and therefore do not know the amount of funding they should request from foundations.

Fortunately, The Foundation Center offers a free online Proposal Budgeting Basics course:

“This online course is designed to help with the basics of developing a project budget, and it is geared for those who have general knowledge of proposal development. (Beginners might want to take the Proposal Writing Short Course.) When you complete this course, you will know:

• The basic components of a project budget
• Different types of financial documents often required for proposals
• How overhead costs and fringe benefits may be incorporated within the budget
• How to access resources on the Web, which provide templates of project budgets”

You do not need an accountant to prepare your non-profit organization’s budget; however, if you have little knowledge about project budgeting, hiring an accountant can be useful the first time around. 

Here are a few additional resources that will aid in preparing your organization’s budget:

• Nonprofit Guides provides a sample budget, proposal cover letter, letter of inquiry, proposal, and other helpful examples.
• The Cleveland Foundation’s website offers a Grantee Toolkit including sample templates for a project budget request.
• Register on the CharityNet USA website and gain access to a variety of free non-profit tools and resources.