A budget is one of the clearest expressions of an organization’s priorities. It tells a story, in numbers, what you believe matters most for the year ahead. Unfortunately, many times the annual budget is just an annual exercise leadership does half-heartedly.
It doesn’t have to be that way. A trustworthy budget is built on a few habits that any church or organization can adopt.
Start with giving you can believe
Build your revenue assumptions on real trends, not hope. Look at the last several years of giving, account for seasonality, and be honest about the range of likely outcomes.
Connect every line to a priority
When each expense is tied to a priority, the budget stops being a list of costs and becomes a plan. That’s the version a board can champion rather than merely tolerate.
We track budgets each month against actual revenue and expenditures to give clear insight into the overall health of the organization and follow trends leaving us margin to adjust course if needed.