purpose of budget presentation

Budget proposal presentation: A comprehensive guide

Learn how to develop a clear budget proposal, build a strong case for funding, and present your data visually.

Raja Bothra

Building presentations

Welcome to our comprehensive guide on budget proposal presentations.

In this blog post, we'll dive deep into the world of budget proposals, exploring what they are, the benefits they offer, and how to create an effective budget proposal presentation that wows your audience.

So, what exactly is a budget proposal, and why is it such a crucial tool in the corporate world? Let's find out.

What is a budget proposal?

Budget - the very word evokes thoughts of financial planning, allocation, and decision-making. It's the cornerstone of any successful organization, whether big or small.

A budget proposal , in essence, is a detailed financial plan that outlines how a company intends to allocate its resources, both monetary and non-monetary, over a specific period, usually a fiscal year. This proposal serves as a roadmap for achieving the company's goals and objectives, ensuring that funds are distributed efficiently and effectively.

Benefits of budget proposal presentations

Now that we understand the fundamental concept of a budget proposal, let's explore why creating a compelling presentation around it can be a game-changer for your organization.

Improved communication and understanding: Effective budget presentation slides can make complex financial data comprehensible to a wide range of stakeholders, from decision-makers to employees. It acts as a bridge between financial experts and those less familiar with finance, facilitating a shared understanding of the company's financial health and priorities.

Strategic decision-making: A well-prepared budget proposal presentation is an essential tool for making strategic decisions. It helps align the company's goals with its financial resources, ensuring that every dollar spent contributes to the achievement of the company's mission statement. This alignment is crucial for meeting short-term objectives and long-term milestones.

Convincing stakeholders: Whether you're presenting your budget to managers, executives, or external stakeholders, a professionally designed presentation can help you make your case effectively. It provides a visual representation of your financial plan, showcasing your commitment to fiscal responsibility and your ability to allocate resources wisely.

Data visualization: Key financial information, such as revenue projections, expenditure breakdowns, and historical data, can be daunting when presented in raw numbers. However, with the right graphs and charts, you can transform complex financial data into easily digestible visuals. Bar charts and graphs are powerful tools for displaying trends, comparisons, and progress over time.

Templates for efficiency: Creating a budget proposal presentation from scratch can be time-consuming. Thankfully, there are budget presentation templates available, both for powerpoint and google slides, that can save you a significant amount of time. These templates are customizable and often come with slide templates tailored for various financial topics.

KPIs and metrics to include in budget proposal presentation

Understanding the importance of a budget proposal presentation is just the beginning. To create a compelling and data-driven case, it's crucial to incorporate the right Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) and metrics into your presentation. These metrics provide the foundation for your financial story and allow you to track and communicate your company's financial health effectively.

1. Annual budget

Annual budget overview : Your presentation should kick off with a comprehensive overview of the company's annual budget. This section should outline expected revenues and expenditures for the upcoming fiscal year. It provides the context for the rest of your presentation, setting the stage for the financial journey ahead.

2. Budget allocation

Allocation across departments and projects : Delve into the specifics of how the budget is allocated across different departments and projects within the organization. Highlight any significant changes or shifts in budget allocation compared to the previous fiscal year. This section showcases your strategic planning and resource distribution.

3. Cash flow Analysis

Understanding cash flow : Present a detailed cash flow analysis that shows how money flows into and out of the company. Cash flow analysis is vital for understanding the liquidity and financial stability of your organization. It demonstrates your commitment to maintaining a healthy financial position.

4. Executive summary

High-level overview : Include an executive summary within your presentation. This succinct section provides decision-makers with a high-level overview of your budget proposal. It's particularly essential for busy individuals who need a quick grasp of the proposal's key points. Think of it as the "elevator pitch" for your budget.

5. Financial plan

Elaborate on strategies and tactics : Dive into the company's financial plan. Here, you should outline the strategies and tactics that will be employed to achieve the financial goals set forth in your budget. This section provides insight into the actionable steps that will drive financial success.

6. Visual representation

Utilize graphs and charts : To enhance the clarity and impact of your presentation, incorporate various graphic, diagram, graphs and charts. These visual aids are powerful tools for illustrating key financial data. Use them to showcase revenue trends, expenditure breakdowns, and operating profit. Ensuring that these visuals are editable allows for customization and adaptability.

7. Historical data

Contextualize with historical data : To provide a broader perspective, include historical financial data. Historical data offers context and helps demonstrate areas of growth or improvement. It allows your audience to see the trajectory of your organization's financial performance over time.

In addition to these commonly used KPIs and metrics, it's essential to consider industry-specific or organization-specific metrics that may be relevant to your proposal. These metrics should align with the goals and objectives of your budget.

When selecting KPIs and metrics, keep these factors in mind:

• Relevance : Ensure that the chosen KPIs and metrics directly relate to the goals and objectives outlined in your budget proposal.
• Measurability : Select KPIs and metrics that are measurable and for which you can gather data consistently.
• Actionability : Choose KPIs and metrics that are actionable, meaning that the data collected can be used to make informed decisions and drive improvements in performance.

Once you've selected your KPIs and metrics, consider how to present them effectively within your budget proposal presentation. Use charts, graphs, and clear visual representations to make the data more accessible and engaging. Be prepared to address any questions or concerns that may arise from your audience regarding these metrics.

By incorporating relevant, measurable, and actionable KPIs and metrics into your budget proposal presentation, you can effectively demonstrate the value of your budget and increase your likelihood of gaining approval. Your presentation will not only convey financial data but also tell a compelling financial story that resonates with your audience.

How to structure an effective budget proposal presentation

Structuring an effective budget proposal presentation is crucial for conveying your financial plan clearly and persuasively. A well-organized presentation not only ensures that your audience understands your proposal but also makes a compelling case for its approval. To help you achieve this, here's a detailed breakdown of how to structure your budget proposal presentation:

Introduction

• Start with impact : Begin your presentation with a captivating opening that immediately grabs your audience's attention. You might use a surprising statistic, a thought-provoking quote, or a powerful anecdote to set the tone. Remember, first impressions matter.
• Introduce yourself and your team : Establish credibility by introducing yourself and your team members. Briefly explain your roles and expertise within the organization. This humanizes the presentation and helps build trust with your audience.
• Purpose clarity : Clearly state the purpose of your budget proposal presentation. Let your audience know what to expect. Are you seeking approval, feedback, or a decision? Be transparent about your intentions.

Problem or opportunity

• Identify the problem or opportunity : Dive into the heart of the matter by identifying the specific problem or opportunity that your budget proposal addresses. Provide a concise yet comprehensive description of the issue at hand.
• Importance and impact : Explain why this problem or opportunity is crucial for your organization. Quantify its impact if possible, using data and facts to support your claims. Paint a vivid picture of why action is needed.
• Solution overview : Present a high-level overview of your proposed solution. Briefly outline how your budget will be utilized to address the identified problem or seize the opportunity. This helps your audience connect the dots early in the presentation.
• Detailed budget proposal : Transition into the core of your presentation by presenting your budget proposal in detail. Use clear and concise language to explain the various components of your budget. Avoid overwhelming your audience with too much information; instead, focus on the key aspects.
• Financial strategy : Be specific about how your budget will be deployed to achieve your goals. Highlight any key financial strategies or tactics that underpin your proposal. This demonstrates your thoughtful planning.
• Visual representation : Incorporate visual aids, such as charts and graphs, throughout your presentation. These visuals provide a clear and engaging way to illustrate complex financial data. Ensure that these visuals are editable for customization and can be easily understood by your audience.
• Assumptions and estimates : Transparency is crucial. Clearly explain any assumptions or estimates you've made in developing your budget. This not only builds trust but also allows your audience to understand the basis of your projections.
• Highlight the advantages : Dedicate a section to highlight the benefits of your budget proposal. Explain how it aligns with your organization's overarching goals and objectives. Use specific examples and quantifiable data to bolster your points.
• Address concerns : Anticipate and address potential concerns or objections that your audience may have. Demonstrating that you've considered these concerns and have a plan to mitigate them can bolster confidence in your proposal.
• Summarize key points : In the final section, recap the main points of your presentation. Reinforce the most critical aspects of your budget proposal to ensure they stick with your audience.
• Reiterate the call to action : Remind your audience of your primary call to action, whether it's seeking approval, feedback, or a decision. Be clear and direct in what you're asking for.
• Express gratitude : Conclude your presentation by thanking your audience for their time and consideration. Acknowledge their role in the decision-making process and express your willingness to address any further questions or concerns.

By following this structured approach, you can create a budget proposal presentation that is not only informative but also persuasive. Remember that clarity, engagement, and transparency are key elements in crafting a presentation that effectively communicates your financial plan and garners support from your audience.

Do’s and don'ts on a budget proposal presentation

As we approach the end of our guide, it's essential to highlight some do's and don'ts when creating and delivering your budget proposal presentation.

• Start strong : Commence your presentation with a captivating introduction that grabs your audience's attention from the outset. Clearly articulate the purpose of your presentation, setting the stage for what's to come.
• Clarity and conciseness : Be crystal clear in your communication. Avoid using excessive jargon or technical terms that might bewilder your audience. Keep your language simple and concise, ensuring that your message is easily understood.
• Organize effectively : Structure your presentation logically and in an organized manner. Ensure that your audience can easily follow the flow of your budget proposal. A well-organized presentation fosters better understanding.
• Visual enhancement : Enhance your presentation with visuals. Incorporate charts and graphs to illustrate complex data and concepts. Visual aids not only engage your audience but also simplify the comprehension of intricate financial information.
• Practice, practice, practice : Thoroughly rehearse your presentation to appear confident and knowledgeable. Familiarity with your content will enable you to deliver your presentation smoothly and with conviction.
• Anticipate questions : Be prepared to answer questions from your audience. Anticipate the queries that may arise regarding your budget proposal and have clear, concise responses at the ready.

Don'ts:

• Information overload : Avoid overwhelming your audience with excessive information. Focus on conveying the most critical aspects of your budget proposal, steering clear of unnecessary details that may bog down your presentation.
• Vagueness : Steer clear of vagueness. Be specific about how your budget will be allocated and utilized to achieve your goals. Provide tangible examples and concrete details to reinforce your points.
• Overpromising : Resist the temptation to make promises that cannot be realistically kept. Maintain a sense of realism about what your budget can achieve, ensuring that your audience's expectations align with the proposed plan.
• Neglect follow-up : After your presentation, don't forget to follow up. Send a courteous follow-up email to your audience, expressing gratitude for their time and consideration. This demonstrates professionalism and commitment.

Summarizing key takeaways

• Understanding budget proposals : Budget proposals are detailed financial plans that allocate resources over a specific period, serving as a roadmap for achieving organizational goals.
• Benefits of presentation : Presenting budget proposals effectively enhances communication, aids strategic decision-making, convinces stakeholders, utilizes data visualization, and offers templates for efficiency.
• KPIs and metrics : Include key performance indicators (KPIs) and metrics like annual budget overview, budget allocation, cash flow analysis, executive summary, financial plan, visual representation, and historical data to support your budget proposal.
• Structuring your presentation : Structure your budget proposal presentation with a captivating introduction, problem or opportunity identification, solution overview, detailed budget proposal, highlighting benefits, and a clear conclusion.
• Do's : Start strong, maintain clarity and conciseness, organize your presentation effectively, enhance it with visuals, practice thoroughly, and anticipate questions.
• Don'ts : Avoid information overload, vagueness, overpromising, and neglecting follow-up after the presentation. Stay realistic and professional throughout the process.

1. What should I include in my budget presentation?

To create an effective budget presentation, start with a powerpoint template that suits your company's style. Make sure to incorporate topics lke the proposed budget, budget summary, marketing budget, company budget, and departmental budget details. Use bullet points and data points to communicate financial information clearly.

2. How can I make my budget proposal stand out in a competitive landscape?

To differentiate your budget proposal, consider presenting it using a powerpoint presentation. Use the free budget templates ppt available to you to map out how you'll accomplish your goals and make your ideas come to life within a reasonable budget. Highlight key indicators and financial highlights to make your case to managers or executives.

3. What are common pitfalls to avoid when presenting a budget proposal?

One common pitfall is not using an accurate budget. Ensure your budget isn't based solely on the current state of your company but also considers future growth. Additionally, small businesses should consult with an accountant or financial expert to help prepare the budget. Be mindful of presenting the actual budget alongside the proposed budget to show the company budget's overall performance.

4. How can I effectively report on the financial aspects of my budget proposal?

When reporting on the financial aspects, focus on the budget details, income to make, and capital budgeting. Utilize PowerPoint budget slides to communicate financial information in a visually appealing way. Use data points and e.g. graphics to present financial highlights and cog information, ensuring your audience grasps the financial health of the company.

5. Where can I find resources to assist in creating a compelling budget proposal?

To get started, look for free budget templates and proposal templates online. These templates can help you come up with a list of best budgets for your company. Additionally, consider seeking assistance from your departmental team to gather input and ideas for the next project. This collaborative approach will help you create an overall budget that accurately reflects your company's goals and financial needs.

Create your budget proposal presentation with prezent

Our AI presentation platform is designed to help you craft professional and impactful budget proposals with ease. Here's how Prezent can assist you:

• Personalized Fingerprints : Tailor your budget proposal to the preferences of your audience. Prezent's AI can analyze audience preferences and help you create a presentation that resonates with them.
• Presentation Builder : Use our intuitive presentation builder to craft visually appealing slides that convey your budget proposal effectively. You can save time and effort with our user-friendly interface.
• Business Storytelling : Master the art of storytelling in your budget proposal. Prezent offers guides and e-courses to help you structure your presentation for maximum impact.
• Real-time Sharing and Collaboration : Collaborate seamlessly with your team on the budget proposal. Prezent enables real-time sharing and editing, making it easy to work together, whether you're in the same office or miles apart.
• Brand-Approved Design : Ensure your budget proposal adheres to your company's brand guidelines. Prezent provides document management features to keep your presentation on-brand.
• Enterprise-Grade Security : Rest assured that your budget proposal data is secure. We prioritize data security and have third-party assurance to safeguard both our systems and your valuable data.

With Prezent, you can save time, standardize your presentations, and create budget proposals that impress. Start crafting your budget proposal presentation today and elevate your communication to the next level.

Ready to create a budget proposal presentation that stands out? Try our free trial or book a demo today with Prezent!

Remember, it's not enough to come up with a budget plan; you need to make your case effectively.

So, start crafting your budget proposal presentation today and propel your company towards financial success.

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Budget presentation: How to prepare and deliver a budget model report and proposal

1. what is a budget presentation and why is it important, 2. how to create a realistic and accurate budget model for your project or organization, 3. how to write a clear and concise budget report that summarizes your budget model and highlights the key points, 4. how to wrap up your budget presentation and leave a lasting impression on your audience.

Budget presentation is a crucial aspect of financial planning and decision-making . It serves as a means to communicate the proposed budget model report and proposal to stakeholders, such as executives, board members, or department heads. The purpose of a budget presentation is to provide a comprehensive overview of the budget, its objectives, and the rationale behind the proposed allocations.

From the perspective of executives, a budget presentation allows them to assess the financial health of the organization and make informed decisions regarding resource allocation . It provides them with insights into the projected revenue, expenses, and potential areas for cost optimization or investment . By understanding the budgetary constraints and opportunities, executives can align the budget with the strategic goals of the organization.

For department heads, a budget presentation offers a platform to justify their resource requirements and demonstrate the value of their initiatives. It enables them to showcase the anticipated outcomes and benefits of their proposed budget allocations. By presenting a well-structured and persuasive budget model report, department heads can secure the necessary resources to execute their plans effectively.

1. Clear Objectives: A budget presentation should clearly outline the objectives of the budget and how it aligns with the organization's strategic goals . This helps stakeholders understand the purpose and expected outcomes of the proposed budget.

2. Detailed revenue and Expense analysis : The budget presentation should provide a detailed analysis of projected revenue sources and anticipated expenses. This includes revenue forecasts, cost breakdowns, and any assumptions made during the budgeting process.

3. cost Optimization opportunities : Highlighting potential areas for cost optimization is essential in a budget presentation. This could involve identifying inefficiencies, proposing process improvements, or exploring alternative resource allocation strategies .

4. Investment Prioritization: If there are multiple initiatives or projects competing for resources, the budget presentation should prioritize investments based on their potential impact and alignment with organizational objectives. This helps stakeholders make informed decisions about resource allocation .

5. risk Assessment and mitigation : A comprehensive budget presentation should address potential risks and uncertainties associated with the proposed budget. This includes identifying potential financial risks , outlining contingency plans, and discussing risk mitigation strategies .

6. Performance Metrics and Evaluation: It is important to include performance metrics and evaluation criteria in the budget presentation. This allows stakeholders to assess the effectiveness of the budget and track progress towards achieving the desired outcomes.

To illustrate these ideas, let's consider an example. Imagine a company planning to launch a new product line. In the budget presentation, the presenter could highlight the expected revenue from the new product line, the associated marketing expenses, and the projected return on investment. By providing concrete examples and data, the presenter can effectively convey the potential benefits of the proposed budget allocation.

Remember, this is an overview of the importance of budget presentations and some key elements to consider. For a more comprehensive understanding and tailored insights, it is recommended to consult additional resources or seek guidance from financial experts.

What is a budget presentation and why is it important - Budget presentation: How to prepare and deliver a budget model report and proposal

Creating a realistic and accurate budget model for your project or organization is crucial for effective financial planning and decision-making. In this section, we will explore various insights and perspectives on budget modeling, providing you with valuable information to enhance your understanding.

1. Understand Your Project or Organization: Before diving into budget modeling, it is essential to have a comprehensive understanding of your project or organization. Consider factors such as goals, objectives, timelines, and resource requirements. This knowledge will serve as a foundation for developing a realistic budget model.

2. Identify Revenue Sources: Start by identifying all potential revenue sources for your project or organization. This could include funding from grants, sponsorships, donations, or sales. By having a clear picture of your revenue streams, you can accurately estimate the financial inflows.

3. Estimate Expenses: Next, estimate the expenses associated with your project or organization. Break down the costs into different categories such as personnel, equipment, marketing, operations, and overhead. Use historical data, industry benchmarks, or expert opinions to make informed estimations.

4. Consider Timeframes: Budget models should consider the timeframes associated with your project or organization. Determine whether your budget will be annual, quarterly, or project-specific. This will help you allocate resources effectively and track financial progress over time.

5. Incorporate Contingencies: It is crucial to include contingencies in your budget model to account for unforeseen circumstances or unexpected expenses. Allocate a percentage of the budget as a contingency fund to mitigate risks and ensure financial stability .

6. Use Technology and Tools: Leverage technology and budgeting tools to streamline the budget modeling process . There are various software applications available that can assist in creating accurate and dynamic budget models. These tools can automate calculations, generate reports, and provide real-time insights.

7. Monitor and Adjust: Once your budget model is in place, regularly monitor and evaluate its performance . Compare actual expenses and revenues against the budgeted amounts. Identify any discrepancies and make necessary adjustments to ensure the accuracy and relevance of your budget model.

Remember, creating a realistic and accurate budget model requires careful consideration of various factors. By following these insights and utilizing a systematic approach, you can develop a robust budget model that supports your project or organization's financial goals.

How to create a realistic and accurate budget model for your project or organization - Budget presentation: How to prepare and deliver a budget model report and proposal

A budget report is a document that communicates the results of your budget model to your audience . It is an essential part of any budget presentation, as it summarizes the main assumptions, inputs, outputs, and recommendations of your budget analysis . A clear and concise budget report can help you persuade your stakeholders to accept your budget proposal and support your project or initiative. In this section, we will discuss how to write a budget report that covers the following aspects:

1. The purpose and scope of your budget model. You should explain why you created a budget model, what problem or opportunity it addresses, and what are the objectives and constraints of your budget analysis. For example, you could say: "We created a budget model to estimate the costs and benefits of launching a new product line in the next fiscal year. Our budget model aims to optimize the allocation of resources and maximize the return on investment , while considering the market demand, production capacity, and competitive environment."

2. The methodology and data sources of your budget model. You should describe how you built your budget model, what assumptions and formulas you used, and what data sources you relied on. You should also mention any limitations or uncertainties of your budget model , and how you addressed them. For example, you could say: "We used a bottom-up approach to build our budget model , starting from the unit costs and revenues of each product and aggregating them to the product line and company level. We used historical data from our accounting system, market research reports , and industry benchmarks to estimate the key variables and parameters of our budget model. We performed sensitivity analysis and scenario analysis to test the robustness and validity of our budget model under different conditions."

3. The results and findings of your budget model. You should present the main outputs and outcomes of your budget model , such as the projected income statement, cash flow statement , balance sheet, and key performance indicators . You should highlight the most important and relevant results and findings, and explain how they relate to your budget objectives and constraints. You should also compare and contrast the results of different scenarios or alternatives, and show the trade-offs and implications of each option. For example, you could say: "Our budget model shows that launching the new product line would generate a net profit of $1.5 million in the first year, and a cumulative net present value of $10 million over five years. The new product line would increase our market share by 5%, and improve our customer satisfaction and retention rates. However, launching the new product line would also require an initial investment of $3 million, and entail higher operating costs and risks. We compared the results of our budget model with two other alternatives: expanding the existing product line, and maintaining the status quo. We found that launching the new product line would offer the highest return on investment, but also the highest risk and uncertainty."

4. The recommendations and action plan of your budget model. You should provide your recommendations and suggestions based on the results and findings of your budget model. You should explain why you chose a certain option over others, and what are the benefits and drawbacks of your choice. You should also outline the action plan and timeline for implementing your budget proposal, and specify the roles and responsibilities of each stakeholder. You should also indicate the expected outcomes and impacts of your budget proposal, and how you will measure and evaluate them. For example, you could say: "We recommend launching the new product line in the next fiscal year, as it would create a competitive advantage and increase our profitability and growth. To implement our budget proposal, we need to secure the approval and funding from the senior management and the board of directors by the end of this quarter. We also need to hire and train new staff, purchase and install new equipment, and develop and market the new products by the end of the next quarter. We expect to launch the new product line by the beginning of the third quarter, and achieve the break-even point by the end of the year. We will monitor and report the progress and performance of the new product line on a monthly basis, using the following indicators: sales volume, revenue, cost, profit, market share, customer satisfaction, and return on investment.

The conclusion of your budget presentation is your final opportunity to persuade your audience that your proposal is sound and worthy of approval. It is also a chance to leave a lasting impression on your listeners and make them remember your key points. To achieve these goals, you need to follow some best practices and avoid some common pitfalls . Here are some tips on how to wrap up your budget presentation effectively:

- summarize your main points and recommendations. Don't introduce any new information or arguments in your conclusion. Instead, briefly remind your audience of the problem you are trying to solve, the solution you are proposing, and the benefits it will bring. Highlight the most important or compelling facts or figures that support your case. For example, you could say: "As you have seen, our current budget is insufficient to meet the growing demand for our services. By increasing our budget by 10%, we can hire more staff, upgrade our equipment, and expand our outreach. This will result in improved customer satisfaction, increased revenue, and reduced costs in the long run ."

- Reinforce your credibility and authority. Show your audience that you have done your homework and that you are confident in your proposal. Demonstrate that you have considered different scenarios, risks, and alternatives, and that you have chosen the best option based on solid evidence and analysis. You can also mention any endorsements or testimonials from experts, stakeholders, or customers that support your proposal. For example, you could say: "Our proposal is based on a thorough market research, a detailed financial projection, and a realistic implementation plan. We have also consulted with our partners, suppliers, and clients, who have expressed their support and enthusiasm for our proposal. Here are some of the feedback we have received..."

- Address any objections or concerns. Anticipate any potential questions or criticisms that your audience might have and address them proactively in your conclusion. Show that you understand their perspective and that you have taken their interests and needs into account. Provide clear and convincing answers or counterarguments to their objections or concerns. For example, you could say: "You might be wondering how we can afford to increase our budget in the current economic situation. The answer is simple: we can't afford not to. If we don't invest in our business now, we will lose our competitive edge, our market share, and our loyal customers. Our proposal is not only feasible, but also profitable. We have calculated the return on investment and the payback period , and we can assure you that our proposal will generate positive cash flow and net income within the first year."

- End with a call to action and a memorable message. Don't leave your audience hanging or wondering what to do next. Tell them clearly and explicitly what you want them to do and what the next steps are. For example, you could say: "We have presented you with a compelling case for increasing our budget by 10%. We hope that you share our vision and enthusiasm for this proposal. We urge you to approve our budget request and support our implementation plan. Together, we can take our business to the next level and achieve our strategic goals." Finally, end your presentation with a memorable message that summarizes your main point or conveys your core value proposition. You can use a catchy slogan, a powerful quote, a striking statistic, or a personal story to leave a lasting impression on your audience . For example, you could say: "Remember, a budget is not just a number. It is a statement of our priorities, our values, and our future. Thank you for your attention and your support.

Entrepreneurs and their small enterprises are responsible for almost all the economic growth in the United States. Ronald Reagan

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5-Step Guide on How to Prepare a Convincing Annual Budget Presentation

Michelle Harris - Guest Contributor

• Reevaluate company and departmental goals
• Gather budgeting information
• Set up the annual budget
• Create a convincing budget presentation
• Present your budget and win!

Learn how to present your departmental budget and gain the approval of decision-makers.

Every year, leaders are responsible for creating an annual budget for their department. It’s one thing to grapple with the numbers, but presenting the budget can be a more challenging task.

If your annual budget isn’t convincing enough, chances are you won’t get everything you require to run your department the way it needs to. Anything less than what is required and you’ll have a rough time getting through the coming year.

We’ve put together a list of five steps designed to help you prepare an exceptional annual budget presentation that cannot go unnoticed. Using this step-by-step approach will help you convince executive leaders that every component of your budget is absolutely necessary to run your department and meet company goals.

1. Reevaluate company and departmental goals

Before determining your annual budget, go back and review your company’s and department’s goals . Note anything that’s changed from previous years. This is particularly important in the case of a changing economy and market or disruptions in business due to the pandemic and other unexpected events. As goals change, so must the budget—pay close attention to all historical data. As you develop your departmental budget, you want to ensure that it aligns with your department and the company’s overall goals and objectives.

2. Gather budgeting information

Allow plenty of time to gather all of the intel needed to create a detailed and accurate budget. Don’t merely go by the departmental expenses and payments made during the previous year. Your previous year's budget is important, but also pay attention to the actual records to identify shortfalls or a surplus in the budgeted items.

When creating a budget, you have different options on how you approach it and especially when presenting it. Of course, this can all depend on your industry, company, and specific department. Following are the different types of budgets that companies most often use:

Also, discuss budgeting with team members and other stakeholders to ensure that you cover all of your bases. However, every piece of budgeting information should be based on facts rather than opinions. That way, you’ll be sure to have a budget that’s appropriately allocated.

3. Set up the annual budget

Next, sit down to create the actual budget. Depending on your preferred method, or that of your company, you can use spreadsheets or budgeting software. Each budget typically includes the following basic elements:

In addition to the basic items, you may also want to consider additional and unexpected expenses that may occur. You may think of different scenarios that could arise and determine how they might impact your business and affect your budget. You may then tweak the budget as you see fit. This allows you to plan ahead and be well-prepared for any adversity that may surface.

4. Create a convincing budget presentation

Carefully setting up your annual budget and aligning it to your company’s and department’s goals will make the following creative bit easier. The worst thing to do is try to throw together a budget while creating the presentation. You must have your budgeting ducks lined up in a row first.

presentation tips

As you plan out your presentation, consider including the following to help you convince the decision-makers:

Budget presentation title

Budget presentation agenda

Executive summary

Company SWOT analysis

Business challenges

Budget plan and allocation

Budget process and timeline

Departmental deliverables

Steps following budget approval

There are many ways to make an effective and impactful presentation. It can be anything from a simple printed booklet to an interactive multimedia presentation. It doesn’t have to be over-the-top but should show that your budget is well organized, thorough, and fact-based.

5. Present your budget and win!

It doesn't matter how you choose to present your budget—you can use PowerPoint or other media—but it should include graphics and other information to make your case. Here are a few tips to keep in mind:

Keep it brief (not more than 10 slides).

Include charts, diagrams, graphs, etc. for better data visualization.

Showcase your problem-solving skills by giving solutions.

Show enthusiasm, but don't deliver a long speech.

Enhance your annual budget presentation

Unless you’re an experienced accountant or a natural penny pincher, you probably cringe at the thought of creating an annual budget. Even more so, it can be frustrating trying to get your boss to accept your budget. That’s why it’s critical to know how to create an impressive and convincing annual budget presentation that wins the approval of business stakeholders.

There are plenty of options available to help you enhance your presentations to showcase an annual budget that will garner a “yay” rather than a “nay.” At Capterra, we’ve done all the dirty work to compile a list of presentation software for you to easily compare and choose from. Our shortlist gives you the top-ranked suggestions, so you can see which software ranks the highest.

If you need help getting your numbers in order before you’re ready to present, take a look at the available budgeting software , including the best free budgeting software for small businesses .

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Michelle Harris is a strategist residing on Florida’s beautiful Gulf Coast. Providing global clients with solutions to head-banging problems is her passion at Shel-Shok, LLC. She is a Ph.D. candidate researching finance decision-making and holds graduate degrees in management and marketing. Her background includes art, education, medicine and conservation (she is a glorified bug hugger!). When not strategizing, you will find her motorcycling, belly dancing, roller derbying and beach bumming.

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5 Presentation Strategies To Win Critical Budgets

In 2021, businesses will continue to face unprecedented challenges. Budgets will come under intense scrutiny as strategic goals must be met while resources remain stretched. In this fluctuating business landscape, how senior business leaders present their objectives to upper management, C-suite, and board of directors’ level is crucial for securing the dollars necessary to realize their plans. Here’s how to structure a budget-winning argument for your next business PowerPoint presentation:

1. Start with the Big Picture

Budget presentations to executive level must be approached differently than presenting to other colleagues. In this arena, time is limited, so presentations should focus on the bottom line. What are your company’s needs and how will your plan achieve them? Stick to answering these two questions in your opening salvo. This is your executive summary, and it needs to be direct and attention-grabbing. How is your plan going to solve their problem(s)?

Stay focused on your end goal, e.g., increased profits, rather than how you arrived at it. If they have questions about the details, they’ll ask. (More on this below.) In this section of your business PowerPoint presentation, stick to your recommendations and the implications of those.

Finally, emphasize how your plan integrates into your company’s overarching objectives. Your presentation must make plain how your plan aligns with the company’s goals. If it does not, you won’t get the budget allocation you need.

2. Present a Clear Evaluation of the Options

When it’s time for leadership to allocate dollars, make it an easy, clear choice for them. This is the portion of the business PowerPoint presentation where you explain how you arrived at the funding level you’ve requested.

Show them a clear evaluation of different investment options. (Use good, current data to back up your financial models. This information may be changing on a monthly basis, so it’s key that your information is as up to date as possible.) Demonstrate how each investment option you’re proposing will work toward achieving your end goal and thus the company’s. Outlining contrasting options will help them understand what they stand to gain and lose based on the funding choices they make.

You don’t need a lot of slides for this portion of the presentation. But you do need strong visual representations of your data so you can make your case quickly and easily. You want visuals that get right to the point. Show them what their return on investment could be and when they can expect it. Keep the focus on results rather than processes. Use examples when appropriate but avoid hypotheticals as they may not stand up to questioning.

Always include timelines and key dates in your presentation – and be prepared to show how they might be shortened. If there are factors preventing shortening of timelines, be ready to explain those too. Include what your competitors are doing, including key dates for their initiatives. It’s important to show an understanding of how changes in the marketplace may impact your proposed activities.

Complete this portion of your business PowerPoint presentation with your suggested primary solution. Even though you’ve demonstrated several options, you want to make clear what you believe to be the right decision, i.e., the budget you want. This shows your confidence in and enthusiasm for the plan you’ve presented. Finally, explain how you, your team, and participating departments are uniquely positioned to achieve the results you’ve outlined.

3. Be Ready to Play Defense

Although it’s important to have a well-rehearsed, carefully crafted business PowerPoint presentation for your budget presentation, it’s more important that you are ready to defend your position. Expect leadership to interrogate your plan, your data, and your thought process. Be ready to answer questions while you present. This audience asks what they want to know as soon as they want to know it. There’s no waiting for a formal Q&A at the end of the presentation.

Demonstrating your consideration of broader market conditions will be imperative given the current business environment. Be ready with your analysis of key trends in your sector. This may not be information you include as part of your business PowerPoint presentation, but it will be necessary to have it at hand in case your audience wants to know. This should include any competitors entering the marketplace or bringing new products to it. Show that your approach can be changed if market forces should change.

If possible, do a test run of your presentation with colleagues or members of your team before the big day. Have them question your presentation from every angle. Practicing your pitch will enable you to enter the boardroom with the confidence you’ll need to convince.

If you begin your presentation without fear of interrogation, you’ll be better prepared to face the questions when they inevitably come. Think of it as an opportunity to gird your proposal, making it stronger than it was before. Your leadership team may be privy to changes in the marketplace that you are unaware of; allow them to be a resource for you.

You won’t be able to anticipate every concern these executives are facing but knowing that they will question you will help you prepare and respond with confidence. If you’re able to pivot to meet their needs, demonstrating your willingness to flex your thinking to address concerns, you’ll be more likely to receive your budget allocation.

4. Remind Them Why They Need You

Finish your business PowerPoint presentation with a review of your top headlines. Remind your audience how your plan will give the company a competitive edge. Then remind them how your plan aligns with your company’s overall goals.

Finally, be prepared to ask for other resources you might need to carry out your plan. If you’ve given an effective presentation with confidence, your audience may ask you how they can help you achieve it. Be prepared to tell them what other resources you might need to help make your proposal a success.

5. Enlist Professional Business PowerPoint Presentation Advice

To get the green light on your next big budget proposal, start with professional business PowerPoint presentation design. Outsourcing the design and production of your presentations has many benefits, including creative design expertise, low-stress development, and advanced technical knowledge. eSlide has been the “go-to” resource for senior executives at top companies around the globe for more than 20 years. Get in touch with our team today to earn the budgets you need for tomorrow.

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How to Prepare a Budget for an Organization: 4 Steps

• 16 Nov 2021

An organization’s budget dictates how it leverages capital to work toward goals. For this reason, the ability to prepare a budget is one of the most crucial skills for any business leader —whether a current or aspiring entrepreneur, executive, functional lead, or manager.

Before preparing your first organizational budget, it’s important to understand what goes into a budget and the key steps involved in creating one.

What Is a Budget?

A budget is a document businesses use to track income and expenses in a detailed enough way to make operational decisions.

Budgets are typically forward-looking in nature. Income is based on projections and estimates for the periods they cover, as are expenses. For this reason, organizations often create both short- (monthly or quarterly) and long-term (annual) budgets, where the short-term budget is regularly adjusted to ensure the long-term budget stays on track.

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Most organizations also prepare what’s known as an “actual budget” or “actual report” to compare estimates against reality following the period covered by the budget. This allows an organization to understand where it went wrong in the budgeting process and adjust estimates moving forward.

Budget vs. Cash Flow Statement

If the definition above sounds similar to a cash flow statement , you’re right: Your organization’s budget and cash flow statement are similar in that they both monitor the flow of money into and out of your business. Yet, they differ in key ways.

First, a budget typically offers more granular details about how money is spent than a cash flow statement does. This provides greater context for making tactical business decisions, such as considering where to trim business expenses.

Related: The Beginner’s Guide to Reading & Understanding Financial Statements

Second, a budget is, quite literally, a tool used to direct work done within an organization. The cash flow statement plays a different role by offering a higher-level overview of how money moves into, throughout, and out of an organization.

Instead of thinking of the two documents as competing, view them as complementary, with each playing a role in driving your business’s performance.

Steps to Prepare a Budget for Your Organization

The steps below can be followed whether creating a budget for a project, initiative, department, or entire organization.

1. Understand Your Organization’s Goals

Before you compile your budget, it’s important to have a firm understanding of the goals your organization is working toward in the period covered by it. By understanding those goals, you can prepare a budget that aligns with and facilitates them.

Related: The Advantages of Data-Driven Decision-Making

For example, consider a business that regularly experiences year-over-year revenue growth that’s offset by rising expenses. That organization might benefit from focusing efforts on better controlling expenses during the budgeting process.

Alternatively, consider a company launching a new product or service. The company may invest more heavily in the fledgling business line to grow it. With this goal, the company may need to trim expenses or growth initiatives elsewhere in its budget.

2. Estimate Your Income for the Period Covered by the Budget

To allocate funds for business expenses, you first need to determine your income and cash flow for the period to the best of your ability.

Depending on the nature of your organization, this can be a simple or complicated process. For example, a business that sells products or services to known clients locked in with contracts will likely have an easier time estimating income than a business that depends on active sales activity. In the second case, it would be important to reference historical sales and marketing data to understand whether the market is changing in a way that might cause you to miss or exceed historical trends.

Related: How to Read & Understand an Income Statement

Beyond income from sales activity, you should include other income sources, such as returns on investments, asset sales, and bond or share offerings.

3. Identify Your Expenses

Once you understand your projected income for the period, you need to estimate your expenses. This process involves three main categories: fixed costs, variable expenses, and one-time expenses.

Fixed costs are any expenses that remain constant over time and don’t dramatically vary from week to week or month to month. In many cases, those expenses are locked in by some form of contract, making it easy to anticipate and account for them. This category usually includes expenses related to overhead, such as rent payments and utilities. Phone, data, and software subscriptions can also fall into this category, along with debt payments. Any expense that’s regular and expected should be included.

Related: 6 Budgeting Tips for Managers

Variable expenses are those your business incurs, which vary over time depending on several factors, including sales activities. Your shipping and distribution costs, for example, are likely to be higher during a period when you sell more product than one when you sell less product. Likewise, utilities such as water, gas, and electricity will be higher during periods of increased use. This is especially true for businesses that manufacture their own products. Sales commissions, materials costs, and labor costs are other examples of variable expenses.

Both fixed expenses and variable expenses are recurring in nature, making it easy to account for them (even if variable expenses must be projected). One-time expenses , also called “one-time spends,” don’t recur and happen more rarely. Purchasing equipment or facilities, developing a new product or service, hiring a consultant, and handling a security breach are all examples of one-time expenses. Understanding major initiatives—and what it will take to accomplish them—and what you’ve spent in previous years on similar expenses can help account for them in your budget, even if you’re unsure of their exact values.

4. Determine Your Budget Surplus or Deficit

After you’ve accounted for all your income and expenses, you can apply them to your budget. This is where you determine whether you have enough projected income to cover all your expenses.

If you have more than enough income to cover your expenses, you have a budget surplus. Knowing this, you should determine how to use additional funds best. You may, for example, move the money into a rainy day fund you can access should your actual income fall short of projections. Alternatively, you may deploy the funds to grow your business.

On the other hand, if your expenses exceed your income, you have a budget deficit. At this point, you must identify the best path forward to close the gap. Can you bring in additional funds by selling more aggressively? Can you lower your fixed or variable expenses? Would you consider selling bonds or shares of company stock to infuse the business with additional capital?

An Important Financial Statement

The person responsible for generating a budget varies depending on an organization’s nature and its budgetary goals. An entrepreneur or small business owner, for example, is likely to prepare an organizational budget on their own. Meanwhile, a larger organization may rely on a member of the accounting department to generate a budget for the entire business. Individual department heads or functional leads might also be called on to submit budget proposals for their teams.

With this in mind, anyone who aspires to start their own business or move into an organizational leadership position can benefit from learning how to prepare a budget.

Do you want to take your career to the next level? Consider enrolling in our eight-week Financial Accounting course or three-course Credential of Readiness (CORe) program to learn financial concepts that can enable you to unlock critical insights into business performance and potential. Not sure which course is right for you? Download our free flowchart .

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Making the Budget Document Easier to Understand

Gfoa recommends that governments strive for broader consumption and greater comprehension of the budget document..

The budget document is very important, since it identifies the services to be provided (along with the funding), and the rationale behind key decisions. Because of the time required to read and understand the entire budget document, a concise summary that captures these elements is essential. Users of the budget document will benefit from a high quality report that promotes better communication, which makes it easier to comprehend the information presented.

The Government Finance Officers Association (GFOA) recommends that governments incorporate the following guidelines to facilitate broader consumption and greater comprehension of the budget document

Organization . Improving the organization of a budget document lessens redundancy and allows for a better flow of information through a more logical sequence. While governments may develop their own organizing principles, the twenty-seven criteria in the GFOA's Distinguished Budget Presentation Awards Program are arranged in a sequence that may be used to organize a budget document. There are six major sections within the criteria including: 

• introduction and overview,
• financial structure, policy and process,
• financial summaries,
• capital and debt,
• departmental information, and
• document-wide criteria (glossary and statistical/supplemental section). Similar topics should be placed in the same section.

Detail . Excessive detail can prove a hindrance to the understanding of a government'ss budget document. Limit the number of financial schedules, text, and supplemental data to what is necessary in conveying key information. Rounding dollars to thousands or millions in the financial schedules is an effective way to present data. Showing headcount/position data without decimal points is easier to follow. An inordinate amount of account detail can distract from the primary points presented in the budget document. Eliminating numerical errors and typos improves the credibility of the budget document, so proof the content.

Design . The design of the budget document should be simple and easy to use, but attractive. Hard copy budget documents should have an appealing front cover with tabs and dividers to differentiate major sections. An electronic document should use such options as bookmarks and hyperlinks between the table of contents and specific pages. The use of color (especially in charts) and pictures can be a good design tool and make information easier to understand. The growing use of electronic document formats makes this an affordable and effective option. However, be aware of large file sizes that can hinder the ability to read the budget document.

Consistency . Since different individuals usually contribute to the content of the budget document, make sure that information is presented in a way that the work of one individual does not overlap or contradict that of another. For instance, departmental presentations within a budget document should be consistent between departments.

Highlights . A budget-in-brief can be presented as an internal or external feature that highlights major points from the budget document. Governments frequently use budget-in-briefs as a supplement to their main budget document. Whether presenting information in a budget-in-brief or the main budget document, the effective use of tables, charts, and graphs can help in communicating information, which then saves narrative for analysis/interpretation.

Format . The usefulness of a document is enhanced when a government observes the following formatting conventions. If a document is issued in hardcopy form, the web site version should be identical. Font size, page layout (i.e., portrait versus landscape), and direction should be consistent throughout the report. Pages should be numbered sequentially, avoiding special characters. Also, page numbering should be synchronized between electronic and printed versions. GFOA's best practice on Website Presentation of Official Financial Documents goes into more detail on how to present an electronic document.

• Board approval date: Friday, February 28, 2014

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Tips for developing a compelling budget justification presentation for a grant proposal.

President of Townsel Consulting, LLC

Key Takeaways

Budget development is central to effective program and project planning and development.

A compelling budget narrative clearly: explains line item purpose; defines assumptions (unit and total costs); and shows the math.

A poorly developed budget justification can contribute to the demise of a grant application. Avoid common pitfalls like failing to provide strong rationale for line-item costs and setting an unreasonable budget proposal.

One of my mom’s all-time favorite summer desserts is strawberry shortcake (I think for her it’s a close tie with banana splits). I wish I could tell you that this article contains the perfect recipe for a delicious strawberry shortcake, but instead I offer the equivalent for grant proposals—tips on how to create a compelling budget justification presentation. 

Many grant professionals compare budget and budget justification development to recipes because, much like a recipe’s ingredients list, budget justifications identify essential funding needs or resources to successfully implement a proposed program or project. While budget development for some may not be as much fun as making dessert, the end result, when executed correctly, is just as fulfilling (and without the calories). Budget development is central to effective program and project planning and development. Let’s dig in . . .

Budget versus budget narrative

It’s helpful to remember the differences in budget and budget narrative purpose and how those differences drive the content and format of both. Typically, a budget is a form that contains line-item costs within major budget categories and contains no other explanatory information regarding those costs—it’s a big picture view of a project or program budget. By contrast, the budget narrative justification is a detailed description that addresses each of the major cost categories (salaries, fringe benefits, equipment, travel, supplies, other direct costs and indirect costs), and explains both the necessity and the basis for the proposed costs. 

Merriam Webster’s definition of justification is, “an acceptable reason for doing something  something that justifies an act or way of behaving.” you’ll remember the purpose of the budget justification is to:

• Explain the costs in a way that is acceptable and justifiable in the context of both the funder’s budget guidance regarding reasonable and acceptable uses of funding; and 
• The costs are reasonable for the successful execution of your proposed project or plan

To clearly explain why line item costs are essential in relation to the aims and methodology of the project as well as meeting the goals of the project, the budget justification narrative will provide detail that justifies the purpose of the line item cost within the proposed project. For example, when justifying local travel costs, funders will typically look for an explanation of budget assumptions that describe the purpose of the trips (i.e., travel to community events for outreach and education) as well as relevant assumptions such as number of staff making the trips, number of trips and/or total mileage, and the mileage reimbursement rate. Justification for non-local travel costs for participation in mandatory and/or optional conferences or training events, however, would require more detail, such as identifying purpose of trip by conference name and location, number of staff attending, airfare costs per person, hotel accommodations cost per person, per diem for meals, and other related costs as applicable. A compelling budget narrative would clearly:

• Describe the purpose of the line item cost within the context of the program/project design, goals, and objectives
• Define assumptions used in budget development
• Show the math—include calculations

Budget justification pitfalls to avoid

Some examples of the ways a poorly developed budget justification can contribute to the demise of a grant application:

• Failure to provide strong rationale for line-item costs —For example, inclusion of personnel without clearly describing their role on the project (may be seen by reviewers as “budget padding” by inclusion of non-essential personnel)
• Failure to adhere to funder’s application requirements and/or guidance —For example, including an indirect cost rate that exceeds the published maximum rate, if applicable
• Unreasonable and/or unrealistic budget proposal —This occurs when the proposed budget seems either too small or too large for the proposed project scope and related outputs and outcomes
• Unorganized/reader-unfriendly budget presentation —This occurs for example when the budget justification is not organized in the same order and format as the sponsor’s budget categories or when the budget narrative does not match the budget (e.g., dollar amounts and language)
• Inconsistencies with application elements —This is one of the most common errors in unsuccessful grant applications. An example of this would be where the full-time equivalent (FTE) allocation of time for the project director is cited at 0.25FTE on the budget narrative, 0.33FTE on the workplan/timeline or staffing plan, and 0.25 on the proposal narrative.

To avoid making some of the common mistakes above, applicant organizations must carefully read, understand and precisely follow the detailed instructions and guidelines provided in the notice of funding opportunity and/or related technical assistance (TA) webinars or posted Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ).  A compelling budget justification narrative may demonstrate to grant reviewers and/or funders the readiness of the applicant organization to implement the proposed project and effectively manage the grant funds as a successful awardee. 

This project was supported, in part by grant number 90CSSG0048  and 90FPSG0051 from the U.S. Administration for Community Living, Department of Health and Human Services, Washington, D.C. 20201. Grantees undertaking projects under government sponsorship are encouraged to express freely their findings and conclusions. Points of view or opinions do not, therefore, necessarily represent official Administration for Community Living policy.

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Making Budget Presentations

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Taking the Fear Our of the Library Budget Presentations Laying the Groundwork Preparing a Budget Presentation Citizen Support- Rallying Stakeholders Making the Budget Presentation- Do's & Don'ts Follow Up Budgeting Best Practices

BACK TO ADVOCACY LIBRARY

Taking the Fear Out of Library Budget Presentations

Creating and presenting a library budget is not just a matter of assigning numbers to line items on an Excel spreadsheet and presenting it to a group of officials. Far from it. Library budgeting is an ongoing activity, with many parts and many people involved. It is a cyclical process of listening to the community, working with decision-makers, telling compelling stories about your library – and bringing all these elements together in a budget presentation and then starting all over again. We have tapped into the wisdom of veteran librarians with years of experience drafting and presenting budgets in “good times and tough economic times.” The examples offered are from “real budgets.” We have included everything from a Glossary of Terms for those new to library budgeting to the “Do’s and Don’ts of Making a Budget Presentation.” There is a great feature on library budget presentations from the perspective of a decision-maker with years of experience listening to presentations and helping librarians hone their budgeting skills.

BACK TO TOP

Laying the Groundwork

Identifying community priorities.

Library directors don’t create their budgets in a vacuum.  Even in today’s challenging economic times when libraries are lucky to keep their doors open and basic services covered, library directors and staff need to be continually attuned to what their community needs.

Most “formal” community needs assessments are done during a library’s strategic planning process – but it should be an ongoing task to pay attention to community needs and priorities.

What is happening in your community that your library can address with its programs or services?  How can the library be a partner in solving local problems or addressing challenging issues?  For example,

• Helping schools deal with dropout prevention?
• Assisting residents in finding jobs?
• Helping New Americans master essential skills and get access to critical programs and services?

Look to community partners to help share the library’s burden of meeting community needs.

• Can local social services provide funding for early childhood development or literacy programs?
• Are there federal programs or grants to support the library in assisting New Americans who are integrating into the community and acquiring essential skills?
• Are there small businesses or corporations who are willing to fund library programs or services such as a Summer Reading Program or a homework help center?
• Showing that you’ve formed strategic partnerships to meet the community’s needs illustrates that your library is nimble, creative and willing to stretch beyond the limitations of a prescribed budget.

The strategic plan comes from your community's priorities; the budget comes from your plan.   Show how you’ve listened to what the community and your decision-makers want from the library and planned accordingly:

• If a community’s priority is to have a library presence in every neighborhood, you may need to recommend that all branches should be open but with limited hours.
• If the priority is efficiency and budgeting cuts, closing branches and extending hours at fewer branches may be the way to go.
• If helping individuals find jobs is a critical issue, access to computers and a mix of daytime and evening hours is essential.
• If low elementary and high school academic scores in your community is a problem, funding homework help centers should be part of your budget.
• If small businesses in your community are closing, creating a small business resources center shows how your library is supporting the local economy.

Start with the premise that a library is providing local services that are important locally.   Unlike many other units of government (e.g. schools or transportation), budgetary decisions pertaining to libraries are almost always made at the local level.   Stay current with what’s happening in the community from a local political perspective and reflect this perspective in your library budget.

Provide opportunities (a bulletin board, comment cards, Library Appreciation Week, etc. ) for library customers to share their stories about how your library is meeting their needs.  Anecdotes from “real (voting) citizens” are powerful statements to include as part of your budget presentation.

Where Budgets and Friends Meet

Presenting an annual budget isn’t just the job of the library director. You’ve got Friends!

A Library Friends organization can be one of the most powerful allies a library has as the director prepares for and presents an annual budget.  A good Friends group can:

• Help the library director determine what should be in the annual budget.  A well-balanced Friends group reflects the geo-diversity of the neighborhoods the library serves.  Friends Board members can give the library director valuable input about the community’s needs and what budgeting priorities are within their own neighborhoods.
• Mobilize a powerful Advocacy Committee that will work throughout the year to advocate on behalf of the library with local decision-makers.  Friends Board members represent their neighborhood communities and develop relationships with their elected/appointed representatives.  A good Friends advocate is a strong voice and a valuable tool in the budgeting process – and stays connected throughout the year.
• Develop position papers that present the library’s current economic position, its value to the community, funding needs, gaps and opportunities to expand capacity.  The library’s budget spreadsheet is made up of line items and numbers.  A library platform or a “Return on Investment” piece tells the full story of the library and all its value to citizens (in general as it supports specific populations), schools, businesses, the local economy…a good library platform tells it all! Two great examples of this include the Friends of the St. Paul Public Library's 2010 Advocacy Plan and the San Francisco Public Library Advocacy Report.  
• Represent the library to constituent groups. Friends Board members often speak and represent the library with neighborhood groups, broadening community understanding and appreciation for the library’s value.   A well-prepared Friends Board member has a lot of credibility because of their dedicated volunteer status.
• Advocate at the grassroots level.   Friends Board members attend city and county meetings and offer testimony on behalf of the library. They connect with decision-makers regularly, keeping the library visible throughout the year.
• Be the literary voice for the library.   Friends Board members often write op-ed pieces for local newspapers and “letters to the editor.”
• Open doors.   From an elected official’s standpoint, Friends Board members can create links to groups and entities where an endorsement is sought.  This mutual “back-scratching” can benefit the library and the elected official, creating a relationship that can have long-term positive effects for the library.
• Demonstrate how money talks!   Broadly-based private funding from Friends groups demonstrates to local officials that supporters of libraries are powerful, spread out and ready to fight for their library.
• Mobilize other library supporters.  Friends groups organize grassroots support of bonding measures, state or local set-asides or other ballot issues that have long-term effects on libraries.
• Fill the gaps.   One of the biggest roles a library Friends group plays is to provide funding for library programs and services that are not covered by public funding of the library’s budget.  This can be anything from funding a summer reading program to conducting a capital campaign.
• Sing the song of success.   When successes are achieved (fending off budget cuts, renewing ballot measures, etc.) Friends can go back to library supporters and say “Look what you have done through your support – you made this possible.”  There’s nothing sweeter than success achieved through a grassroots effort.

Coalition Building & Strategic Partnerships

Strength in Numbers: Leveraging Strategic Partnerships and Coalitions

Presenting a successful library budget can be greatly enhanced by demonstrating that your library has partners who work together to deliver programs and services to the community.  Working with strategic partners, or in coalition, indicates that your library is finding creative ways of sharing resources and delivering added value by collaborating with other organizations.

• If your library works with schools, arts groups, history centers, museums or other community-based organizations, show how these partnerships allow the library to “deliver more with less” and enhances the services of your partner organizations.
• Demonstrate that your library shares goals with community agencies.  Does your library work with a community organization, such as a workforce development program?  Show the number of individuals who receive help with resume writing, learning job skills, using the Internet for finding jobs…and then describe how your library works with the community agency to achieve shared goals.
• Tell the story of how partnering with small business owners has an economic impact on the community.  Share anecdotes and quotes as part of a handout, or your budget presentation.
• Libraries often share programming with community arts organizations.  In your budget presentation, share information on how such a coalition appeals to private funders, lifting some of the financial burden from the public sector.
• Media partners are visible, powerful allies.  If your library offers sponsored programming or events with local radio or TV stations, or newspapers, illustrate the power of these partnerships by highlighting attendance, sharing audience quotes and demonstrating that your library understands the value and impact of sharing the stage with a media partner.
• Schools and school media centers are under terrific pressure to provide needed resources for students, with shrinking budgets.   Partner with area schools through homework centers or providing books and other resources that will be used in classes or programs.  When you present your budget, show how this collaboration allows schools to expand their resources and your library to work with targeted groups of key customers.
• Defending a budget is as much about impact as it is about the bottom line.  Look for and nurture partnerships that will allow your library to offer new, exciting programs and services and repeat (over and over) the success stories about how creative partnerships have a strong economic and “quality of life”  impact on the community.
• “Back-scratching “can be a rich feature of a partnership or coalition.  Share the success and spread the word about community partnerships.  Speak or write in support of your strategic partners and ask them to do the same for your library.  Having members of an arts organization, or a history center at budget hearings sends the message that the library is a strong community player.
• Other community organizations face the same challenges as the library.  Reach out to your counterparts in other organizations and learn from them, as they learn from you.  There are always strategies and tips to share and support to be enlisted.

Preparing a Budget Presentation

The decision-maker speaks.

Qualities of the Successful Budget Proposal

• The best budgets are always tied to the best spending plans.  Instead of just asking for more, budget presentations must tie performance and justification to requests for increases.
• Decision makers look for the level of production per unit.  When an increase is granted, how will the additional dollars translate into improvements?  If additional staffing dollars are granted, how will the services be improved?  Make sure that your budgeting authority can see, in real-world terms, how the money improves the work.
• In public library systems, budget analysis needs to be weighted to reflect how dollars will make the most impact in the places that are most in need.  Not all things are equal and not all things are fair; understand that the delivery of the dollars need to be weighted with demographics in mind.
• The library world can sometimes be insular.  Good budget directors will work with executive librarians out to ensure that a budget is responsive to constituents.
• Is the budget proposal balanced? The proposal for the year will reflect an increase, a decrease, or a status quo proposal - the librarian needs to be able to discuss the cause of any changes with the budgeting authority.
• Be ready to discuss changes both within the library and outside influences that may be driving changes in budget proposals.
• Decision makers will be most likely to approve budget proposals that are able to show balance between financing, spending, and performance.

Cautionary Tales

• Any lack of direct or frank responses to questions, or even the hint of holding back, will foster negative responses from budget authorities.
• Lack of preparation.  Do not assume that wide public support will result in an easy proposal process, be ready for tough questions at every step.
• During the public presentation, know when to say that you don't know the answer and that you will get the answer to the budgeting authority as soon as possible.
• Be careful of committing to specific numbers in a public forum - if forced, offer a range and agree to follow up at a later date.
• If you know that you have opposition to your proposal ahead of time, avoid any type of confrontation.  Ask your opponent to meet one on one at a later time to work out any concerns or reservations.

Best Practices for the Executive Librarian's Proposal

• Start your presentation with simple graphs and charts that anyone can understand - the lowest level of detail.  You may have your whole proposal approved at a minimal level of discussion.
• Be prepared to add layers of detail should the need arise, but do not offer anything more than you have to.  Work in stages with your detail and supporting materials.
• Dollar amount changes, year-over-year, with brief explanations of each line item that reflects a change.
• Service differences, year-over-year, with a similar level of detail to dollar changes.
• Staffing differences based on pay-grade with the same level of detail about changes year-over-year.
• A direct assessment of the changes and the forces driving the changes (dollars, services, staffing, and performance).
• If the questions require the next level of detail, if possible, try to refer them to the departmental Accountant or to the Assistant Librarian.
• If there are lots of questions, try to get the budget authority to send their questions, in writing, so that they may be answered with the level of detail they deserve - this puts the responsibility back on the questioners.
• Only offer what is needed AS it is needed.  Offering too much information can tend to lengthen the questioning period.
• Remember, start with broad information and be ready to drill down, but at some point, the authority should be willing to move the questioning out of the public venue if it has many detailed questions.
• Be a good listener.  Restate the questions to make sure that they are really what the authority wants to know.
• A good Budget Director will have worked with and coached the person making the proposal in advance, obviating many possible pitfalls.
• Know how to say NO.  Keep the budgeting authority realistic and on track, some things just can not be done.  Make a compromise offer of what you can do with the resources allocated and offer to report back periodically.
• A great deal of compromise may be required.  Always remember that your ideal may not match perfectly with those of your budgeting authority.
• Positivity, no matter the circumstance, is critical
• Prepare and present a document that summarizes what the library is NOT doing or could be doing better.  Use data from other systems and offer comparisons with similarly sized  systems.  Use per capita or per unit service comparisons to strengthen your arguments.

Do's & Don'ts in Making a Library Budget Presentation

From the Decision-Maker’s Perspective

• Once this executive-level presentation has been completed, the nature of the questions should be assessed and the next step will depend on the result of the assessment:
• A good Budget Director will have worked with and coached the person making the proposal in advance, obviating many possible pitfalls. 
• Under-prepare.  Do not assume that wide public support will result in an easy proposal process, be ready for tough questions at every step.
• Avoid giving a direct or frank response to questions.  Even the hint of holding back will foster negative responses from budget authorities.
• Fake an answer!  Know when to say that you don't know the answer and that you will get the answer to the budgeting authority as soon as possible.
• Commit to specific number in a public forum capriciously- if forced, offer a range and agree to follow up at a later date.
• Respond to confrontation publicly if you can help it.  If you know that you have opposition to your proposal ahead of time, ask your opponent to meet one on one at a later time to work out any concerns or reservations.

Executive Librarians Speak

It’s easy to get caught up in the many details of budgeting, but for the Executive Librarian, the most important issues in successful budget proposal planning are community issues – how to best serve our constituents.  Consider the following to ensure that you create and present a successful budget:

Never become so invested in the details of the budgeting process that you are caught off guard by a big-picture question.

Statistics, by themselves, do not tell the whole story:

Some years, there simply is NO money - no amount of pressure or support will be able to change this fact:

Be sure to demonstrate to the budgeting authority that you continuously strive for improvement, not just during tough times. 

Best Practices from the Viewpoint of Executive Librarians

Within the Library Community:

• Forming panels of library administrators to advise on spending streams creates an environment of teamwork.
• Brown-bag budgeting sessions with senior team members can be very illuminating.
• Foster library ecosystem thinking among administrators - keep them thinking about the system as a whole, rather than focusing too closely on their own area of responsibility.
• Help administrators to think like the budgeting authority/decision makers: how will what you are proposing "pay off"?
• Look for opportunities to build cooperative purchasing agreements.

Outside the Library:

Utilize Friends groups:

• To teach patrons about the best ways to communicate with elected officials,
• To keep the public informed about the library's important events and organizational changes.

Utilize patrons:

Keep your budgeting authority up to date on what's happening at the library.

In some cases, early distribution of budget summary information (e.g. usage trending, connection to political priorities, etc.) can be very helpful.

• Maintain good relationships with your vendors.
• Library Trustees (especially those representing the governing body) are a critical way of keeping elected officials informed about the library.
• Request that the governing body include time in their regular meeting agenda each month for a report by the Library Director.  This prevents the feeling that “the only time we ever hear from you is when you want something.”
• When times get tough, your vendors will appreciate knowing that they won't stay that way - things will improve.

If a cut has to be made, be prepared to do it.

10 Things I Know to be True about Budgeting for Libraries

• Budgeting is a year-round exercise. Decision makers need to hear about your services all year – not just when they’re voting on a new budget.  It’s easier to get and hold their attention when they’re not being deluged.  
• You can’t make responsible decisions without the right information. Decide what you need to know and collect that data.  If you know you need to reduce hours, for example, find out what days and times you’re busiest with circulation, visits, phone calls and other electronic communication.  And then think about the data your library should collect next year: what will you need to know to tell the library’s story?  
• Budget staffs have long memories. Do not play fast and loose with the numbers.  If you eliminate 5 FTE by cutting 10 hours of service, you can’t ask for 8 FTE to replace those hours in the future.  The budget folks will remember and you will look like a bad manager at best and deceitful at worst.  
• It’s easier to build up than tear down… and it helps you focus on the future.  If you’re facing substantial cuts, make a list of all the resources the library will still have – buildings, staff, technology, collections.  Then study your usage data and design a new library system with the available resources.  
• We cannot afford irrelevant excellence. We all have those things our libraries do well that aren’t as important as they once were.  It’s just human nature to want to do those things we’re comfortable with and good at.  Have staff at all levels help you find and eliminate those programs or processes that no longer support your service plan and are draining your resources.  
• Even in bad times, you are building for the future. It’s tempting to drastically cut or even eliminate training funds when times are bad.  Don’t.  You’ll need motivated, skilled staff to get through hard times and prepare for the future.   
• A communication plan is essential. What will you tell staff, the library board, elected officials, the public about the budget … and when?  What formats will you use?  Who will speak for the library?  People need to trust that you will tell them what you can, when you can.  
• You need to think like your audience. Whether you’re justifying a budget request to elected officials or explaining service cuts to the high school parent-teacher association, you must consider your audience and recast the message to resonate with them.  Remember, if a library’s materials budget is cut by 20% and circulation remains level, it will look to some people like a good business decision.  
• It’s not always about the numbers. Nothing beats an anecdote from a constituent in making the case for your budget.   Letters, emails, phone calls, testifying at a budget hearing – these are all opportunities for decision makers to hear what’s important to the community.  Elected officials and other decision makers expect you to fight for the library’s budget.  What will sway them is hearing from the public.  
• You can’t say “thank you” too often. Even when your budget is being cut, make sure decision makers are thanked publicly for the difficult work they’re doing.  At a time when they’re getting hammered from all sides, they will appreciate and remember positive words from your supporters.

Graphs to Tell the Story

Graphs can help us tell our library's story.

TREND Graphs show this library OVER TIME - are we getting better or worse?

COMPARISON Graphs show US VS. SIMILAR facilities or standards (at one point in time) - are we leading or falling behind?

• "similar" may be based on municipal population, service population, annual circulation transactions, geographic location
• local governments often want comparisons to neighbors, even though not "similar"
• standards may be State quantifiable standards

Create "Normalized" Statistics:

• Permit comparisons among libraries of different sizes (including ours if we've grown!)
• Personnel costs per FTE: shows what each full-time equivalent staff member costs in pay and benefits - so we don't have to be concerned with size of staff, how many are part-time, etc. (No matter how many hours we're open, the number of FTE's = total staff hours/40.)
• Are we over/under staffed? Circulation per FTE: shows how many circulation transactions each full-time equivalent staff member handles annually
• Cost per circ.: shows operating costs expended for each circulation transaction. (with or without personnel costs)
• Municipal allocation/Equalized Assessed Value: shows funding in relation to community wealth
• Municipal allocation per capita: shows funding per citizen.
• Municipal allocation plus State funding per circ.: compare to cost per circ to see shortfall

Determine Other Info Important to Our Audience: Funding besides municipal allocation (how are we doing at generating other revenues?), Population changes inside/outside of municipality, etc.

(Equalized Assessed Value is available from local, county or State government. All other info above is available from State's agency in charge of libraries.)

Group the statistics to make graphs with IMPACT!

TREND Graphs

• Support Graph (PDF) : municipal support per capita vs. per $1,000 in EAV (trend, last 5 years)

COMPARISON Graphs

• Facility Offerings Graph (PDF) : number of public access pc's, hours open per week, volumes of print material
• Circulation Graph (PDF) : circulation in various categories (Adult, Child, Total), along with cost per circulation transaction.
• Staffing and Pay Graph (PDF) : number of FTE's (Full-Time Equivalents) and total personnel costs per FTE

Other possibilities:

• Programs (COMPARISON or TREND) Graph: number of programs and total annual program attendance. Or, normalize to: number of programs per capita and attendance per program.
• Expenditures and Support (TREND) Graph: total operating and materials expenditures and municipal allocation (are they rising/falling together?)
• Summarize graph results in a box below each graph, so no one misses the message!

Remember: this info can also help in planning!

• At what point will we need more personnel? When our Circ/FTE gets too high…
• How much will another person cost? Use Personnel Cost/FTE to estimate…
• If circulation grows (due to expansion, population growth, etc.) how much will our expenses go up? Use Cost/Circ. (adjusting as necessary for personnel costs!)…..

Use the Right Data to Get Your Budget Passed!

Powerful data in your budget presentation can pave the way to support from your funding sources.  It can tell your story – where you have been, where you are now, and where you hope to go with library services in your community.  It can give them reasons to support your efforts, and ways to justify this to constituents.  Some things to consider:

• The Public Library Association prepares an annual report with extensive data on library services ( www.pla.org ).  Information includes annual funding and expenditures, collection size and services, etc. for a large sample of libraries in the U.S. and Canada.
• Many states collect similar data through their library oversight departments and make it available to the public – for example, Wisconsin’s Department of Public Instruction has annual data going back many years for every library in the state, available in Excel format on their website.  Even if your library is not in Wisconsin, this information can show how libraries of various sizes serve their communities. 
• More local data may also be available from your library consortium or city and county library service. 
• Don’t forget non-library data!  You may want to compare your library’s budget requests to cost of living increases or discuss how rising unemployment drives increased need for your services, etc.  
• Consider presenting information on the market value of your library’s services to the community.  Check out:  www.maine.gov/msl/services/customcal.htm to see what a bargain libraries are!  
• Here is an example of a chart that would give some perspective on how the “Presenting Library” stacks up to others on key indicators (data from PLDS Statistical Report 2009, for libraries serving population of 25,000 to 49,999).  Note how we have provided the conclusion that we’d like drawn from the information presented:

As this chart shows, high materials expenditure achieves exceptional circulation. Yet total expenditure and FTE's are responable.

• Wisconsin, for example, has Quantitative Standards for Materials Expenditures, Hours Open, etc. based on population served.  Any library anywhere could measure itself against such standards. 
• A chart or graph that demonstrates meeting or exceeding many standards while failing at others can be a powerful way to support funding for those areas.  
• You can compare your library to those in similarly-sized communities or those with similar circulation. 
• Budgeting authorities are often especially interested in how your library compares to those in neighboring communities.  
• Restating total Materials Expenditures into Materials Expenditures per Capita makes it possible to compare libraries serving different sized populations. 
• Restating total Operating Expenditures into Operating Expenditures per Circulation enables you to show how economically you deliver your services (or use it to support a request for funding for efficiency improvements, like self-service kiosks).  
• Funders concerned with your personnel costs may be reassured by seeing your Staff Costs per Circulation, or FTE per Public Service Hour compared to those of similarly-sized libraries.  
• Finally, remember that all this data can do more than just directly support your budget request.  It can also help you to gain the perspective (which you can also share with funding authorities and patrons) that will enable your library to continually monitor its performance and strive to improve its services to the community.  

Citizen Support- Rallying Stakeholders Around the Library

It’s hard to find anyone who doesn’t believe in libraries.  Getting people to raise their voices in support of the library is another story.  Rallying stakeholder support is a powerful tool in passing library budgets, keeping libraries open and keeping a library’s value to the community highly visible.

There are several ways to bring individual citizens and constituent groups out in support of the library and plenty of things stakeholders can do to apply critical pressure on the library’s behalf.

• Grassroots advocacy efforts are one of the oldest and most effective tools for persuading decision-makers.  Libraries of all sizes should have Advocacy Committees made up of citizens from every neighborhood.
• The Advocacy Committee should meet with the Library Director and be educated on all aspects of the library’s budget, library needs, the budgeting cycle and all of the library’s sources of funding.  An advocate who knows what they’re talking about is really powerful.
• Anyone speaking in public on the library’s behalf should have talking points and fast facts about the library and its budget needs. 
• Supporting the library’s budget isn’t just the task of an Advocacy Committee.  Library supporters from all neighborhoods should be encouraged to attend public meetings and budget hearings and, if appropriate, give testimony.
• Central and branch libraries should post notices about budget hearings and public meetings that focus on library issues.
• Even if citizens don’t speak at public meetings, their presence is valuable.  A self-identified group of library supporters carries a strong message: “I’m a library supporter…and I vote.”  This is what decision-makers need to see and hear.
• Buttons abound…libraries across the country have developed buttons for getting their message across.  Wearing a button that tells anyone and everyone that you are a library supporter spreads the word quickly and pervasively.
• Constituent groups served by the library can form a strong advocacy group.  Teenagers who use the library for homework help can learn about the civic process by testifying on their library’s behalf, or by meeting with their elected official (make sure they’re prepared!).  Seniors who view the library as the go-to place for life-long learning are often eager to speak up for the library.  New Americans have powerful, emotional stories to tell about how the library impacts their lives and the importance of supporting the library’s budget.
• Working with the media is another powerful tool to encourage support of a library’s budget.   Press releases, Letters to the Editor, Op-Ed pieces focusing on facts and impact are great ways to garner support for the library and its needs.
• Choose well-known, respected community leaders to write or speak on the library’s budget.  (For an excellent example of “two mayors” speaking on behalf of a library’s budget, read the Viewpoints article from the Saint Paul Pioneer Press (PDF) .
• Keeping information about the library and how it supports the community should be an ongoing priority…not just when the budget is on the table.   

Making the Budget Presentation- Do's & Don'ts

Budget presentation 101 and beyond.

Considering that your budget presentation is an opportunity both to improve your audience’s understanding of library operations and to achieve passage of your funding request, a well-designed presentation is well worth the work!

Let’s assume that you will be presenting your budget request in person and have decided to do so via a handout and a PowerPoint presentation.  Here are suggestions for a basic presentation, then how to “rise above” that level for a more powerful presentation. There is also a PowerPoint template showing, slide-by-slide, how to structure your presentation to maximize your audience’s understanding and support.

At a minimum, your budget presentation should…

• Start (both the hand-out and the Power Point) with the Library’s Mission Statement, to remind your audience of the library’s purpose and role in the community.
• Current Budget
• Current Year’s Projected (or Actual, if the entire year’s transactions are already known) revenue and expenses.
• Next Year’s Budget (the one you’re submitting for funding)
• Then, two columns for “Change in $$” and “Change as a %.”  There is some variation in how this is done, but it is recommend that you compare Next Year’s Budget to Current Year’s Projected, as this is more current than the budget created a year ago.
• Then, you will need some analysis of these figures.  The most basic way to do this is to group revenue and expenditure accounts, such as Personnel (salaries, wages, benefits), Materials/ Programming (books, periodicals, speaker fees), etc.  Then discuss your budget rationale for each group, for example, “Health insurance premiums increased 14%, but we plan to reduce hours and freeze wages so we can hold Personnel costs steady for next year.”

Following these steps would constitute a bare minimum presentation.  This may be sufficient but it can waste an opportunity to showcase your achievements or garner support for your challenges!

Let’s expand our presentation –so that it stimulates the response we seek – better understanding and stronger support. 

To start on this path, carefully determine one or two key messages you would like to convey to your audience related to this budget .  For example, you may wish to show how the community has increased its demand and response to Library programming.  Or, you may wish to convey that limited funding has left you with stale collections that are of diminishing value to the community. 

• Your library can’t do everything for everyone, and your funding authority has multiple demands on it, as well.  Focusing your presentation on a couple of issues can make it possible to reach a consensus on what is most important in your budget request. 

Next, you’ll need to decide how to get those messages across to your audience. 

• show increases in numbers of programs offered per capita and numbers of attendees, both for just your library over some period of time
• compare your library’s programs (numbers or, perhaps, variety)and cost per capita  to those of similar libraries. 
• Finally, you would show exactly how your proposed budget will enable you to improve this service (e.g., another weekly story hour costs $1,000/yr).
• compare your collections (size, age) to those of similar libraries or accepted standards
• compare materials expenditures and annual circulation per capita, either to those of similar libraries or  for just your library over a period of time (or both!). 
• Finally, you would show (again) exactly how your proposed budget will enable you to make the improvements you seek (e.g., 3-year plan to update geography reference materials at $5,000/yr).
• See the Using Comparative Data and the Graphs to Tell the Story  sections of this website for more ideas.
• Consider a brief handout that gives a snapshot of your library for the past year. This handout is a good take-away for your audience to be able to think about what the library has accomplished in the past year in a succinct format.
• As you think about how best to convey your message, remember your audience.  Consider how much time will you have, how comfortable they may be with numbers/charts/graphs, whether they are likely to be overwhelmed if you provide too much data or suspicious if you provide not enough, etc.  In general, limit the number of PowerPoint slides, and keep each one “short and sweet.”
• Note that the beauty of this “message” approach is that your presentations will offer a fresh perspective from year to year as your messages change, enabling you to build over time a fuller understanding within your audience of the library’s services and needs.

Finally, remember to maintain an upbeat, “can do” attitude throughout your presentation.  Keep in mind the Mission Statement and the community you serve.  If presentation is done at a public meeting, you should have encouraged Friends, etc. to attend to demonstrate support for the Library’s service to the community.  Whatever response you get from your funding authority, be sure to thank them for their attention.

Check out the PowerPoint Budget Presentation to view a template for structuring your budget presentation.

Qualities of A Successful Budget Presentation

Best practices for budget presentations.

• Be ready to answer the most unexpected of questions (e.g. “What could you do with half of that?”).
• Understand that the budget details, about which you care deeply, will never be as important to the budget authority; accept this and figure out what is important to its members.
• Remember that your presentation has to be layered – the budget authority might approve your proposal without a single question, having only seen the executive summary.
• Remember that you better have a second (and possibly a third) layer of detail to present to your budget authority.  They just might have a lot of questions for you.
• Avoid any kind of public confrontation – agree to meet personally with a questioner who isn’t satisfied with your answer.
• Do not commit to a specific number in an open forum; if you’re backed into a corner, agree to a range or to discuss it at a follow up meeting.
• Balance is the key for budget authorities who are accountable to voters – if financing, spending, and performance are balanced, your budget will appeal to everyone.
• Know that people who work with numbers for a living want to see how things compare with other things (e.g. year-over-year, per capita performance, increase of total services, etc.); give them what they want.
• Use whatever tools you need to get your message across, but be sure that your message gets through.  Graphs and charts, PowerPoint presentations and executive summaries are great visual aids, but if your message is muddled the process of approval will be unnecessarily complicated.

Main Street Library At a Glance

PowerPoint for Main Street Library

Description and Purpose of Activity

The Main Street Public Library strengthens community, supports literacy, provides access to information, and fosters lifelong learning and enrichment.

 Library activities include selecting, purchasing, cataloging, processing and circulating books, magazines, newspapers, audiobooks, DVDs and music CDs for the use of the community.  Library staff members strive to fully answer requests for information and to locate needed items and articles.  They actively participate in community efforts to improve literacy by offering programs for all ages, particularly pre-school children and their caregivers.  The Library is also a place where free access to the Internet and computing is available.  The Library provides outreach bookmobile service to daycares and other stops within the City and offers a large number of electronic resource subscriptions. 

Accomplishments & Highlights 2009 

• Increased service levels, experiencing the busiest days in the library’s history, following a trend that began in 2007.
• Working with the local work force center, developed a Business and Employment Resource Area in the library.  The collection for this Resource Area was provided with the assistance of the Friends of the Library.
• Replaced furniture in the Teen area with assistance from the Friends of the Library.  Finished repainting Teen area and added display shelving and slat wall (end cap display) in many places throughout the library.
• Continued to gather information (particularly related to fundraising) and plan for a library expansion.

Initiatives in 2010 

• Continue to implement the steps outlined in the 2008-2012 Library Long-Range Plan; evaluate progress towards goals and revise as needed.  Major goals of the plan are:  foster lifelong learning support information literacy and collaboration; the library as a welcoming, accessible and convenient public gathering place; diverse collections of print, media and electronic resources; information related to work and employment, school, business and personal life; developing a library facility that will support the services the Main Street Library community needs
• Cut county bookmobile stops and proportionately reduce bookmobile staff hours accordingly.
• Cut Sunday hours in order to reduce staff expenditures.
• Celebrate the centennial of the Carnegie Library Building.
• Continue to contribute substantially to the economic vitality of the community.

Once the Budget Presentation Is Over

• Once your budget has been approved, the cycle begins again.  There are steps you should take to smooth the way for the next budgeting process.
• Say “Thank you!” to decision-makers who have been part of the budgeting process.  Call or write and let them know that you appreciate their time and consideration of your library’s needs.
• Thank your Advocacy Committee members and other volunteers and stakeholders for their support of your library in the budgeting process.
• Let your staff know your appreciation for their efforts in creating your library’s budget.  Share any specific feedback you may have received from decision-makers.
• Debrief the process with your staff.  What went well?  What could have made the process more efficient?  What should you change in the next budgeting process?
• Begin again the ongoing progress of scanning the community to monitor needs, priorities, challenges and opportunities for providing service.  Keep a budget file that you add notes to that will help inform the next budgeting process.
• If you are requested to come back with a revised budget, respond quickly.  You should always go into a budget presentation with a “Plan B” in the event that your budget doesn’t receive approval.
• Budgeting can be a stressful process.  When your presentation is over, celebrate your efforts with your staff so that everyone feels they’ve participated in a good team effort.

Budgeting Best Practices

Best practices for creating a successful budget.

• The library budget is the result of local money funding an important local function.  Remind your budgeting authority how its library returns value to the community and aligns with the community’s priorities during every budget cycle (and at every other opportunity).
• A community’s priorities are the priorities of the community’s library – library patrons and their elected officials need to know exactly how everyone benefits by supporting this community asset.  Patrons (voters) need to let politicians know that they support libraries.  Politicians will gain votes using the same message to voters.
• Understand how to use comparative data (from similar library communities or against your own library’s historical data) that support your budget narrative.  Have a strong understanding of contemporary and past budget events in your community; learn how to use statistical trends to support your arguments.
• Your profession is collegial and filled with people who love learning and helping others – remember there are many librarians out there who are willing to share their experiences with you.  Your greatest resource for budgeting advice could be your professional colleagues.
• Work with the community’s representatives – board members, Trustees, Friends groups, and elected officials.  Whether the economy is waxing or waning, these groups support and care about libraries and will help you to align the budget with the community’s priorities.
• Budgeting is a year-round practice that requires constant attention; teach staff members and non-staff supporters always to keep their eyes open for opportunities to fine-tune the processes and efficiencies of your library.
• The community’s library is always about the future of the community – your budget proposal relates directly to the youth of your community.
• Always keep your message positive - be ready and willing to compromise.
• You have multitudes of patrons who will never set foot in your library (accessing the library’s resources via the Internet).  Figure out creative ways for  reaching these cyber-patrons to ask for their support.

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How To Make a Good Presentation [A Complete Guide]

By Krystle Wong , Jul 20, 2023

A top-notch presentation possesses the power to drive action. From winning stakeholders over and conveying a powerful message to securing funding — your secret weapon lies within the realm of creating an effective presentation .  

Being an excellent presenter isn’t confined to the boardroom. Whether you’re delivering a presentation at work, pursuing an academic career, involved in a non-profit organization or even a student, nailing the presentation game is a game-changer.

In this article, I’ll cover the top qualities of compelling presentations and walk you through a step-by-step guide on how to give a good presentation. Here’s a little tip to kick things off: for a headstart, check out Venngage’s collection of free presentation templates . They are fully customizable, and the best part is you don’t need professional design skills to make them shine!

These valuable presentation tips cater to individuals from diverse professional backgrounds, encompassing business professionals, sales and marketing teams, educators, trainers, students, researchers, non-profit organizations, public speakers and presenters. 

No matter your field or role, these tips for presenting will equip you with the skills to deliver effective presentations that leave a lasting impression on any audience.

Click to jump ahead:

What are the 10 qualities of a good presentation?

Step-by-step guide on how to prepare an effective presentation, 9 effective techniques to deliver a memorable presentation, faqs on making a good presentation, how to create a presentation with venngage in 5 steps.

When it comes to giving an engaging presentation that leaves a lasting impression, it’s not just about the content — it’s also about how you deliver it. Wondering what makes a good presentation? Well, the best presentations I’ve seen consistently exhibit these 10 qualities:

1. Clear structure

No one likes to get lost in a maze of information. Organize your thoughts into a logical flow, complete with an introduction, main points and a solid conclusion. A structured presentation helps your audience follow along effortlessly, leaving them with a sense of satisfaction at the end.

Regardless of your presentation style , a quality presentation starts with a clear roadmap. Browse through Venngage’s template library and select a presentation template that aligns with your content and presentation goals. Here’s a good presentation example template with a logical layout that includes sections for the introduction, main points, supporting information and a conclusion: 

2. Engaging opening

Hook your audience right from the start with an attention-grabbing statement, a fascinating question or maybe even a captivating anecdote. Set the stage for a killer presentation!

The opening moments of your presentation hold immense power – check out these 15 ways to start a presentation to set the stage and captivate your audience.

3. Relevant content

Make sure your content aligns with their interests and needs. Your audience is there for a reason, and that’s to get valuable insights. Avoid fluff and get straight to the point, your audience will be genuinely excited.

4. Effective visual aids

Picture this: a slide with walls of text and tiny charts, yawn! Visual aids should be just that—aiding your presentation. Opt for clear and visually appealing slides, engaging images and informative charts that add value and help reinforce your message.

With Venngage, visualizing data takes no effort at all. You can import data from CSV or Google Sheets seamlessly and create stunning charts, graphs and icon stories effortlessly to showcase your data in a captivating and impactful way.

5. Clear and concise communication

Keep your language simple, and avoid jargon or complicated terms. Communicate your ideas clearly, so your audience can easily grasp and retain the information being conveyed. This can prevent confusion and enhance the overall effectiveness of the message. 

6. Engaging delivery

Spice up your presentation with a sprinkle of enthusiasm! Maintain eye contact, use expressive gestures and vary your tone of voice to keep your audience glued to the edge of their seats. A touch of charisma goes a long way!

7. Interaction and audience engagement

Turn your presentation into an interactive experience — encourage questions, foster discussions and maybe even throw in a fun activity. Engaged audiences are more likely to remember and embrace your message.

Transform your slides into an interactive presentation with Venngage’s dynamic features like pop-ups, clickable icons and animated elements. Engage your audience with interactive content that lets them explore and interact with your presentation for a truly immersive experience.

8. Effective storytelling

Who doesn’t love a good story? Weaving relevant anecdotes, case studies or even a personal story into your presentation can captivate your audience and create a lasting impact. Stories build connections and make your message memorable.

A great presentation background is also essential as it sets the tone, creates visual interest and reinforces your message. Enhance the overall aesthetics of your presentation with these 15 presentation background examples and captivate your audience’s attention.

9. Well-timed pacing

Pace your presentation thoughtfully with well-designed presentation slides, neither rushing through nor dragging it out. Respect your audience’s time and ensure you cover all the essential points without losing their interest.

10. Strong conclusion

Last impressions linger! Summarize your main points and leave your audience with a clear takeaway. End your presentation with a bang , a call to action or an inspiring thought that resonates long after the conclusion.

In-person presentations aside, acing a virtual presentation is of paramount importance in today’s digital world. Check out this guide to learn how you can adapt your in-person presentations into virtual presentations . 

Preparing an effective presentation starts with laying a strong foundation that goes beyond just creating slides and notes. One of the quickest and best ways to make a presentation would be with the help of a good presentation software . 

Otherwise, let me walk you to how to prepare for a presentation step by step and unlock the secrets of crafting a professional presentation that sets you apart.

1. Understand the audience and their needs

Before you dive into preparing your masterpiece, take a moment to get to know your target audience. Tailor your presentation to meet their needs and expectations , and you’ll have them hooked from the start!

2. Conduct thorough research on the topic

Time to hit the books (or the internet)! Don’t skimp on the research with your presentation materials — dive deep into the subject matter and gather valuable insights . The more you know, the more confident you’ll feel in delivering your presentation.

3. Organize the content with a clear structure

No one wants to stumble through a chaotic mess of information. Outline your presentation with a clear and logical flow. Start with a captivating introduction, follow up with main points that build on each other and wrap it up with a powerful conclusion that leaves a lasting impression.

Delivering an effective business presentation hinges on captivating your audience, and Venngage’s professionally designed business presentation templates are tailor-made for this purpose. With thoughtfully structured layouts, these templates enhance your message’s clarity and coherence, ensuring a memorable and engaging experience for your audience members.

Don’t want to build your presentation layout from scratch? pick from these 5 foolproof presentation layout ideas that won’t go wrong. 

4. Develop visually appealing and supportive visual aids

Spice up your presentation with eye-catching visuals! Create slides that complement your message, not overshadow it. Remember, a picture is worth a thousand words, but that doesn’t mean you need to overload your slides with text.

Well-chosen designs create a cohesive and professional look, capturing your audience’s attention and enhancing the overall effectiveness of your message. Here’s a list of carefully curated PowerPoint presentation templates and great background graphics that will significantly influence the visual appeal and engagement of your presentation.

5. Practice, practice and practice

Practice makes perfect — rehearse your presentation and arrive early to your presentation to help overcome stage fright. Familiarity with your material will boost your presentation skills and help you handle curveballs with ease.

6. Seek feedback and make necessary adjustments

Don’t be afraid to ask for help and seek feedback from friends and colleagues. Constructive criticism can help you identify blind spots and fine-tune your presentation to perfection.

With Venngage’s real-time collaboration feature , receiving feedback and editing your presentation is a seamless process. Group members can access and work on the presentation simultaneously and edit content side by side in real-time. Changes will be reflected immediately to the entire team, promoting seamless teamwork.

7. Prepare for potential technical or logistical issues

Prepare for the unexpected by checking your equipment, internet connection and any other potential hiccups. If you’re worried that you’ll miss out on any important points, you could always have note cards prepared. Remember to remain focused and rehearse potential answers to anticipated questions.

8. Fine-tune and polish your presentation

As the big day approaches, give your presentation one last shine. Review your talking points, practice how to present a presentation and make any final tweaks. Deep breaths — you’re on the brink of delivering a successful presentation!

In competitive environments, persuasive presentations set individuals and organizations apart. To brush up on your presentation skills, read these guides on how to make a persuasive presentation and tips to presenting effectively . 

Whether you’re an experienced presenter or a novice, the right techniques will let your presentation skills soar to new heights!

From public speaking hacks to interactive elements and storytelling prowess, these 9 effective presentation techniques will empower you to leave a lasting impression on your audience and make your presentations unforgettable.

1. Confidence and positive body language

Positive body language instantly captivates your audience, making them believe in your message as much as you do. Strengthen your stage presence and own that stage like it’s your second home! Stand tall, shoulders back and exude confidence. 

2. Eye contact with the audience

Break down that invisible barrier and connect with your audience through their eyes. Maintaining eye contact when giving a presentation builds trust and shows that you’re present and engaged with them.

3. Effective use of hand gestures and movement

A little movement goes a long way! Emphasize key points with purposeful gestures and don’t be afraid to walk around the stage. Your energy will be contagious!

4. Utilize storytelling techniques

Weave the magic of storytelling into your presentation. Share relatable anecdotes, inspiring success stories or even personal experiences that tug at the heartstrings of your audience. Adjust your pitch, pace and volume to match the emotions and intensity of the story. Varying your speaking voice adds depth and enhances your stage presence.

5. Incorporate multimedia elements

Spice up your presentation with a dash of visual pizzazz! Use slides, images and video clips to add depth and clarity to your message. Just remember, less is more—don’t overwhelm them with information overload. 

Turn your presentations into an interactive party! Involve your audience with questions, polls or group activities. When they actively participate, they become invested in your presentation’s success. Bring your design to life with animated elements. Venngage allows you to apply animations to icons, images and text to create dynamic and engaging visual content.

6. Utilize humor strategically

Laughter is the best medicine—and a fantastic presentation enhancer! A well-placed joke or lighthearted moment can break the ice and create a warm atmosphere , making your audience more receptive to your message.

7. Practice active listening and respond to feedback

Be attentive to your audience’s reactions and feedback. If they have questions or concerns, address them with genuine interest and respect. Your responsiveness builds rapport and shows that you genuinely care about their experience.

8. Apply the 10-20-30 rule

Apply the 10-20-30 presentation rule and keep it short, sweet and impactful! Stick to ten slides, deliver your presentation within 20 minutes and use a 30-point font to ensure clarity and focus. Less is more, and your audience will thank you for it!

9. Implement the 5-5-5 rule

Simplicity is key. Limit each slide to five bullet points, with only five words per bullet point and allow each slide to remain visible for about five seconds. This rule keeps your presentation concise and prevents information overload.

Simple presentations are more engaging because they are easier to follow. Summarize your presentations and keep them simple with Venngage’s gallery of simple presentation templates and ensure that your message is delivered effectively across your audience.

1. How to start a presentation?

To kick off your presentation effectively, begin with an attention-grabbing statement or a powerful quote. Introduce yourself, establish credibility and clearly state the purpose and relevance of your presentation.

2. How to end a presentation?

For a strong conclusion, summarize your talking points and key takeaways. End with a compelling call to action or a thought-provoking question and remember to thank your audience and invite any final questions or interactions.

3. How to make a presentation interactive?

To make your presentation interactive, encourage questions and discussion throughout your talk. Utilize multimedia elements like videos or images and consider including polls, quizzes or group activities to actively involve your audience.

In need of inspiration for your next presentation? I’ve got your back! Pick from these 120+ presentation ideas, topics and examples to get started. 

Creating a stunning presentation with Venngage is a breeze with our user-friendly drag-and-drop editor and professionally designed templates for all your communication needs. 

Here’s how to make a presentation in just 5 simple steps with the help of Venngage:

Step 1: Sign up for Venngage for free using your email, Gmail or Facebook account or simply log in to access your account. 

Step 2: Pick a design from our selection of free presentation templates (they’re all created by our expert in-house designers).

Step 3: Make the template your own by customizing it to fit your content and branding. With Venngage’s intuitive drag-and-drop editor, you can easily modify text, change colors and adjust the layout to create a unique and eye-catching design.

Step 4: Elevate your presentation by incorporating captivating visuals. You can upload your images or choose from Venngage’s vast library of high-quality photos, icons and illustrations. 

Step 5: Upgrade to a premium or business account to export your presentation in PDF and print it for in-person presentations or share it digitally for free!

By following these five simple steps, you’ll have a professionally designed and visually engaging presentation ready in no time. With Venngage’s user-friendly platform, your presentation is sure to make a lasting impression. So, let your creativity flow and get ready to shine in your next presentation!

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Example Budget Presentation Powerpoint Presentation Slides

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Content of this Powerpoint Presentation

Presenting and discussing the budget before starting a new business period/project is crucial for businesses. A well-crafted budget presentation helps stakeholders understand the organization's financial priorities and strategies, fostering transparency and trust among management. 

An effective budget presentation facilitates informed decision-making. It allows strategic adjustments in response to financial performance or market changes. 

Budget presentations must include key elements such as revenue forecasts, detailed expense breakdowns, funding needs, and financial goals. Clear visuals like charts and graphs and a narrative explaining the numbers help illustrate the organization's financial strategy and priorities. 

It can be difficult to ensure the presentation's clarity and conciseness while including all necessary financial details. It is challenging to balance technical and financial information while making your budget presentation accessible and engaging for stakeholders. That is where our ready-to-use and customizable Budget Presentation Template will save you the day!

Let’s walk you through the best way to present financial information, using clear and professional visuals like colorful charts, graphs, and well-structured tables. 

After that, you can download this expert-designed PPT and tweak it to match your business or budget requirements. The PowerPoint Deck is 100% customizable and easy to edit. 

Let's begin!

Template 1: Budgeting Template (Layout 1)

This budgeting layout helps in detailed financial planning by providing a structured and color-coded layout to itemize costs across multiple categories and timeframes. Each category has space to share a description of at least two items along with financial figures for four months/quarters and the total at the right end. Its clear format allows for easy input, tracking, and comparison of expenditures, supporting detailed budget analysis presentations. This template offers a straightforward way for businesses to maintain fiscal oversight and ensure that financial strategies align with company goals.

Template 2: Budgeting Template (Layout 2)

This Budgeting Template offers a clear and concise layout for financial planning across cost items throughout the year. It allows sharing the cost per year for each item, with an annual overview and percentage breakdown for each category. The design has well-designed spaces for presenting twelve items with their financial figures and percentages. It enables financial analysts to track fiscal health, allocate resources, and identify areas for cost optimization in budget presentations.

Template 3: Channel Marketing Budget 

Financial strategists can use this channel marketing budget slide to showcase a detailed, month-by-month breakdown of marketing expenditures. The slide categorizes the marketing expenses in Customer Acquisition & Retention (CAR) and Other Expenses. CAR includes costs of human resources, communication, and promotional/coupons. Travel, infrastructure, and channel support are included in other expenses. The design records and compares these numbers for three months to assess expense patterns and comprehensive budget planning. Its clear structure and cumulative totals enable quick assessments of marketing spend over time, aligning with anticipated sales figures. This template will help marketers balance budget allocations with campaign goals and share precise, concise financial projections with stakeholders.

Template 4: Budgeting - Planned/Actual Comparison

This budget comparison slide showcases a side-by-side comparison of monthly planned versus actual expenses throughout the year. It features a bar chart for a direct monthly comparison and a deviation chart for tracking over or underspend. A table over these charts presents planned and actual costs in numbers and value differences for easy reading and interpretation. This template will be an invaluable resource for businesses to facilitate financial analysis, budget management, strategic decision-making, and fiscal transparency.

Template 5: Product Launch Budget Plan

Use this budget plan slide to allocate financial resources across different categories in the product launch phase. Each category is visually represented by progress bars, indicating the percentage of the budget allocated, with color-coding for clear differentiation. You can customize the categories in this layout to match your product launch plan needs. This layout allows an immediate understanding of budget distribution and progress in presentations that require concise financial overviews and strategic planning.

Template 6: Company Budget

This company budget slide is a streamlined visual financial tool designed to organize and present a company's income and expenses clearly. With designated sections for various income streams and a detailed breakdown of costs like wages, rent, and utilities, this slide will help in meticulous budget planning. It offers a comparative snapshot of financial data across two different time frames, allowing for easy financial health and planning visualization.

Template 7: Product Launch Marketing Budget

Planning a product launch in your next financial year? This product launch budget template will help you strategize the fiscal aspects of marketing campaigns. It categorizes expenses into public relations, web marketing, advertising, and collateral over quarterly intervals, ensuring comprehensive and balanced financial planning. This slide will allow the financial planning and product launch team to allocate resources efficiently across various marketing channels and track expenditure trends throughout the product launch lifecycle.

Template 8: Social Media Budget

The Social Media Budget slide is designed to streamline financial planning by including social media strategies and budgets. Featuring clearly defined categories like content creation, social advertising, software, promotions, and social engagement, the template allows users to outline in-house and outsourced expenses to ensure a comprehensive view of costs. This template aids budget presentations by providing a snapshot of total expenditures per category and total expenses across categories for in-house and outsourced services. It helps in precise and strategic resource allocation for optimal social media management.

Template 9: Stacked Line with Markers

Use this line graph to present data trends for a product use for various tasks. With data nodes and ample space to write insights for each data point, it presents axis values like customers or products sold in millions on a horizontal axis. On the vertical axis, it showcases the task numbers. The connected line between two points highlights fluctuations over time and facilitates quick analysis of performance metrics. It will help you gather insights like how many customers use the product for which task or for which task most customers use the product. It is a must-have slide for easy data representation.

Template 10: Volume Open High Low Close Chart

With this volume chart slide, budget presenters can compare and highlight the open, high, low, and close values of two products over a series of dates. It's useful for budget and financial presentations, providing a clear and concise overview of market trends or sales performance with a color-coded volume bar and line graph interface. The design is interactive and easy to edit to create comparison slides in budget presentations.

Tallying the Final Ledger!

A budget presentation is a strategic tool that guides an organization's financial planning and management, ensuring fiscal discipline and long-term sustainability. Use this budget presentation with the required neat and professional visuals, like charts and graphs, to make the most of your budget discussions. Strategize and sort your business finances, marketing campaign budgets, and product launch expenses, all while keeping things transparent and digestible. Break the stereotype of boring finance meetings with this engaging budget presentation!

Example Budget Presentation Powerpoint Presentation Slides with all 40 slides:

Block your distractions with our Example Budget Presentation Powerpoint Presentation Slides. Acquire the ability to achieve fine focus.

The purpose of this presentation is to provide a budgeting template, charts, graphs, and various slides for businesses to create their own budget presentations, as well as showcase their mission, vision, team, financial scores, and goals.

The presentation includes Budgeting Template (Layout-1) and Budgeting Template (Layout-2) in percentage, Channel Marketing Budget, Event Budget, Product Launch Marketing Budget Template, and Social Media Budget Template.

The presentation includes Stacked Line With Markers, Clustered Bar, Volume-Open-High-Low-Close, Stacked Area-Clustered Column, and Open-High-Low-Close-Chart charts and graphs.

The presentation includes slides for mission and vision, about us, our team, our goals, dashboard, financial scores, quotes, comparison, location, our targets, puzzles, circular image, lego blocks, silhouettes, hierarchy, Venn diagram, mind map, magnifying glass, and bulb or idea.

Yes, the content in the presentation can be customized as per the business requirement.

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Helps You Work Toward Long-Term Goals

Can keep you from overspending, can make retirement saving easier, helps you prepare for emergencies, can reveal spending habits.

• Frequently Asked Questions

The Bottom Line

• Personal Finance
• Financial Literacy

What Are the 5 Purposes of Budgeting?

The importance of making a budget is a financial lesson that can’t be overemphasized. When you first go on your financial journey, following a budget can help you practice basic money habits.

Still not convinced? Below are five good reasons why everyone should create and stick to a budget .

Key Takeaways

• A budget is simply a spending plan that takes into account estimated current and future income and expenses for a specified future time period, usually a year.
• Having a budget keeps your spending in check and makes sure that your savings are on track for the future.
• Budgeting can help you set long-term financial goals, keep you from overspending, help shut down risky spending habits, and more.

A budget helps you figure out your long-term goals and work toward them. If you just drift aimlessly through life, tossing your money at every shiny, new object that happens to catch your eye, how will you ever save up enough money to buy a car or put a down payment on a house?

A budget forces you to map out your goals, save your money, keep track of your progress, and make your dreams a reality. By seeing what money you earn and what money you have going out through a budget, you can create a map for where you need to go to get your goal, whether that is purchasing a home in a few years or going to graduate school.

Budgeting can also be used for shorter-term goals. If the brand-new Xbox game or the cashmere sweater in the store window is unattainable right now, then a budget can help you understand what you need to do to get to that goal.

Far too many consumers spend money they don’t have—and we owe it all to credit cards . The average credit card debt per borrower rose to $6,360 in Q4 of 2023, according to credit bureau TransUnion.

Before the age of plastic, people tended to know whether they were living within their means. At the end of the month, if they had enough money left to pay the bills and sock some away in savings, they were on track. These days, people who overuse and abuse credit cards don’t always realize they’re overspending until they’re drowning in debt .

However, if you create and stick to a budget, you’re more likely to not find yourself in this position. You’ll know exactly how much money you earn, how much you can afford to spend each month, and how much you need to save.

Let’s say you spend your money responsibly, follow your budget to a T, and never carry credit card debt beyond monthly due dates. In addition to spending wisely, budgeting can make saving more achievable.

It’s important to build regular saving and investment contributions into your budget. If you set aside a portion of your earnings each month to contribute to your individual retirement account (IRA) , 401(k) , or other retirement funds, you’ll eventually build a nice nest egg . Although you may have to sacrifice a little now, it will be worth it down the road.

Here’s an example of how that could work: Let’s say Trina started a new job last year and wants to take advantage of the employer’s 401(k) plan and matching contributions . She knows that including her own monthly plan deferral from her paycheck in her budget as a recurring expense will help her be consistent in building retirement savings. She’s 36 years old, so she knows that for the 2023 tax year , people her age can contribute a maximum of $22,500 to their 401(k), before employer matching funds.

So, using a calculator provided by her 401(k)’s management firm, she figures out that she should defer $433 per week, or $1,732 per month, from her salary to max out her potential annual contribution for 2023. She adds that figure into her budget spreadsheet under expenses and makes it an automatic subtraction from her disposable income , to separate her retirement savings from her cash available for other expenses.

In some cases, it may seem like a good idea to add larger amounts to your retirement account, but if it means that the reduction in disposable income will result in rising credit card and other debts incurred for everyday expenses, then boosting retirement savings could actually have a negative effect on your  bottom line . Everyone’s approach will vary based on their individual financial situation.

Life is filled with unexpected surprises. When you get laid off , face a costly unexpected home repair, become sick or injured, go through a divorce , or have a death in the family, those circumstances can lead to serious financial turmoil. In these situations, an emergency fund comes in handy.

An emergency fund should consist of at least three to six months’ worth of living expenses, and it should be accounted for when budgeting. This extra money will ensure that you don’t dip into other funds saved for long-term financial goals, such as paying off debt.

Of course, it will take time to save up three to six months’ worth of living expenses . Don’t try to place the majority of your paycheck into your emergency fund right away. The best strategy is to build it into your budget, set realistic goals, and start small. Even if you put just $10 to $30 aside each week, your emergency fund will slowly build up. Budgeting apps, such as Mint or YNAB , provide tools for setting up an emergency fund, depending on your chosen approach.

Building a budget forces you to take a close look at your spending habits . When reviewing your expenses, you may notice that you’re spending money on things you don’t need, such as a cable TV subscription. Budgeting allows you to rethink your spending habits and refocus your financial goals.

Taking a look at your expenses, you may see that one month, you spent more money on eating out than cooking at home. By reviewing your budget, you can make effective changes as a result. If you see that you’re overspending target amounts set in your budget for such discretionary items, you may choose to adjust how much you commit to luxury or nonessential spending in lieu of saving for a new car or a major home improvement project that could also add to your place’s resale value.

Why is a budget important?

A budget helps create financial stability. By tracking expenses and following a plan, a budget makes it easier to pay bills on time, build an emergency fund, and save for major expenses such as a car or home. Overall, a budget puts a person on stronger financial footing for both the day-to-day and the long term.

What is an emergency fund?

An emergency fund is three to six months’ worth of living expenses set aside in case of an unexpected life event, such as employment termination, illness, or a hefty home maintenance bill.

What are some key reasons to have a budget?

There are many reasons to have a budget, depending on the individual. A budget can often help build financial independence and freedom. A budget can also set you on the right path to achieving your financial goals, spending within your means, saving for retirement, building an emergency fund, and analyzing your spending habits.

A budget is simply a spending plan that takes into account expected income and expenses for a specified period of time. It can bring you one step closer toward financial security. Having and sticking to a budget can keep your spending in check and assure that your savings for emergencies and longer-term goals, such as a comfortable retirement, stay consistent.

TransUnion. " Bankcard Balances Surge Past $1 Trillion as All Risk Tiers Drive Up Their Credit Card Balances ."

Internal Revenue Service. “ Retirement Topics—401(k) and Profit-Sharing Plan Contribution Limits .”

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2014-2015 First Regular Session | 70th General Assembly

Second Regular Session | 74th General Assembly

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School Finance Handbook (2024)

The purpose of this publication is to help readers understand how Colorado finances its public elementary and secondary schools.  The major focus is an explanation of the funding formula included in the Public School Finance Act of 1994, including amendments made to the act in 2019.  Several illustrations are provided to help readers calculate funding under the formula.  The booklet also describes several other provisions of law that relate to school district funding.  These provisions include a description of revenue that is earmarked for specific functions, other local sources of revenue, categorical programs, and the Colorado Preschool Program.  Please note that this publication is intended to provide a summary overview of programs that affect funding for schools; state law should be consulted for more specific details on the operation of the programs or for information on other programs that provide money to school districts.

Related Publications

Tabor emergency provisions.

On March 11, 2020, Governor Polis issued Executive Order D 2020 003, declaring a disaster emergency pursuant to state law due to the presence of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID‑19).  The disaster emergency declaration triggers certain provisions in the Colorado Constitution and state law....

School Sales Exemptions

Report No. 2021-TE5

FY 2021-22 Staff Budget Briefing Summary

Economic outlook presentation september 2022.

Economic Outlook for the U.S. and Colorado

The ongoing expansion in the U.S. economy is fueled by consumer contributions.

Forecast December 2020

Focus Colorado presents forecasts for the economy and state government revenue through FY 2019-20. Implications of the forecast for the state's General Fund budget and spending limit are described in the report's highlights and executive summary sections. The report is based on current law,...

State-Sponsored Retirement Plans (20-22)

This issue brief provides an overview of state‑sponsored retirement plans, retirement plan marketplaces, and multiple employer retirement plans for private sector workers. The brief also includes a discussion of related federal laws and Congressional activity.

Vaccinations for School-Aged Children (20-20)

Vaccinations offer protection from common infectious diseases.  The federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends specific vaccines for all infants, children, and adults during their lifetime to provide immunity from preventable illness.  A recent analysis estimated that...

The Financing of Public Schools

House Bill 20 - 1418 amended the Public School Finance Act of 1994 to provide fun ding for school districts in FY ...

Forecast September 2020

2020 blue book fiscal impact (english).

Fiscal Impact Statements for the 2020 statewide ballot measures.

Colorado General Assembly

[email protected]

Colorado legislature email addresses ending in @state.co.us  are no longer active. Please replace @state.co.us with @coleg.gov for Colorado legislature email addresses.  Details

The effective date for bills enacted without a safety clause is August 7, 2024, if the General Assembly adjourns sine die on May 8, 2024, unless otherwise specified. Details