Building a Forecasting & Budget Model for a Nonprofit Organisation

The Challenge

After migrating from Reckon to Xero, the nonprofit lacked a forward budget and financial planning framework. No one had ownership of budgeting, and departments lacked tools to manage performance, identify trends, or plan spending confidently.

• No visibility on departmental performance
• No insight into seasonal trends in revenue and expenses
• No structure to inform decisions or empower managers
• Lack of confidence and clarity in financial sustainability

What I Did

• Recovered & Rebuilt Data: Validated 12 months of P&L history from Xero and legacy Reckon files, resolving data gaps and surfacing key income/expense drivers.
• Created a Rolling Forecast Model: Designed a regression-based Excel tool using VBA to project trends by revenue/expense type and update monthly with new actuals.
• Developed Departmental Budgets: Aligned forecasts with project pipelines and past cost trends to enable department-specific budget plans and accountability.
• Delivered Financial Education: Ran interactive workshops to teach managers how to read P&Ls, interpret variance, and use data in their day-to-day planning.

The Result

• 💡 Budgeting became embedded in day-to-day planning and culture
• 📈 Leadership gained monthly visibility over financial health
• 🔁 Forecast model updates dynamically with live P&L data
• 🎓 Managers now own their budgets and apply financial insights operationally

Why It Mattered

In not-for-profits, financial clarity drives impact. By creating a rolling forecast tool, improving literacy, and embedding financial responsibility into daily workflows, I helped the organisation make every dollar go further — and plan with confidence.