Nonprofit Budget

Organizational Slack (or Goldilocks and the Three Budgets)

Organizational slack is an important concept in the management literature, but you won’t find it mentioned in articles on nonprofits. It has several definitions, but all boil down to extra resources or resources held in reserve. The difference between a hand-to-mouth organization and a vibrant one is slack. Think of slack as the financial aspect of organizational capacity.

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The Matrix Map: A Powerful Tool for Mission-Focused Nonprofits

The Matrix Map is a visual tool that plots all of the organization’s activities—not just its programs—into a single, compelling image. By illustrating the organization’s business model—through a picture of all activities and the financial and mission impact of each one—it supports genuinely strategic discussions.

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Should Your Budget Balance? No!

We’ve long argued at Propel Nonprofits that break-even budgets are not only not required, but they are the biggest barrier to building reserves and ultimately a financially healthy organization.

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