Budgets

A Toolkit for Volunteer Leaders
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Budgets M-8

Take care of your pennies and the dollars will take care of themselves

Writing a budget for a program may be a little scary, especially the first time. Budgets are not, however, any more difficult than any other aspect to program management.

LEARNING OBJECTIVE

After completing this module you should be able to plan a budget for an educational program with which you are familiar.

BASE THE BUDGET ON A WRITTEN PLAN

After you have completed the program planning process (modules E-4 through E-11) you will know exactly what activities and resources, including evaluation, are included in your written plan. The key question now is, "What will each activity cost?" If you have never attempted the program described in your plan of work, you need to take plenty of time and talk to a variety of people to make certain that you have anticipated all expenses and have an accurate estimate of their cost.

Below is an example of a program plan (summary that does not include details) and the budget that was developed from the plan.

SAMPLE SCHEDULE OF ACTIVITIES

Pennsylvania 4-H Program for the Inbound Delegation from Japan:

July 25 Group arrives at Harrisburg Airport (6:00 p.m.) and is taken by chartered bus to camp in Berks County. Camp lasts until 6:00 p.m. on July 28. Camp activities include crafts, workshops, recreation, and cultural assemblies.

July 28 Host families meet their delegates at camp and take them home for homestays until August 22. Families will pay all meals, lodging, and transportation during the homestay with the exception of a chartered bus trip to New York City on August 15.

Aug. 22 Host families bring their delegates back to Harrisburg for a departure ceremony (one hour) at 3:00 p.m. at the Holiday Inn. After the host families leave the Japanese delegates will complete an evaluation of the previous four weeks. Then we will have dinner together, go shopping and stay overnight in the motel.

Aug. 23 Delegates must check out of their rooms by 7:00 a.m. After a continental breakfast they will board a chartered bus to the airport. Their flight home departs at 10:00 a.m.

A SAMPLE BUDGET FOR THE EXCHANGE

JAPANESE GROUP INBOUND TO PENNSYLVANIA

		Projected Expenses
		for 45 participants	for 30 participants	for 20 participants
I.	Bus tour	$1,500.00	1,500.00	1,500.00
II.	Orientation Program	500.00	400.00	300.00
	Materials/Souvenirs ($5.00 person)	225.00	150.00	100.00
III.	Insurance	300.00	200.00	150.00
IV.	Camp Facilities	1,000.00	1,000.00	800.00
	Food (10 meals @ 2.50)	2,500.00	1,700.00	1200.00
	Crafts	300.00	250.00	200.00
	Staff Cook & Nurse (and Workshop Leaders)	1,200.00	800.00	600.00
	Lifeguard	?	?
V.	Program Assistant at P.S.U.(and Workshop Leaders) expenses	800.00	700.00	600.00
VI.	Travel Allowance for Host Families	500.00	400.00	300.00
VII.	T-shirts and group photo ($15 + setup)	800.00	675.00	425.00
VIII.	Departure Program	1,500.00	1,000.00	700.00
	Total	11,125.00	8,775.00	6,875.00
	Per Person	247.22	292.50	343.75

FINAL THOUGHTS ON BUDGETS

Leave a little flexibility in the budget. Allow for unanticipated expenses.

Provide some options (as in the budget above where costs for different sizes of groups are indicated).

EXERCISE: Do it! Based on a written plan that you have developed, prepare a preliminary budget. Use a friend or a study group to critique your budget.