Resources are tight, and conservation groups need a robust budget tool designed to help them plan for the year ahead. TREC’s budget template is an easy-to-use budgeting tool that makes developing a budget more accurate while using far less staff time to prepare it.
This toolkit will walk you through using TREC’s budget template. The tutorials guide you through how the budget template works, filling out each sheet within the template, and how to use your budget once it’s finished.
Toolkit Resources
Budget Template
TREC's downloadable Budget Template.
Budget Template Written Instructions
Conservation groups understand that resources are tight and that they need a robust budget tool designed to help plan for the year ahead. The TREC Budget Template is an easy-to-use budgeting tool to develop a more accurate budget while using far less staff time.
Overview of the Budget Template
A brief overview of the structure of TREC’s budget template and how to use it.
Naming Conventions for the TREC Budget Template
How to fill out the Names sheet on TREC’s budget template.
Income for the TREC Budget
How to fill out the Income sheet on TREC’s budget template.
Personnel Expenses for the TREC Budget Template
How to fill out the Personnel Expenses sheet on TREC’s budgeting template.
Payroll Allocation for the TREC Budget
How to fill out the Payroll Allocation sheet on TREC’s budget template.
Project Specific Expense Detail for TREC Budget Template
How to fill out the Project Specific sheet on TREC’s budget template.
Shared Operating Costs in the TREC Budget Template
How to fill out the Shared Operating sheet on TREC’s budget template.
Using your Budget
Details on how to use your budget once you've completed entering your data into TREC's budget template.
Building Better Budgets
This webinar will help you learn to develop more accurate income projections and create more meaningful budgets.
Revenue Forecasting
Nonprofit budgets must be based on realistic revenue forecasts. Here are some principles and procedures for developing them.
Revenue Forecasting Tool
TREC’s Revenue Forecasting Tool walks you through three methods described in TREC’s Revenue Forecasting resource to help you hypothesize on future revenue.
Where to Put Expenses
For U.S.-based organizations, all expenses must be categorized between Fundraising, Management and General, and Program Services. This resource defines these functional expense areas and will give you guidance to allocate them correctly.