Seeing Around Corners: Financial Forecasting for Nonprofit Leaders

This event is offered by our partner in another state. Please double-check times and time zones prior to registering. 

Date/Time
Date(s) - November 17, 2026
10:00 am - 11:30 am

Fee: $45 for nonmembers, $40.50 for members
Register at: https://give.unitedwaynwvt.org/e/financial-forecasting-for-nonprofit-leaders

Most nonprofits have an annual budget and regular financial reports. But those tools don’t always answer the questions leaders face throughout the year:

• Are we still headed where we expected?
• What happens if funding changes or arrives later than planned?
• Can we afford to hire or expand a program?
• When could cash become tight?
• When do we need to act?

A budget establishes what you expect to happen and is typically developed and approved annually. A financial forecast builds on that plan by incorporating what you know today to provide an updated view of where the organization is headed. Unlike the annual budget, forecasting is revisited throughout the year as circumstances change and can also be maintained as a rolling 12-month view. Scenario planning takes that visibility a step further by helping leaders understand what could happen if key assumptions change or different decisions are made.

In this session, we’ll use a practical framework for creating and using forward visibility, including rolling forecasts, cash-flow visibility, key assumptions, and scenario planning:

1. Understand your current financial reality — where you are today and what is driving your financial position.
2. Identify what matters most going forward — the funding, expenses, cash timing, assumptions, and risks most likely to affect your organization.
3. Develop a forward view — use what you know today to anticipate where the organization is headed and where financial or cash pressure may emerge.
4. Explore uncertainty and choices — consider how changes in funding, staffing, programs, timing, or other key assumptions could affect the outcome.
5. Use the forecast to make decisions — identify when action may be needed and give leadership and boards better information for evaluating choices.

Participants will leave with a clearer understanding of how forecasting complements annual budgeting and scenario planning, why it deserves a place in an organization’s ongoing financial management process, and a practical framework for incorporating greater forward visibility into financial leadership. The goal is to help leaders anticipate challenges earlier, evaluate decisions more confidently, and engage their boards in more productive conversations about the organization’s financial future.

Length: 90 min; 10:00 – 11:30 am

Audience: Executive Directors and CEOs, CFOs and other senior financial leaders, and board members with financial oversight responsibilities. The session is particularly valuable for leaders whose organizations rely primarily on annual budgeting and historical financial reporting and want greater visibility into what lies ahead.

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