Financial Fluency for Nonprofit Leaders Understanding Budgets, Financial Statements, and the Story Behind the Numbers
August 31 @ 11:00 am - 1:00 pm
$100.00
Course – Financial Fluency for Nonprofit Leaders – Understanding Budgets, Financial Statements, and the Story Behind the Numbers
Date/Time
Wednesday, August 31, 2026
11:00 AM to 1:00 PM Pacific Time
Cost
Free for Members/ $100 Non-Members
Course Description –
Relationship Development and Management Skills for Nonprofit Leaders
Nonprofit leaders don’t need to be accountants. But they do need to understand the numbers.
A budget is more than a spreadsheet. Financial statements are more than reports for the finance committee. Together, they tell an important story about the health, priorities, risks, and future of an organization.
Yet many nonprofit leaders find financial reports intimidating, overly technical, or disconnected from their day-to-day leadership responsibilities. The result can be an overreliance on finance staff or board members to interpret information that every organizational leader should understand.
In this practical and accessible course, nonprofit leaders will develop greater confidence in reading, interpreting, and using financial information. Facilitator Neil Shah will help participants understand the fundamentals of nonprofit financial statements and budgeting while focusing on what the numbers actually mean for organizational decision-making.
The goal isn’t to turn nonprofit leaders into CFOs. It’s to make them better leaders.
Participants Will Learn How To:
- Understand the purpose and components of the primary nonprofit financial statements
- Read a statement of financial position and statement of activities with greater confidence
- Understand the relationship between budgets, actual performance, and financial statements
- Recognize important financial indicators, trends, variances, and potential warning signs
- Distinguish between revenue, expenses, cash flow, reserves, and restricted and unrestricted funds
- Develop and evaluate realistic organizational and departmental budgets
- Ask better questions of finance staff, auditors, board members, and financial committees
- Use financial information to make stronger strategic and operational decisions
- Communicate financial information more effectively with boards, staff, and other stakeholders
Ideal Audience:
- Executive Directors and CEOs
- Chief Operating Officers and other senior executives
- Development and advancement leaders
- Program and department leaders
- Emerging nonprofit executives
- Leaders who manage budgets, revenue goals, programs, or teams
- Nonprofit professionals seeking greater confidence in understanding their organization’s financial position
Faculty:
Neil Shah,Founder and Principal, Interim and Fractional CFO Services
