Budgets

Compare a budget with the book

1. Choose the budget at the top.
2. Read the tiles: budgeted spend and income, actual spend, and how many lines are over.
3. Press Against the ledger to see each line for the year, to the end of this month, the actual figure and the variance.
4. Press Month by month to see every line across its months.
5. Press Download and choose Excel (.xlsx) or CSV (.csv) to take it with you.

Then: To date is the budget's months through this month, beside the book over the same months, so a reversal moves it too. Variance is room left on a cost and a shortfall on income. A spending line past its figure to date is marked over.

The Riverside youth camp line is $12,000, all in December. In October nothing is allowed on it yet, so $50 spent early on deposits shows as over: worth a word in October, not a worry.

Start a budget

1. Press New budget.
2. Choose the Unit.
3. Give it a Name.
4. Choose the first month under From and the last under To.
5. Under Start from, choose last year's actual figures, last year's budget, or nothing.
6. Press Create.

Then: It opens as a draft. Started from last year, each month takes the same month a year before, for income and spending accounts: change any figure before it is submitted.

Set a line, month by month

1. Open the draft.
2. Press Set a line.
3. Choose the Account.
4. Under How it falls, choose The year, spread evenly over its months or Month by month — December's camp in December.
5. Type the Amount for the year, or a figure under each month.
6. Add a Note if it helps.
7. Press Save.

Then: The line is set. Leaving the amount empty removes the line.

Rather not? Bring many lines from a spreadsheet: press Import lines, then Excel template, fill it in, press Choose the filled-in file, and press the Import button, which says how many lines it brings. A line already on the budget takes the file's amount, and 0 removes one.

Submit a budget, adopt it, or send it back

1. When the draft is ready, press Submit.
2. To agree a submitted budget, open it and press Adopt.
3. Or press Send back, say what to change, and press Send it back.

Then: Submitted, it is put to whoever approves money nearest its unit, never to you. Adopted, whoever submitted it is told, and its figures move only by amendment from then on. Sent back, it is a draft again with the reason shown above it, and whoever submitted it is told why.

Who: Adopting and sending back need Approve money at the budget's unit: the Owner, Admins and Board members. The person who submitted a budget cannot adopt it.

Ana, the Riverside treasurer, submits the 2027 operating budget. Mary Ann, on the board, sends it back: “Plan the camp in December, not spread over the year.” Ana sets the camp line month by month and submits it again, and Daniel adopts it.

Change an adopted budget

1. Open the adopted budget.
2. Press Amend.
3. Choose the Account.
4. Type how much under Change by: a minus in front reduces the line.
5. Choose the Month it moves, or the year spread over its months.
6. Say Why: it is kept with the amendment and shown beside the line.
7. Press Amend.

Then: The line moves, and “amended by” and the change show beside it, with each amendment and its reason under it, oldest first. A cost nobody foresaw is added as a new line this way.

Who: Amending needs Approve money at the budget's unit: the Owner, Admins and Board members.