A handy guide to unit budgeting

3 things to do

Here are some other things to think about when you're budgeting:

1. Keep stock of your costs

Note down how many active girls are in your unit. Then whether you expect the number of girls to increase or decrease in the year, and how many weeks in the year you meet for. Then work out rough costs for the following:

• Meeting place hire. How much did it cost last year and is the cost increasing? If you’ve not been advised on any increase yet, use an estimate.
• Do you have to pay separately for heating or lighting?
• Do you pay for storage and/or insurance?
• What about annual subscriptions to HQ and other levels? A great way of saving for this is to add it to your weekly, termly or monthly subs. Work out what you paid last year and add an increase based on previous years. If you don’t know how much annual subscriptions were last year, speak to leaders in your area. They'll be able to tell you what the amount was and from there you can work out what to charge. Remember you can set aside money to cover adult subscriptions for your volunteers too.
• Programme resources, such as unit meeting activities and skills builders are now free to download from the online shop. Did you know you can claim for the costs of using your own printer for these? Work out how much you’re going to be spending on paper and cartridges.
• Does your unit provide handbooks and badge books for new girls? If so, roughly how many new girls will you be welcoming? Make sure you factor in a cost for this.
• Don’t forget about badges – how many badges did you buy last year? Use that as your basis for your budget.
• Do you provide refreshments or food for activities? Don’t forget to include those and any materials that you may use, including craft and activities.
• You can also include new leaders' uniform or young leaders’ uniform in your budget.
• Will you or your leadership team be attending 1st response training or any other training? Include that too!
• You can also claim for leader travel or mileage. The current rate is 45p a mile if driving – remember no volunteer should be out of pocket to run the unit!
• For activities that take place outside the unit, you can choose to budget and charge for those separately. 

2. Build a pot of rainy day money

It’s recommended that you have a reserve (rainy day money) of 3-6 months of costs. This is for emergencies or spending that you didn’t anticipate.

Have a look at your current balance, and if it’s lower than you need, add an amount to your budget to cover it. If it’s higher, how are you planning to spend the extra? Perhaps you’re saving to buy camping equipment or something else.

3. Work out your cost per member

Once you’ve worked out what you’re going to spend, you can then divide the costs across the girls in your unit. This will give you a minimum amount per girl per year. It’s up to you and your leadership team to work out whether you’re going to charge termly, weekly or perhaps monthly. 

Dos and don'ts

• Do keep revisiting your budget every term and adjust as necessary. Particularly if you have new girls or girls who have left. Revisit it again in February when you know the actual amount of the annual subscription your unit is being charged. You’ll have to adjust the budget to reflect that. 
• Don’t include income that you’re not sure about. If you’re relying on fundraising or Gift Aid that you’ve achieved in previous years, make sure you have a back-up plan if it’s less successful than expected.

This is only a snapshot of what to think about when you're budgeting. It varies from unit to unit. Don’t worry if you don’t have previous account or if you’re setting up a new unit, these things should help keep you on track.