how to start a budget presentation

5-Step Guide on How to Prepare a Convincing Annual Budget Presentation

Michelle Harris - Guest Contributor

• Reevaluate company and departmental goals
• Gather budgeting information
• Set up the annual budget
• Create a convincing budget presentation
• Present your budget and win!

Learn how to present your departmental budget and gain the approval of decision-makers.

Every year, leaders are responsible for creating an annual budget for their department. It’s one thing to grapple with the numbers, but presenting the budget can be a more challenging task.

If your annual budget isn’t convincing enough, chances are you won’t get everything you require to run your department the way it needs to. Anything less than what is required and you’ll have a rough time getting through the coming year.

We’ve put together a list of five steps designed to help you prepare an exceptional annual budget presentation that cannot go unnoticed. Using this step-by-step approach will help you convince executive leaders that every component of your budget is absolutely necessary to run your department and meet company goals.

1. Reevaluate company and departmental goals

Before determining your annual budget, go back and review your company’s and department’s goals . Note anything that’s changed from previous years. This is particularly important in the case of a changing economy and market or disruptions in business due to the pandemic and other unexpected events. As goals change, so must the budget—pay close attention to all historical data. As you develop your departmental budget, you want to ensure that it aligns with your department and the company’s overall goals and objectives.

2. Gather budgeting information

Allow plenty of time to gather all of the intel needed to create a detailed and accurate budget. Don’t merely go by the departmental expenses and payments made during the previous year. Your previous year's budget is important, but also pay attention to the actual records to identify shortfalls or a surplus in the budgeted items.

When creating a budget, you have different options on how you approach it and especially when presenting it. Of course, this can all depend on your industry, company, and specific department. Following are the different types of budgets that companies most often use:

Also, discuss budgeting with team members and other stakeholders to ensure that you cover all of your bases. However, every piece of budgeting information should be based on facts rather than opinions. That way, you’ll be sure to have a budget that’s appropriately allocated.

3. Set up the annual budget

Next, sit down to create the actual budget. Depending on your preferred method, or that of your company, you can use spreadsheets or budgeting software. Each budget typically includes the following basic elements:

In addition to the basic items, you may also want to consider additional and unexpected expenses that may occur. You may think of different scenarios that could arise and determine how they might impact your business and affect your budget. You may then tweak the budget as you see fit. This allows you to plan ahead and be well-prepared for any adversity that may surface.

4. Create a convincing budget presentation

Carefully setting up your annual budget and aligning it to your company’s and department’s goals will make the following creative bit easier. The worst thing to do is try to throw together a budget while creating the presentation. You must have your budgeting ducks lined up in a row first.

presentation tips

As you plan out your presentation, consider including the following to help you convince the decision-makers:

Budget presentation title

Budget presentation agenda

Executive summary

Company SWOT analysis

Business challenges

Budget plan and allocation

Budget process and timeline

Departmental deliverables

Steps following budget approval

There are many ways to make an effective and impactful presentation. It can be anything from a simple printed booklet to an interactive multimedia presentation. It doesn’t have to be over-the-top but should show that your budget is well organized, thorough, and fact-based.

5. Present your budget and win!

It doesn't matter how you choose to present your budget—you can use PowerPoint or other media—but it should include graphics and other information to make your case. Here are a few tips to keep in mind:

Keep it brief (not more than 10 slides).

Include charts, diagrams, graphs, etc. for better data visualization.

Showcase your problem-solving skills by giving solutions.

Show enthusiasm, but don't deliver a long speech.

Enhance your annual budget presentation

Unless you’re an experienced accountant or a natural penny pincher, you probably cringe at the thought of creating an annual budget. Even more so, it can be frustrating trying to get your boss to accept your budget. That’s why it’s critical to know how to create an impressive and convincing annual budget presentation that wins the approval of business stakeholders.

There are plenty of options available to help you enhance your presentations to showcase an annual budget that will garner a “yay” rather than a “nay.” At Capterra, we’ve done all the dirty work to compile a list of presentation software for you to easily compare and choose from. Our shortlist gives you the top-ranked suggestions, so you can see which software ranks the highest.

If you need help getting your numbers in order before you’re ready to present, take a look at the available budgeting software , including the best free budgeting software for small businesses .

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About the author.

Michelle Harris is a strategist residing on Florida’s beautiful Gulf Coast. Providing global clients with solutions to head-banging problems is her passion at Shel-Shok, LLC. She is a Ph.D. candidate researching finance decision-making and holds graduate degrees in management and marketing. Her background includes art, education, medicine and conservation (she is a glorified bug hugger!). When not strategizing, you will find her motorcycling, belly dancing, roller derbying and beach bumming.

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Budget forecast presentation: A comprehensive guide

Learn how to develop realistic assumptions, build clear messaging, and present your data visually.

Raja Bothra

Building presentations

If you're here, you're probably looking for insights on how to create a killer budget forecast presentation that will impress your audience.

Well, you're in the right place.

In this comprehensive guide, we'll dive deep into the art and science of crafting an effective budget forecast presentation that not only conveys your financial plans but also leaves a lasting impact.

What is the budget forecast?

Before we plunge into the nitty-gritty of creating a budget forecast presentation, let's make sure we're all on the same page regarding what a budget forecast actually is. In its simplest form, a budget forecast is a financial roadmap that outlines your anticipated income and expenses over a defined period, typically a fiscal year. It serves as a valuable tool for businesses, individuals, and organizations alike, helping them make informed decisions, allocate resources wisely, and stay on course financially.

Benefits of budget forecast presentations

Now that we've got the basics covered, let's explore the myriad benefits of using budget forecast presentations. Understanding these advantages will give you a clearer picture of why crafting a compelling budget forecast presentation is worth your time and effort.

1. Strategic decision-making

• Budget : Your budget forecast provides a clear breakdown of your financial resources.
• Projection : It projects your financial position into the future.
• Compare : This allows you to compare projected income and expenses.

2. Resource allocation

• Select : You can select the resources needed for different stages of your plan.
• Expense : Managing expenses efficiently becomes easier.
• Variable : Variable expenses can be adjusted as per the forecast.

3. Enhanced credibility

• Credibility : A well-prepared budget forecast presentation enhances your credibility.
• Clarity : It brings clarity to your financial strategies.
• Confuse : Avoids confusion among stakeholders.

4. Improved planning

• Technique : Use advanced techniques for accuracy.
• Strategy : Align your budgeting and forecasting with your overall strategy.
• Graph : Visualize trends and historical data for better planning.

How to structure an effective budget forecast presentation

Creating a budget forecast presentation is both an art and a science. To make it easier for you to refine your approach, we've categorized all our content according to the number of 'stages' it takes to make your presentation shine. Let's dive into the key stages of crafting an impactful budget forecast presentation:

1. Start with a clear template

• Template : Begin with a budget forecast presentation template.
• Powerpoint : Consider using PowerPoint or Google Slides.
• Download : Download a forecasting PowerPoint template for ease.

2. Define your budget planning

• Annual budget : Outline your annual budget.
• Quarterly : Break it down into quarterly segments.
• Infographics : Use infographics to communicate effectively.
• Dashboard : Create a dashboard for a visual overview.

3. Lay out your financial forecast

• Forecasting Process : Describe your forecasting process.
• Assumption : Highlight key assumptions.
• Real estate : Discuss any real estate-related factors.
• Google slides : Explore alternatives like google slides and prezent.

4. Present your fiscal projection

• Preparation : Ensure meticulous preparation.
• Inform : Inform your audience of trends.
• Trend : Visualize historical data trends.
• Visualize : Use graphs and charts for clarity.

5. Engage your audience with graphics

• Graphic elements in the slide : Incorporate graphic elements.
• 4 Piece puzzle slide : Want a 4 piece puzzle? Use it.
• Manager : Address the concerns of managers.
• Milestone : Highlight milestones and tasks.

Do's and don'ts of a budget forecast presentation

While creating your budget forecast presentation, it's essential to keep some best practices in mind to ensure that your message is clear and impactful. Equally important is avoiding common pitfalls that can undermine the effectiveness of your presentation. Let's explore the do's and don'ts:

• Get started : Start early to avoid last-minute stress.
• Combine : Combine data sources for a comprehensive view.
• Baseline : Use historical data as a baseline for your forecast.
• Decision-maker : Tailor your presentation to your decision-makers.

Don'ts:

• Implication : Don't leave key implications unaddressed.
• Means the number : Avoid vague references.
• Number of divisions or graphic elements : Keep it simple and clear.
• Want a 4 piece puzzle : Unless it adds value, skip unnecessary visuals.

Summarizing key takeaways

• Budget forecast essentials : Budget forecasts are crucial financial roadmaps that help with decision-making and resource allocation.
• Strategic decision-making : Use forecasts to compare income and expenses strategically.
• Resource efficiency : Efficiently allocate resources and manage expenses.
• Enhanced credibility : A well-prepared presentation enhances credibility and clarity.
• Improved planning : Use advanced techniques, align with strategy, and visualize data for better planning.
• Structure : Begin with a template, define budget planning, present your forecast, and engage with visuals.
• Do's and don'ts :
• Do's : Start early, combine data, use historical data, and tailor to decision-makers.
• Don'ts : Avoid vague references and unnecessary visuals.
• Summary : Mastering budget forecast presentations is key to financial success for businesses and individuals.

1. What is the ideal format for a budget forecast presentation?

When creating a budget forecast presentation, selecting the right format is crucial. It's recommended to use a powerpoint template or Keynote deck to ensure a professional and organized look. This can make the process more efficient compared to starting from scratch.

2. How can I visualize my budget forecast effectively in my presentation slides?

To convey your budget forecast ppt effectively, consider using diagrams and infographics. These visual aids can enhance your presentation's clarity and help your audience analyze the different scenarios you present. Including icons in your slides can further refine the results and make the content more engaging.

3. What are the key stages to follow when preparing a budget forecasting presentation?

The process of creating a budget forecasting presentation can be broken down into several stages. To make it easier, you can select 4 stages that suit your needs. These stages typically involve gathering data, predicting revenue, analyzing outcomes, and refining the results.

4. How can I maximize the revenue projection in my budget forecasting presentation?

To achieve a revenue projection that's higher than expected, it's essential to have a strong capability to predict market trends accurately. Additionally, presenting your forecast in an HD quality powerpoint presentation can enhance your audience's confidence in the sustainability of your projections.

5. What is the recommended timeline for completing a budget forecasting presentation?

The timeline for creating a budget forecasting presentation may vary depending on the complexity of the data and the number of 'stages' you choose to include. On average, it is advisable to allocate sufficient time to analyze different scenarios thoroughly, ensuring that the outcome meets your presentation's objectives.

Create your budget forecast presentation with prezent

With prezent an AI presentation productivity software, you can easily and efficiently create a budget forecast presentation that will impress your audience. Here's how Prezent can help you:

• Effective communication: Prezent enables you to create compelling presentations for effective communication.
• Brand compliance: Ensure that all presentations are on-brand and approved by your corporate brand and marketing team.
• Time and cost savings: Save time and reduce communication costs by streamlining the presentation creation process.
• Collaboration: Collaborate in real-time with colleagues both inside and outside your company for better presentations.
• Security: Prezent prioritizes the security of your data with enterprise-grade measures.

If you're looking for a personal touch or need quick turnaround, explore our professional services, including Overnight Services and Presentation Specialists.

Get started with Prezent today sign up for our free trial or book a demo and elevate your budget forecast presentations to a whole new level of excellence!

So, get started on your journey to financial success today!

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5 Ways to Put Together a Presentation on a Budget

Producing content has never been more accessible as the internet provides a series of free tools and resources you can use. You don’t need any extra resources if you want to create a great presentation!

Free Resources

Not familiar with graphic design or have the programs for it? Use Canva or Freepik, it is free!

Don’t have photos? Use Unsplash, Pexels, and FreePik. Even mobile phones and entry-level cameras are more often coming equipped with state of the art camera technology. Even older phones can record decent video and shoot great photos. You can get thousands of photos for free in seconds!

Don’t want to produce a video? There’s likely a video about your subject matter you can reference on YouTube, Vimeo, Kanopy, or any other hosting site. You can get experts or fully produced films and have them highlight points without extra work!

Do you need more information for your presentation? You can find a lot of free resources at your local library, and did you know you can access a lot of local libraries for free from the comfort of your own home if you have a Kobo device? (We’re not sponsored, we swear!)

Now onto the fun part – how do you create a great presentation on a budget?

How Do You Create a Catchy Presentation?

Overall, less is more! Have you heard of the 10-20-30 rule in PowerPoint? A PowerPoint presentation should have 10 slides, last no more than 20 minutes, and contain no font smaller than 30 points.

Our suggestion is to go through a site like Unsplash and source 10 images. Using those images, you can create bold backgrounds, place a transparent black square atop and put your text ontop. That immediately looks very dynamic. But you don’t want to do that for every slide.

You can vary by having the image cropped or to the side, or some slides without the images. But with a couple key images sprinkled throughout your presentation, it will be eye-catching and bold.

You can create a good presentation and get audience engagement very simply this way. Even if your audience has more questions, it is probably good they’re asking since they’re engaged!

We talk about this in detail below, but the biggest aspect of a great presentation is also you ! If you’re a great public speaker or even just a very concise one, a presentation is just a visual or an accessory to the information you provide.

Also, you should know your audience! Cater to your target audience—and that’s not necessarily every person in the room, though the room dynamic can be a powerful factor in a successful presentation. You should keep in mind their demographic, interests, even sense of humour when putting together your presentation.

You could even talk to members of the crowd before the presentation to help you feel less nervous and get to know those who will be engaging in your work. Do they have any particular needs? You could ask them why they attended or what information they are looking for.

By doing this early, you can slow down at a slide where the question may be addressed. You could even do a shout-out to the person who asked and say it was a good question. This type of encouragement helps the audience trust and engage with you.

What Should Be Included in a Budget Presentation?

Really, the biggest tip of a budget presentation is this: make sure before you start sourcing free resources that you have your presentation scripted out and preplanned. It will help you have a general direction of what resources you exactly need.

A budget presentation shouldn’t also be a lengthy process because it is a budget one. They can be just as efficient and time respective if you plan as much as possible before you take a pen to your slides.

Free photography is helpful for a good presentation. Again, you can get free photos fairly easily on Unsplash, Pexels and Freepik. You do not need a good camera or a hire a photographer! Just type in words relevant to your subject matter and thousands of photos are available to you. You can get many search queries returned to you in seconds, and see other photos that are like the few photos you like and find better photos organically this way.

You may want some motion in your work. This will be easy with Prezi, as you can animate infographics. Did you know that you can create video with PowerPoint? You can animate more complex graphics or charts this way. We have an article that goes in depth here, but here is our general tips to setting up video in PowerPoint.

The first thing you’ll have to do is adjust your slide size to the correct social media format for video. Square or 1:1 video format is usually 1080×1080 and up, and most other video formats are in 16:9. Make sure you know which platform you are exporting to before you start creating slides in your presentation.

The first step is to create a new PowerPoint file. In the file menu, go to Design > Page Setup > Custom. In this dialogue box, make sure the dimensions are the size of your desired video. We recommend 1080×1080 or up because most social platforms do take square format, but you can search online for the current sizes.

Facebook is 16:9 – so 1080×1920 usually works, Twitter is 1200×628 usually and Instagram is 1080×1080, unless it is a story in which case it is 1920×1080. Then, design as you normally would make a presentation and let out your inner design flair to make an engaging, succinct and eye-catching presentation that will turn into dynamic video.

Use your creative mind or you can also use PowerPoint’s Designer tool. You will want to storyboard or draw your information out and see how it may translate into videos before you start.

How to Make a Budget Presentation Interesting

Don’t forget the biggest and most important part of the presentation – you ! Simply reciting dry facts without any passion or humor will make people less likely to pay attention to your presentation. A presentation after all is not just a bunch of slides. It is a mixture of your personality and the energy of the audience as well. If you’re shy, remember to breathe! Replace your ums and ahs with small breaths. Use those moments of pause to help you relax. Give yourself time when you need it.

One of our personal tips is to talk to your audience before your presentation. If you talk to a few people beforehand, even ask some people why they’ve come to attend your presentation, they can let you go off-script and talk to people during your presentation. When writing a speech, see it from the audiences perspective. What might they not understand? What might seem boring? Use WIIFM (What’s In It For Me) to guide you.

Also, if you practice your presentation with others beforehand, you can make sure that you don’t read instead of talk. You can only get better by practicing, so you can knock the ball out of the park infront of your audience. Nervous and inexperienced speakers tend to talk way too fast. Consciously slow your speech down and add pauses for emphasis. 

Would you be able to understand someone if they spoke too fast? Make sure you breathe and try to after an “uhm” or “ah”.  This way, you can give yourself some relaxation and you can use your natural pauses to get to a place of calm. You don’t need to be nervous! Also, nothing is worse than a speaker you can’t hear. 

Even in the high-tech world of microphones and amplifiers, you need to be heard. Projecting your voice doesn’t mean yelling, rather standing up straight and letting your voice resonate on the air in your lungs rather than in the throat to produce a clearer sound.

Have you ever been in a store where you’re trying to get help but no one will glance over at you? The moment someone locks eyes with you, even if they do not ask you if you need help, you can immediately sense that you can trust and talk to that person. It is no different in a presentation

Can you summarize your idea in fifteen words? If not, rewrite it and try again. Speaking is an inefficient medium for communicating information, so know what the important fifteen words are so they can be repeated. Make sure you can tell your idea simply. You can repeat those words throughout the presentation. 

A long winded answer or a short concise summary can make or break a presentation. If you don’t know your speech without cues, that doesn’t just make you more distracting. It shows you don’t really understand your message, a huge blow to any confidence the audience has in you.

If your presentation is going to be a longer one, explain your points through short stories, quips and anecdotes. Great speakers know how to use a story to create an emotional connection between ideas for the audience.

Any gestures you use need to be an extension of your message and any emotions that message conveys. Planned gestures look false because they don’t match your other involuntary body cues. Also, you can use statements like, “that’s a really good question,” or “I’m glad you asked me that,” to buy yourself a few moments to organize your response. It also encourage the audience member to ask more questions.

The biggest tip is: Don’t fumble with your Prezi or hooking up a projector when people are waiting for you to speak. Most likely that will make you not able to troubleshoot the most basic of things while people watch you! Come early, scope out the room, run through your slideshow and make sure there won’t be any glitches.

Also, apologies are only useful if you’ve done something wrong. Don’t use them to excuse incompetence or humble yourself in front of an audience. You should apologize if you are late or shown to be incorrect. You want to seem confident, but don’t be a jerk about it. If someone calls you out during the presentation, listen to them.

Remember that you are always learning and people respond positively to someone who is willing to correct themselves. While some might admire your steadfastness, it is ten times likelier an apology is much more effective, genuine and authentic.

Sounds impossible? With a little practice you can inject your passion for a subject into your presentations. Enthusiasm is contagious. Learn a couple jokes, tell personal stories, ask your audience questions, wear something extravagant. A presentation can be formal but humorous as long as you stay true to your tone!

How Do You Present a 5-Minute Presentation?

The last of our 5 tips is how do you present a short presentation? This requires some work, but all it takes is flexing your editing muscle. Try to make each slide only about 20 seconds each, but take pauses between each slide and remember to engage your audience! Talking to your crowd between these quick-paced slides is always helpful.

Reducing the amount of information on your slides might seem like you may not get your audience to understand, but ask yourself: do you want your audience to read the slides or get the information from you? Neither answer is incorrect, but it is a question you should ask before designing a slide. Considering people’s varying reading times and how much time you have to present your slides. By having bite-sized information and being the prime speaker of your slides, you can actually keep things on track and on time by speaking.

Remember, it is not to be quick or rush, but it is meant to make everything bite-sized and easy to retain as an audience member! If you need inspiration, there are plenty of large topics covered in a short amount of time on Youtube, Facebook, and Instagram. By keeping key information, most people can follow along. And if they can’t, that’s what Q&A is for!

You do not need a whole production team or generate new content in order to create a great presentation. There are plenty of tools and free resources online that can help you. The biggest part you should focus on is your performance and your subject matter. That can make a low-budget presentation better than even highly produced ones!

Keep practicing, and remember that there’s resources out there to help you create the best presentation! With all the information out on the internet, you can start at any point and get to a point where you like your slides after some hard work. It does not require a large budget at all. We hope the 5 tips and information we give in this article helped you on your way and start your project!

Author:  Ryan

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5 Presentation Strategies To Win Critical Budgets

In 2021, businesses will continue to face unprecedented challenges. Budgets will come under intense scrutiny as strategic goals must be met while resources remain stretched. In this fluctuating business landscape, how senior business leaders present their objectives to upper management, C-suite, and board of directors’ level is crucial for securing the dollars necessary to realize their plans. Here’s how to structure a budget-winning argument for your next business PowerPoint presentation:

1. Start with the Big Picture

Budget presentations to executive level must be approached differently than presenting to other colleagues. In this arena, time is limited, so presentations should focus on the bottom line. What are your company’s needs and how will your plan achieve them? Stick to answering these two questions in your opening salvo. This is your executive summary, and it needs to be direct and attention-grabbing. How is your plan going to solve their problem(s)?

Stay focused on your end goal, e.g., increased profits, rather than how you arrived at it. If they have questions about the details, they’ll ask. (More on this below.) In this section of your business PowerPoint presentation, stick to your recommendations and the implications of those.

Finally, emphasize how your plan integrates into your company’s overarching objectives. Your presentation must make plain how your plan aligns with the company’s goals. If it does not, you won’t get the budget allocation you need.

2. Present a Clear Evaluation of the Options

When it’s time for leadership to allocate dollars, make it an easy, clear choice for them. This is the portion of the business PowerPoint presentation where you explain how you arrived at the funding level you’ve requested.

Show them a clear evaluation of different investment options. (Use good, current data to back up your financial models. This information may be changing on a monthly basis, so it’s key that your information is as up to date as possible.) Demonstrate how each investment option you’re proposing will work toward achieving your end goal and thus the company’s. Outlining contrasting options will help them understand what they stand to gain and lose based on the funding choices they make.

You don’t need a lot of slides for this portion of the presentation. But you do need strong visual representations of your data so you can make your case quickly and easily. You want visuals that get right to the point. Show them what their return on investment could be and when they can expect it. Keep the focus on results rather than processes. Use examples when appropriate but avoid hypotheticals as they may not stand up to questioning.

Always include timelines and key dates in your presentation – and be prepared to show how they might be shortened. If there are factors preventing shortening of timelines, be ready to explain those too. Include what your competitors are doing, including key dates for their initiatives. It’s important to show an understanding of how changes in the marketplace may impact your proposed activities.

Complete this portion of your business PowerPoint presentation with your suggested primary solution. Even though you’ve demonstrated several options, you want to make clear what you believe to be the right decision, i.e., the budget you want. This shows your confidence in and enthusiasm for the plan you’ve presented. Finally, explain how you, your team, and participating departments are uniquely positioned to achieve the results you’ve outlined.

3. Be Ready to Play Defense

Although it’s important to have a well-rehearsed, carefully crafted business PowerPoint presentation for your budget presentation, it’s more important that you are ready to defend your position. Expect leadership to interrogate your plan, your data, and your thought process. Be ready to answer questions while you present. This audience asks what they want to know as soon as they want to know it. There’s no waiting for a formal Q&A at the end of the presentation.

Demonstrating your consideration of broader market conditions will be imperative given the current business environment. Be ready with your analysis of key trends in your sector. This may not be information you include as part of your business PowerPoint presentation, but it will be necessary to have it at hand in case your audience wants to know. This should include any competitors entering the marketplace or bringing new products to it. Show that your approach can be changed if market forces should change.

If possible, do a test run of your presentation with colleagues or members of your team before the big day. Have them question your presentation from every angle. Practicing your pitch will enable you to enter the boardroom with the confidence you’ll need to convince.

If you begin your presentation without fear of interrogation, you’ll be better prepared to face the questions when they inevitably come. Think of it as an opportunity to gird your proposal, making it stronger than it was before. Your leadership team may be privy to changes in the marketplace that you are unaware of; allow them to be a resource for you.

You won’t be able to anticipate every concern these executives are facing but knowing that they will question you will help you prepare and respond with confidence. If you’re able to pivot to meet their needs, demonstrating your willingness to flex your thinking to address concerns, you’ll be more likely to receive your budget allocation.

4. Remind Them Why They Need You

Finish your business PowerPoint presentation with a review of your top headlines. Remind your audience how your plan will give the company a competitive edge. Then remind them how your plan aligns with your company’s overall goals.

Finally, be prepared to ask for other resources you might need to carry out your plan. If you’ve given an effective presentation with confidence, your audience may ask you how they can help you achieve it. Be prepared to tell them what other resources you might need to help make your proposal a success.

5. Enlist Professional Business PowerPoint Presentation Advice

To get the green light on your next big budget proposal, start with professional business PowerPoint presentation design. Outsourcing the design and production of your presentations has many benefits, including creative design expertise, low-stress development, and advanced technical knowledge. eSlide has been the “go-to” resource for senior executives at top companies around the globe for more than 20 years. Get in touch with our team today to earn the budgets you need for tomorrow.

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Creating a budget presentation in PowerPoint (+ 12 bonus tips from our best experts)

Investors, lenders, and all the company’s stakeholders are primarily interested in the revenue they get, so they tend to rely on exact numbers before real investments and other contributions. They have many different opportunities to invest in and consequently choose the one that is more likely to win. And that’s precisely when a budget presentation comes in handy as the most effective way to provide a compelling, professional, and differentiated description of the capital they could get after several investments.

If you are wondering how to present budget in PowerPoint, here is a quick guide for you.

How to make a budget for a project in a PowerPoint presentation

First and foremost, a budget presentation PowerPoint has to be clearly targeted toward equity investors and lenders with a lot of appropriate and suitable information. The budget plan presentation should be clear and concise to catch a person’s attention. They are looking for a high-quality project for their portfolio, so you should show you value their time and can fit all necessary info in a couple of sentences, diagrams, graphs, or tables.

Remember, you are the one looking for investors, so your budget presentation PowerPoint slides need to be credible and concise. You can design them on your own using budget presentation PowerPoint templates or opt for the services of a professional presentation agency to save time and sleep.

The main mistakes happen on the statistics and strategy slides of the budget PowerPoint presentation since few of them are easy to follow. Commonly, they are bland, boring, and not able to keep the audience’s attention. It would be frustrating to come up with such a budget planning presentation people worked on for a year.

Numbers. Numbers. Numbers.

But nothing really stands out.

Here’s how to do a good budget presentation:

• Research for previous budget planning PowerPoint presentations to have a confident database to rely on.
• Have a 10-minute conversation with the current team, ask critical questions, try to pull out a story, and incorporate that story in the investment presentation.
• Create a branded company look that resonates with investors. If you are new to presentation design, a pitch deck design service can help develop truly effective budget presentation slides.
• No matter what industry you are in, make a ‘Highlights’ slide that answers all why questions, demonstrates value drivers (+ threats to them), and calls to action.
• Create 3 or 4 different investment options for every investor to find the most affordable asset and proceed to cooperate with you.
• Make your credibility pop out from the proposed budget PowerPoint presentation and leave no questions to potential investors.

Whether you are trying to be compelling, sell assets, or increase your capital – concentrate on the important data and don’t delve into much detail on every budget PowerPoint slide. You would not prefer yawning, attention loss, or refusals from stakeholders, would you?

Some potential budget presentation PowerPoint slides include:

• Performance overview.
• Business summary.
• SWOT analysis.
• Current challenges.
• Budget plan.
• Budget allocation.
• Deliverables.
• Following steps.

To make the most out of each PowerPoint budget slide from the list, double-check every number for accuracy, use illustrative diagrams and charts, and, most importantly, keep the entire budget presentation ppt brief. Bear in mind that ten slides are more than enough to outline the problem, the proposed budget, and the exact ways the invested capital will provide a solution.

12 bonus tips on how to show budget in PowerPoint

Below are the top tips from our best experts to help you design a PowerPoint presentation that your investors will definitely remember, so read on!

Tip #1. Put yourself in the shoes of your investor

Before you dive into your PowerPoint budget presentation, take the time to understand your investors, their concerns, and expectations, and tailor your content accordingly.

Tip #2. Key financial metrics are important

These include revenue growth, profitability, revenue forecasts, etc. Clearly demonstrate how their investment will contribute to the success of your company.

Tip #3. Provide detailed financial projections

Be sure to present income and financial statements and visualize complex information with charts and diagrams for easy understanding.

Tip #4. Identify risk factors

Accept potential risks and uncertainties. Describe how your team plans to mitigate these risks and present contingency plans.

Tip #5. Display your budget breakdown

Investors value a clear understanding of spending, so take the time to display your budget breakdown, emphasizing major expenses and capital allocation.

Tip #6. Ensure your ppt is compelling

Structure your budgeting PowerPoint presentation as a narrative, and be sure to detail past successes, current accomplishments, and future potential for the company.

Tip #7. Focus on the ROI

Clearly communicate potential returns on investments to investors. Demonstrate how their investment will contribute to the overall growth and profitability of the company.

Tip #8. Be transparent about your estimates

Being transparent builds confidence and ensures that investors understand the basis for your calculations, so clearly articulate the assumptions underpinning your financial forecasts.

Tip #9. Practice as much as you can

Rehearse your presentation until you feel confident and comfortable delivering it. Anticipate possible questions and prepare thoughtful answers.

Tip #10. Emphasize key milestones and accomplishments

Highlight specific milestones and key accomplishments that the budget aims to achieve. Remember, investors want to see a roadmap to success.

Tip #11. Maintain clarity throughout your slides

In your company budget presentation, be clear about what you are asking from investors, whether it is funding for a specific project, expansion, or any other business need.

Tip #12. Encourage questions and discussion

Encourage investors to ask questions and participate in discussions. This will show that you are open and willing to address your concerns.

By following these tips on how to present a budget, you can create a persuasive presentation that not only effectively presents financial information but also matches the expectations and interests of your potential investors.

Still confused about how to design a budget presentation in PowerPoint?

Don’t hesitate to contact us any time of the day or night! Our design experts are online 24/7 to help take your presentation project to the next level.

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• Presenting techniques

50 tips on how to improve PowerPoint presentations in 2022-2023 [Updated]

• Keynote VS PowerPoint

Types of presentations

• Present financial information visually in PowerPoint to drive results

PM diary part 2: creating an effective kick off meeting presentation

• Guide & How to's

Blog – Creative Presentations Ideas

infoDiagram visual slide examples, PowerPoint diagrams & icons , PPT tricks & guides

Design Examples of Presenting Annual Budget Proposal in PowerPoint

Last Updated on March 6, 2024 by Peter Z

Working on your annual budget proposal? Financial presentations and documents can be difficult to be absorbed, especially by non-financial audiences. If you want to communicate key financial information to stakeholders clearly and effectively, check our article for examples and inspiration on how to present corporate annual financial summaries and forecasts.

What is a company budget?

A budget is an estimation of the earnings and spending of an organization or its departments. Basically, it is a financial plan for a defined period, usually a year.

In case of a corporate budget, it can contain several subtopics:

• Revenue budget, with main revenue sources, sales distributions, and key growth drivers
• Expenditure budget with operational costs presentations, key cost drivers, OPEX, and capital expenditures
• Marketing budget allocation
• Sensitivity analysis and risk assessment
• Organization costs and structure

Why use graphics for budget proposal presentation?

It’s not enough to come up with a list of financial reports and annual budget goals. You have to explain clearly your data and map out how you’ll accomplish those financial goals or make your ideas come to life… within a reasonable budget.

When you need to make your case to managers or executives, a well-prepared budget proposal presentation is an essential tool used to communicate financial information to both internal and external stakeholders. A consistent way of showing financial highlights can help keep the numbers organized, making it easy to track revenue or plan for expenses.

Get inspired by examples of how you can illustrate the components of your budget proposal.

All visual examples presented below can be downloaded as an editable source. Explore the Annual Budget Financial Presentation for PowerPoint.

Presenting the current state of the business

To give a big picture of what you’ll be talking about, kick things off with an executive summary, strategic goals and targets overview, and budget assumptions for the future period.

Such a general slide with an executive summary will help to see the broad view and give an entire perspective to your audience. You can list the common key indicators such as Market Description and Competitive Landscape Insights, Issues and Challenges, and Main Achievements.

You can use arrow shapes to present each item in your executive summary slide, as you can see below. Each point is illustrated by a related icon e.g. market description by globe symbol and achievement by peak icon.

To remind about strategic goals or sustainability targets effectively, you can replace bullet points with modern professional-looking diagrams. Here’s an example of goals summary with 6 highlighted ambitions for the next year:

Notice how nicely you can present six goals if they are distributed around a circle. It gives a feeling of concise integrated direction.

One of the ways to show the interdependence of sustainability targets is the Euler diagram, which illustrates the connection of three elements: People, Planet, Profit. Simple design elements, like outline icons, neutral background picture, and color-coding will help make your presentation more appealing and consistent:

If you need to illustrate the triple bottom line model in more detail, check this blog for visualization examples.

To give a quick insight into the financials, you can include the simple summary overview table. Not every table needs to scare your audience, so make sure you have enough white space between the numbers. You can list the common indexes such as Net Revenue, COGS, GM, OPEX, EBIDTA, EBIT, PBT versus LY and Budget:

Illustrating revenue highlights in the budget proposal

To keep the audience engaged, try incorporating more visual elements into complex financial slides. Here’s an example of a dashboard with revenue highlights, showcasing sales breakdown by months and categories, and a data chart illustrating trend indicators:

The next slide illustrates the top-line key growth drivers analysis over two years. As an example, we outlined the following drivers: New Product Lines, Organic Growth, Emerging Markets, and E-commerce. With the help of stacked charts and color-coding, the information becomes much easier to follow:

Pie charts are useful when you need to show percentages of a whole. On the slide below you can see the key revenue drivers comparison, with the description of top revenue sources and the rest of them:

Design hint: Use rule of contrast to focus attention on the most important driver. Focus on one such thing per slide, not more. If you need to highlight more items, consider presenting each on separate slide.

Notice how we used color-coding to highlight the top revenue source by orange, versus the rest of the sources that have shades of blue color.

Visualize expenditure budget details clearly

If you want to include OPEX and CAPEX expenses overview and breakdown, here are several examples of how those concepts can be shown visually.

One way is to show an operational cost overview in a form of a modern-looking clean table, including Cost Center Overview, Description, and Value. In our example we also highlighted total income to make it stand out:

To show more details, break your operational costs down in a pie chart by cost center category or analyze them using a bar chart visualization.

If you have many categories you’d like to put on a slide, we advise using a bar chart. Pie charts are effective when you want to show up to 5 elements.

To illustrate your CAPEX investment split by tangible and intangible assets, you can use such a table with comments aside:

Include marketing budget overview

If you use too many figures on one slide , it will be hard to keep the attention of the audience. Here are the slide examples you can use to communicate the marketing calendar, budget allocation, and planned expenses on promotion.

You can use the marketing mix approach to present marketing budget allocations. Here you can see an example presentation of Marketing Mix 7Ps on one slide Product, Promotion, People, Price, Process, Place, and Physical Environment factors:

When you’ll be talking about planned marketing activities throughout the year, use a calendar table to make it easier for understanding. Also, you will be able to see a clear picture of how many resources you need to allocate each month to a specific activity:

If you want to give more details on planned expenses, you can illustrate ATL, TTL, and BTL as a percentage of marketing budget, OPEX, and turnover using pie and bar charts:

If you are looking for inspiration on marketing concepts and models illustration, browse through our marketing presentations category on the blog.

Design tricks to make budget presentation attractive

A budget presentation can look eye-catching if you follow some basic design advice such as:

• consistency of color palette,
• using one graphical style – expressed by one major type of shapes and icon style,
• organizing slide content within certain layout,
• avoid stuffing too much information into one slide.
• applying rule of contrast, I mentioned above, highlighting one key point per slide.

Resource: Annual Budget Proposal Financial Presentation

The graphics in this blog are a part of our budget proposal graphics collection. This deck contains 38 data charts, dashboards, and diagrams to present financial summaries and forecasts for a corporate organization. See the whole slides deck here:

Annual Budget Financial PPT Template

Using concise, innovative visuals will make your presentation structured and consistent. To make your presentations even more engaging, consider also using this collection of professionally designed diagram layouts .

Published by

Chief Diagram Designer, infoDiagram co-founder View all posts by Peter Z

How to Create a Budget Powerpoint Presentation That Gets the Job Done

Image Source: Flickr

Creating a budget is no easy feat. It requires planning, prioritizing and realistic expectations. The problem is that many people have unrealistic expectations of what a budget presentation should look like. If you’re like most people, you probably have a general idea of how much money you spend on average each month. Maybe you think your budget should reflect the last three months’ worth of expenses or maybe you just imagine that you can always find ways to save money. Regardless, having a good grasp of how much money you spend on average each month can help you get organized and avoid overspending. But creating a realistic budget requires more than just knowing how much money you spend. It requires that you present it in an organized fashion so that it makes sense and doesn’t give anyone excuses for not following through with their financial obligations. That’s why creating a budget powerpoint presentation is so helpful – it takes the guesswork out and makes the process as simple as possible. Here are four things you need to know about creating a budget powerpoint presentation that gets the job done!

Be Organized

An organized budget can help you stay on-task and focus on the important things. It will also help you stay on budget and avoid overspending. If you’re like most people, you probably don’t keep a steady check on all your finances. You might have a budget that you start 1st of the month and then forget about until the following month. Or, you might have a weekly budget that you try to stick to but then find yourself surprised by how quickly your expenses can rise. Having an organized budget can help you stay on track and avoid making the same mistakes over and over again. It will also help you stay focused and avoid getting overwhelmed by the number of financial responsibilities you have.

Make the Most of Your Charts

Because your budget should reflect the last three months’ worth of expenses, you should create a chart that breaks down your expenses by month. This way, you’ll be able to easily see where there may be room for savings. When it comes to your budget chart, use color to reinforce your points. Reducing your expenses by using green on your budget chart can be a great way to show the breakdown of your monthly expenses and encourage savings.

Use color to reinforce your points

One of the most important things you can do to create a realistic budget presentation is use color to reinforce your points. If your presentation doesn’t use any colors at all, you are likely going to overthink the budget and stress over things that you can control like your paycheck (and possible benefits that come with it). If you have a specialty or do an awful lot of work for a specific company, you may want to consider using another color. However, most people who create a budget powerpoint presentation should primarily use two colors: a color that represents their monthly expenses and one that represents their savings.

Don’t Forget About the Photos

Your budget presentation also needs to be able to stand on its own without any photos. This means that you need to put as much importance into your photos as you did into your charts and graphs. Photos are what bring your financial life together. They are the reason that you can create a budget and stay on-task. Without a photo of your checking account, savings account and investment account, your presentation might as well be blank.

Creating a budget is no easy feat. It requires planning, prioritizing and realistic expectations. The problem is that many people have unrealistic expectations of what a budget presentation should look like. If you’re like most people, you probably have a general idea of how much money you spend on average each month. Maybe you think your budget should reflect the last three months’ worth of expenses or maybe you just imagine that you can always find ways to save money. Regardless, having a good grasp of how much money you spend on average each month can help you get organized and avoid overspending.

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How To Make a Good Presentation [A Complete Guide]

By Krystle Wong , Jul 20, 2023

A top-notch presentation possesses the power to drive action. From winning stakeholders over and conveying a powerful message to securing funding — your secret weapon lies within the realm of creating an effective presentation .  

Being an excellent presenter isn’t confined to the boardroom. Whether you’re delivering a presentation at work, pursuing an academic career, involved in a non-profit organization or even a student, nailing the presentation game is a game-changer.

In this article, I’ll cover the top qualities of compelling presentations and walk you through a step-by-step guide on how to give a good presentation. Here’s a little tip to kick things off: for a headstart, check out Venngage’s collection of free presentation templates . They are fully customizable, and the best part is you don’t need professional design skills to make them shine!

These valuable presentation tips cater to individuals from diverse professional backgrounds, encompassing business professionals, sales and marketing teams, educators, trainers, students, researchers, non-profit organizations, public speakers and presenters. 

No matter your field or role, these tips for presenting will equip you with the skills to deliver effective presentations that leave a lasting impression on any audience.

Click to jump ahead:

What are the 10 qualities of a good presentation?

Step-by-step guide on how to prepare an effective presentation, 9 effective techniques to deliver a memorable presentation, faqs on making a good presentation, how to create a presentation with venngage in 5 steps.

When it comes to giving an engaging presentation that leaves a lasting impression, it’s not just about the content — it’s also about how you deliver it. Wondering what makes a good presentation? Well, the best presentations I’ve seen consistently exhibit these 10 qualities:

1. Clear structure

No one likes to get lost in a maze of information. Organize your thoughts into a logical flow, complete with an introduction, main points and a solid conclusion. A structured presentation helps your audience follow along effortlessly, leaving them with a sense of satisfaction at the end.

Regardless of your presentation style , a quality presentation starts with a clear roadmap. Browse through Venngage’s template library and select a presentation template that aligns with your content and presentation goals. Here’s a good presentation example template with a logical layout that includes sections for the introduction, main points, supporting information and a conclusion: 

2. Engaging opening

Hook your audience right from the start with an attention-grabbing statement, a fascinating question or maybe even a captivating anecdote. Set the stage for a killer presentation!

The opening moments of your presentation hold immense power – check out these 15 ways to start a presentation to set the stage and captivate your audience.

3. Relevant content

Make sure your content aligns with their interests and needs. Your audience is there for a reason, and that’s to get valuable insights. Avoid fluff and get straight to the point, your audience will be genuinely excited.

4. Effective visual aids

Picture this: a slide with walls of text and tiny charts, yawn! Visual aids should be just that—aiding your presentation. Opt for clear and visually appealing slides, engaging images and informative charts that add value and help reinforce your message.

With Venngage, visualizing data takes no effort at all. You can import data from CSV or Google Sheets seamlessly and create stunning charts, graphs and icon stories effortlessly to showcase your data in a captivating and impactful way.

5. Clear and concise communication

Keep your language simple, and avoid jargon or complicated terms. Communicate your ideas clearly, so your audience can easily grasp and retain the information being conveyed. This can prevent confusion and enhance the overall effectiveness of the message. 

6. Engaging delivery

Spice up your presentation with a sprinkle of enthusiasm! Maintain eye contact, use expressive gestures and vary your tone of voice to keep your audience glued to the edge of their seats. A touch of charisma goes a long way!

7. Interaction and audience engagement

Turn your presentation into an interactive experience — encourage questions, foster discussions and maybe even throw in a fun activity. Engaged audiences are more likely to remember and embrace your message.

Transform your slides into an interactive presentation with Venngage’s dynamic features like pop-ups, clickable icons and animated elements. Engage your audience with interactive content that lets them explore and interact with your presentation for a truly immersive experience.

8. Effective storytelling

Who doesn’t love a good story? Weaving relevant anecdotes, case studies or even a personal story into your presentation can captivate your audience and create a lasting impact. Stories build connections and make your message memorable.

A great presentation background is also essential as it sets the tone, creates visual interest and reinforces your message. Enhance the overall aesthetics of your presentation with these 15 presentation background examples and captivate your audience’s attention.

9. Well-timed pacing

Pace your presentation thoughtfully with well-designed presentation slides, neither rushing through nor dragging it out. Respect your audience’s time and ensure you cover all the essential points without losing their interest.

10. Strong conclusion

Last impressions linger! Summarize your main points and leave your audience with a clear takeaway. End your presentation with a bang , a call to action or an inspiring thought that resonates long after the conclusion.

In-person presentations aside, acing a virtual presentation is of paramount importance in today’s digital world. Check out this guide to learn how you can adapt your in-person presentations into virtual presentations . 

Preparing an effective presentation starts with laying a strong foundation that goes beyond just creating slides and notes. One of the quickest and best ways to make a presentation would be with the help of a good presentation software . 

Otherwise, let me walk you to how to prepare for a presentation step by step and unlock the secrets of crafting a professional presentation that sets you apart.

1. Understand the audience and their needs

Before you dive into preparing your masterpiece, take a moment to get to know your target audience. Tailor your presentation to meet their needs and expectations , and you’ll have them hooked from the start!

2. Conduct thorough research on the topic

Time to hit the books (or the internet)! Don’t skimp on the research with your presentation materials — dive deep into the subject matter and gather valuable insights . The more you know, the more confident you’ll feel in delivering your presentation.

3. Organize the content with a clear structure

No one wants to stumble through a chaotic mess of information. Outline your presentation with a clear and logical flow. Start with a captivating introduction, follow up with main points that build on each other and wrap it up with a powerful conclusion that leaves a lasting impression.

Delivering an effective business presentation hinges on captivating your audience, and Venngage’s professionally designed business presentation templates are tailor-made for this purpose. With thoughtfully structured layouts, these templates enhance your message’s clarity and coherence, ensuring a memorable and engaging experience for your audience members.

Don’t want to build your presentation layout from scratch? pick from these 5 foolproof presentation layout ideas that won’t go wrong. 

4. Develop visually appealing and supportive visual aids

Spice up your presentation with eye-catching visuals! Create slides that complement your message, not overshadow it. Remember, a picture is worth a thousand words, but that doesn’t mean you need to overload your slides with text.

Well-chosen designs create a cohesive and professional look, capturing your audience’s attention and enhancing the overall effectiveness of your message. Here’s a list of carefully curated PowerPoint presentation templates and great background graphics that will significantly influence the visual appeal and engagement of your presentation.

5. Practice, practice and practice

Practice makes perfect — rehearse your presentation and arrive early to your presentation to help overcome stage fright. Familiarity with your material will boost your presentation skills and help you handle curveballs with ease.

6. Seek feedback and make necessary adjustments

Don’t be afraid to ask for help and seek feedback from friends and colleagues. Constructive criticism can help you identify blind spots and fine-tune your presentation to perfection.

With Venngage’s real-time collaboration feature , receiving feedback and editing your presentation is a seamless process. Group members can access and work on the presentation simultaneously and edit content side by side in real-time. Changes will be reflected immediately to the entire team, promoting seamless teamwork.

7. Prepare for potential technical or logistical issues

Prepare for the unexpected by checking your equipment, internet connection and any other potential hiccups. If you’re worried that you’ll miss out on any important points, you could always have note cards prepared. Remember to remain focused and rehearse potential answers to anticipated questions.

8. Fine-tune and polish your presentation

As the big day approaches, give your presentation one last shine. Review your talking points, practice how to present a presentation and make any final tweaks. Deep breaths — you’re on the brink of delivering a successful presentation!

In competitive environments, persuasive presentations set individuals and organizations apart. To brush up on your presentation skills, read these guides on how to make a persuasive presentation and tips to presenting effectively . 

Whether you’re an experienced presenter or a novice, the right techniques will let your presentation skills soar to new heights!

From public speaking hacks to interactive elements and storytelling prowess, these 9 effective presentation techniques will empower you to leave a lasting impression on your audience and make your presentations unforgettable.

1. Confidence and positive body language

Positive body language instantly captivates your audience, making them believe in your message as much as you do. Strengthen your stage presence and own that stage like it’s your second home! Stand tall, shoulders back and exude confidence. 

2. Eye contact with the audience

Break down that invisible barrier and connect with your audience through their eyes. Maintaining eye contact when giving a presentation builds trust and shows that you’re present and engaged with them.

3. Effective use of hand gestures and movement

A little movement goes a long way! Emphasize key points with purposeful gestures and don’t be afraid to walk around the stage. Your energy will be contagious!

4. Utilize storytelling techniques

Weave the magic of storytelling into your presentation. Share relatable anecdotes, inspiring success stories or even personal experiences that tug at the heartstrings of your audience. Adjust your pitch, pace and volume to match the emotions and intensity of the story. Varying your speaking voice adds depth and enhances your stage presence.

5. Incorporate multimedia elements

Spice up your presentation with a dash of visual pizzazz! Use slides, images and video clips to add depth and clarity to your message. Just remember, less is more—don’t overwhelm them with information overload. 

Turn your presentations into an interactive party! Involve your audience with questions, polls or group activities. When they actively participate, they become invested in your presentation’s success. Bring your design to life with animated elements. Venngage allows you to apply animations to icons, images and text to create dynamic and engaging visual content.

6. Utilize humor strategically

Laughter is the best medicine—and a fantastic presentation enhancer! A well-placed joke or lighthearted moment can break the ice and create a warm atmosphere , making your audience more receptive to your message.

7. Practice active listening and respond to feedback

Be attentive to your audience’s reactions and feedback. If they have questions or concerns, address them with genuine interest and respect. Your responsiveness builds rapport and shows that you genuinely care about their experience.

8. Apply the 10-20-30 rule

Apply the 10-20-30 presentation rule and keep it short, sweet and impactful! Stick to ten slides, deliver your presentation within 20 minutes and use a 30-point font to ensure clarity and focus. Less is more, and your audience will thank you for it!

9. Implement the 5-5-5 rule

Simplicity is key. Limit each slide to five bullet points, with only five words per bullet point and allow each slide to remain visible for about five seconds. This rule keeps your presentation concise and prevents information overload.

Simple presentations are more engaging because they are easier to follow. Summarize your presentations and keep them simple with Venngage’s gallery of simple presentation templates and ensure that your message is delivered effectively across your audience.

1. How to start a presentation?

To kick off your presentation effectively, begin with an attention-grabbing statement or a powerful quote. Introduce yourself, establish credibility and clearly state the purpose and relevance of your presentation.

2. How to end a presentation?

For a strong conclusion, summarize your talking points and key takeaways. End with a compelling call to action or a thought-provoking question and remember to thank your audience and invite any final questions or interactions.

3. How to make a presentation interactive?

To make your presentation interactive, encourage questions and discussion throughout your talk. Utilize multimedia elements like videos or images and consider including polls, quizzes or group activities to actively involve your audience.

In need of inspiration for your next presentation? I’ve got your back! Pick from these 120+ presentation ideas, topics and examples to get started. 

Creating a stunning presentation with Venngage is a breeze with our user-friendly drag-and-drop editor and professionally designed templates for all your communication needs. 

Here’s how to make a presentation in just 5 simple steps with the help of Venngage:

Step 1: Sign up for Venngage for free using your email, Gmail or Facebook account or simply log in to access your account. 

Step 2: Pick a design from our selection of free presentation templates (they’re all created by our expert in-house designers).

Step 3: Make the template your own by customizing it to fit your content and branding. With Venngage’s intuitive drag-and-drop editor, you can easily modify text, change colors and adjust the layout to create a unique and eye-catching design.

Step 4: Elevate your presentation by incorporating captivating visuals. You can upload your images or choose from Venngage’s vast library of high-quality photos, icons and illustrations. 

Step 5: Upgrade to a premium or business account to export your presentation in PDF and print it for in-person presentations or share it digitally for free!

By following these five simple steps, you’ll have a professionally designed and visually engaging presentation ready in no time. With Venngage’s user-friendly platform, your presentation is sure to make a lasting impression. So, let your creativity flow and get ready to shine in your next presentation!

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Taking the Fear Our of the Library Budget Presentations Laying the Groundwork Preparing a Budget Presentation Citizen Support- Rallying Stakeholders Making the Budget Presentation- Do's & Don'ts Follow Up Budgeting Best Practices

BACK TO ADVOCACY LIBRARY

Taking the Fear Out of Library Budget Presentations

Creating and presenting a library budget is not just a matter of assigning numbers to line items on an Excel spreadsheet and presenting it to a group of officials. Far from it. Library budgeting is an ongoing activity, with many parts and many people involved. It is a cyclical process of listening to the community, working with decision-makers, telling compelling stories about your library – and bringing all these elements together in a budget presentation and then starting all over again. We have tapped into the wisdom of veteran librarians with years of experience drafting and presenting budgets in “good times and tough economic times.” The examples offered are from “real budgets.” We have included everything from a Glossary of Terms for those new to library budgeting to the “Do’s and Don’ts of Making a Budget Presentation.” There is a great feature on library budget presentations from the perspective of a decision-maker with years of experience listening to presentations and helping librarians hone their budgeting skills.

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Laying the Groundwork

Identifying community priorities.

Library directors don’t create their budgets in a vacuum.  Even in today’s challenging economic times when libraries are lucky to keep their doors open and basic services covered, library directors and staff need to be continually attuned to what their community needs.

Most “formal” community needs assessments are done during a library’s strategic planning process – but it should be an ongoing task to pay attention to community needs and priorities.

What is happening in your community that your library can address with its programs or services?  How can the library be a partner in solving local problems or addressing challenging issues?  For example,

• Helping schools deal with dropout prevention?
• Assisting residents in finding jobs?
• Helping New Americans master essential skills and get access to critical programs and services?

Look to community partners to help share the library’s burden of meeting community needs.

• Can local social services provide funding for early childhood development or literacy programs?
• Are there federal programs or grants to support the library in assisting New Americans who are integrating into the community and acquiring essential skills?
• Are there small businesses or corporations who are willing to fund library programs or services such as a Summer Reading Program or a homework help center?
• Showing that you’ve formed strategic partnerships to meet the community’s needs illustrates that your library is nimble, creative and willing to stretch beyond the limitations of a prescribed budget.

The strategic plan comes from your community's priorities; the budget comes from your plan.   Show how you’ve listened to what the community and your decision-makers want from the library and planned accordingly:

• If a community’s priority is to have a library presence in every neighborhood, you may need to recommend that all branches should be open but with limited hours.
• If the priority is efficiency and budgeting cuts, closing branches and extending hours at fewer branches may be the way to go.
• If helping individuals find jobs is a critical issue, access to computers and a mix of daytime and evening hours is essential.
• If low elementary and high school academic scores in your community is a problem, funding homework help centers should be part of your budget.
• If small businesses in your community are closing, creating a small business resources center shows how your library is supporting the local economy.

Start with the premise that a library is providing local services that are important locally.   Unlike many other units of government (e.g. schools or transportation), budgetary decisions pertaining to libraries are almost always made at the local level.   Stay current with what’s happening in the community from a local political perspective and reflect this perspective in your library budget.

Provide opportunities (a bulletin board, comment cards, Library Appreciation Week, etc. ) for library customers to share their stories about how your library is meeting their needs.  Anecdotes from “real (voting) citizens” are powerful statements to include as part of your budget presentation.

Where Budgets and Friends Meet

Presenting an annual budget isn’t just the job of the library director. You’ve got Friends!

A Library Friends organization can be one of the most powerful allies a library has as the director prepares for and presents an annual budget.  A good Friends group can:

• Help the library director determine what should be in the annual budget.  A well-balanced Friends group reflects the geo-diversity of the neighborhoods the library serves.  Friends Board members can give the library director valuable input about the community’s needs and what budgeting priorities are within their own neighborhoods.
• Mobilize a powerful Advocacy Committee that will work throughout the year to advocate on behalf of the library with local decision-makers.  Friends Board members represent their neighborhood communities and develop relationships with their elected/appointed representatives.  A good Friends advocate is a strong voice and a valuable tool in the budgeting process – and stays connected throughout the year.
• Develop position papers that present the library’s current economic position, its value to the community, funding needs, gaps and opportunities to expand capacity.  The library’s budget spreadsheet is made up of line items and numbers.  A library platform or a “Return on Investment” piece tells the full story of the library and all its value to citizens (in general as it supports specific populations), schools, businesses, the local economy…a good library platform tells it all! Two great examples of this include the Friends of the St. Paul Public Library's 2010 Advocacy Plan and the San Francisco Public Library Advocacy Report.  
• Represent the library to constituent groups. Friends Board members often speak and represent the library with neighborhood groups, broadening community understanding and appreciation for the library’s value.   A well-prepared Friends Board member has a lot of credibility because of their dedicated volunteer status.
• Advocate at the grassroots level.   Friends Board members attend city and county meetings and offer testimony on behalf of the library. They connect with decision-makers regularly, keeping the library visible throughout the year.
• Be the literary voice for the library.   Friends Board members often write op-ed pieces for local newspapers and “letters to the editor.”
• Open doors.   From an elected official’s standpoint, Friends Board members can create links to groups and entities where an endorsement is sought.  This mutual “back-scratching” can benefit the library and the elected official, creating a relationship that can have long-term positive effects for the library.
• Demonstrate how money talks!   Broadly-based private funding from Friends groups demonstrates to local officials that supporters of libraries are powerful, spread out and ready to fight for their library.
• Mobilize other library supporters.  Friends groups organize grassroots support of bonding measures, state or local set-asides or other ballot issues that have long-term effects on libraries.
• Fill the gaps.   One of the biggest roles a library Friends group plays is to provide funding for library programs and services that are not covered by public funding of the library’s budget.  This can be anything from funding a summer reading program to conducting a capital campaign.
• Sing the song of success.   When successes are achieved (fending off budget cuts, renewing ballot measures, etc.) Friends can go back to library supporters and say “Look what you have done through your support – you made this possible.”  There’s nothing sweeter than success achieved through a grassroots effort.

Coalition Building & Strategic Partnerships

Strength in Numbers: Leveraging Strategic Partnerships and Coalitions

Presenting a successful library budget can be greatly enhanced by demonstrating that your library has partners who work together to deliver programs and services to the community.  Working with strategic partners, or in coalition, indicates that your library is finding creative ways of sharing resources and delivering added value by collaborating with other organizations.

• If your library works with schools, arts groups, history centers, museums or other community-based organizations, show how these partnerships allow the library to “deliver more with less” and enhances the services of your partner organizations.
• Demonstrate that your library shares goals with community agencies.  Does your library work with a community organization, such as a workforce development program?  Show the number of individuals who receive help with resume writing, learning job skills, using the Internet for finding jobs…and then describe how your library works with the community agency to achieve shared goals.
• Tell the story of how partnering with small business owners has an economic impact on the community.  Share anecdotes and quotes as part of a handout, or your budget presentation.
• Libraries often share programming with community arts organizations.  In your budget presentation, share information on how such a coalition appeals to private funders, lifting some of the financial burden from the public sector.
• Media partners are visible, powerful allies.  If your library offers sponsored programming or events with local radio or TV stations, or newspapers, illustrate the power of these partnerships by highlighting attendance, sharing audience quotes and demonstrating that your library understands the value and impact of sharing the stage with a media partner.
• Schools and school media centers are under terrific pressure to provide needed resources for students, with shrinking budgets.   Partner with area schools through homework centers or providing books and other resources that will be used in classes or programs.  When you present your budget, show how this collaboration allows schools to expand their resources and your library to work with targeted groups of key customers.
• Defending a budget is as much about impact as it is about the bottom line.  Look for and nurture partnerships that will allow your library to offer new, exciting programs and services and repeat (over and over) the success stories about how creative partnerships have a strong economic and “quality of life”  impact on the community.
• “Back-scratching “can be a rich feature of a partnership or coalition.  Share the success and spread the word about community partnerships.  Speak or write in support of your strategic partners and ask them to do the same for your library.  Having members of an arts organization, or a history center at budget hearings sends the message that the library is a strong community player.
• Other community organizations face the same challenges as the library.  Reach out to your counterparts in other organizations and learn from them, as they learn from you.  There are always strategies and tips to share and support to be enlisted.

Preparing a Budget Presentation

The decision-maker speaks.

Qualities of the Successful Budget Proposal

• The best budgets are always tied to the best spending plans.  Instead of just asking for more, budget presentations must tie performance and justification to requests for increases.
• Decision makers look for the level of production per unit.  When an increase is granted, how will the additional dollars translate into improvements?  If additional staffing dollars are granted, how will the services be improved?  Make sure that your budgeting authority can see, in real-world terms, how the money improves the work.
• In public library systems, budget analysis needs to be weighted to reflect how dollars will make the most impact in the places that are most in need.  Not all things are equal and not all things are fair; understand that the delivery of the dollars need to be weighted with demographics in mind.
• The library world can sometimes be insular.  Good budget directors will work with executive librarians out to ensure that a budget is responsive to constituents.
• Is the budget proposal balanced? The proposal for the year will reflect an increase, a decrease, or a status quo proposal - the librarian needs to be able to discuss the cause of any changes with the budgeting authority.
• Be ready to discuss changes both within the library and outside influences that may be driving changes in budget proposals.
• Decision makers will be most likely to approve budget proposals that are able to show balance between financing, spending, and performance.

Cautionary Tales

• Any lack of direct or frank responses to questions, or even the hint of holding back, will foster negative responses from budget authorities.
• Lack of preparation.  Do not assume that wide public support will result in an easy proposal process, be ready for tough questions at every step.
• During the public presentation, know when to say that you don't know the answer and that you will get the answer to the budgeting authority as soon as possible.
• Be careful of committing to specific numbers in a public forum - if forced, offer a range and agree to follow up at a later date.
• If you know that you have opposition to your proposal ahead of time, avoid any type of confrontation.  Ask your opponent to meet one on one at a later time to work out any concerns or reservations.

Best Practices for the Executive Librarian's Proposal

• Start your presentation with simple graphs and charts that anyone can understand - the lowest level of detail.  You may have your whole proposal approved at a minimal level of discussion.
• Be prepared to add layers of detail should the need arise, but do not offer anything more than you have to.  Work in stages with your detail and supporting materials.
• Dollar amount changes, year-over-year, with brief explanations of each line item that reflects a change.
• Service differences, year-over-year, with a similar level of detail to dollar changes.
• Staffing differences based on pay-grade with the same level of detail about changes year-over-year.
• A direct assessment of the changes and the forces driving the changes (dollars, services, staffing, and performance).
• If the questions require the next level of detail, if possible, try to refer them to the departmental Accountant or to the Assistant Librarian.
• If there are lots of questions, try to get the budget authority to send their questions, in writing, so that they may be answered with the level of detail they deserve - this puts the responsibility back on the questioners.
• Only offer what is needed AS it is needed.  Offering too much information can tend to lengthen the questioning period.
• Remember, start with broad information and be ready to drill down, but at some point, the authority should be willing to move the questioning out of the public venue if it has many detailed questions.
• Be a good listener.  Restate the questions to make sure that they are really what the authority wants to know.
• A good Budget Director will have worked with and coached the person making the proposal in advance, obviating many possible pitfalls.
• Know how to say NO.  Keep the budgeting authority realistic and on track, some things just can not be done.  Make a compromise offer of what you can do with the resources allocated and offer to report back periodically.
• A great deal of compromise may be required.  Always remember that your ideal may not match perfectly with those of your budgeting authority.
• Positivity, no matter the circumstance, is critical
• Prepare and present a document that summarizes what the library is NOT doing or could be doing better.  Use data from other systems and offer comparisons with similarly sized  systems.  Use per capita or per unit service comparisons to strengthen your arguments.

Do's & Don'ts in Making a Library Budget Presentation

From the Decision-Maker’s Perspective

• Once this executive-level presentation has been completed, the nature of the questions should be assessed and the next step will depend on the result of the assessment:
• A good Budget Director will have worked with and coached the person making the proposal in advance, obviating many possible pitfalls. 
• Under-prepare.  Do not assume that wide public support will result in an easy proposal process, be ready for tough questions at every step.
• Avoid giving a direct or frank response to questions.  Even the hint of holding back will foster negative responses from budget authorities.
• Fake an answer!  Know when to say that you don't know the answer and that you will get the answer to the budgeting authority as soon as possible.
• Commit to specific number in a public forum capriciously- if forced, offer a range and agree to follow up at a later date.
• Respond to confrontation publicly if you can help it.  If you know that you have opposition to your proposal ahead of time, ask your opponent to meet one on one at a later time to work out any concerns or reservations.

Executive Librarians Speak

It’s easy to get caught up in the many details of budgeting, but for the Executive Librarian, the most important issues in successful budget proposal planning are community issues – how to best serve our constituents.  Consider the following to ensure that you create and present a successful budget:

Never become so invested in the details of the budgeting process that you are caught off guard by a big-picture question.

Statistics, by themselves, do not tell the whole story:

Some years, there simply is NO money - no amount of pressure or support will be able to change this fact:

Be sure to demonstrate to the budgeting authority that you continuously strive for improvement, not just during tough times. 

Best Practices from the Viewpoint of Executive Librarians

Within the Library Community:

• Forming panels of library administrators to advise on spending streams creates an environment of teamwork.
• Brown-bag budgeting sessions with senior team members can be very illuminating.
• Foster library ecosystem thinking among administrators - keep them thinking about the system as a whole, rather than focusing too closely on their own area of responsibility.
• Help administrators to think like the budgeting authority/decision makers: how will what you are proposing "pay off"?
• Look for opportunities to build cooperative purchasing agreements.

Outside the Library:

Utilize Friends groups:

• To teach patrons about the best ways to communicate with elected officials,
• To keep the public informed about the library's important events and organizational changes.

Utilize patrons:

Keep your budgeting authority up to date on what's happening at the library.

In some cases, early distribution of budget summary information (e.g. usage trending, connection to political priorities, etc.) can be very helpful.

• Maintain good relationships with your vendors.
• Library Trustees (especially those representing the governing body) are a critical way of keeping elected officials informed about the library.
• Request that the governing body include time in their regular meeting agenda each month for a report by the Library Director.  This prevents the feeling that “the only time we ever hear from you is when you want something.”
• When times get tough, your vendors will appreciate knowing that they won't stay that way - things will improve.

If a cut has to be made, be prepared to do it.

10 Things I Know to be True about Budgeting for Libraries

• Budgeting is a year-round exercise. Decision makers need to hear about your services all year – not just when they’re voting on a new budget.  It’s easier to get and hold their attention when they’re not being deluged.  
• You can’t make responsible decisions without the right information. Decide what you need to know and collect that data.  If you know you need to reduce hours, for example, find out what days and times you’re busiest with circulation, visits, phone calls and other electronic communication.  And then think about the data your library should collect next year: what will you need to know to tell the library’s story?  
• Budget staffs have long memories. Do not play fast and loose with the numbers.  If you eliminate 5 FTE by cutting 10 hours of service, you can’t ask for 8 FTE to replace those hours in the future.  The budget folks will remember and you will look like a bad manager at best and deceitful at worst.  
• It’s easier to build up than tear down… and it helps you focus on the future.  If you’re facing substantial cuts, make a list of all the resources the library will still have – buildings, staff, technology, collections.  Then study your usage data and design a new library system with the available resources.  
• We cannot afford irrelevant excellence. We all have those things our libraries do well that aren’t as important as they once were.  It’s just human nature to want to do those things we’re comfortable with and good at.  Have staff at all levels help you find and eliminate those programs or processes that no longer support your service plan and are draining your resources.  
• Even in bad times, you are building for the future. It’s tempting to drastically cut or even eliminate training funds when times are bad.  Don’t.  You’ll need motivated, skilled staff to get through hard times and prepare for the future.   
• A communication plan is essential. What will you tell staff, the library board, elected officials, the public about the budget … and when?  What formats will you use?  Who will speak for the library?  People need to trust that you will tell them what you can, when you can.  
• You need to think like your audience. Whether you’re justifying a budget request to elected officials or explaining service cuts to the high school parent-teacher association, you must consider your audience and recast the message to resonate with them.  Remember, if a library’s materials budget is cut by 20% and circulation remains level, it will look to some people like a good business decision.  
• It’s not always about the numbers. Nothing beats an anecdote from a constituent in making the case for your budget.   Letters, emails, phone calls, testifying at a budget hearing – these are all opportunities for decision makers to hear what’s important to the community.  Elected officials and other decision makers expect you to fight for the library’s budget.  What will sway them is hearing from the public.  
• You can’t say “thank you” too often. Even when your budget is being cut, make sure decision makers are thanked publicly for the difficult work they’re doing.  At a time when they’re getting hammered from all sides, they will appreciate and remember positive words from your supporters.

Graphs to Tell the Story

Graphs can help us tell our library's story.

TREND Graphs show this library OVER TIME - are we getting better or worse?

COMPARISON Graphs show US VS. SIMILAR facilities or standards (at one point in time) - are we leading or falling behind?

• "similar" may be based on municipal population, service population, annual circulation transactions, geographic location
• local governments often want comparisons to neighbors, even though not "similar"
• standards may be State quantifiable standards

Create "Normalized" Statistics:

• Permit comparisons among libraries of different sizes (including ours if we've grown!)
• Personnel costs per FTE: shows what each full-time equivalent staff member costs in pay and benefits - so we don't have to be concerned with size of staff, how many are part-time, etc. (No matter how many hours we're open, the number of FTE's = total staff hours/40.)
• Are we over/under staffed? Circulation per FTE: shows how many circulation transactions each full-time equivalent staff member handles annually
• Cost per circ.: shows operating costs expended for each circulation transaction. (with or without personnel costs)
• Municipal allocation/Equalized Assessed Value: shows funding in relation to community wealth
• Municipal allocation per capita: shows funding per citizen.
• Municipal allocation plus State funding per circ.: compare to cost per circ to see shortfall

Determine Other Info Important to Our Audience: Funding besides municipal allocation (how are we doing at generating other revenues?), Population changes inside/outside of municipality, etc.

(Equalized Assessed Value is available from local, county or State government. All other info above is available from State's agency in charge of libraries.)

Group the statistics to make graphs with IMPACT!

TREND Graphs

• Support Graph (PDF) : municipal support per capita vs. per $1,000 in EAV (trend, last 5 years)

COMPARISON Graphs

• Facility Offerings Graph (PDF) : number of public access pc's, hours open per week, volumes of print material
• Circulation Graph (PDF) : circulation in various categories (Adult, Child, Total), along with cost per circulation transaction.
• Staffing and Pay Graph (PDF) : number of FTE's (Full-Time Equivalents) and total personnel costs per FTE

Other possibilities:

• Programs (COMPARISON or TREND) Graph: number of programs and total annual program attendance. Or, normalize to: number of programs per capita and attendance per program.
• Expenditures and Support (TREND) Graph: total operating and materials expenditures and municipal allocation (are they rising/falling together?)
• Summarize graph results in a box below each graph, so no one misses the message!

Remember: this info can also help in planning!

• At what point will we need more personnel? When our Circ/FTE gets too high…
• How much will another person cost? Use Personnel Cost/FTE to estimate…
• If circulation grows (due to expansion, population growth, etc.) how much will our expenses go up? Use Cost/Circ. (adjusting as necessary for personnel costs!)…..

Use the Right Data to Get Your Budget Passed!

Powerful data in your budget presentation can pave the way to support from your funding sources.  It can tell your story – where you have been, where you are now, and where you hope to go with library services in your community.  It can give them reasons to support your efforts, and ways to justify this to constituents.  Some things to consider:

• The Public Library Association prepares an annual report with extensive data on library services ( www.pla.org ).  Information includes annual funding and expenditures, collection size and services, etc. for a large sample of libraries in the U.S. and Canada.
• Many states collect similar data through their library oversight departments and make it available to the public – for example, Wisconsin’s Department of Public Instruction has annual data going back many years for every library in the state, available in Excel format on their website.  Even if your library is not in Wisconsin, this information can show how libraries of various sizes serve their communities. 
• More local data may also be available from your library consortium or city and county library service. 
• Don’t forget non-library data!  You may want to compare your library’s budget requests to cost of living increases or discuss how rising unemployment drives increased need for your services, etc.  
• Consider presenting information on the market value of your library’s services to the community.  Check out:  www.maine.gov/msl/services/customcal.htm to see what a bargain libraries are!  
• Here is an example of a chart that would give some perspective on how the “Presenting Library” stacks up to others on key indicators (data from PLDS Statistical Report 2009, for libraries serving population of 25,000 to 49,999).  Note how we have provided the conclusion that we’d like drawn from the information presented:

As this chart shows, high materials expenditure achieves exceptional circulation. Yet total expenditure and FTE's are responable.

• Wisconsin, for example, has Quantitative Standards for Materials Expenditures, Hours Open, etc. based on population served.  Any library anywhere could measure itself against such standards. 
• A chart or graph that demonstrates meeting or exceeding many standards while failing at others can be a powerful way to support funding for those areas.  
• You can compare your library to those in similarly-sized communities or those with similar circulation. 
• Budgeting authorities are often especially interested in how your library compares to those in neighboring communities.  
• Restating total Materials Expenditures into Materials Expenditures per Capita makes it possible to compare libraries serving different sized populations. 
• Restating total Operating Expenditures into Operating Expenditures per Circulation enables you to show how economically you deliver your services (or use it to support a request for funding for efficiency improvements, like self-service kiosks).  
• Funders concerned with your personnel costs may be reassured by seeing your Staff Costs per Circulation, or FTE per Public Service Hour compared to those of similarly-sized libraries.  
• Finally, remember that all this data can do more than just directly support your budget request.  It can also help you to gain the perspective (which you can also share with funding authorities and patrons) that will enable your library to continually monitor its performance and strive to improve its services to the community.  

Citizen Support- Rallying Stakeholders Around the Library

It’s hard to find anyone who doesn’t believe in libraries.  Getting people to raise their voices in support of the library is another story.  Rallying stakeholder support is a powerful tool in passing library budgets, keeping libraries open and keeping a library’s value to the community highly visible.

There are several ways to bring individual citizens and constituent groups out in support of the library and plenty of things stakeholders can do to apply critical pressure on the library’s behalf.

• Grassroots advocacy efforts are one of the oldest and most effective tools for persuading decision-makers.  Libraries of all sizes should have Advocacy Committees made up of citizens from every neighborhood.
• The Advocacy Committee should meet with the Library Director and be educated on all aspects of the library’s budget, library needs, the budgeting cycle and all of the library’s sources of funding.  An advocate who knows what they’re talking about is really powerful.
• Anyone speaking in public on the library’s behalf should have talking points and fast facts about the library and its budget needs. 
• Supporting the library’s budget isn’t just the task of an Advocacy Committee.  Library supporters from all neighborhoods should be encouraged to attend public meetings and budget hearings and, if appropriate, give testimony.
• Central and branch libraries should post notices about budget hearings and public meetings that focus on library issues.
• Even if citizens don’t speak at public meetings, their presence is valuable.  A self-identified group of library supporters carries a strong message: “I’m a library supporter…and I vote.”  This is what decision-makers need to see and hear.
• Buttons abound…libraries across the country have developed buttons for getting their message across.  Wearing a button that tells anyone and everyone that you are a library supporter spreads the word quickly and pervasively.
• Constituent groups served by the library can form a strong advocacy group.  Teenagers who use the library for homework help can learn about the civic process by testifying on their library’s behalf, or by meeting with their elected official (make sure they’re prepared!).  Seniors who view the library as the go-to place for life-long learning are often eager to speak up for the library.  New Americans have powerful, emotional stories to tell about how the library impacts their lives and the importance of supporting the library’s budget.
• Working with the media is another powerful tool to encourage support of a library’s budget.   Press releases, Letters to the Editor, Op-Ed pieces focusing on facts and impact are great ways to garner support for the library and its needs.
• Choose well-known, respected community leaders to write or speak on the library’s budget.  (For an excellent example of “two mayors” speaking on behalf of a library’s budget, read the Viewpoints article from the Saint Paul Pioneer Press (PDF) .
• Keeping information about the library and how it supports the community should be an ongoing priority…not just when the budget is on the table.   

Making the Budget Presentation- Do's & Don'ts

Budget presentation 101 and beyond.

Considering that your budget presentation is an opportunity both to improve your audience’s understanding of library operations and to achieve passage of your funding request, a well-designed presentation is well worth the work!

Let’s assume that you will be presenting your budget request in person and have decided to do so via a handout and a PowerPoint presentation.  Here are suggestions for a basic presentation, then how to “rise above” that level for a more powerful presentation. There is also a PowerPoint template showing, slide-by-slide, how to structure your presentation to maximize your audience’s understanding and support.

At a minimum, your budget presentation should…

• Start (both the hand-out and the Power Point) with the Library’s Mission Statement, to remind your audience of the library’s purpose and role in the community.
• Current Budget
• Current Year’s Projected (or Actual, if the entire year’s transactions are already known) revenue and expenses.
• Next Year’s Budget (the one you’re submitting for funding)
• Then, two columns for “Change in $$” and “Change as a %.”  There is some variation in how this is done, but it is recommend that you compare Next Year’s Budget to Current Year’s Projected, as this is more current than the budget created a year ago.
• Then, you will need some analysis of these figures.  The most basic way to do this is to group revenue and expenditure accounts, such as Personnel (salaries, wages, benefits), Materials/ Programming (books, periodicals, speaker fees), etc.  Then discuss your budget rationale for each group, for example, “Health insurance premiums increased 14%, but we plan to reduce hours and freeze wages so we can hold Personnel costs steady for next year.”

Following these steps would constitute a bare minimum presentation.  This may be sufficient but it can waste an opportunity to showcase your achievements or garner support for your challenges!

Let’s expand our presentation –so that it stimulates the response we seek – better understanding and stronger support. 

To start on this path, carefully determine one or two key messages you would like to convey to your audience related to this budget .  For example, you may wish to show how the community has increased its demand and response to Library programming.  Or, you may wish to convey that limited funding has left you with stale collections that are of diminishing value to the community. 

• Your library can’t do everything for everyone, and your funding authority has multiple demands on it, as well.  Focusing your presentation on a couple of issues can make it possible to reach a consensus on what is most important in your budget request. 

Next, you’ll need to decide how to get those messages across to your audience. 

• show increases in numbers of programs offered per capita and numbers of attendees, both for just your library over some period of time
• compare your library’s programs (numbers or, perhaps, variety)and cost per capita  to those of similar libraries. 
• Finally, you would show exactly how your proposed budget will enable you to improve this service (e.g., another weekly story hour costs $1,000/yr).
• compare your collections (size, age) to those of similar libraries or accepted standards
• compare materials expenditures and annual circulation per capita, either to those of similar libraries or  for just your library over a period of time (or both!). 
• Finally, you would show (again) exactly how your proposed budget will enable you to make the improvements you seek (e.g., 3-year plan to update geography reference materials at $5,000/yr).
• See the Using Comparative Data and the Graphs to Tell the Story  sections of this website for more ideas.
• Consider a brief handout that gives a snapshot of your library for the past year. This handout is a good take-away for your audience to be able to think about what the library has accomplished in the past year in a succinct format.
• As you think about how best to convey your message, remember your audience.  Consider how much time will you have, how comfortable they may be with numbers/charts/graphs, whether they are likely to be overwhelmed if you provide too much data or suspicious if you provide not enough, etc.  In general, limit the number of PowerPoint slides, and keep each one “short and sweet.”
• Note that the beauty of this “message” approach is that your presentations will offer a fresh perspective from year to year as your messages change, enabling you to build over time a fuller understanding within your audience of the library’s services and needs.

Finally, remember to maintain an upbeat, “can do” attitude throughout your presentation.  Keep in mind the Mission Statement and the community you serve.  If presentation is done at a public meeting, you should have encouraged Friends, etc. to attend to demonstrate support for the Library’s service to the community.  Whatever response you get from your funding authority, be sure to thank them for their attention.

Check out the PowerPoint Budget Presentation to view a template for structuring your budget presentation.

Qualities of A Successful Budget Presentation

Best practices for budget presentations.

• Be ready to answer the most unexpected of questions (e.g. “What could you do with half of that?”).
• Understand that the budget details, about which you care deeply, will never be as important to the budget authority; accept this and figure out what is important to its members.
• Remember that your presentation has to be layered – the budget authority might approve your proposal without a single question, having only seen the executive summary.
• Remember that you better have a second (and possibly a third) layer of detail to present to your budget authority.  They just might have a lot of questions for you.
• Avoid any kind of public confrontation – agree to meet personally with a questioner who isn’t satisfied with your answer.
• Do not commit to a specific number in an open forum; if you’re backed into a corner, agree to a range or to discuss it at a follow up meeting.
• Balance is the key for budget authorities who are accountable to voters – if financing, spending, and performance are balanced, your budget will appeal to everyone.
• Know that people who work with numbers for a living want to see how things compare with other things (e.g. year-over-year, per capita performance, increase of total services, etc.); give them what they want.
• Use whatever tools you need to get your message across, but be sure that your message gets through.  Graphs and charts, PowerPoint presentations and executive summaries are great visual aids, but if your message is muddled the process of approval will be unnecessarily complicated.

Main Street Library At a Glance

PowerPoint for Main Street Library

Description and Purpose of Activity

The Main Street Public Library strengthens community, supports literacy, provides access to information, and fosters lifelong learning and enrichment.

 Library activities include selecting, purchasing, cataloging, processing and circulating books, magazines, newspapers, audiobooks, DVDs and music CDs for the use of the community.  Library staff members strive to fully answer requests for information and to locate needed items and articles.  They actively participate in community efforts to improve literacy by offering programs for all ages, particularly pre-school children and their caregivers.  The Library is also a place where free access to the Internet and computing is available.  The Library provides outreach bookmobile service to daycares and other stops within the City and offers a large number of electronic resource subscriptions. 

Accomplishments & Highlights 2009 

• Increased service levels, experiencing the busiest days in the library’s history, following a trend that began in 2007.
• Working with the local work force center, developed a Business and Employment Resource Area in the library.  The collection for this Resource Area was provided with the assistance of the Friends of the Library.
• Replaced furniture in the Teen area with assistance from the Friends of the Library.  Finished repainting Teen area and added display shelving and slat wall (end cap display) in many places throughout the library.
• Continued to gather information (particularly related to fundraising) and plan for a library expansion.

Initiatives in 2010 

• Continue to implement the steps outlined in the 2008-2012 Library Long-Range Plan; evaluate progress towards goals and revise as needed.  Major goals of the plan are:  foster lifelong learning support information literacy and collaboration; the library as a welcoming, accessible and convenient public gathering place; diverse collections of print, media and electronic resources; information related to work and employment, school, business and personal life; developing a library facility that will support the services the Main Street Library community needs
• Cut county bookmobile stops and proportionately reduce bookmobile staff hours accordingly.
• Cut Sunday hours in order to reduce staff expenditures.
• Celebrate the centennial of the Carnegie Library Building.
• Continue to contribute substantially to the economic vitality of the community.

Once the Budget Presentation Is Over

• Once your budget has been approved, the cycle begins again.  There are steps you should take to smooth the way for the next budgeting process.
• Say “Thank you!” to decision-makers who have been part of the budgeting process.  Call or write and let them know that you appreciate their time and consideration of your library’s needs.
• Thank your Advocacy Committee members and other volunteers and stakeholders for their support of your library in the budgeting process.
• Let your staff know your appreciation for their efforts in creating your library’s budget.  Share any specific feedback you may have received from decision-makers.
• Debrief the process with your staff.  What went well?  What could have made the process more efficient?  What should you change in the next budgeting process?
• Begin again the ongoing progress of scanning the community to monitor needs, priorities, challenges and opportunities for providing service.  Keep a budget file that you add notes to that will help inform the next budgeting process.
• If you are requested to come back with a revised budget, respond quickly.  You should always go into a budget presentation with a “Plan B” in the event that your budget doesn’t receive approval.
• Budgeting can be a stressful process.  When your presentation is over, celebrate your efforts with your staff so that everyone feels they’ve participated in a good team effort.

Budgeting Best Practices

Best practices for creating a successful budget.

• The library budget is the result of local money funding an important local function.  Remind your budgeting authority how its library returns value to the community and aligns with the community’s priorities during every budget cycle (and at every other opportunity).
• A community’s priorities are the priorities of the community’s library – library patrons and their elected officials need to know exactly how everyone benefits by supporting this community asset.  Patrons (voters) need to let politicians know that they support libraries.  Politicians will gain votes using the same message to voters.
• Understand how to use comparative data (from similar library communities or against your own library’s historical data) that support your budget narrative.  Have a strong understanding of contemporary and past budget events in your community; learn how to use statistical trends to support your arguments.
• Your profession is collegial and filled with people who love learning and helping others – remember there are many librarians out there who are willing to share their experiences with you.  Your greatest resource for budgeting advice could be your professional colleagues.
• Work with the community’s representatives – board members, Trustees, Friends groups, and elected officials.  Whether the economy is waxing or waning, these groups support and care about libraries and will help you to align the budget with the community’s priorities.
• Budgeting is a year-round practice that requires constant attention; teach staff members and non-staff supporters always to keep their eyes open for opportunities to fine-tune the processes and efficiencies of your library.
• The community’s library is always about the future of the community – your budget proposal relates directly to the youth of your community.
• Always keep your message positive - be ready and willing to compromise.
• You have multitudes of patrons who will never set foot in your library (accessing the library’s resources via the Internet).  Figure out creative ways for  reaching these cyber-patrons to ask for their support.

Is your budget presentation boardroom ready?

Eliminate human error, increase confidence, and shave hours (or more) off your FP&A process.

Your team has spent months creating, adjusting, recreating, and finalizing your budget for the next year. Managers have input their needs and requests for equipment, staff, and training. Sales teams have projected their volumes. You’re finally ready to bring your annual budget presentation to the board.

Or are you?

Is the board going to care that you’ve allocated 20% of IT’s budget for training? Or that accounting has planned $5,000 for a new printer?

Not really, unless those are the answers to some very important questions that the board will be laser-focused on. More likely, these are extra details that will take up valuable time in your budget presentation.

What are the plans for the organization?

This may seem like more of a strategic planning question than a budgeting process one, but the two are intertwined. As you tell your board what your goals are for the business – market growth, additional teams or staff, heavy investment in R&D – they may be excited at the potential of the business plan. At the same time, they will want to know that you’ve considered what it will take, financially, to accomplish those goals.

The easier you make it for the board to connect your strategic plan and your financial plan , the less explaining you’ll need to do to get their buy-in on the budget proposal you’re presenting. Don’t force the board to make the connection themselves. Make it clear that the office of finance has thought hard about how to meet the company’s strategic goals by having a plan in place for financing the activities needed to reach those goals.

Showing your board how you’ve reflected your plans in your budget presentation will be key to getting approval and illustrating that you’ve taken all aspects of your goals into account.

Can you pay the bills?

This may seem like an obvious question, and one that your organization has spent a lot of time answering with your budget plan. But it is one of the core responsibilities of your board: to make sure that the company is being fiscally responsible while meeting its goals.

A company has responsibilities to its vendors, employees, and investors. Funds are needed to keep the business operational. Your budget should account for your expected expenses, where and how much income you’ve projected, your current cash position, and your investments.

Look at your current budget to understand what these outflows look like today as you start the planning process. During your budget presentation, you should be able to speak to how the organization’s financial responsibilities might change in the coming year. You should be able to talk about how you intend to meet the business’ needs if there is no change, but adapt to changing circumstances if required.

With this information, the board will be in a better position to approve your budget or guide you toward more solid standing.

Are your income projections reasonable?

It’s easy to be optimistic about sales – or pessimistic if you’re coming off a particularly difficult year. When the board reviews your budget, they will want to understand how much risk is associated with your income projections.

To get board buy-in, be prepared to present data to support those projections. That data could be actuals from previous years, competitor performance analysis, or forecasts based on big data and business intelligence. Wherever your information comes from, it should be presented in a format that makes sense to the board.

What happens if it all goes wrong?

Plans go awry. Sales flop. Products unexpectedly take off. Your board will want you to show that you’ve considered a Plan B: What will the business do if things don’t go according to your budget forecasts?

Having what-if scenarios prepared for board review will build confidence in your budget. Your board will understand that you’ve got a plan in place should the winds change and you need to set a new course. With alternative scenarios, the board will have a clear view of how closely you’ll be able to keep to your “most likely” (aka approved budget) scenario, and how you’ll continue to achieve your business goals in the face of adversity.

Is your budget presentation tailored to your audience?

While your board may be business savvy, they aren’t in the weeds on the day-to-day operations of the business. You can’t assume that they have information that will help them understand your budget presentation. At the same time, you don’t want to bore them with a heavily detailed PowerPoint presentation.

The key to presenting everything discussed above is to make sure you’re taking your audience into account. Don’t overwhelm with detailed line items, but be prepared to answer questions about them. Offer a high-level overview of the financial plan with easy access to details if needed.

It’s also important to remember that different people respond positively to different information delivery methods. While some board members may want to see financial reports and columns of numbers, for many others it’s easiest to see data presented graphically in charts and graphs.

Do you have the right graphics to go with your numbers?

Graphics make it easy to visualize the relevant data, and to analyze how performance and expectations measure up against KPIs. If you aren’t using a tool that easily creates dashboards and graphical reports for you, it may take extra time to prepare your budget plan to make it easy to read. This is time well spent, as the clarity will lead to more focused and purposeful questions from the board.

Your board is there to help guide and direct your business, and to ensure that the company is meeting obligations to both business partners and investors. When your budget presentation answers the board’s questions before they’re asked, and presents information in an easy-to-understand format, your board is better prepared to give you the guidance needed to move in the right direction.

Centage lets you build detailed, boardroom-ready budgets and forecasts without all of the manual copy/pasting and formula errors . Test multiple scenarios, generate accurate and automated forecasts, and present your budget with total confidence. Book a demo today .

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How to build a board-ready business budget

FP&A pain points when budgeting for multiple locations/P&Ls

Budget Proposal Presentation

It’s not enough to come up with a list of goals or brainstorm a list of ideas for your business. You have to map out how you’ll accomplish those goals or make your ideas come to life… within a reasonable budget. 

When you need to make your case to managers or executives for additional resources, a budget proposal presentation is an essential tool. Your presentation should explain your idea, what obstacles you may come across, and why your desired budget is necessary for your project. 

Use a budget proposal presentation to:

• Gain funding for your department
• Explain the budget for a new project or initiative
• Fund new hires for your team

A Budget Proposal Presentation

Every slide in your budget proposal presentation serves an important function. You might present numerical data in easy to read, memorable graphics like timelines, bar graphs, Gantt charts, Venn diagrams, and sales funnels to drive your point home. Each of these features can be added to your template with one click. Some potential slides to include are:

Pro Tips for Your Budget Proposal Presentation Template

Make the most of your budget proposal presentation with these easy tips.

A budget proposal doesn’t have to be much longer than ten slides. Outline the problem, propose your budget, and explain how the budget will help you achieve your goal.

Remember to include a mission statement in the beginning of your presentation. Use one or two sentences to explain the purpose of your budget proposal.

Budget proposals are number-heavy presentations. Use diagrams and charts where you can to make it more readable.

Before you present your budget proposal, double check all your numbers for accuracy.

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How to Present Your IT Budget

Here's how to make your next budget presentation a winning proposition..

When he presents his technology budget to senior management, Edward Granger-Happ likes to talk about a ’57 Chevy.

“I tell them that we have to polish it and take care of it, and [because] it’s a ’57 Chevy, we’re living on borrowed time, especially if we’re using it for the daily commute,” says Granger-Happ, CTO at Save the Children.

The spiffy car is a metaphor for a legacy system in use at the foundation, and it helps Granger-Happ make several points. First, it puts the old system in a context everyone on the business side understands. Second, it helps him make the argument that systems not only come with maintenance costs but that those costs grow (and take up more of his budget) as the systems age. Third, he can tie maintaining or replacing the “Chevy” to his strategic IT plan, priming the group for a future discussion.

Granger-Happ says his approach to talking about the IT budget usually gets him what he wants at the $400 million nonprofit. His budget for the coming year is $4.7 million. But he also knows that when the foundation sees fund-raising tighten, as is the case for the coming fiscal year, he knows he won’t get major new initiatives funded, and he doesn’t ask.

Though it may take up less than an hour at the executive committee or board meeting, the budget presentation is one of the most important messages a CIO has to deliver. What a CIO says and doesn’t say—during both the actual presentation and in the months leading up to it—sets the course for IT not just for the next year but, where new investments are concerned, for years to come.

Yet despite its importance, few elements of such a presentation are universal. What matters in a budget presentation depends on the priorities of the company and the personalities of the CEO, the CFO and the board. That said, all successful budget presentations do need to make a clear business case for spending and especially for new initiatives, and CIOs had better have support lined up from the business units that should benefit. The presentation itself needs to be concise and free of technical jargon.

Granger-Happ also says to tread carefully without being too clever, recalling the once popular comparison between the relative cost of computers and cars. “You remember that comment that if cars were computers, Rolls-Royces would cost $1,000 and get 100 miles to the gallon?” he says. “It was pretty easy for [someone] to come back and say, But they’d lock your windows every other week and crash without warning.”

Here’s how to make your next budget presentation a winning proposition.

Do Your Homework

For many CIOs, the budget presentation itself is anticlimactic because the budget has already been debated thoroughly during the preparation phase. By the time the CEO sees it, there should be no surprises on either side of the table.

Therefore, CIOs need to view the entire planning process as a chance to communicate with the business side. That means at minimum 60 to 90 days of parsing numbers, organizing projects and setting priorities. The CIO should spend some of this time on diplomatic sorties like lunch meetings with the CFO or with department heads, in order to size up specific priorities, preferences and potential trouble spots on which IT has an impact.

Susan Cramm, an executive coach who was both a CIO and a CFO (and is a CIO columnist), recommends CIOs break their budget into two categories: project-based services and utility-based services. Project services are typically simple to explain—these are the projects the business units want or will get obvious benefits from. Because they can be tied to business results, their purpose is typically clear.

Utilities cover things like the help desk, network costs, software maintenance, hardware and the like that constitute 60 percent to 70 percent of typical IT spending. “It’s a huge number, and that number is a mystery to the organization,” Cramm says. Thus, it’s also the number that causes the most tension between IT and the business side. “The CIO says, Why can’t you just trust me? Why wouldn’t you expect to have to maintain those systems?” Cramm says. “The business side says, That’s a huge, hairy old number—why can’t you explain it to me?”

She suggests CIOs present utility costs as if they were an outsourcer, on a per-department basis, whether it’s for e-mail usage, help desk calls or the network.

Some CIOs manage their budgets as portfolios of investment opportunities in order to lend structure to a budget planning process. Thought it sounds complex, it can be done with a spreadsheet. “It helps you build a business case,” says Keith Kerr, a director at consultancy Robbins-Gioia.

Describing the IT budget as a series of investments that businesspeople can choose from is especially valuable when a company doesn’t have the luxury of normal planning cycles, notes Monte Ford, senior VP and CIO at American Airlines. During his six years as American’s CIO, the company has made a major acquisition, suffered through the teeth of an industry-shaking downturn, endured a recession and struggled with high jet fuel prices. Ford says his budget allocations may shift by as much as 20 percent in a typical year, and managing via portfolio helps him track all the changes. He also makes sure to give the CEO and CFO at least one budget update during the year, which helps the IT department stay on top of how the budget is changing over time.

Business, Not Technology

First, avoid jargon. Instead, explain technology spending in terms the business side understands.

It takes discipline to avoid slipping into tech-speak. Granger-Happ tries never to get into the technical nitty-gritty during a budget discussion. For instance, when someone asks during a budget presentation how a wireless network will help achieve business goals, he avoids talking about its speed or range. Instead, because Save the Children wants to improve network access for 3,400 of its field workers, many of whom are in remote parts of the world, he talks about helping them connect more readily.

Paul Cavanagh-Downs, CIO at Aristocrat, a gaming concern based in Sydney, Australia, observes that getting technical gets you labeled as disconnected from the business.

“The businesspeople will often try to get into the technology, but it’s not a good thing,” he says. There’s no gain for a CIO to explain the differences between, say, a frame relay network and a multiprotocol label switching network (MPLS). “Even if you’re asked the questions, if you answer, you’ll still get labeled as being too technical,” he says. It’s happened to him, and he has business credentials as an accountant who became CIO after a long stint in finance.

Cavanagh-Downs says his tack for avoiding technical discussions during the budget presentation is to pause, then use his answer to reframe the question: What matters is not the technical difference between frame relay and MPLS, but which one offers the business better flexibility or scalability.

At American Airlines, Ford goes one step further and tables such inquiries. When businesspeople ask technical questions, he directs them to prepared reference slides. Meanwhile, Ford keeps budget sessions focused on the business by having his lieutenants who work most closely with American’s business units participate in each business unit’s budget presentations. That strategy lets Ford’s department heads show off their business expertise and prove that IT’s portion of the payroll is going to good use.

Ford does not rely on charts to illustrate the value of IT. “If I’m not doing my job in the eyes of my counterpart [say, the marketing executive], no function point analysis is going to tell him otherwise,” Ford says. Ford cites his current budget planning, in which one emphasis is faster turnaround on assignments. “We think we’re pretty quick, and we’re faster than last year, but there are a couple of business units that don’t agree with that.” So rather than argue back with charts showing how fast IT gets the job done, Ford’s managers will explain how their plans will improve timeliness even more.

Some CIOs do, however, find that illustrating IT performance sometimes helps them make their case. Kevin Kearns, the former CIO and CFO (and now CEO) at Health Choice Networks in Miami, found budget benchmarks to be an effective tool for quelling unrest amongst the board members. As CIO, Kearns made sure the board of the community health center knew his spending, at about 2.5 percent of revenue, was below the industry average of 3 percent to 4 percent of revenue. The comparison helped him get his basic budget numbers passed.

Don’t Forget the Polish

Even though the budget presentation can be a pro forma event, it still has to be good. There aren’t rubber stamps in budget discussions. When all is said and done, Ford says, he expects he’ll be asked to spend slightly less than he’s proposed. Closing the deal in your favor requires a polished performance. Use these tips to shine:

Be succinct. Kearns says that since he’s become a CEO, he realizes how focused presentations need to be. “I have this board, and I have five times the amount of stuff for them than we have time to do.” So Kearns has his CIO give him a detailed presentation about the budget, and then they talk about which things to highlight in the 30 minutes or so allotted to the budget discussion with the board.

Pace yourself. Naomi Deutscher, a presentation coach, encourages executives to speak quickly, but adds that it’s also important to vary your pace. In particular, she recommends pausing after a significant point has been made, or a new topic or slide introduced.

Use slides for emphasis. Deutscher advises that slides contain only a few lines of text—six at the most—and that CIOs use these as talking points rather than reading them off verbatim. Using color or bold text for important points or statements helps get the message across.

Get feedback. Practice giving a budget presentation beforehand, and, if possible, tape yourself. Then, after the presentation, “have a colleague tell you what worked about your content and style, and what didn’t,” says Deutscher. “People don’t do enough to find out what people like and get feedback on what worked and what didn’t.”

But the annual performance is but one point in a continuous exercise. It requires strength in numbers and months of hard work, along with political savvy, corporate tea leaf reading and an understanding of the company’s strategy and IT’s role in it.

Michael Fitzgerald is a freelance writer in Millis, Mass. He can be reached at [email protected].

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How to make a financial presentation interesting in 7 steps

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Let’s face it; financial data has a reputation for being boring and a financial presentation can fill even the most devoted professionals with dread.  

To change this perception, you need to create a financial data presentation you’re excited to give . Hold the interest of your audience instead of making them feel like they are being held captive. Use these tips to make a financial presentation interesting and make sure people listen to what you have to say.

1. Communicate the story behind the data

People respond to stories better than data and figures. When you plan your business presentation, plan to tell the who, what, when, where and why behind the numbers. Data will appeal to people's analytical brains, but to maintain their interest you also have to use examples to explain who the numbers affect, where the figures come from and why they are important.

You don't need to be a born storyteller to do this, you just have to go a bit deeper. So rather than simply saying 'These are the projections for next year' or 'these are our business goals', go further and and talk about where that projection has come from, what has and can still influence it, and why it's important for your audience to know.

But, remember this: keep it simple. In the words of the great Steve Jobs :

'That’s been one of my mantras – focus and simplicity.'

2. Follow the 10-20-30 rule

PowerPoint presentations used to be great, but overused and, quite frankly, poorly-made presentations have branded them an instrument of evil in meeting rooms around the world.

But, there is hope.

Guy Kawasaki's 10-20-30 rule is simple: a presentation should include:  ten slides , last twenty minutes, and use thirty point font .

By following this process, you keep the presentation concise and it forces you to get to the point. This sets up ideal conditions for your audience to tune in to what you're saying.

3. Hide your notes and bullet points

There’s nothing wrong with a handout or takeaway, but if you put your whole business presentation on the handout or on the screen behind you, your audience will read ahead and then tune you out. It's a fact of human nature and we've all done it at least once in our careers.

Make sure your handouts and slides don’t detract from what you're saying. Remember that you and what you have to say are the main event. Keep your slides simple and then expand and explore with your own commentary.

In the words of Mary Angelou : 

'People will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.'

4. Make it picture perfect

Too much text will kill any presentation. People just don't respond to blocks of uninterrupted information. To make a financial presentation interesting, slides ensure you have at least a few interesting and relevant graphics. A well-designed, simple presentation will catch your listeners’ eyes and attention.

If design isn’t your thing, apps for finance like Roambi  or Collabmobile turn data into attractive visuals that will back up what you have to say. And, if it's appropriate, throw in a funny picture or gif to illustrate a point. We're all human and making us crack a smile during a data-heavy presentation can be refreshing.

5. Channel the pros

Once you’ve planned what to say and what materials you will use, you have to know how you're going to say it. This means learning to communicate with your audience by taking some tips from the masters .

Warren Buffet, financial investment guru, talks about finances all the time, and if you watch his talks online, he’s a charming, relatable speaker , not boring at all. When Steve Jobs spoke , he took technical information and made it interesting.

How you talk affects how people listen, so work on your public speaking abilities even if you only present in the meeting room.

6. Arrange for discussion

People are more interested in conversation than a speech. To engage your audience in your presentation, allow time for discussion. They might have plenty to say or nothing at all, but it's always good to offer the floor for comments, questions and suggestions for improvement. Interaction reigns in the attention of the audience since they have to participate and prove they've been listening.

7. Open and close

Steve Jobs began keynotes with ‘I have four things I want to talk about today.’ Guy Kawasaki's talks always consist of ten points. By doing this, they are letting their audience know how long their talk is going to last so that the audience know how long they have to concentrate for.

Letting them know what to expect in terms of how much material you have to cover gives your audience something to watch out for and helps them to follow along, knowing there's a fixed endpoint. On your final point, include a ‘and just one more thing’ to let them know you're coming to a close.

If you have a lot to cover, try to find a way of condensing it down into fewer points because if you start your presentation by telling the audience you have 25 things to cover then you're in for a collective groan and disengagement (plus, it's not good for business productivity ).

Make a financial presentation interesting

Financial presentations don’t have to be boring and a meeting about finance no longer has to fill your colleagues with dread.

Giving meaning to your numbers, making your financial information visual and interesting to look at and engaging with your audience will help ensure your finance meetings become the highlight of your colleagues calendars, not the dread of their diaries.

You might not get it right the first time, but as long as you're always trying to improve, you'll get there - and your audience will thank you for it.

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How to Make a Budget: Your Step-by-Step Guide

12 Min Read | Jan 4, 2024

Making a budget might seem overwhelming at first, but hear this: You can do it. How? By breaking down the process a bit. Because no one eats an elephant by swallowing it whole. (You go one bite at a time.) And no one leaps into budgeting like a pro. (You take it one step at a time.)

So, here we go—bite by bite, step by step. Here’s how to make a budget in five steps.

• List Your Income
• List Your Expenses
• Subtract Expenses From Income
• Track Your Transactions
• Make a New Budget Before the Month Begins

What Is a Budget?

Real quick though, let’s define the word  budget . A budget is just a plan. It’s not a restriction on spending—it’s a plan for what you’ll do with your money. It’s a plan   for what’s coming in and what’s going out.

When you learn how to make a budget—and do it every month—you’re giving your money purpose. You’re taking control. Goodbye, money anxiety. Hello, money goals.

Keep reading to see how to make it happen so you can make a budget that works for you.

How to Make a Budget in 5 Steps

No matter how you feel about budgeting right now, no matter what money goals you have, and no matter your income—you can make (and keep!) a budget in just five steps.

But first, decide if you’re making a budget on paper, with a spreadsheet, or in an app. (I know a  great app called EveryDollar . It’s what I use to budget—and it’s the best. Just saying.) Either way, it’s totally okay to start by writing out everything on a sheet of paper.

Pro tip:  Before you dive into the steps, open up your online bank account or grab your bank statements. That will give you the info you need as you start filling out numbers in your budget.

Step 1: List Your Income

Income  is any money you plan to get during that month—that means your normal paychecks and any  extra money coming your way  through a side hustle, garage sale, freelance work or anything like that.

You work weekends as a barista or babysitter? That’s income, and it goes in your budget. 

Create separate income budget lines for every paycheck you (and your spouse) get, plus anything extra coming in. (Note: You’re working with  net income  here, meaning what you bring in after taxes or anything else that’s taken out of your paycheck.) Here’s an example:

His Paycheck 1: $1,500 Her Paycheck 1: $1,500 His Paycheck 2: $1,500 Her Paycheck 2: $1,500 Side Hustle: $500

Total Income: $6,500

If you’ve got an  irregular income , take a look at what you’ve made the last few months and list the  lowest amount  as this month’s planned income budget line. You can adjust later in the month if you make more and add that extra money to your money goal or another budget line.

Step 2: List Your Expenses

Now that you’ve planned for the money coming in, you can plan for the money going out. It’s time to list your expenses! (Yep, this is when that bank account or statement gets super helpful.)

Pro tip:  When you’re making a budget, before you put in all the things you’ll pay for this month, set aside money for giving. I believe in putting 10% of your income here—it’s a great way to start your budget with a  spirit of generosity ! Next, budget for your savings goals, like  an emergency fund  (depending on your Baby Step, which I'll talk about more in a minute). You've got to pay yourself first before you pay everyone else!

What’s next?

Cover your Four Walls.  That’s food, utilities, shelter and transportation . Make a budget category for each of these and create budget lines underneath for your specific expenses.

Start budgeting with EveryDollar today!

Think of a budget category as a folder and the lines as the files inside it. Or the category is like a playlist, and the lines are like the songs. Or . . . okay, you get it.

Here’s what it might look like for you (but with your numbers, of course!):

Budget Category: Food Groceries: $700

Budget Category: Utilities Electricity: $130 Water: $60 Natural Gas: $40

Budget Category: Shelter/Housing Mortgage: $1,450 HOA Fees: $50

Budget Category: Transportation Gasoline: $180

Some of these are called  fixed expenses —aka the expenses that stay the same every month, like your rent or mortgage.

Other expenses change up, like groceries or gasoline. By the way, that grocery budget line is super hard to guess at first, so just start with a really good estimate based on your past spending. You’ll learn better what you actually need here in the months ahead.

Next, list all other monthly expenses.  Start with the essentials: I’m talking about insurance,  debt , childcare, etc. Then work in a miscellaneous line and any nonessentials like personal spending, fun money and entertainment.

Then use your online bank account or those bank statements to estimate what you plan to spend for everything.

Here’s a quick callout. If you’re working to save money,  get out of debt , or hit some other money goal, you’ll get there way quicker if you cut back on the nonessential spending.

If you don’t know what goal to focus on right now, check out the  7 Baby Steps . This plan breaks the most important money goals into easy-to-understand, actionable steps!

Make new budget categories for your new budget lines.  Of course, if you spend money eating out, you can just add a line called Restaurants under your food category—as long as you remember groceries are a necessity , but drive-thrus or fancy three-course meals out  are not .  

Step 3: Subtract Expenses From Income

Math time! (It won’t be too bad. But it is totally necessary. Let’s do this.)

Subtract all your expenses from your income. This number should equal zero, meaning you just made a zero-based budget.

This is key: A  zero-based budget  doesn’t mean you let your bank account reach zero. (Leave a little buffer in there of about $100–300.) It also doesn’t mean you blow all your money.

Zero-based budgeting just means you  give every dollar a job to do : spending, giving,  saving or paying off debt . It’s all accounted for and given a purpose. It’s the reason I love this method.

You work hard for your money, right? Well, it should work hard for you! Every. Single. Dollar.

Okay, though, what do you do if you subtract your expenses from your income—and you’ve got money left over?  Don’t leave it there.  You’ll end up mindlessly spending it on  coffees , convenience store candy, and those one-click deals of the day. Get those dollars to work by putting any “extra” money toward your current  money goal .

What if you end up with a negative number? It’ll be okay. You just need to  cut expenses  until your income minus your expenses equals zero. (Hint: Start with those eating-out and entertainment budget lines. If restaurants are your love language, this will hit hard, but you can’t spend more than you make. You’ve got this!)

If you’re still struggling to make ends meet, don’t forget the power of the  side hustle  or overtime. Just remember not to increase your spending when you increase your income. Your extra cash needs to cover your budgeted expenses.

Is the math stressing you out a little? Listen, let  EveryDollar  do that for you. Our free budgeting app is made for this zero-based budgeting stuff, and you won’t have to keep running back to the calculator to get it right.

Okay, so that’s it for  making  a budget. The next two steps are all about  sticking with it .

Step 4: Track Your Transactions (All Month Long)

Ready for one of the biggest secrets for how to budget—and do it really, really well? Good, because I don’t want to keep it a secret. Here it is: Track. Your. Transactions.

Every single one.

Putting the plan on paper, in your spreadsheet, or in your app is just a bunch of good intentions without this step. It’s like writing down a goal to run a marathon, making a training plan, lacing up your shoes . . . and flopping on the couch with a bag of donuts.

What am I even talking about?  Tracking your transactions  means you account for  everything  that happens with your money  all month long .

When you fill up the  gas tank , subtract that expense from transportation. When you pay the rent, subtract that expense from housing. When you buy a coffee on the way to the office, subtract that expense from your personal spending (or whatever budget line you made for the perk that helps you work).

Track your transactions regularly. That might be once a week. Or at the end of each day. Or it might mean you log a purchase before you leave the grocery store parking lot. Whatever works for you and gets every expense tracked.

As you’re tracking, make adjustments as you need to. Yes, really! This is your budget. You make it work for you. If the  electricity bill  comes in higher than you thought, just tweak another budget line to make up for it. If the water bill comes in lower, then celebrate and move that money over to your current money goal—or add it to a budget line that went over.

I can’t say enough good things about tracking your transactions. But to sum up, I love this budgeting step because it’s how you:

• Stay accountable  to your budget, yourself and your money goals. (Also your spouse, if you’re married! And remember EveryDollar? You two can share an account so you’re budgeting as a team!) No secrets. No pretending a purchase didn’t happen.
• Keep from overspending,  because as you enter expenses, you see what you have left in every budget line! Instantly, you’ll know what’s left so you don’t overspend.
• Stay on top of the budget.  Your budget is not a set-it-and-forget-it project. It’s not a slow cooker. When you track transactions, you get in your budget all the time, and you can make adjustments so you know where your money is going—all the time.
• Learn and adjust your spending habits  so you can get back on track with your goals and finally make them happen. One monthly budget at a time.

Step 5: Make a New Budget Before the Month Begins

While your budget shouldn’t change too much from month to month, the fact is, no two months are exactly the same. That’s why you create a new  budget every single month —before the month begins. Then you can stare down certain expenses and say, “You will  not  be a surprise to my bank account, thank you very much.”

When you’re ready to start your next budget, just copy over this month’s budget to the next, and then make changes for anything new that’s coming.

Here are some examples of month-specific expenses to prep for:

• Celebrations like birthdays and anniversaries:  Never forget those.
• Holidays:  Do you need decor, gifts or a feast at the ready?
• Seasonal purchases:  Don’t forget to budget for  back-to-school season , fall coffee-flavor releases, and your spring kickball league.
• Semiannual expenses:  Do you pay your auto insurance twice a year? Do you need an oil change next month?
• Annual expenses:  Is it time for your yearly eye exam? Do you need to  budget for your pet to get his shots at the vet?

Here’s one way to handle getting these changing expenses into your budget:

• Create a budget category called something like Month-Specific Stuff or Alternating Expenses or Discretionary (if you like huge words).
• Then add whatever lines you need for  that month  and delete the ones from  last month  you no longer need.

Where does the money come from? You can cut back spending somewhere else and move that money over to this category. Taking $5–20 from a couple budget lines really adds up. Literally. Or if you can, crank up your income for the month. (Time for an extra freelance gig!)

Hey, if this part sounds complicated or clunky, that’s because it can be at the beginning. It takes people about three months to really get the hang of budgeting, so give yourself some grace and keep working on it! The benefits of budgeting will far outweigh the effort.

Why Making a Budget Is So Important

What are the benefits? Why is it worth it? Because when you budget, you’re telling your money where to go—so you don’t have to wonder where it went. You’re showing your money who’s in charge. (You.)

Budgeting is how you make any money goals happen—it’s how you make progress with your finances! It puts you in control. It gives you permission to spend your money  your  way.

I could go on and on and on because I honestly believe making a budget—and living that budgeting life—is one of the most important decisions you’ll make with your finances.

How to Make a Budget With Confidence

That’s it! That’s how to make a budget—and why you should. So, now it’s time to do it! It’s time to get confident with your money.

But what about being confident with budgeting? Hey, let  EveryDollar  help! This free tool makes budgeting easier, which is always a win. Download EveryDollar. Budget every month. You got this!

Save more. Spend better. Budget confidently.

Get EveryDollar: the free app that makes creating—and keeping—a budget simple . (Yes, please.)

Did you find this article helpful? Share it!

About the author

Rachel Cruze

Rachel Cruze is a #1 New York Times bestselling author, financial expert, and host of The Rachel Cruze Show. Rachel writes and speaks on personal finances, budgeting, investing and money trends. As a co-host of The Ramsey Show, America’s second-largest talk radio show, Rachel reaches millions of weekly listeners with her personal finance advice. She has appeared on Good Morning America and Fox News and has been featured in publications such as Time, Real Simple and Women’s Health magazines. Through her shows, books, syndicated columns and speaking events, Rachel shares fun, practical ways to take control of your money and create a life you love. Learn More.

How to Create a Zero-Based Budget

Zero-based budgeting is a method of budgeting where your income minus expenses equals zero. Follow these steps to make a zero-based budget each month.

How to Set Financial Goals: 6 Steps

Want to make more progress with your money? Setting the right financial goals is the first step!

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How to Make a “Good” Presentation “Great”

• Guy Kawasaki

Remember: Less is more.

A strong presentation is so much more than information pasted onto a series of slides with fancy backgrounds. Whether you’re pitching an idea, reporting market research, or sharing something else, a great presentation can give you a competitive advantage, and be a powerful tool when aiming to persuade, educate, or inspire others. Here are some unique elements that make a presentation stand out.

• Fonts: Sans Serif fonts such as Helvetica or Arial are preferred for their clean lines, which make them easy to digest at various sizes and distances. Limit the number of font styles to two: one for headings and another for body text, to avoid visual confusion or distractions.
• Colors: Colors can evoke emotions and highlight critical points, but their overuse can lead to a cluttered and confusing presentation. A limited palette of two to three main colors, complemented by a simple background, can help you draw attention to key elements without overwhelming the audience.
• Pictures: Pictures can communicate complex ideas quickly and memorably but choosing the right images is key. Images or pictures should be big (perhaps 20-25% of the page), bold, and have a clear purpose that complements the slide’s text.
• Layout: Don’t overcrowd your slides with too much information. When in doubt, adhere to the principle of simplicity, and aim for a clean and uncluttered layout with plenty of white space around text and images. Think phrases and bullets, not sentences.

As an intern or early career professional, chances are that you’ll be tasked with making or giving a presentation in the near future. Whether you’re pitching an idea, reporting market research, or sharing something else, a great presentation can give you a competitive advantage, and be a powerful tool when aiming to persuade, educate, or inspire others.

• Guy Kawasaki is the chief evangelist at Canva and was the former chief evangelist at Apple. Guy is the author of 16 books including Think Remarkable : 9 Paths to Transform Your Life and Make a Difference.

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How To Make A Successful Presentation To The Budget Committee

When you need financing for your ideas, convincing investors that your pitch is worth their time and money is essential.

The first thing you need to do is make sure you can demonstrate that whoever you’re pitching your idea to—venture capital firm, bank or investment group—believes that he or she will eventually get something out of the deal. You need to research your audience, cater to their needs and make a connection between what your business does and why the firm should care.

“An audience you want funding from wants to understand the viability of your business—the potential market for what you’re offering, why your value proposition exceeds that of the competition and your success thus far,” says Bill Rosenthal, CEO of  Communispond , which provides employee training on how to communicate effectively. “Line up your numbers—but don’t present them like an accountant would, with only a cold, hard recitation of the figures. You have to show your passion for the business.”  Rosenthal shares some tips with us on making a successful presentation to investors. Whether you’re a small startup or running a larger business, these tips can help you develop your best game plan.

1. Know your environment.  Arrive at important meetings early so you can examine the atmosphere, and also so you can know what kind of room you’ll be presenting in. For example, you need to know if the room will accommodate an AV presentation or whether you need to bring equipment. If you’re going to use visuals, Rosenthal said you should keep them simple, using “no more than four lines of copy per slide and no more than four words per line.”

2. Know how much time you have.  Rosenthal told us you should plan a presentation that lasts 10 minutes, less than the time you’re allotted, so you can use the extra time for questions and answers. “You should also prepare a presentation that’s half as long—because it’s common at venture capital firms in particular for the investment committee to be behind schedule and for the entrepreneur seeking funding to be asked to make the presentation shorter than planned.”

Furthermore, you should anticipate questions that you think your audience will ask. “Prepare concise, persuasive answers to them,” he said. “Rehearse the answers to questions, too. Use the answer to your last question to tie everything together.”

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3. Be confident in your idea.  This is obvious, but is also essential. If you’re trying to get someone to financially support your idea, they should be able to see that you really believe in it.

“Demonstrate your passion by being energetic. Walk in strong, move confidently to where you’ll present, stand tall, balanced on both feet with hips wide, smile, survey the room and begin speaking with conviction,” Rosenthal says. “Don’t sit. Stand. Don’t lean on the table. Underscore your main points with authoritative hand and arm gestures, head turns and changing facial expressions. Rehearse your presentation—and keep rehearsing it — so you can present it without a script. You can’t project passion if you’re speaking from a script.”

4. Connect with your audience.  Even though this is clearly a business meeting, you should make as much of a connection as you can. No one is going to hand you money unless they believe in you or feel like they can trust you. “Use changes in the volume or tone of your voice—and dramatic pauses—when you get to something important,” Rosenthal told us. “Use mostly short sentences, dynamic words, onomatopoeia (“bang!,” “boohoo!”) and active verbs.”

You should also look each person in the audience in the eyes at some point. Whatever you do, don’t look at the floor or the opposite wall.

5. Don’t forget that it’s still a business meeting.  On the other hand, even though you’re trying to connect with your audience, you should still remember that they hold the finances you need. Therefore, pay close attention to the language you use. Rosenthal advised that you be familiar with the business language and stay away from buzzwords.

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