Revenue Forecasting

Overview

Revenue forecasting – making confident projections for incoming funds to help guide decision making – is a vital competency, not only for finance and accounting staff but for all senior staffers and anyone else who oversees a budget.

With ongoing social and economic uncertainty, strength in revenue forecasting could be the difference that keeps your organization above the fray, out of the pitfalls, and ahead of the pack. In addition, it can also make a big difference when it comes to making your case to funders.

Key Concepts

• What is revenue forecasting? What story does a revenue forecast tell? Why does it matter?
• Basics of annual budget preparation and its impact on forecasting
• Methods used in revenue forecasting, and why to use one over another
• Making safe revenue projections and calculating revenue trends

Learning Objectives

• Define revenue forecasting.
• Explain multiple methods for revenue forecasting.
• Calculate a revenue trend percentage.
• Create revenue forecasts with quarterly, semi-annual, and annual overlooks.

Audience

This class is a perfect primer for program managers and other team members needing a focused introduction to revenue forecasting, and an ideal refresher for senior staff. Participants should have a working knowledge of basic finance, including the ability to read and interpret an income statement and the ability to build and review a program budget.