Volunteer: Annual Budget Formation

This is a volunteer opportunity provided by Taproot Foundation, a nonprofit creating social change through pro bono connections. Black Lemonade operates on a calendar fiscal year (January to December), but the majority of our major institutional and public grantors operate on a July to June funding cycle. Because of this structural offset, our team must build a split-cycle annual operational budget: an "Actuals Budget" covering January through June based on fully secured revenue, and a "Proposed Budget" covering July through December based on anticipated grants, pending renewals, and fundraising projections. We need an expert financial strategist to build a dual-cycle budget template and forecasting framework that streamlines this complex process. Managing split grant cycles alongside our internal fiscal year creates cash flow forecasting bottlenecks and makes mid-year reporting to our board complex. In the past, we have managed this using standard single-year spreadsheets, but they fail to capture the reality of our overlapping multi-year grants (such as NAZA, CFMT, and Maddox Fund). This manual workaround takes critical administrative time away from program expansion into Evansville and Memphis and makes it difficult to project operational needs accurately for the second half of the year. By the end of this project, Black Lemonade will have an intuitive, automated budget model that bridges our calendar fiscal year with our funders' July to June cycles. The consultant will equip our leadership with a clear financial tool to track real-time secured revenue for Q1-Q2 while seamlessly modeling projected revenue, funding gaps, and restricted line items for Q3-Q4. Custom Financial Matrix (Excel/Google Sheets): A multi-tab, automated master budget spreadsheet designed specifically for dual fiscal year tracking (Jan-Jun Secured vs. Jul-Dec Projected). Grant Mapping & Revenue Waterfall Tool: A visual schedule that tracks restricted grant dollars across overlapping performance periods. Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) & Training: A brief 1-page user guide and a 30-minute walkthrough session for our executive leadership. Success Metric: Our leadership team can update actuals versus projections in under 30 minutes a month, clearly present cash flow health to the board, and instantly identify Q3-Q4 funding gaps to target with corporate asking. Black Lemonade Mission: At Black Lemonade, we provide ongoing support to underserved youth by educating and equipping them with the tools they need to reach their full potential. By investing in those who face systemic barriers, we create pathways for all youth to thrive—because when we uplift the most vulnerable, we strengthen the entire community. (Founded to turn lemons into lemonade for minority and underserved communities so that we all may live more equitable lives.)