| A | B | |
|---|---|---|
1 |  | |
2 | NET ASSET ROLL FORWARD: YOUR STRATEGIC DASHBOARD | |
3 | ||
4 | WHY THIS IS YOUR PRIMARY FINANCIAL DOCUMENT | |
5 | "A lot of people will be like 'oh my P&L looks really good, my balance sheet looks good,' but it's actually the net asset roll forward that I look at - that's my go-to. As a nonprofit, so much of your revenue is not recognized in the moment. You might raise $3 million in multi-year grants - none of that's going to show up on your P&L. This gives me a real-time pulse on what's actually happening." - Andrea Chen | |
6 | WHAT THIS TOOL DOES | |
7 | ā¢ Shows EXACTLY how much money you have and what you can spend it on ā¢ Tracks every restricted grant with its own rules and timeline ā¢ Reveals whether you're in compliance with all your funders ā¢ Helps you catch the "$200k overfunded here, $200k underfunded there" problem ā¢ Becomes your strategic decision-making tool for staffing, fundraising, and growth | |
8 | HOW TO USE THIS TEMPLATE | |
9 | 1. MONTHLY UPDATES | Update this EVERY month as part of your monthly close (see Monthly Close Checklist). Enter actual revenue received and expenses allocated for the month. |
10 | 2. ANDREA'S ALLOCATION RULE | š“ HARDEST FIRST: Allocate expenses to grants ending soonest first š” MOST STRINGENT: Then allocate to grants with tightest restrictions š¢ EASIEST LAST: Save flexible/unrestricted for last |
11 | 3. ROLL FORWARD EACH MONTH | Each month, the ending balance becomes next month's beginning balance. Add new columns as you move through the year (see pattern in template). |
12 | 4. COLOR CODING IS AUTOMATIC | š“ Red = Ends in 3 months (URGENT) š” Yellow = Ends in 3-6 months š¢ Green = Ends in 6+ months (Flexible) |
13 | 5. CHECK DASHBOARD WEEKLY | Use the Dashboard tab to see which grants need action, what's ending soon, and your overall financial health. |
14 | 6. ED/CEO SIGN-OFF | You as ED/CEO must review and sign off every month. Your job is to catch errors early and make strategic decisions. |
15 | ||
16 | ā ļø CRITICAL REMINDERS | |
17 | ā¢ "This program is overfunded by $200k but this one's underfunded by $200k" = You DON'T have $400k ā¢ Cash ā P&L ā Net Asset Roll Forward (they talk to each other but are NOT the same) ā¢ Ask every funder their % rules for shifting between categories (usually not in grant agreements) ā¢ Get email sign-off from donors when moving money between categories ā¢ If you see a $200k accounting error in here, that's why you do this monthly | |