Advanced Budget Academy

Budgeting is not just an exercise in balancing revenues and expenses. Rather, it requires local government leaders to make a series of complex decisions about the future of their community.  

This kind of decision-making is messy. It’s often done by groups, and there are often conflicting points of view. It’s usually time-constrained, so there isn’t time to consider everything. There is always uncertainty and risk--usually more than we realize. And it’s done by humans, so it’s fraught with bias and inconsistency. For all these reasons, it’s important that both internal and external stakeholders trust the decision-making processes.

Through a mix of lecture, group discussion, and group exercises, this course will provide you with the tools you need to manage budget decision-making processes, with a focus on building trust, collaborating, and communicating with both internal and external stakeholders.  

Those who successfully complete this seminar should be able to:

•   Describe the five pillars that comprise GFOA's Financial Foundation Framework and how organizations can strengthen each pillar to support thriving communities
•  Define the role of the budget manager as a “decision architect” and discuss how behavioral science can help you design a better decision-making environment
•  Identify cognitive biases that can negatively impact budget decisions
•  Explain how clear communication can encourage greater collaboration and build trust within your organization
•  Describe the importance of nurturing stakeholders’ trust in decision-making processes
•  Learn tips and techniques for communicating complex information and financial data
•  Explain the benefits of public engagement and identify the key components of effective public engagement  
•  Describe the shortcomings of traditional, incremental approaches to budgeting  
•  Discuss budget methods and approaches that local governments can use to achieve better financial outcomes
•  Facilitate an internal assessment of your organization’s budget practices and develop a plan for how to improve them 

This course is taught by experienced budgeting practitioners and GFOA staff. Instructors will be familiar with GFOA best practices and have experience as finance director, budget director, or CEO of various size local governments. Past instructors have included:

• Katie Ludwig, Director of Resource Development, GFOA
• Craig Lesner, Senior Manager, GFOA