On-Demand Learning

Accounting and financial reporting form an essential component of the informational infrastructure that undergirds state and local government finance. Decisions are only as good as the information that supports them. This training provides an introduction designed to equip participants to better understand state and local government financial reports.

For a typical state and local government, the large dollar investment usually associated with acquiring or constructing capital assets often necessitates the issuance of long-term debt. This course will take an example of capital construction funded with long-term debt and walk through the required journal entries for recording activity associated with the constructed capital asset and its related debt issuance. 

While we love serving the public, we all work to earn a paycheck. It is critical that our payroll function has a solid foundation to process employee paychecks accurately and effectively. This course will provide you with the fundamental steps required to process routine payroll.

The largest part of government budgets are typically personnel costs. Left unchecked, staffing levels can grow to unintended or unauthorized levels, leading to more employees than planned or budgeted. This course will provide you with the steps needed to develop and maintain a complete list of your organization’s authorized and budgeted positions.

The individuals who work in the central finance department and the team that works in the fire department all want the best for the communities they serve. Because they have different perceived pressures and demands there may be a gap in seeing where the work of finance and fire are aligned. This course provides an opportunity to gain a deeper understanding of the challenges your colleagues face and how to collaborate more effectively to achieve better outcomes for your government and the citizens you serve.

Developing a local government budget involves making lots of decisions—what programs to fund? Which to cut? How much should we raise taxes and fees? This course will explain how cognitive biases can negatively impact decision-making and outline strategies you can use to design an optimal decision-making environment.

“Power politics” is the use of power for selfish gain at the expense of broader community. This course will show you how to “change the game” and redirect the energy of power politics to more constructive ends.

It is probably safe for us to assume that finance professionals are more comfortable with numbers than most of the decision-makers that the finance office supports. These decision-makers are likely more comfortable with narratives. This course will explain the relationship between narratives and numbers and show how you can use your decision architect skills to structure decisions better.

The public sector environment is fundamentally different from that in which private sector organizations operate, hence the need for different accounting and financial reporting practices. This on-demand learning course will provide a basic introduction to the conceptual and practical ways in which generally accepted accounting principles (GAAP) for governments differ from that used by private companies.

Preparing financial statements for government entities can be quite complex.  This course will deepen your understanding of three key aspects: the conversion of governmental fund data to be incorporated into the government-wide financial statements, the consolidation of certain types of interfund balances and activity, and the allocation of direct costs and disallocation of any indirect costs in the governmental activities column of the government-wide financial statements.

This on-demand learning course is designed to explore the essential principles of grant accounting and financial reporting. Understanding the nuances of grant accounting and financial reporting for state and local governments ensures transparency, accountability, and compliance with accounting standards. You will have the opportunity to learn about this topic, apply the information, and receive feedback on your application.

This on-demand learning course is designed to explore the essential principles of federal assistance uniform guidance (UG), cost principles, and allowable costs. The course provides guidance and compliance requirements associated with federal financial assistance, which can make accounting and financial reporting complex for state and local governments. You will have the opportunity to learn about these topics, apply the information, and receive feedback on your application.

This on-demand learning course is designed to explore the essential principles of a Single Audit resulting from the receipt of federal financial assistance. The course provides guidance on the Single Audit process and outlines both the auditee’s and auditor’s responsibilities. You will have the opportunity to learn about this topic, apply the information, and receive feedback on your application.

This course will walk you through examples using best practices in Capital Planning and Asset Management planning which includes many of the common challenges associated with longitudinal investments in existing assets including the processes and decision making needed to maintain capital infrastructure in the condition necessary to preserve and enhance your community’s vitality and quality of life and optimal stewardship of the finite resources of the jurisdiction.

This on-demand learning course allows participants to reflect on the professional values identified in GFOA’s Code of Ethics. It also explores the behavioral science that explains why individuals sometimes fall short of their intentions to act ethically in professional contexts. The course is designed to benefit public finance officials at all levels of experience. 

The role of government is to serve the community not only today, but also in the future, and to do so, governments need to engage in long-term financial planning. This course will provide an overview of what long-term financial planning is, the steps involved, and the benefits it provides so that you can make the case for your organization to develop a long-term financial plan.

This short course is designed to help employees identify where they may be struggling with useless work and eliminate it from their daily, weekly, and monthly activities. Employees will learn three fundamental skills to help fight burnout and understand and improve their services.