STEP 2. COST OUT THE LIST
This involves determining how much it will cost to carry out the activities listed
in Step 1. Obviously, there are some basic costs that have to be covered just
to keep the organization going. There are the facility expenses, core staff
salaries, and expenses related to the basic programs that were established in the
past and which are still needed. Each of these programs and activities must be
carefully evaluated for cost and impact so that rational decisions can be made
about the continuation of such programs. In addition, the expenses and impact
associated with new activities must also be evaluated.
There are two approaches commonly used to develop costs:
1. The first approach is called the incremental budgeting method and
leans heavily on information contained in the previous year’s actual
expenses and income records. If an organization is carrying out an
activity that has been ongoing for several years, then the easiest way to
prepare a budget for the coming year is to simply consider a percentage
increment for inflation and other cost factors. The percentage increase
or decrease added to the figures contained in the previous years financial
statement (referred to as actuals) then becomes the budget figure for
the new budget.
2. The second approach, called zero-based budgeting, requires that each
line item of a budget be calculated anew. Staff members are told that any
item in the budget will be zero unless they can provide a full justification
for a new budget figure.
Obviously, some combination of these two approaches is desirable in the
budgeting process. It is a waste of time and effort to rely on zero-based
budgeting for programs already in place. On the other hand, implementing new
programs without a full cost estimate would be irresponsible on the part of
management. Costs should always be estimated on the high side. As the costs
of new programs and activities are considered, it should be remembered that
they will add to the central administrative costs. The simple addition of a
program will put added burden on the core staff, supervision, space, and
equipment.