ACC 325 Module Four Short Paper Guidelines and Rubric

Overview: For nonprofit organizations, the process of budgeting is critical to the organization’s sustainability and success. Even though nonprofits do not have a profit motive, it is very important for them to manage resources in order to meet their outlined mission. The budget provides a guide and enables the nonprofit organization to manage current resources while planning for the future. Once a budget is established, it should be compared to actual results to make sure the organization is on track and it may need to be modified if circumstances change that were not accounted for when the budget was developed. In this short paper assignment, you will outline the steps a nonprofit manager would need to take to develop and monitor a budget within the organization. This short paper assignment will help you practice creating a budget for the final project, due in Module Seven.

Prompt: You are a nonprofit manager and you are preparing for the upcoming fiscal year. You are in charge of leading the budget process for the organization. Briefly describe how you would start to prepare the organization’s budget. What considerations would you need to take into account? Who would you involve in the process? What are the timeline and key activities of the budget process? Once your budget is developed, what steps would you take to ensure the organization is on track to meet its budget?

Specifically, address the critical elements listed below in detail.

 Preparing a Budget o Describe the key steps you would take to prepare your nonprofit organization’s budget. Cite at least one academic source to support your

response. o Discuss the considerations that you would need to take into account when preparing the nonprofit organization’s budget. Cite at least one

academic source to support your response. o Describe individuals involved in the budgeting process. o Outline the budgeting process timeline and key activities.

 Ongoing o Describe the steps you would take to ensure the organization is on track to meet its budget.

Rubric Guidelines for Submission: Your short paper assignment must be submitted as a 2- to 3- page Microsoft Word document with double spacing, 12-point Times New Roman font, one-inch margins, and at least two academic sources cited in APA format.

Critical Elements Exemplary (100%) Proficient (90%) Needs Improvement (75%) Not Evident (0%) Value Preparing a Budget:

Key Steps Meets “Proficient” requirements and shows complex grasp of budgeting preparations well supported by academic resources

Correctly describes the key steps to prepare a nonprofit organization’s budget in detail, including at least one academic resource

Describes the key steps to prepare a nonprofit organization’s budget but lacks details or contains inaccuracies

Does not describe the key steps to prepare a nonprofit organization’s budget

18

Preparing a Budget: Considerations

Meets “Proficient” requirements and shows s ophisticated awareness of budgeting considerations well supported by academic resources

Accurately discusses the considerations when preparing the nonprofit organization’s budget, including at least one academic resource

Discusses the considerations when preparing the nonprofit organization’s budget but lacks details or contains inaccuracies

Does not discuss the considerations when preparing the nonprofit organization’s budget

18

Preparing a Budget: Individuals Involved

Meets “Proficient” requirements and shows nuanced understanding of stakeholders

Describes in detail the individuals involved in the budgeting process

Describes the individuals involved in the budgeting process but lacks details

Does not describe the individuals involved in the budgeting process

18

Preparing a Budget: Budgeting Process Timeline and Key

Activities

Meets “Proficient” requirements and shows keen insight into budgeting process

Accurately describes the budgeting process in detail, including timeline and key activities

Describes the budgeting process including timeline and key activities but lacks details or contains inaccuracies

Does not describe the budgeting process

18

Ongoing: On Track to Meet Budget

Meets “Proficient” requirements and shows complex grasp of budgeting management concepts

Describes steps in detail to ensure the organization is on track to meet its budget

Describes steps to ensure the organization is on track to meet its budget but is missing key details

Does not describe steps to ensure the organization is on track to meet its budget

18

Articulation of Response

Submission is free of errors related to citations, grammar, spelling, syntax, and organization and is presented in a professional and easy-to-read format

Submission has no major errors related to citations, grammar, spelling, syntax, or organization

Submission has major errors related to citations, grammar, spelling, syntax, or organization that negatively impact readability and articulation of main ideas

Submission has critical errors related to citations, grammar, spelling, syntax, or organization that prevent understanding of ideas

10

Total 100%