Club budget template: income, costs and dues

How to use this template

Set the budget before the year starts, fill the Planned column, then fill Actual at each meeting and let Variance show where the plan was wrong. The tables print on one page or copy into an Excel or Google Sheets club budget spreadsheet. Work in this order.

1. List income other than dues: fundraisers, sponsors and allocated funding. In the example these are $500, $300 and $0, so other income is $800.
2. List costs by category and add them up. The example has six categories that total $3,200.
3. Add a reserve, money you plan not to spend, for a missed payment or a surprise cost. The example uses $300.
4. Work out dues. Dues per member equal planned costs plus the reserve, minus other income, divided by members times the share expected to pay.
5. Track actuals. Variance is actual minus planned. For income a positive number is good. For costs a positive number means the club spent more than planned.

For 25 members with 90% expected to pay, 3,200 plus 300 minus 800 is 2,700. Then 25 times 0.9 is 22.5 paying members, and 2,700 divided by 22.5 is $120 each. The share who pay moves the answer: at 100% dues are $108, and at 80% they are $135.

Share who pay	Paying members	Dues each
100%	25	$108
90%	22.5	$120
80%	20	$135

The template

Budget for a 25-member club

Planned figures are filled in as an example. Income of $3,500 covers costs of $3,200 plus the $300 reserve.

Line	Planned	Actual	Variance
Income
Dues (25 members, 90% pay, $120 each)	$2,700
Fundraisers	$500
Sponsors	$300
Allocated funding	$0
Total income	$3,500
Costs
Meeting space and supplies	$600
Events	$1,400
Equipment	$500
Insurance and fees	$300
Communications and website	$150
Awards and thank-yous	$250
Total costs	$3,200
Reserve	$300
Income minus costs and reserve	$0

Student organization budget: requested and approved

Approved amounts count as income. Requested amounts do not until they are approved. The gap is what dues or cuts must cover.

Line	Requested	Approved	Gap
Events	$1,000	$700	$300
Equipment	$500	$500	$0
Supplies	$300	$200	$100
Total	$1,800	$1,400	$400

With $1,400 approved, other income becomes $500 plus $300 plus $1,400, or $2,200. Then 3,200 plus 300 minus 2,200 is 1,300, and 1,300 divided by 22.5 is $57.78, so dues round up to $60.

Booster club budget: income from fundraisers

Say 40 families, $9,000 in costs, a $900 reserve, $6,500 from fundraisers and $1,500 from sponsors. Then 9,000 plus 900 minus 8,000 leaves 1,900 for dues, and 1,900 divided by 36 paying families (40 times 0.9) is $52.78, rounded up to $55. Fundraisers are the least certain line. If they raise 80% of plan, or $5,200, the club is $1,300 short, which is $36.11 more per paying family.

What to agree on

Collection rate

A rate that is too high makes dues too low, and the gap shows up as a shortfall later in the year. Write down the rate you used, so next year’s treasurer can compare it with what happened.

The reserve

In the example, the $300 reserve is what absorbs collection dropping from 90% to 80%. At $120 each, 2.5 fewer paying members is $300. Write down what the reserve is for and who may spend it.

Who approves spending

Pick a dollar amount above which a second officer signs off, and put it next to the Costs table. It keeps the Actual column from drifting away from the plan without anyone deciding.

Tracking who has paid

Once dues are set, the club dues tracker has three layouts for logging payments, and club dues explains the term for new members. If the treasurer would rather keep it in EvenOut, the dues go in as one expense paid by the treasurer, and “Settle up” records each member’s payment. When the year ends, the treasurer’s report starts from your Actual column.