Financials

Current Funding

If your Community ReUse Center has any money or other assets (for example, property), list them here.

Questions

Do you have any stakeholders who can get you started with some seed money, equipment, or anything else?

Finger Lakes ReUse's Story

Our first funding came from our county's Solid Waste Management Division. They also hosted our first staffers in their offices while we searched for our own facility.

Startup Costs

Describe what you'll need to acquire before you can open up shop. Most of these will cost you money -- add up how much it will cost you to get everything you'll need. For example: rent, insurance, utilities, employee wages and fringe, cash registers, software, computers, promotional materials, etc.

Questions

Who will provide you with these startup needs?
Do any of them have lower rates for nonprofits?
Can any of them be acquired secondhand and reused by your Community ReUse Center?

Fundraising Plan

Come up with a plan for how and when you'll get money to pay for what your Community ReUse Center will do this year, next year, and into the future. This can include fundraising events, donations appeals, foundation and government grants, and earned income.

Questions

How big will your budget be, and how long will it take you to get that money together?
Where will the money come from as you get started, and how will that change in the future as your Community ReUse Center grows?
What grants might you be eligible for, and when is the next round of applications?
Who funds other non-profits in your area? Are there local agencies, foundations, businesses, or individuals who might be interested in and capable of supporting your Community ReUse Center?

Finger Lakes ReUse's Story

In our first year, our budget was small. We grew over time, adding programs and employees as we began earning income, serving more people, diverting more goods from the waste stream, and receiving more grants and donations.

1-Year Budget

Complete the 1-Year Budget spreadsheet template, and provide a narrative in which you explain the budget: what you expect your Community ReUse Center will earn through its products and services, what the major expenses will be, and what your bottom line looks like after 12 months.

Questions

Taking into consideration how much you will charge for goods and services, and how much business you think you'll be able to do, how much money do you expect to be able to bring in?
What board members and/or community partners can you rely on to help estimate your ongoing costs for the first year: rent, staff, benefits, and so on?

Finger Lakes ReUse's Story

In the first few months Finger Lakes ReUse was open, we earned between $4,000 and $6,000 per month. In less than a year, we were averaging more than double that amount. As we added more programs and services over time, expanded our space, acquired more donations, and became more well-known throughout the community, our earned income grew. By Year 4, our merchandise sales and program and service fees averaged over $38,000 per month.

5-Year Budget (growth plan)

Complete the 5-Year Budget spreadsheet template and provide a narrative in which you describe the ways your Community ReUse Center will prepare and plan for future growth. This growth could include acquiring more space, adding new programs and services, improving technology, expanding hours of operation, hiring additional employees, and more. This growth will require money, and it may also require staff training, new community partnerships, updated marketing and outreach strategies, and more. Write down what your Community ReUse Center will do to set these wheels in motion.

Questions

What would your Community ReUse Center be able to accomplish with more resources than you currently have available to you?
For example, if you do not have a delivery truck right now but want one for the future, what would it cost to get one? How about maintaining, insuring, and operating it? What is your plan to raise those funds and when do you expect to be able to make it happen?

Finger Lakes ReUse's Story

From the beginning of our Community ReUse Center, we have been planning to eventually expand into a larger space than what we were able to find when we were starting out. We have been keeping track of commercial real estate vacancies in our area since our first year, investigating potential expansion sites as they become available.

Payroll calculator + chart of accounts

ReTAP has provided a payroll calculator and chart of accounts in the budget template download. Please feel free to adapt these spreadsheets to your own needs.