Budget Builder
The Budget Builder toolkit helps colleges and universities develop more collaborative, strategic, and student-centered budgeting processes.
Through customizable templates and planning resources, the toolkit helps institutions gather budget requests, evaluate resource needs across departments, and align financial decisions with institutional priorities and student outcomes.
What You'll Find in This Toolkit
- Customizable Budget Templates
Word and Excel templates to collect budget requests for new initiatives, assess resource needs, and align proposals with institutional priorities. - Discussion and Planning Tools
A discussion guide and worksheets to support stakeholder conversations, evaluate budgeting processes, and customize tools to institutional needs. - Supporting Resources
Budgeting fundamentals and presentation materials to help stakeholders understand the budgeting process and support implementation.
Who This Toolkit Is For
Chief Business Officers (CBOs)
Finance and Budget Office Teams
Institutional Leadership and Strategic Planning Teams
Academic and Administrative Department Leaders
Student Affairs and Student Success Professionals
Cross-functional teams involved in budgeting and resource allocation
What This Toolkit Can Help You Achieve
- Streamline the collection and evaluation of budget requests across departments.
- Align budget proposals with institutional priorities and student needs.
- Strengthen collaboration by considering financial, staffing, and operational resources across departments.
- Integrate more consistent and strategic practices into institutional budgeting processes.
How to Use This Toolkit
You don't have to change your entire budgeting process to get started. This toolkit offers opportunities to improve existing practices or take a more comprehensive approach to institutional budgeting.
Quick Start
—Explore new approaches to gathering budget requests and begin conversations about making budgeting more collaborative and student-centered.
Deeper Integration
—Strengthen existing budgeting practices by considering resource needs across departments and aligning requests with institutional priorities.
Full Implementation
—Integrate more collaborative, consistent, and student-centered practices throughout the institutional budgeting process to support long-term financial planning.
See This Toolkit in Action
Learn how institutions have used Budget Builder to improve student outcomes.
Ready to get started with Budget Builder Toolkit?
Access the full toolkit in the NACUBO Student Success Hub account.
Questions about accessing the Hub? Contact Us