Designed for staff and volunteers of all abilities and organizations of all sizes, this four-session course provides an accessible, clear, and even fun introduction to financial concepts. From understanding expenses and income to how to establish an endowment, this course will equip you with a toolkit to engage with finance on your terms and to your ability.
Over the four sessions, students will participate in dynamic discussions, review relevant and timely readings, and ultimately build a real, usable budget tailored to their organization’s needs.
About the Course:
The course is divided into four sessions, each accompanied by an online lesson, forum, live lesson or office hours, and assignment. We will follow this schedule:

• Session 1: Introduction to financial terminology and reporting systems
• Session 2: Understanding earned, contributed, and investment income; UBIT
• Session 3: Understanding expenses, cost projections and analysis
• Session 4: The relationship between finance and mission relevance; financial health

Upon completing the course, you will be able to:

• Understand processes related to budgets and basic financial systems in accordance with best practices.
• Understand institutional financial planning, goal-setting, and analysis.
• Bridge mission- and non-mission-based activities with financial outcomes.
• Feel more comfortable and better equipped to create operational and special project budgets.

Who Should Attend:
Archivists, librarians, staff, managers who provide any type of information services.

What You Should Already Know:
No prior experience is necessary.

Once the webcast is purchased, go to SAA's Learning Management System and click the Resources tab to access a PDF of the presentation slides and the webcast exam (if applicable).