Operating Budget Checklist
Each participatory philanthropy program is unique, but this checklist will give you a general idea of what to consider when planning your operating budget. Not all of these items are necessary for every participatory process, but it’s important to secure adequate support for the things your organization will need to implement a participatory process. Many of these resources can be covered within your organization’s existing structures and operating costs, so may not present as additional costs. Those costs particular to participatory philanthropy have an asterisk (*) next to them.
What to consider when planning your operating budget:
Staff resources or consultant fees for planning, design, project management
Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion consultants or staff expertise in this area
Legal and/or HR consultants/staff to provide support and help manage risks
Finance/Operations consultants/staff (software tools, travel, payments, etc.)
Fundraising consultants/staff (raising funds, reporting to donors, etc.)
Designers and/or video editors for materials produced
Professional translation and/or interpretation
Communications resources (especially for reaching larger audiences)
Evaluation consultants/staff or an external evaluation firm
Coaching for staff (e.g., on decision-making approaches and tools, facilitation)*
Accessibility costs and support (e.g., meeting accommodations or providing equipment or internet to participate)
Trainings for participants (e.g., philanthropy, decision making, addressing bias)*
Honoraria/payments for stakeholders (consultation phase)*
Honoraria/payments for participants (designers or decision makers)*
Care packages/support for participants (sickness, hardship, etc.) or gifts for participants*
Professional facilitators (for meetings/convenings and asynchronous participation)*
Celebration expenses (branded merchandise, convenings, gifts, etc.) Travel, food, accommodation and care expenses (for in-person and hybrid gatherings)
Meeting expenses for in-person gatherings (venue, activities, equipment, insurance, etc.)*
Hybrid meeting support and additional equipment rental fees (for hybrid gatherings)
Graphic recorder (for in-person or virtual gatherings)
Communications resources (especially for reaching larger audiences)
Participatory Project Outline
While we do not expect that funders will replicate the approach we took for our Participatory Climate Initiative in full, this outline can help you incorporate participation into your organization and different phases of the philanthropic cycle.
Secure consultants/staff to manage the project and/or train staff
Define the scope for the design phase, assign roles and consult project sponsors
Create a stakeholder map and conduct initial consultations
Create a project plan, schedule, and budget for the design phase
Define roles, convene a participatory design team
Conduct participatory design process
Share results of participatory design process with all stakeholders
Create a project plan, schedule, and budget for the grantmaking phase
Conduct a focused round of consultations with stakeholders
Define roles, convene a participatory grantmaking group
Conduct participatory decision-making process
Share results of participatory decision-making process with all stakeholders
Share learning with wider philanthropy community
Define the scope for the design phase, assign roles and consult project sponsors
Identify opportunities to platform design team and grantmaking group members by inviting them to convenings and conferences, publishing their ideas, and using resources to amplify their voices and contributions
Convene funders and participants for shared learning experiences
Sample Project Scope
Shared Insight developed this Project Scope for our Participatory Climate Initiative. Below are the initiative’s learning goals, requirements, and recommendations – defined by the funders and passed along to our Design Team. Consider what are the required parameters of your funding before opening up decision making to those outside of the foundation.
The project, focused on climate change, will support funders to deepen their practices in these two areas:
Requirements are firm decisions that are made by Shared Insight’s Advocacy/Policy Change Committee before the participatory design phase. The participatory design team must abide by these requirements.
Recommendations will be considered by the design team, but they are not requirements. Shared Insight’s Advocacy/Policy Change Committee will accept the decision of the design team in these areas, even if they diverge from recommendations.
Project Roles
While we don’t anticipate that all elements of our approach would be fully adopted by another funder, below are the roles, phases of involvement, and engagement levels of our initiative that can help you think about yours.
- Very light engagement: less than an average of 2 hours/month during the active phases identified
- Light engagement: less than an average of 3 hours/week during the active phases identified
- Medium engagement: less than an average of 15 hours/week during the active phases identified
- Significant engagement: more than an average of 15 hours/week during the active phases identified
| Role | Description | Phases Involved | Engagement |
| Funders | Contributed to the initiative budget and overall governance of the donor collaborative that housed the initiative; reviewed and approved plans and budgets and each phase of the initiative; participated in learning activities related to the initiative several times throughout the year. |
|
Very light |
|---|---|---|---|
| Committee Members | Funders who sat on Shared Insight's Advocacy/Policy Committee that initiated this work; played an active role during the planning phase; participated in learning activities related to the initiative about every other month; responsible for bringing learning back to their home organizations. |
|
Very light |
| Committee |
Members of Shared Insight's Advocacy/Policy Committee who were more active and involved with planning this work; met regularly with the project sponsor and project managers throughout the initiative to offer feedback and guidance. |
|
Light |
| Funder Representatives | One funder representative joined the Design Team as liaison with Shared Insight's funder committee; two funder representatives joined the Grantmaking Group. The funder representatives participated as observers and were charged with bringing their observations and learning back to the funder committee and beyond. |
|
Medium |
| Role | Description | Phases Involved | Engagement |
| Project Sponsor | The managing director of Fund for Shared Insight was responsible for hiring the Consultants and supervising the project under the direction of the Advocacy/Policy Committee. |
|
Medium |
|---|---|---|---|
| Support Team | Support from Fund for Shared Insight and Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors’ team of staff and contractors included grants administration, disbursing payments, communications, design, equity/diversity/inclusion support, logistics, and more. |
|
Medium |
| Facilitators & project managers | The project managers planned and implemented each phase of the initiative under the direction of the project sponsor. Consultants with expertise in participatory philanthropy and group work served as facilitators and project managers. They were responsible for supporting the Design Team, Grantmaking Group, and Learning Community meetings and asynchronous collaboration. (These roles could be separated.) |
|
Significant |
| Role | Description | Phases Involved | Engagement |
| Stakeholders Consulted | Stakeholders participated in 30-to-60-minute phone/video calls during the Planning and Design Phases. Stakeholders had experience with issues on climate and environment, philanthropic funding flows locally, and community leadership efforts. |
|
Very light |
|---|---|---|---|
| Partner Selectors | 12 partner organizations deeply embedded in regional work at the intersection of climate/environment and advocacy/policy were invited to select someone from their community to join the Design Team. |
|
Light |
| Design Team Members | 12 Design Team members with strong connections to their region and climate/environment issues considered key design questions and created a purpose statement for the fund; 11 members continued their engagement during the Grantmaking Phase; several joined the Grantmaking Group. |
|
Medium |
| Nominators | Stakeholders with specific expertise were invited to nominate groups for funding that met the criteria created by the Design Team. |
|
Very light |
| Grantmaking Group members | 14 Grantmaking Group members (seven from each region) made decisions about how $1 million would be distributed in each region; they also communicated funding decisions; some joined the Learning Community. |
|
Medium |
| Grantees | 35 groups/organizations participated in the application process and received grants; some joined the Learning Community. |
|
Light |
| Learning Community | Mix of Design Team, Grantmaking Group members, and funders who are interested in exploring the productive tensions in philanthropy; convened once a quarter or so to discuss these issues with an optional in-person gathering. |
|
Light |
Participant Compensation
Compensating participants fairly and generously for their time and lived experience should be standard practice. Below are resources to help you identify good practices, consider the appropriate financial and legal issues, and reflect on the tangible and non-tangible benefits of compensation. Tips on handling some common challenges funders face around equitable compensation can be found in a related post at Insights for Change.
Good Practices for Compensating Participants
Develop an accurate estimate of the time and effort required of each participant
Use what you pay an expert consultant doing similar work as a benchmark
Monitor the time and effort participants are spending and make adjustments if needed
Be aware of power dynamics; participants are likely not to feel empowered to negotiate
Err on the side of providing too much compensation rather than too little
Provide participants with options for how they can be paid and when
Offer information about how and when payments will be administered in advance
Avoid unnecessarily burdensome administrative practices, especially for small payments
If the process to receive payment is time-consuming, compensate participants for the additional time
Offer alternative forms of compensation (see examples below) up front, in case participants deem the cash payment process too burdensome
Recognize that conversations about compensation may be uncomfortable for some
Do not set false expectations for future payments
Provide as much information as you can in advance about how your process will work
- Commit to making timely payments and keeping participants informed
- Make the purpose of the compensation and your expectations clear in writing
- Notify participants whenever they will need to report compensation as income
Offer to compensate individuals or organizations based on their preference
Compensate participants who spend time on your work
Compensate participants who are offering their expertise
Consider any legal restrictions, such as your conflict of interest policy
Trust that participants are doing their part
Avoid making compensation contingent on meeting certain milestones
Observe the time and effort of participants and increase compensation if needed
Request feedback from participants about how compensation works for them
Fully secure the funding before you contact any participants
Recognize that compensation is a necessary cost of doing business, not an extra
Recognize that compensation is yet another tool for supporting communities and achieving your mission
Frameworks for Compensation
This table is specific to funders funding from the U.S. Other countries may have different options for compensation. This table is intended as a general information tool. Always seek professional legal and financial advice when evaluating these options for your specific circumstances.
| Honorarium | Stipend | Grant | Contract | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Frequency | One-time | Recurring | One-time or multiple disbursements | One-time or multiple disbursements |
| Purpose | Recognition of one’s general contribution | Expenses and training (not work performed) | Public benefit | Payment for work performed |
| Restrictions | Often capped by organizations at $599 due to IRS requirements to file a 1099 | Few restrictions but not provided by many nonprofit organizations | Subject to many complex and eligibility requirements (covered in IRC Section 4945) | Flexible but requires legal supervision and is often subject to internal processes |
| Recipients | Individuals, companies, 501(c)s | Individuals only | Often 501(c)s but may be offered to individuals and companies with certain restrictions | Individuals, companies, 501(c)s |
| Taxable for the recipient? | Taxable income for the recipient (even if under $600) | Usually taxable income for the recipient | Varies depending on the status of the recipient | Taxable income for the recipient |
| Requires a written agreement? | Does not require a written agreement | Does not require a written agreement | Type of contract (generally requires a written agreement by definition) | Generally requires a written agreement by definition |
Beyond Monetary Compensation
We are sure that these lists of benefits are not exhaustive. If you’ve used other creative ways to compensate participants, we’d love to hear from you.
Please note that some of the tangible benefits included here may be considered “cash equivalent items” by the IRS (such as gift cards) and must be reported to the IRS as taxable income. Make sure that participants are adequately informed of this, and that all parties seek the professional legal and financial advice needed.
NOTE: Some of these items could be “cash equivalent items.”
Providing gift cards
Paying for educational expenses
Paying for or providing training
Providing technology equipment
Providing access to software that participants can continue to use
- Providing quality internet access
- Paying for dependent care
- Providing quality food, refreshments, and accommodations
- Funding travel or networking opportunities that benefit participants directly
Having an impact on a cause they care about or on their communities
Feeling of service to their communities or a cause they care about
Feeling more connected to others
Building relationships and connecting with other participants or funders
Expanding and strengthening their networks
- Building new skills and strengthening existing skills
- Enhancing their profile or building their reputation
- Learning something new
- Gaining inspiration from the work of others
- Receiving recognition for their work and feeling a sense of accomplishment
