Budgeting Basics and Beyond

24.13. Budget Adaptability

Typically, nonprofit budgets do not adapt easily to changing circumstances. One reason is that many nonprofit entities do not undergo significant variations in the service levels they provide annually. Another reason is that their cost structure often contains many costs that are deemed fixed. Noticeably, this lack of adaptability arises from prevailing attitudes in nonprofit organizations. Most entities are simply not accustomed to the idea of modifying budget allocations once they are set and are not yet willing to adapt to flexible budgeting techniques.