Spreadsheets! Basics of Building Budget Templates

Spreadsheets! Basics of Building Budget Templates

Spreadsheets! Basics of Building Budget Templates

June 11 and June 18 (Wednesdays), 2-hour sessions each
10am-12pm PT / 11am-1pm MT / 12-2pm CT / 1-3pm ET

Register for June Spreadsheets! here

Do you feel unsure or intimidated about where to start learning about spreadsheets & formulas? Are you creating spreadsheets only to manually do the math? Have you ever left one of our Cosmos workshops wondering how you could make a budget template for your organization? 

Join us for 2 hands-on sessions focused on learning and practicing the fundamentals spreadsheets. By creating a multi-tab organizational budget template, we will teach the basics of working with spreadsheets, including formulas, layout and aesthetic options. Participants will follow-along and create their own sample budget template within our time together. This is a beginner course geared towards those who want to either start working in spreadsheets or increase their confidence in skills they already have. 

During our time together, participants will create an organizational budget template in Google Sheets for a sample/fictitious organization. Participants will also receive a workbook with extra spreadsheet tips, tricks, and additional learning modules. Due to the nature of the learning content, all participants are expected to attend both dates in their entirety and have access to Google Sheets on a computer during the workshop.

  • Increase skills in creating and using formulas in spreadsheets, including:
    • basic arithmetic formulas (add, subtract, divide, multiply, sum, %)
    • relative & static formulas
    • checkboxes, dropdowns & grouping functions
  • Build confidence in how to create out a multi-tab workbook with tabs that talk to each other
  • Increase understanding of basic formatting and aesthetics to make spreadsheets more engaging & understandable
  • Increase hands-on experience of working in spreadsheets
  • Have fun!

This workshop is a beginner-friendly introduction to using spreadsheets for budgeting in organizations.

Two 2-hour online workshops using Zoom with at least one break per session.

Cosmos workshops are participatory and we will invite you to engage in several ways: video on (when possible and comfortable), interacting with a shared slide deck, using reactions, and answering or asking questions in chat or aloud.

Zoom automatic closed captioning will be enabled.

ASL interpretation, CART, and/or advanced copies of the slides are possible if requests are received at least 2 weeks in advance of the first session in the series. Please note on the registration form anything that would make this series more accessible to you.

**Workshops will not be recorded, however resources and slides with an overview of the main topics covered will be shared with attendees.**

Cosmos public workshop tickets are available on a sliding scale in an attempt to distribute resources more equitably. We invite you to select a ticket level that corresponds with your access to resources using the guide below.

There are a limited number of tickets available. If your level is sold out, we encourage you to sign up for our mailing list linked here to get updates on future workshops.

Cost is 1 ticket per person attending the entire 2-session series.

Refund requests accepted up to 1 day before the start of the first session with a 5% payment processing fee.  Requests received after this time can get a transfer to a future date of the same event. 

Level 5-Redistribution: $1,200

  • If your organization is paying for your participation and has an annual budget of $1M or more.
  • If you’re an individual paying for your own ticket and some of the following may apply to you: your salary is over $100K; you have inherited or expect to inherit wealth; you do not need to work in order to meet your basic needs; you do not have any debt.

Level 4-Full Cost: $750

  • If your organization is paying for your participation and has an annual budget below $1M.
  • If you’re an individual paying for your own ticket and some of the following may apply to you: you consistently cover your basic needs + some extras; your salary is over $75K; you have some debt that you’re able to make regular payments on: you have higher education degree(s); you have family with assets such as a home or retirement fund)

Level 3-Solidarity: $450

  • If your organization is paying for your participation and meets the following criteria: A) Has an annual budget below $200,000 AND B) Is majority owned or governed by people who are: of color, immigrants, disabled, LGBTQIA2+, working class, and/or poor AND C) focused on solidarity economy or collective liberation work
  • If you’re an individual paying for your own ticket and some of the following may apply to you: you consistently cover your basic needs + occasional extras; your salary is between $60-75K; you have some debt that you’re able to make regular payments on: you have higher education degree(s); you have family with assets such as a home or retirement fund

Level 2-Solidarity: $250

  • If you’re an individual paying for your own ticket and some of the following may apply to you: you consistently cover your basic needs; your salary is between $45-60K; you have some debt that you’re able to make regular payments on: you have higher education degree(s); your income supports people other than yourself

Level 1-Solidarity: $100

  • If you’re an individual paying for your own ticket and some of the following may apply to you: you struggle to consistently meet basic living expenses; you do not have savings; you are unable to make payments on debts; you have not had access to higher education (e.g. college or graduate school) or you may be one of the first in your family to go to college; your income supports people other than yourself

The above are guidelines and are not prescriptive. We recognize that some individuals and groups might have specific situations that don’t fit neatly into a single category and we welcome you to select based on your own assessment of your resource access.

Before emailing us, please see answers to some Frequently Asked Questions linked here.