Private Workshops

We believe that financial education is a powerful tool for organizational success and social change. We aim to build collective confidence around financial decision-making rooted in the wisdom of participants.

ABC 2019 NYC Seminar participants (workshops currently available online only*)

“So helpful and practical. The workshop acknowledged the reality of how big these topics can seem but made each one approachable. Really clear and engaging-funny too! “– participant

“super fun and engaging…you’ve succeeded in leaving me wanting MORE! :)” -Julia

“…fantastic facilitators! The content was easy to understand and great for different learning styles.” -Steph

Workshops

We facilitate customized financial education workshops for cooperatives, nonprofits, businesses, fellowship cohorts, organizing and capacity-building groups. We design our workshops to address the needs of each group we work with. Contact us to share your specific challenges and learning goals.

For past and upcoming public workshops, see our events page.

some example online workshops:

Length: 2 hours

Developing confidence and clarity around financial resources in our organizations is crucial as we continue to build and fight for a just world. We’ll go over basic financial concepts and the four most common reports: Profit & Loss, Budget, Cash Flow Projection, and Balance Sheet. We’ll also share ways to use these tools to put your values front and center in your organizations. This is an interactive workshop designed for people at all levels of comfort with organizational finances. Whether you feel totally fluent and are looking for ways to more clearly communicate around finances with others, or are an absolute beginner, you are welcome.

Learning goals: 

  • Strengthen understanding of financial reports and how they interact with organizational values 
  • Increase understanding of basic financial terminology
  • Increase understanding of 4 different financial reports (budget, cash flow, profit & loss, balance sheet) and what information they hold
  • Increase confidence in asking finance questions 
  • Share experiences, templates and resources
  • Have fun!

Length: 2 hours

Budgets and budget creation are key elements of both financial management and values alignment. In this workshop, we approach budgets as tools for both group planning and evaluation and as a support for mapping more just futures. We’ll ground ourselves in a basic understanding of what a budget is, discuss how it relates to governance and accountability, and share ways to engage your entire organization in the process.  Using a mix of both presentation and hands-on interactive examples, we’ll explore how to use your budget as a living document to guide planning and accountability throughout the year.

Learning Goals:

  • increase understanding of how to create an organizational budget
  • strengthen ability to assess the viability of a budget
  • build confidence in asking finance questions
  • have fun!

Length: 2 hours

How do we plan for multiple futures in uncertain times? What are our financial goals and values? How can we make budgeting processes more accessible so we can become more powerful together? We will share templates and examples of cash flow projections, ways to present information to your team, and tools for engaging groups in financial decision-making. This workshop is infused with solidarity values and gives time and space for participants to support each other and share their wisdom.

Learning goals: 

  • Strengthen understanding of cash flow projections and how they interact with organizational values 
  • Increase understanding of basic financial terminology
  • Increase understanding of cash flow projections and what information they hold
  • Increase confidence in asking finance questions 
  • Share experiences, templates and resources
  • Have fun!

Length: 2 hours

How to ask questions, what questions to ask, and how to engage people in financial information and decision-making is a puzzle for any organization. We’ll share some tools and tips for keeping things interesting and involving members of your group in meaningful and fun ways. There will be charts, scavenger hunts, and games!

Length: three sessions of 2 hours each

In this 3-session workshop, we’ll explore how to create a budget, how to use a budget as a guide throughout the year, and how to plan for savings and reserves in service of your group’s goals.  We’ll also cover methods of comparing plans to reality as you go, and adjusting when things don’t go according to plan.  

This workshop is a mix of both process and technical pieces.  We’ll share frameworks for the who, what, when, and how of group involvement in the budgeting process as well as some of the mechanics of calculation for Budgets, Budgets versus Actuals, and Cash Flow Projections, including spreadsheet templates with formulas and options for format and organization.  We’ll build skills and confidence for directing resources with greater clarity and intention together.

Who is this intended for?

Building Shared Futures is designed with the expectation that participants are already somewhat familiar with the main purposes and basic content of four financial reports–Profit & Loss, Balance Sheet, Budget, and Cash Flow Projections–and with core financial terms such as income, expense, equity, asset, liability, accounts payable and receivable.  For grounding in this material, we recommend first attending the Cosmos Financial Foundations workshop series above before taking this workshop.

This series will be most applicable for those who have a financial role in their organization. For example: Member of finance committee, Treasurer, Finance Director/Manager/Coordinator, Program or Operations Manager/Director/Coordinator, Co-/Executive Director, coop member, and others who significantly interact with budgeting, as well as people interested in skilling up for such roles.

Learning is applicable to cooperatives, businesses, nonprofits, and other groups who budget.  The focus is on group finances, but individuals and sole proprietors may find some parts applicable too. 

Learning Goals:
Increase understanding and confidence on

  • Creating a Budget
    • frameworks for group processes
    • technical spreadsheet creation
  • Actively using a budget throughout the year
    • Analyzing Budget versus Actual reports
    • Updating Cash Flow Projections
    • Building the skill of prediction and planning
  • Working with savings and reserves
    • Definitions and concepts of savings and reserves 
    • Aligning savings and reserves goals with your values
    • Methods for setting savings and reserves goals
    • Calculating goals using Cash Flow Projections

Lenders, Foundations, Grantmakers Supporting Cohorts

ABC regularly partners with lenders, foundations, and grantmakers to support cohorts of grantees and loan recipients. We typically offer a series of full group workshops followed up by 1:1 consulting for participants who would like additional direct technical assistance. Click here for more info.

Custom Workshops & Facilitation

Finance discussions can get complicated.  Having facilitation support can help you move forward together with more ease and clarity.  ABC can work with you to facilitate money-related sections of your meetings and retreats and bring grounding education and games as needed to engage everyone involved.

Annual Budgeting Process Facilitation: ABC can support your organization’s budgeting process from start to finish so that your whole group can participate more fully. Sessions can include: Building Alignment on Definitions of Success, Generating Financial Priorities, Understanding My Organization’s Finances, Collaborative Budgeting, and Scenarios planning for different future possibilities.

2024 Cosmos Pricing Guide

Chart of Cosmos Workshop Pricing. Level 3 annual org. budget $5M+ $5,700 per workshop; Level 2 org budget $2-5M $4,500 per workshop; Level 1 org. budget under $2M $3,300 per workshop

If you are a smaller group, consider sending your staff/members to our public workshops. Public iterations of our workshops have solidarity rate tickets available and happen multiple times throughout the year.

Get in Touch

*ABC is operating 100% remotely for the duration of the Covid-19 crisis.
This means that:
ABC will not have any workers travel for work.
ABC will not hold any in-person internal or client meetings.
ABC will not plan any in-person workshops or trainings.

We will maintain this policy in alignment and solidarity with the Peoples’ Strike Demand: “No return to work or end to physical distance until health experts determine it is safe.”