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Budget Proposal Template

This simple, free budget proposal template is a great go-to when you need to pitch a particular project or specific set of funds to key stakeholders.

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What you'll find in this budget proposal template (and quick tips!)

Our budget proposal template is not only a template, but also features an example of how you could potentially pitch a software purchase (in this case, Workshop) to your boss or senior leadership team.

From scratch, the templates includes sections and short tips for how to get your budget proposal approved, such as:

 

  • An executive overview: Keep this section to a 1-2 paragraph high level overview of your proposed solution.
  • Current challenges: Outline your current challenges here – including anything that is costing the company time & money. 
  • Proposed solution: Describe the proposed solution and how it helps to solve the aforementioned challenges. This section should include details of what you are proposing and why. 
  • Metrics for success: Explain how you’ll measure the ROI for this investment. 
  • Implementation overview: Outline the steps for implementation and who will be involved in the process. 
  • Cost and resources required: Include a breakdown of total costs including one-time fees & recurring subscription fees. 
  • Timeframe: Outline key dates for when you’ll deliver this solution. 
  • Background and supporting materials: Add graphics, links, PDFs, etc. to help stakeholders and key decision-makers if needed.

How to request a larger budget for your key initiatives

When proposing a bigger budget, you are likely going to be met with two major questions from your CEO and/or finance team: 

  1. What did you do with the budget you had before? 
  2. What are your objectives with the larger budget? 

In terms of your previous budget, provide as many details as you can on how you used it effectively in the past: what business goals did it help support? What was the ROI (this can be qualitative or quantitative)? Were you over budget or under budget in the past? What are some past success stories you can share to help illustrate the value of this spend? What impact has that spend had on the company? Do a bit of due diligence on this one; it may be worth even putting together a short presentation to answer both questions.

We’ve written a longform article on exactly how to request a larger budget here. It’s built with employee engagement and communications in mind, but a lot of the tips and tricks are relevant for any department. 

Download this template:

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