Nonprofit – Department Forecast

What is a Department Expense Forecast for Nonprofit Organizations? Expense Forecast input templates are considered forecasting tools and are often used by budget managers and department heads to generate a bottom-up estimate for the remainder of the year. Key functionality in this type of input template retrieves year-to-date actual data for the chosen department and then provides input for the remaining periods of the year. You will find an example of such an input template below.

Purpose of Department Forecast Models Organizations use Department Forecast Models to automate the forecasting process through secure, web-based data entry forms. When used as part of good business practices in a Financial Planning & Analysis (FP&A) department, a nonprofit can improve its planning speed and capabilities, and also provide a full year estimate to support the annual budget process. It will also reduce the chances that a forecasting process takes too much time from department managers and their other responsibilities.

Who Uses This Type of Input Template? The typical users of this type of input template are: Budget managers and department heads. Other Input Templates Often Used in Conjunction with Department Forecast Models Progressive Financial Planning & Analysis (FP&A) Departments sometimes use several different Department Forecast Models, along with annual budget models with payroll detail, reports, dashboards and other management and control tools.

Where Does the Data for Analysis Originate From? The Actual (historical transactions) data typically comes from enterprise resource planning (ERP) systems like: Microsoft Dynamics 365 (D365) Finance, Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central (D365 BC), Microsoft Dynamics AX, Microsoft Dynamics NAV, Microsoft Dynamics GP, Microsoft Dynamics SL, Sage Intacct, Sage 100, Sage 300, Sage 500, Sage X3, SAP Business One, SAP ByDesign, Acumatica, Netsuite and others. In analyses where budgets or forecasts are used, the planning data most often originates from in-house Excel spreadsheet models or from professional xFP&A solutions.

Built for nonprofit finance teams and aligned with Solver's xFP&A platform, this Solver planning template connects directly to your ERP data via the Solver Data Warehouse, enabling near real-time analysis with minimal setup. Designed for QuickStart deployment, it can be activated rapidly so your team can focus on analysis and decisions — not data preparation.

What is the Nonprofit – Department Forecast in Solver? The Nonprofit – Department Forecast is a pre-built xFP&A planning template in Solver designed for nonprofit organizations. It delivers key financial and operational metrics in a single, easy-to-use interface — purpose-built for nonprofit finance workflows.

Who uses this Solver planning template? This template is primarily used by CFOs, controllers, and nonprofit finance teams in nonprofit organizations who need accurate, timely data to support planning, reporting, and decision-making. It is particularly valuable for nonprofit finance teams managing budgets, forecasts, and performance reviews.

Where does the data come from? Data is sourced automatically from your ERP system through the Solver Data Warehouse, which integrates with platforms such as Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central, Dynamics 365 Finance, Acumatica, Sage Intacct, and other leading ERP solutions. Once connected, the template updates in near real-time with no manual data entry required.

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