Develop an Annual Budget and Advise on Financial Management

Surmount New York (started 2025) is a newly established nonprofit with a very small current budget, focused on connecting New Yorkers with essential resources to overcome challenges and build stronger communities. As we are just starting out, we need a realistic and strategic annual budget to prepare for potential growth and to support fundraising efforts.

We are seeking a skilled volunteer with experience in nonprofit finance, budgeting, or accounting to collaborate with our leadership team in developing a comprehensive annual budget framework. This project will involve:

Reviewing our current financial situation and initial program plans

Creating a detailed, user-friendly budget template that reflects projected income sources (grants, donations, fundraising) and anticipated expenses (program costs, operations, staffing, outreach)

Designing phased budget versions (starter and growth budgets) aligned with our goals to scale up gradually

Advising on financial best practices and helping us establish budget monitoring tools to track progress as we grow

As a new and growing organization, every step we take toward becoming financially organized directly strengthens our ability to serve more people effectively and sustainably.

This budgeting project is foundational. With your help, we’ll move from reactive to strategic, being able to plan, prioritize, and grow with intention. Your expertise will help us build a budget that supports youth-led initiatives like our PB+J food drive, resource-sharing, and community engagement.

By helping us create a thoughtful, scalable budget, you’ll be setting the groundwork for us to raise funds, gain trust, and deliver on our mission in a bigger way. Your time and talent will have a direct ripple effect—from the way we structure our operations to the lives we touch in classrooms, neighborhoods, and across New York.

We’re committed to making this a meaningful and well-supported experience for our volunteer partner. Our leadership team, including the Executive Director and Operations Team, is fully aligned on the importance of this project and ready to collaborate consistently throughout the process. We’ve already gathered our current programs and upcoming goals, and identified where financial planning will be most critical.

We’ve also completed internal planning sessions to map out what a “starter” phase might look like for Surmount, so the volunteer will have a clear starting point. While we are new and working with a very limited budget, this project is a top priority and will directly inform how we grow, fundraise, and manage resources responsibly in the coming year.

We plan to use the final budget not just as a financial guide but as a tool to share with board members, funders, and supporters to show our strategic vision. The outcomes of this work will be implemented immediately, and we’re excited to maintain a long-term financial strategy rooted in this project.