Budget Management & Data Collection

Donors require careful budget tracking and reliable data — both build the trust needed for future funding.

• Budget tracking: Compare planned vs actual spending regularly, and flag variances early rather than at the final report.
• Common budget categories: Personnel, transport, materials/supplies, training/workshops, monitoring, and overhead/admin costs.
• Data collection tools: Google Forms (or paper forms where connectivity is limited) standardize how field data is gathered, reducing errors and inconsistency.
• Data quality in the field: Train data collectors consistently and spot-check a sample of entries for accuracy.

Practical Skill: Build a simple budget tracking sheet (planned vs actual) and design a short Google Form (or paper equivalent) for collecting beneficiary data in the field.

=== BUDGET TRACKER ===  Category        Planned (SSP)  Actual (SSP)   Variance  Personnel            500,000       520,000     -20,000  Transport            100,000        85,000     +15,000  Materials            200,000       210,000     -10,000  TOTAL                800,000       815,000     -15,000 === SIMPLE DATA COLLECTION FORM ===  Beneficiary Name: _____________________________________  Location/Village: _____________________________________  Date of visit: ________________________________________  Assistance received: __________________________________  Collector's name: _____________________________________  Signature/thumbprint: _________________________________