For an organisation to succeed, managers, programme staff, fundraisers, administrators and finance staff need a thorough working knowledge of financial management skills. But by itself it is not enough. Everyone who uses finance needs to be able to communicate effectively, and also to act strategically in the financial management of their organisation. This course combines these two essentials, communication and strategy. We use a range of approaches to assist the learning: short inputs, discussions, participatory work, games and individual activities. You will gain confidence to communicate about finance and work strategically with colleagues, accountants, donors, partners and other stakeholders. This learning is grounded in innovative research and we share practical experience of communicating finance across cultures nationally and internationally. The training provides practical resources to use in your own organisation, including Communicating Financial Management: a manual for international development workers, written by the trainer.
Duration: 5 days
Please note if your sponsor is registered in the UK, VAT will be added to this course fee at 20%.
Why choose this course
If you communicate about financial information and/or work strategically with finance, or whether you work for the UN, government, NGO or private sector, this training course helps you to use finance confidently and competently and make better decisions. The course gives you a strong working knowledge of communicating about finance and acting strategically using financial management. This gives immediate benefits, which you can take back to your own organisation as well as partner organisations.
What you will learn
In the practical participatory sessions you learn how to:
- review a strategic overview model of financial management
- use strategic financial management techniques
- identify cultural differences between 'finance' and 'non-finance' people and other stakeholders across the world and across the office.
- communicate clearly about finance management with stakeholders
- design strategies to allow financial communication to improve the impact of your organisation and its management.
Learning financial communication and strategy skills to increase impact
Daily Course Objectives
Day 1
Strategic finance management- recognise the big picture of financial management
- strategic finance management - sustainability, overheads, and reserves
- assess and reduce financial and organisational risk and uncertainty
Day 2
Building organisational financial capacity- strategies to avoid fraud and misappropriation
- strategy and assessing an organisation's financial capacity
- financial planning, the funding mix, and using budgets strategically
Day 3
Improving communication between 'finance' and 'non-finance' people- identifying and overcoming the challenges of communicating about finance
- practical solutions grounded in innovative research, for when working with both 'finance' and 'non-finance' cultures, and across international cultures
- reviewing the information you use to improve communication
- finding the most appropriate role for finance managers and their teams
Day 4
Improving communication with stakeholders and internationally- relationships with donors and partner organisations
- anthropology meets financial management
- designing strategies to improve your impact
Day 5
Consolidating communication and strategy into organisations- one-to-one sessions to find ways to implement the techniques learned into individual's own organisations and their partners
- further advice about using the practical tools learned