The association is currently in full-swing with the budgeting processing for FY 2000. The FY 2000 budgeting process, which is quite complex actually began last winter when staff developed program philosophies and financial assumptions for the Board of Directors to review at the 1999 Winter Meeting. Ongoing input from the leadership and membership via strategic plans, surveys, board actions, and unit reports lead to the development of the 2000 Association Program Plan.

The plan is developed each spring by staff and is submitted to the Board of Directors for approval in June. The plan details the activities of each program within the association. Once the plan is approved by the Board of Directors in June, the annual budget is developed by staff in July and August. Requests for funding are also solicited at this time from the association units. A budget request form is sent July 1 to the presidents, chairs, and treasurers of each unit. The units then have the opportunity to request funds in excess of the annual dues allotment. Each request received is incorporated by staff into the draft budget to be reviewed by the Finance Committee for conformance to the association's funding guidelines.

A draft budget is submitted to the Finance Committee in September. The Finance Committee reviews the budget for viability within a certain economic framework and makes its recommendation to the full Board of Directors. The draft budget is then submitted to the Board of Directors for final approval in October. The budget is implemented by staff throughout the next fiscal year. The budget is monitored continually through the monthly financial statements, variance analyses, and trend reports. Further, through the independent annual audit, the fulfillment of the budget objectives is examined and reviewed

The annual budget is also used as a long-term planning tool. Using the current budget as a base, the staff and leaders are able to identify: trends through a five-year historical analysis; five-year financial projections based on economic indicators and strategic objectives; and cost-per-member statistics based on current levels of service. $