RECAP – Starting Point | Business Development

Session 1: Priming the Pump – Building Your Reserve Fund

Reserve funds can be a key financial piece of the puzzle as a nonprofit seeks financial resiliency. But what exactly are reserve funds? Reserve funds are unrestricted funds set aside from normal operating funds for the nonprofit. It’s an organization’s savings account. Developing healthy reserves is a key financial milestone for building a sustainable organization. It should be one of the priorities when gaining maturity and moving past the scarcity mindset. Reserves are meant for emergencies in which expected income falls through or unexpected expenses hit.

Session 2: Implementing Your Reserve Fund

When establishing your nonprofit’s operating reserve policy, a key best practice is to have a clear understanding among your leadership and staff to ensure all parties agree on the parameters for using it. Involving different points of view in drafting the policy will improve the process of implementing and managing the reserve.

Meet the Speaker – Elizabeth Hornbuckle

Leveraging over three decades of nonprofit fundraising experience, Elizabeth Van Winkle Hornbuckle is passionate about developing strategies to help exceptional organizations overcome financial barriers that prevent program growth and success. Elizabeth started Wellspring in 2005 with aspirations of helping nonprofits increase their impact on the Atlanta community.

A graduate of Brenau Academy and Oglethorpe University, Elizabeth became the Development Manager for Atlanta’s Fernbank Museum of Natural History prior to its opening in 1992. There she managed all fundraising, including a $20 million capital campaign. She later served as Director of Development for Parent to Parent of Georgia, where she increased donations by more than 300 percent. At Foxhall Events, she worked with six figure corporate sponsors to ensure sponsorship value and benefits.

When she is not working, Elizabeth enjoys spending time with her family and serving as a deacon at Peachtree Christian Church.