About The Course

Charities often face the challenge of balancing immediate operational needs with long-term financial sustainability. While managing reserves and planning budgets may seem like routine financial tasks, their strategic alignment with an organization’s mission and goals can significantly impact overall effectiveness and resilience.

Effective financial planning goes beyond balancing the books—it ensures that resources are optimized, risks are managed, and reserves are sustainable. This approach not only strengthens financial health but also builds stakeholder confidence in the organization’s governance and sustainability.

Our Budget, Reserves, and Investment course empowers charities to optimize their financial management practices. Participants will learn how to allocate resources strategically, manage reserves effectively, and align policies to ensure long-term sustainability, enabling organizations to better serve their beneficiaries.

What will you Learn

By the end of the programme, participants will be able to:
– Manage reserves effectively and optimize investments
– Align policies to ensure financial sustainability.
– Use the Commissioner of Charities (COC)’s recommended templates effectively.

The course is taught across 16 hours, with lectures, videos, case studies, group discussions, checklists, *invited speaker(s). For 4 or more participants from the same organisation, 1-hour post-session coaching will be provided.​

*Invited speaker(s) may be pre-recorded.

Why attend?

Learn to manage reserves, optimize investments, and plan effective budgets. Close financial operation gaps for sustainability. Following the Full Cost Recovery seminar, this course ensures operational efficiency and resource optimization for sustained financial health.

Course Highlights

Who Should Attend

Board members, Finance Subcommittee, Audit & Risk Subcommittee, Senior management, HODs, and Finance and Operations staff.
Finance team is required to attend this training, to be up to date with the accounting standards and this is a necessary part of the charity compliance.

Why Join?

• Comprehensive Learning Journey: Each course builds on the previous one, guiding you through strategy creation, compliance, sustainability, and impactful reporting.
• Skill-Intensive Training: Practical examples, tools, and frameworks tailored for charities.
• Expert-Led Programs: Facilitated by Dr. Isabel Sim, a seasoned trainer and thought leader in charity finance and governance.
• Networking Opportunities: Engage with peers and experts to share challenges and solutions.
• Tailored Solutions for Charities: Address governance, financial management, and compliance challenges specific to your organization

Course Fee and Funding

Standard Fee – $1,800 (before GST)
Early bird – $1,700 (before GST)
Group Discount (Early Bird Fee with 15%)
All prices stated exclude GST.

Grants available for Social Service Agencies and IPC registered Organisations (subject to approval)
*CCF – Up to 80% / *CCTG – up to 90%

About the Facilitator

Dr Isabel Sim is the principal consultant at Integrative CSR Consulting. She was formerly Senior Research Fellow, Department of Social Work, Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences, National University of Singapore as well as Director (Projects), Centre for Social Development (Asia). She served as Head of Corporate Governance Practice, Centre for Governance, Institutions and Organisations (CGIO) and Senior Lecturer, Department of Strategy and Policy, NUS Business School from 2012 to 2014.

She obtained her PhD in finance from The University of Western Australia in 2011. She is the editor of the series Accounting and Finance Handbooks for Charities including Budgeting and Cash Flow Management, Fund Accounting for Charities, Full Cost Recovery for Charities and Cost-Effective Audit for Charities. She is also the lead author for Accounting for Good – Helping Charities Do Good Better, a project in collaboration with NUS and ISCA. Besides extensive experience in applied research in the charity sector, Dr Sim has more than 15 years of experience in teaching working adults. She has taught accounting, corporate governance, finance, and economics subjects in MBA, EMBA, and other professional programmes.