Essentials NWA: Program Budgeting for Maximum Impact with Melanie Palmer

How do nonprofits raise the money they need and communicate the true costs of community change?

In this session, we will explore how to divide organizational budgets into true program budgets, including how to allocate costs that are part of all program budgets, such as bookkeeping and accounting, fundraising, and board development.

We will address how to maintain true program budgets while still following requirements of the IRS and federal funding programs to identify indirect or administrative costs. Finally, we will discuss how nonprofit leaders can be agents of change within their own organization’s budgeting processes.

What is it? Essentials, a program of Mid-America Arts Alliance, is an introductory workshop focused on key capacity building topics. This workshop uses asset mapping and community feedback to help organizations identify gaps and create actionable plans. Following the workshop, participants are invited to engage in an arts ecosystem conversation to discuss the needs and other resources M-AAA can provide through future programming.

Who can attend? Artists, arts leaders, creative business leaders, arts and cultural organizations, museums, galleries, and educators. Individuals, nonprofit organizations, fiscally sponsored organizations, and federally recognized tribes in the Northwest Arkansas region, can all register for this free event.

When is it happening? Join us on February 20, 2026, from 9:00 a.m. to 12:00 noon, at the Fayetteville Public Library, 401 W. Mountain St., Fayetteville, AR 72701

Learn more about Mid-America Arts Alliance’s capacity-building programs for nonprofit organizations.

This program is held in partnership with CACHE and the Fayetteville Public Library.

Meet your Program Budgeting for Maximum Impact facilitator:

Melanie Palmer, GPC, CFRE, is the Owner and Principal of M. Palmer Consulting, a fundraising consulting firm specializing in grants, fundraising, leadership development, board development, and organizational management. Having raised millions of dollars for nonprofit organizations both as a staff member and consultant, Melanie is a visionary nonprofit leader who loves the big picture, executes the small details, and wants everyone at the table. She is committed to the elevation of the grants profession, the empowerment of young professionals, and the maximization of everyone’s unique skills. Melanie was the first Grant Professional Certified (GPC) in the state of Arkansas. She serves on the Board of Directors for the Arkansas Coalition Against Domestic Violence and the Grant Professionals Association, Arkansas Chapter.

Registration closes February 11. Please RSVP below.