Trying to do more with less money? Here are three proven ways to align the dollars and cents of a health promotion program in your budget.

Common thread –  the way you prepare – and control – your budget for a health promotion program is vital to its success.

1. Top-down health promotion budget

Depending on the size of your organization and health promotion program, you could have full budget responsibility or may need to work with a C-level who’s budgeting expertise.

Regardless of the arrangement, you’re likely to face one of two distinct challenges –  a top-down budget or a zero-based budget.

A top-down budget is when you’re given a finite dollar amount and told to run the health promotion program within the limit. When that’s the case, here are three critical questions to ask –

• Does this limit include money set aside for staff member incentives and future initiatives?

• Should we keep long-tenured programs that keep going up in price, and

• Does Benefits/HR have to deliver all education about the program, or is there additional funding to hire staff?

2.  Zero-based health promotion budgeting

In zero-based funding, you submit to  executive management an itemized list of the programs/features you want and the cost of each. Best practices –

• Rank programs by priority (health-risk assessments should be at or near the top)

• Indicate which expenses are fixed and which are variable, and

• List ways to incorporate existing resources (like an employee assistance program (EAP) program) for a better return on investment.

3. Estimating health promotion ROI

On average, health promotion programs generally take at least 18 months to break even. After three years, you should see savings.

If not, it’s time to take a fresh look at the program design.