| Roll Up | Department | Name |
|---|---|---|
| Brand & Product Marketing | Awareness | @rcallam |
| Brand & Product Marketing | Brand Design | @rcallam |
| Brand & Product Marketing | Brand Campaigns | @rcallam |
| Brand & Product Marketing | Content | @rcallam |
| Brand & Product Marketing | Search Marketing | @rcallam |
| Brand & Product Marketing | Product Marketing | @rcallam |
| Community Relations | Community Relations | @rcallam |
| Revenue Marketing | Sales Development | @rcallam |
| Growth | Growth | @rcallam |
| Strategy, Operations, & Analytics | Marketing Ops | @rcallam |
| Strategy, Operations, & Analytics | Marketing Strategy and Analytics | @rcallam |
| CMO Executive | CMO Executive | @rcallam |
| Corporate Comms | Communication | @rcallam |
| Integrated Marketing | Digital Experience | @rcallam |
| Integrated Marketing | Corporate Events | @rcallam |
| Integrated Marketing | Digital Marketing | @rcallam |
| Integrated Marketing | Partner Marketing | @rcallam |
| Integrated Marketing | Campaigns | @rcallam |
| Integrated Marketing | Field Marketing | @rcallam |
| Integrated Marketing | Account Based Marketing | @rcallam |
Subscribe to Marketing Finance Dates Google calendar here.
| Date | DRI | Task | Detail |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2023-02-23 | Marketing Budget Owners | February Forecast due in Allocadia | Adjust Allocadia forecast values to represent the work that is occuring in February, not invoice timing. Invoice timing can occur at anytime. |
| 2023-02-24 | Finance | February AvB shared with Marketing by Marketing Finance | This will kick off the AvB month-end close process. |
| 2023-02-28 | Marketing Budget Owners | Finalized February AvB due to Marketing Finance | Marketing Budget Owners to make comments on all variances greater than $5,000 on the AvB file for their respective budget. This is important support to the month-end close process and drives what is expensed to the P&L. |
| 2023-03-23 | Marketing Budget Owners | March Forecast due in Allocadia | Adjust Allocadia forecast values to represent the work that is occuring in March, not invoice timing. Invoice timing can occur at anytime. |
| 2023-03-27 | Finance | March AvB shared with Marketing by Marketing Finance | This will kick off the AvB month-end close process. |
| 2023-03-30 | Marketing Budget Owners | Finalized March AvB due to Marketing Finance | Marketing Budget Owners to make comments on all variances greater than $5,000 on the AvB file for their respective budget. This is important support to the month-end close process and drives what is expensed to the P&L. |
| 2023-04-24 | Marketing Budget Owners | April Forecast due in Allocadia | Adjust Allocadia forecast values to represent the work that is occuring in Q1, not invoice timing. Invoice timing can occur at anytime. |
| 2023-04-25 | Finance | April AvB shared with Marketing by Marketing Finance | This will kick off the AvB month-end close process. |
| 2023-04-28 | Marketing Budget Owners | Finalized April AvB due to Marketing Finance | Marketing Budget Owners to make comments on all variances greater than $5,000 on the AvB file for their respective budget. This is important support to the month-end close process and drives what is expensed to the P&L. |
| Term | Definition |
|---|---|
| Target | Quarterly top-down budget. Entered into Allocadia by Marketing Finance. Targets are live in Allocadia can only be changed through the budget transfer process within Allocadia. |
| Plan | What Marketing expects to expense in the upcoming quarter (or fiscal year), informed by upcoming Marketing activity while following expense recognition. This value is locked in Allocadia after quarter plan is finalized. |
| Forecast | This is the live forecast. At the beginning of each quarter this will equal Plan, but Marketing is expected to update as activities occur. What Marketing expects to expense in the upcoming months, informed by upcoming Marketing activity while following expense recognition. |
| Expensed | What actually hit the income statement. When a month closes, Marketing and Finance will reconcile forecast values in Allocadia to the income statement. The column will be renamed “expensed”. (i.e. Feb Forecast will become Feb Expensed) |
| Invoiced | Invoiced amount approved in Coupa. This will be uploaded by Marketing Finance around 3 days before month end. AP closes around 3 days prior to month end. Any invoices approved after will hit the following month. (e.g. Feb 28 invoice approval will hit March) |
The marketing budget holder should be updating their forecast throughout the month in Allocadia as expenses occur and as they have more insight into the spend. On the Forecast Due dates listed above, Finance will take what is in Allocadia and compare that against Actuals in the Actuals vs Budget (AvB) file. When discrepancies greater than $5,000 occur between forecast and actuals, accounting and finance will check with the budget holder to see if an accrual needs to occur.
At the plan due dates above, finance will take what is loaded into Allocadia for the quarter and add that into Adaptive. This is considered your plan and you will be held accountable to plan for the remainder of the quarter. Large variances from the plan will be explained at the monthly variance review meetings with CMO staff. If the department is under-spend, the difference may be reallocated to other departments.
| Less than $5k | Between $5k and $50k | Greater than $50k | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Swag | Month of Invoice Approval | Month of Invoice Approval | Month swag is utilized |
| Software | Month of Invoice Approval | If contract 12 months of more, amortized across months. If contract less than 12 months, recognized month of invoice approval. | Amortized across contract period, if over multiple quarters. |
| All Other | Month of Invoice Approval | Month of work occurring, event occurring, or goods received | Month of work occurring, event occurring, or goods received |
Please see the Accounting handbook page for the latest guidance on accruals and variance. As our company grows, the guidance is subject to change based on Controller direction.
The Marketing Variance Review meeting happens once a month to review the actual expenses for the previous month. For example, in the 3rd week of June we will review May's expenses.
You must spend your budget in the same quarter that it was originally allocated. You cannot transfer budget between quarters.
If you have budget that you do not plan to spend in the quarter, you may reallocate these dollars to another Marketing department to spend within the same fiscal quarter. When this occurs, please get CMO approval, talk with your finance business partner, and then request a budget transfer in Allocadia.
If an event that was budgeted for is cancelled for any reason, it is important to alert Finance and Accounting. Any cancellation fees that are known must be expensed in the month the event is cancelled, not the month the event was scheduled for.
If you bring in revenue through sponsorships during a GitLab event, please do the following:
