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

Common thread: The way you prepare – and control – your budget for a wellness program is crucial to its success.

1. Top-down budget

Depending on the size of your organization and wellness program, you may have full budget responsibility or may need to work with a C-level who has 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 wellness program within the limit. If that’s the case, here are three critical questions to ask:

• Does this limit include money set aside for employee 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 extra funding to hire staff?

2.  Zero-based budgeting

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

• Rank initiatives 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 EAP program) for a better return on investment.

3. Estimating ROI

On average, wellness programs typically 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.