Field Notes: Public Service Accounting

Why I'm Budgeting Our Mission

If you’ve followed Catena, you know we span two worlds: the technical precision of Catena Environmental and the mission-driven work of Catena Commons.

For years, I said "yes" to every pro bono request, SWCD volunteer hours, and student mentorship, fueled by a sense of duty born from my Americorps beginnings. But as a soil science agency and social enterprise, I live at the intersection of "put up or shut up." As a private-sector business, we lack the fundraising pipelines of nonprofits, yet are expected to front costs and deliver community impact alongside technical excellence. Our expertise is often expected for free, creating an unsustainable model that risks burnout and devalues the very field we serve.

This year, I’m changing that. I’m implementing Public Service Accounting—applying financial rigor to our mission work. Last quarter’s audit was staggering: $27,000 in pro bono services and 170 volunteer hours.

The Impact Budget: A Framework for Sustainable Service

Unlike a nonprofit, we can’t report these metrics to donors to secure our existence. Our impact must be budgeted for and built into our business model. That’s why I’ve created a formal Impact Budget to allocate our most finite resource: time.

The Catena Impact Budget (Monthly)

• 60% Client Projects (Revenue): The work that sustains the business.

• 10% Pro Bono (Commons): Limited professional services.

• 10% SWCD & Volunteer Service: Community-wide assistance.

• 10% K-14 & Intern Mentorship: Investing in future soil health professionals.

• 10% Business & Professional Development: Ensuring we don’t fall behind.

This budget is our blueprint. It turns a vague intention to "do good" into a strategic plan to "do good well."

Why This Matters for the Entire Conservation Ecosystem

This isn’t just an internal exercise. This is a model for a healthier system.

When technical professionals like us are expected to constantly donate expertise, we create a hidden subsidy that lets funders and agencies underinvest in real technical assistance. We inadvertently lower the perceived value of conservation science and slow down progress.

By defining our value through Public Service Accounting and adhering to an Impact Budget, we do three vital things:

1. We Protect Quality: We ensure that our paid client work—which funds our entire operation—never suffers because we’re over-extended on free work.

2. We Maximize Impact: We can give our full, focused attention to the pro bono projects and students we do take on, making that time far more effective.

3. We Advocate for Change: This data is a powerful tool to show agencies and funders the true gap between the need on the ground and the resources available to meet it.

Holding Myself Accountable

This new framework requires a difficult skill: learning to say "no" gracefully. It means when a request comes in that would break the budget, the answer can’t be an automatic "yes." It has to be:

This isn’t a rejection. It’s a respect for the value of the work, and the only way to ensure that our ability to serve is sustainable for the long haul.

The goal is to never stop giving. The goal is to never have to stop giving because I gave too much, too fast, without a plan. The health of our soil depends on a healthy system—and that starts with those of us who are dedicated to caring for it.

— gabby