Abstract: Disclosed are nickel allyl amidinate precursors having the formula: wherein each of R1, R2, R3, R4, R5, R6, R7, and R8 are independently selected from H; a C1-C4 linear, branched, or cyclic alkyl group, a C1-C4 linear, branched, or cyclic alkylsilyl group (mono, bis, or tris alkyl); a C1-C4 linear, branched, or cyclic alkylamino group; or a C1-C4 linear, branched, or cyclic fluoroalkyl group. Also disclosed are methods of synthesizing and using the disclosed precursors to deposit nickel-containing films on one or more substrates via a vapor deposition process.