Finance and accountingMake thenumbers work.
Finance and accounting should be boring.
A regular, repeatable cadence.
Finance and accounting run as routine: the same work every week, every month, every quarter and every year, so nothing waits on someone remembering to start it.
- WeeklyDeposits recorded, bills paid, cash checked against the bank.
- MonthlyThe period closed on a strict procedure, accounts reconciled, restricted funds released.
- QuarterlyThe board reviews the year to date against the budget. Grants are tracked independently.
- AnnuallyThe audit, the 990, and the budget for the year ahead.
A strict close the board can see.
Every month closes on a strict procedure: the same steps in the same order, each signed off by name, until the books agree with the bank. Restricted funds are released regularly, as the conditions on them are met, not one catch-up entry at year end.
A closed period is immediately available for the board to see, and an automatic email or notification tells them it is there. No one waits for the next meeting to learn how last month went.
A balance sheet sized for a rainy day.
Assets are plainly labeled, and the balance sheet shows clearly what donors have restricted and what they have not.
- With donor restrictions
- Spent only as the donor directed.
- Board-designated
- Set aside by the board: the reserve for a rainy day.
- Undesignated
- Free for the work at hand.
The balance sheet is sized to the organization, its mission and its need for a rainy day. The financial structure produces clear, accurate reporting.
A P&L for every program.
Each program has a clear profit and loss statement: what it costs to deliver, and what pays for it. Kept that way, the books easily produce the functional expense categories for the 990.
| Program services | Management and general | Fundraising | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Foster care | Yes | ||
| Shelter Program | Yes | ||
| Conservation | Yes | ||
| Administration | Yes | ||
| Development | Yes |
The figures agree everywhere.
- Form 990
- Form 5500
- Financial reports
- Strategic KPIs
Set any two side by side, and the number is the same. Integrated systems and Data Provenance keep it that way.
Other practice areas
Strategy and governance
Align the board and the plan
A plan with owners and measures, and a board built to hold it.
Outcomes and evaluation
Prove what changed
One measurement system, organized around what your funders need to see.
Risk, compliance, and privacy
Protect what you hold
The annual risk assessment, chaired and finished. The remediation list, owned.
Technology and AI
Put technology to work
Systems, data and AI where they pay for themselves, and custom software when nothing on the market fits.
The conversation costs nothing.
Thirty minutes. Bring whatever is hardest right now.