Nonprofits & Mission-Driven Organizations
Executive financial guidance for 501(c)(3) operating nonprofits, foundations, and faith-based and cultural institutions — at a fraction of the cost of a full-time CFO.
Why nonprofit finance is different
Nonprofit finance carries complexity that general CFO work doesn't prepare you for: fund-restricted accounting, grant compliance and release timing, indirect cost rates, donor-restricted endowments, audit and 990 obligations, and a board that is legally responsible for stewardship it can only evaluate through the financials it is given.
Most operating nonprofits cannot justify — and do not need — a full-time CFO. They do, however, need executive financial leadership: someone who sits beside the executive director, finance committee, and board treasurer; speaks the language of both the program team and the auditor; and brings sector judgment to the decisions mission integrity quietly depends on.
"Mission depends on programs. Programs depend on funding. Funding depends on stewardship a board can credibly stand behind."
What we do
Monthly financial packets the board can actually use — fund-restricted vs unrestricted views, budget-to-actual with narrative commentary, and the on-time cadence that separates well-governed nonprofits from drifting ones.
Annual budgets that the board approves with confidence, rolling forecasts that survive contact with reality, and the multi-year sustainability modeling that protects mission delivery through grant and donor cycles.
Compliant grant accounting, release-from-restriction discipline, indirect cost rates, funder-ready reporting, and the documentation that survives a 990, an audit, and a program officer's site visit.
Operating reserve targets, capital campaign and project finance, endowment spending policy, and the long-term financial architecture that boards are legally responsible for stewarding.
Year-round audit-ready posture, single-audit (Uniform Guidance) preparation where applicable, 990 oversight, and the internal-control discipline that protects the organization and its leadership.
Executive financial leadership sitting beside the executive director, finance committee, and treasurer — translating mission decisions into financial reality and financial reality into board-room language.
Who we serve
Operating nonprofits typically in the $1M–$25M revenue range where program complexity, grant compliance, and board governance have outrun what a bookkeeper or outside CPA can deliver alone.
Private and community foundations, trade and professional associations, and 501(c)(6) groups that need executive-grade financial leadership without absorbing a full-time CFO into overhead.
Faith-based ministries, independent schools, museums and cultural institutions where stewardship of restricted gifts, endowments, and capital reserves is central to long-term mission integrity.
Why fractional
New to the model? Read our overview of what a fractional CFO actually does — and the three-question framework we use to decide whether the model is the right fit for an organization.
Start the conversation
Tell us a little about your organization and the questions in front of your board. We'll tell you honestly whether a fractional engagement is the right fit — or what we'd suggest instead.
Schedule a conversation