Fun with Financials offers consulting services in the following areas. Contact us for more information or to discuss your group’s needs.
CFO-on-the-Go
This service is designed for organizations that need ongoing support to ensure bookkeeping is in top form. This service includes a monthly review of your general ledger and a coaching call to discuss accounting issues and troubleshoot your system. You will also receive a quarterly call to review financial reports and get support in making budget adjustments when necessary. One customized webinar per year, for board and staff, will support your budget development and planning process.
Culture Shift Engagements — Organizational Financial Health
At the organizational level, financial health and clarity should be the norm, not the exception. We begin with an assessment interview of your current financial practices. We’ll co-design a process to strengthen your organization’s financial health and literacy: Not only how to increase your financial confidence and prepare workable budgets for today but how to do longer-term future planning. We will embed a financial health framework throughout your organization so you can train future board and staff members on your own. Engagements typically last 2 years, with post-engagement checkups available upon request.
Skilling Up Engagements— Networks, Alliances & Collaborations
At the network level, resource sharing and more open, network-wide financial planning can be part of creating the trust and solidarity needed to sustain a movement for significant social change. We begin with assessments of representative organizations to understand the current needs and issues in your network. We’ll pilot-test customized tools and training that can be applied across your entire network. Your members gain skills to lead trainings in their own organizations as well as network-wide. Tools and trainings are evaluated and refined to provide a customized toolkit for future use. Engagements typically last 3 years.
Fun with Financials for Funders
As funders, you receive a great deal of financial information from grantees. However, most board members and program officers have no training to understand grantees’ financial reports. This can lead you to a narrow focus on a few details rather than an understanding of the complete context of grantee financial health.
Demystify financial information and focus on what your board members and foundation staff need to know, to make informed decisions and to strengthen dialog with grantees. Learn to read and understand financial statements (990s, audits, balance sheet, income statement) using actual examples from recent dockets. Use the statements to analyze the current financial health of grantees. More importantly, you will have the opportunity to reflect on the proper role of financial information in the grant making process. Half- and full-day workshops, and longer engagements available.