The future nonprofit CFO is a mission-infused, proactive leader who drives operations with a nimble financial savvy. Finance and mission are inseparable. It’s important to understand that they’re connected across all of an organization’s sectors, within all of its partner goals, and through all tools that it uses. The aim of a mission-infused finance department is a sustainable nonprofit that invests in a strategy to meet the demands of a continually evolving world. Join nonprofit financial expert Russell Pomeranz as he discusses ways that CFOs can drive operations to align money and mission in a way that helps organizations meet their full potential.

1. The Road to the Mission Infused Nonprofit CFO
Presented by Russell Pomeranz

2. It’s a Two Way Street – Mission and Finance
Working Together

3. Why is the Ascendant Nonprofit CFO Critical
to the Organization?

4. Organizational Trajectory in a Much More
Competitive Nonprofit World
Spiral up or spiral down
• There is no middle path
Much more competition for resources
Nonprofits are more strategic
Reliance on results, impact, and outcomes to funders

5. Finance Needs to Play a Key Role in Defining
Organizational Success
Need to breakeven and seek unrestricted surpluses
Need to most efficiently and effectively manage resources
Need to build up capital to invest to build a
sustainable business model
Need to manage cash and debt to avoid existential
challenges

6. Key Roles Who Care About Finance to
Achieve Their Own Goals
CEO/Executive Director
• Partner
Board and Finance Committee
• Fiduciary responsibilities while taking risks
Program Staff
• Programmatic/Mission Impact
Nonprofit CFO’s Organizational Trajectory
• Future CEO’s?

7. What Qualities and Skills Should We Expect
from the Mission Infused Nonprofit CFO

8. Tangible Skill Set
Underlying understanding of nonprofit accounting and
financial principles
Ability to define the business model of the organization –
short and long term
Ability to use financial statements to tell short and long
financial stories
Ability to translate organizational goals into fiscal year
budgets
Understand budgetary options, trade-offs, ramifications of
choices
Rise of the MPA

9. Intangible Skill Set
Curiosity – How do things work?
Asking questions – Why and “what are you talking about?”
Communication – Need nonprofit CFO PR capacity
Written and oral communication skills – tell a compelling
story

10. Priorities and Focus
Unrestricted Net Income (Statement of Activities)
Unrestricted Net Assets (Statement of Financial Position)
Revenue growth and expense structure strategies
Cash and Access to Capital

11. Organizational Investment (Programs,
Infrastructure, Strategy)
Budgetary baseline and wish list
Investment pool – spending rate and purpose of various
pools
Proactive vs reactive – strategic initiatives
Making the compelling case – impact on bottom line and
net assets over time

12. What Strategies, Tactics, and Tools Best
Align Mission and Finance by Partner?

13. Finance and Program
Reporting
Fiscal discipline and accountability
Scheduling (meeting with all department heads)
Immersion in the mission

14. Finance and Finance Team
Understanding the mission of the nonprofit
Understanding, in practical terms, how the nonprofit
achieves its mission
Attending events and getting involved
Sharing the big picture with the entire Finance team –
Audits, Budgets, Forecasts

15. Finance and Executive Leadership
Guarantee a “seat at the table” for key decision making
Agree to the “what is in the best interest of the
organization” perspective
Prepare options, ramifications, and solutions to key issues –
how to get a “yes”
Transparency and pushback

16. Finance and Audit/Finance/Investment
Committee(s)
Prepare and distribute Budget Narrative (Forecast, Budget,
and Audit)
Distill down and present key issues in fiscal year and beyond
– no surprises
Meet to anticipate questions from the Board – expect “what
can go wrong?”
Enlist the CEO to start Finance Committee meetings

17. Finance and Development
Reconcile restricted and unrestricted grants and contracts
Align Development strategies with organizational financial
needs
Manage expectations and returns over time
Make a compelling case for development capacity

18. What Does it All Add Up to?

19. Two Way Street – Finance Infused Initiatives
Financial Literacy – invest in education
Take Finance Seriously – the world is watching
Value and respect financial function
Guarantee a “seat at the table”

20. Organizational Difference Between Mission
Infused CFO and Myopic Bean Counter
Financial transparency provides organizational focus
Communication increases options
A financially stable and sustainable organization gives
confidence to funders
Take advantage of unique
moments in organizational
history

21. The Look Forward Instead
of Back
Confident and relevant organization
Willing to take on new mission risks and rewards
Strategic capacity to pursue mission vs reactive (waiting
around)
Put aside the financial existential questions forever

22. Mission Infused Nonprofit CFO
Peace and Contentment
Role is at one with the organization
Able to sleep at night
Officially a productive and constructive member of society
Proud to be a Mission Aligned
Nonprofit CFO

23. Q&A
Russell Pomeranz