Controller Oversight & Expertise

Outsourced nonprofit controllers are a level up from bookkeepers. So, while bookkeepers manage day-to-day accounting tasks, controllers have more oversight and provide greater insight when it comes to matters related to compliance and audits.

Basically, controllers are big-picture people. They get on with reconciliation services, compliance tracking, and implementing internal controls. They keep your nonprofit organization ticking over, financially speaking, and work to maintain positive cash flow while improving overall financial health.

Controllers are also the bridge between bookkeepers and C-Suite or executive leaders. They are responsible for ensuring that whatever data needs to be moved upstream is accurate, complies with governing regulations, and meets quality standards, including international quality standards like ISO 9001 Quality standard for process management and ISO 21378 Audit Data Collection for ERP systems.

Data that meets quality standards is passed on to those responsible for strategy, planning, and decision-making.

One of our areas of expertise is audit-readiness. We don’t just ensure your financials are ready for auditing come tax season. We make certain that your books and ledgers are audit-ready year-round. We achieve this by placing control points in the system rather than in actual paperwork binders. There are two primary reasons for this:

• Going digital is far (far) more efficient than paper-based manual systems.
• Data in the system is easier to trace, which is particularly important when it comes to approvals and changes.

Controllers are also responsible for ensuring related documentation is carried by period reconciliations, which accelerates sampling requests. Finally, controllers maintain clear audit trails from statement to source. This makes life much easier for your staff come audit season, simply by virtue of lightening the admin load.

Yes, we can. The trick is to develop systems that facilitate neat processes and support robust rules. This includes keeping a close eye on spend, especially as it relates to grants, funders, and programs.

Tailored system design helps you achieve this by using automation tools that manage restricted and unrestricted flows and ensure statements match agreements.

Benefits for small and large organizations include ensuring releases and allocations follow specific rules, improving accuracy and preventing corrections, and enabling leaders to see burn rates and remaining balances in a single view.

We know what boards want, and we know how to give it to them. For example, boards want insight into fundraising, including actual money made vs. money spent preparing for and hosting the event. They also want to fully understand the data, and that requires presenting it in an easily digestible format (charts, graphs, infographics, brief video clips).

We deliver what they want in three easy steps:

• Preparing board packs using the same source of truth (the same numbers) as the general ledger.
• Distributing board packs a few days before meetings so members have time to get to grips with the data.
• Making absolutely certain that the data is reliable, accurate, and aligned to your organization’s goals and its overarching mission.

Properly prepared board packs build confidence in your system, reduce disputes and debates during meetings, and allow board members to implement strategic plans that keep your nonprofit in business.

Yes, controllers absolutely help with internal controls. It’s as it says on the box, really. When you outsource financial controllers, especially when you choose firms with industry-specific experts backed by cutting-edge software solutions, you gain access to proven policies and workflows that are difficult to maintain in-house.

This is particularly helpful for small and medium organizations with limited (or non-existent) finance teams. However, large nonprofits also benefit from proper segregation of duties and approval structures.

Additional benefits include:

• Reduced fraud risks
• Improved accountability
• Managed funder and auditor expectations

Basically, boards are happy and so are your organization’s leaders, employees, stakeholders, and, ultimately, your target market.