What a nonprofit finance department includes.
Bookkeeping, fund and grant accounting, monthly close, program reporting, payroll allocations, cash and reserve forecasting, board reporting, audit and Form 990 coordination, internal controls, and CFO-level support, brought together by EveryPenny as one accountable finance function. This page sets out each part and how it is run.
Built for multi-program nonprofits, typically with $5 million or more in annual operating expenses, multiple funding sources, significant payroll, and no complete finance department.
30 minutes. Receive a one-page Nonprofit Finance Function Map within one business day. No obligation.
Illustrative Community Services Organization
Monthly leadership and board package
Operating cash
$597,200
Forecast low point
$815,100
Week 13
Operating reserve
1.0 months
Target 3 months
Funding coverage
96%
Thirteen-week cash forecast
Week 13low point$815,100
Decisions for the board
1Authorize a temporary operating-reserve draw
2Approve the County grant budget modification
Illustrative sample · fictional organization and data
Illustrative Community Services Organization
Monthly leadership and board package
Month ended March 31
Operating cash available
$597,200
Bank balance $1,486,200 less restricted and advances
Forecast low point
$815,100
Week 13 of 13 · payroll and grant timing
Operating reserve
1.0 months
Policy target 3 months
Program funding coverage
96%
Direct funding over full program cost
Thirteen-week cash forecast
Low point week 13Week 13Low point
$815,100
In $177,000 · Out $309,000
Decisions for the board
April meeting1Authorize a temporary operating-reserve draw
Board (finance committee recommendation) · April board meeting
2Approve the County grant budget modification
Executive director · Before quarter end
3Decide the Workforce Development funding plan
Executive director with program director · May finance committee
Illustrative sample. Every name and figure is fictional; the structure is the package a client receives each month. Use the tabs to move between sections.
A clean set of books does not tell leadership what money is available or what the board needs to know.
A growing nonprofit must connect funding restrictions, programs, grants, payroll, shared costs, receivables, cash, compliance, and board reporting. When those responsibilities are divided between a bookkeeper, executive director, outside CPA, program leaders, and spreadsheets, the organization may have accounting activity without having a finance function.
- The bank balance may include restricted funds, designated reserves, advances, deferred revenue, or money already committed to specific programs. Leadership needs to understand operating liquidity, not simply total cash.
- Connect program revenue and funding with payroll, contractors, shared costs, and direct expenses so leadership can see where resources are being used and where corrective action is needed.
- Payroll, occupancy, technology, insurance, administration, and other shared expenses need a documented allocation method that can be explained to management, funders, and auditors.
- Award revenue, reimbursement requests, accounts receivable, and collections often move on a different schedule from payroll and program expenses. The cash forecast needs to show that timing clearly.
- Board and finance-committee reporting should explain financial position, operating results, budget variances, restrictions, cash, risks, and decisions, not simply attach raw accounting reports.
- A nonprofit should not depend on one employee’s memory to close the books, prepare reports, allocate costs, manage deadlines, and answer the auditor. Responsibilities, review points, and backup coverage need to be documented.
Your mission does not need more accounting activity. It needs a finance function with an owner.
We can operate the complete finance department or strengthen the team you already have.
One operating model, two ways to engage. The responsibility structure is chosen for the team you have, then written down before onboarding.
Complete Outsourced Finance Department
Best for: Established nonprofits that have a bookkeeper, finance coordinator, office manager, or fragmented outside providers, but no complete finance function.
Potential responsibilities include
- Bookkeeping and reconciliations
- Accounts payable and payment workflows
- Payroll accounting and allocations
- Grant and reimbursement receivables
- Fund and grant tracking
- Month-end close
- Program and department reporting
- Budget versus actual
- Board finance packages
- Cash and reserve forecasting
- Audit and Form 990 coordination
- Controller oversight
- CFO-level support
EveryPenny becomes the operating finance department, while leadership and the board retain the appropriate approval authority.
Controller & CFO Operating Layer
Best for: Larger nonprofits that already have transactional accounting employees but lack experienced close leadership, controller review, forecasting, board reporting, or financial continuity.
Potential responsibilities include
- Close leadership and review
- Balance-sheet integrity
- Fund and grant oversight
- Program and department reporting
- Board and finance-committee packages
- Cash and reserve forecasting
- Budget development
- Multi-year planning
- Internal controls
- Audit coordination
- Accounting-team oversight
- Interim controller or CFO leadership
- Executive decision support
The existing team keeps the appropriate responsibilities. EveryPenny provides the senior operating layer above it.
Final responsibilities are defined after the Financial Control Review and documented before onboarding.
We run it. We control it. We help you lead with it.
One team, every layer of nonprofit finance. The three layers are one function with one owner, not three vendors.
Run
Keep the financial operation moving.
- Bookkeeping
- Bank and card reconciliations
- Accounts payable
- Payment preparation
- Payroll accounting
- Employee and contractor expenses
- Grant and contract receivables
- Supporting documentation
- Restricted-fund transaction tracking
- Accounting-system maintenance
Control
Make every material number explainable.
- Month-end close
- Balance-sheet reconciliations
- Fund and grant accounting review
- Net-asset classification
- Payroll and shared-cost allocations
- Program and department reporting
- Grant budget versus actual
- Board finance packages
- Audit and Form 990 coordination
- Internal controls
- Approval workflows
- Exception management
Lead
Turn financial information into mission decisions.
- Cash and reserve forecasting
- Annual budgets
- Rolling forecasts
- Program and funding scenarios
- New-program affordability
- Hiring and compensation models
- Grant and contract economics
- Sustainability analysis
- Board and finance-committee support
- Executive financial meetings
- CFO-level recommendations
Know what is available, what is committed, what each program costs, and what requires action next.
The monthly package should explain the organization, not make the board interpret QuickBooks.
From accounting reports to leadership information. Fourteen sections, in the order a finance committee reads them, delivered before the meeting.
- 01Executive financial summary
- 02Statement of financial position
- 03Statement of activities
- 04Budget versus actual
- 05Program-level results
- 06Grant budget versus actual
- 07Net assets with and without donor restrictions
- 08Restricted-fund schedule
- 09Grant and reimbursement receivables
- 1013-week cash forecast
- 11Operating-reserve outlook
- 12Audit and compliance calendar
- 13Risks and exceptions
- 14Decisions requiring leadership or board action
The sample uses fictional data and does not contain information from an EveryPenny client.
Or step inside a sample nonprofit finance department and make the decisions yourself.
Illustrative Community Services Organization
Monthly leadership and board package
Operating cash
$597,200
Forecast low point
$815,100
Week 13
Operating reserve
1.0 months
Target 3 months
Funding coverage
96%
Thirteen-week cash forecast
Week 13low point$815,100
Decisions for the board
1Authorize a temporary operating-reserve draw
2Approve the County grant budget modification
Illustrative sample · fictional organization and data
Illustrative Community Services Organization
Monthly leadership and board package
Month ended March 31
Operating cash available
$597,200
Bank balance $1,486,200 less restricted and advances
Forecast low point
$815,100
Week 13 of 13 · payroll and grant timing
Operating reserve
1.0 months
Policy target 3 months
Program funding coverage
96%
Direct funding over full program cost
Thirteen-week cash forecast
Low point week 13Week 13Low point
$815,100
In $177,000 · Out $309,000
Decisions for the board
April meeting1Authorize a temporary operating-reserve draw
Board (finance committee recommendation) · April board meeting
2Approve the County grant budget modification
Executive director · Before quarter end
3Decide the Workforce Development funding plan
Executive director with program director · May finance committee
Illustrative sample. Every name and figure is fictional; the structure is the package a client receives each month. Use the tabs to move between sections.
Complex enough to need a finance department. Lean enough to benefit from an outsourced model.
Strong fit
- Typically $5 million or more in annual operating expenses
- Multiple programs, locations, grants, contracts, or funding streams
- Significant employee payroll
- Restricted and unrestricted funding
- Monthly board or finance-committee reporting
- Annual audit, financial review, or substantial funder reporting
- An outside CPA or auditor
- A bookkeeper or finance employee but no complete controller/CFO-led department
- An executive director, CEO, COO, or board treasurer still connecting financial responsibilities
- Stable enough funding to support a recurring managed-finance engagement
May not be the right fit
- Volunteer-led organizations without stable operating funding
- Organizations seeking only the lowest-cost transaction entry
- Organizations needing only annual tax preparation
- Organizations unable to support a recurring managed-finance engagement
- Organizations that already have a capable CFO, controller, and complete accounting team
- Organizations requiring specialized compliance outside EveryPenny’s verified capabilities
- Organizations unwilling to follow defined financial controls and approval processes
The $5 million figure is a typical profile, not a cutoff. Fit is determined by complexity, funding stability, and the scope the organization actually requires.
Your organization is not our marketing material.
Client confidentiality by default. EveryPenny does not publicly identify clients, display their logos, disclose financial information, or describe sensitive operating details without specific written permission.
We protect client identities publicly and make our work understandable without exposing them.
We demonstrate capability through
- Anonymized case studies
- Clearly labeled synthetic work samples
- Specific descriptions of our operating process
- Defined financial controls
- Transparent scope and responsibility mapping
Read the confidential professional-services case study to see how we describe real work without identifying the client.
Before we take anything over.
The questions nonprofit boards and executive directors ask first.
Do you replace our existing finance staff?
Not necessarily. EveryPenny can operate the complete finance department or provide the controller and CFO layer above an existing bookkeeper, accountant, grants employee, or transactional team. The responsibility structure is determined before onboarding.
Can you work with our current auditor or CPA?
Yes. EveryPenny can maintain the accounting operation, prepare schedules, coordinate requests, and support the year-end process while the organization’s independent auditor or tax professional performs the services that require independence or separate professional responsibility.
Do you handle restricted funds and grants?
When included in scope, EveryPenny can maintain fund and grant accounting, restriction tracking, grant budgets, receivables, releases, allocations, and related management reporting. The exact responsibilities depend on the organization’s awards, accounting policies, systems, and reporting requirements.
Do you perform nonprofit audits?
No. Audit, review, compilation, and other attest services are separate from EveryPenny’s outsourced finance function. We can organize the books, schedules, supporting documentation, and response process for the organization’s independent auditor.
Can you support a nonprofit that already has an accounting team?
Yes. For larger nonprofits, EveryPenny can provide close leadership, controller review, forecasting, board reporting, controls, accounting-team oversight, and CFO-level decision support while internal personnel continue handling appropriate transactional responsibilities.
Do you prepare Form 990?
Tax preparation and filing can be included in the engagement and are completed by a licensed CPA. EveryPenny can also coordinate with an organization’s existing tax professional.
How much does the service cost?
Every nonprofit has a different combination of entities, programs, grants, payroll, allocations, reporting, audit support, systems, and leadership needs. After the Financial Control Review, qualified organizations receive a written scope and fee before making any commitment.
Do you work with small nonprofits?
EveryPenny is designed primarily for established, operationally complex nonprofits that require more than low-cost bookkeeping. Smaller organizations may be considered when their complexity, funding stability, and required scope make a managed finance function appropriate.
One finance function, with an owner, behind your mission.
Bring accounting, close, fund and program reporting, cash forecasting, board information, controls, and financial leadership into one accountable finance function.
30 minutes. Receive a one-page Nonprofit Finance Function Map within one business day. No obligation.