Frequently Asked Questions

Each tier is designed around the complexity and needs of your organization:

Essentials ($2,000/mo) — Monthly financial oversight including bookkeeping review, bank reconciliations, basic financial statements, grant invoicing, and a monthly check-in. Includes financial accounting system setup (software configuration, chart of accounts, and monthly close procedures). Best for nonprofits $250K–$500K in revenue.

Strategic ($3,500/mo) — Everything in Essentials plus cash flow forecasting, board-ready reporting, grant-specific audit reporting, grant invoicing, grant allocations, salary matrix development, grant budget tracking, and bi-weekly strategy calls. Built for nonprofits between $500K–$1M.

Executive (Custom) — Full fractional CFO partnership with audit liaison, funder financial reporting, grant invoicing, grant allocations, salary matrix development, budgeting leadership, and weekly engagement. Includes OMB Uniform Guidance (Single Audit) compliance, California-specific audit requirements (RRF-1, CT-2), and full grant audit support. Designed for organizations over $1M.

Retainer engagements are month-to-month with a 3-month initial commitment. This gives us enough time to assess your financials, build systems, and deliver meaningful results. After the initial period, you can continue, adjust your tier, or wrap up with 30 days’ notice. Contracts are renegotiable every 6 months, so there’s always an opportunity to revisit scope, pricing, and priorities as your organization evolves. Project-based engagements have their own defined timelines and scope.

Absolutely. Many clients start at one level and move up as their organization grows or as needs change — for example, moving from Essentials to Strategic when preparing for an audit or a major grant. We’ll revisit your needs quarterly and make recommendations if a different tier makes more sense.

After our discovery call, we start with a financial intake — reviewing your chart of accounts, bank access, QuickBooks file, recent statements, and any compliance requirements. Most onboarding wraps up within 2 weeks. From there, we move into a regular monthly rhythm tailored to your tier.

Yes. We offer standalone project engagements for things like financial systems setup, historical compliance cleanup, budgeting and salary matrix planning, and audit preparation. These are scoped by organization size and complexity, and many clients use them as an entry point before moving to a retainer.

We do need access to all company financial information including banking info, vendor invoices, receipts, timesheets, and other financial records. However, we do not need access to your bank debit or credit cards and we do not make any payments on your behalf.

A fractional CFO provides executive-level financial leadership on a part-time basis. That means strategic planning, cash flow management, board-ready financial reporting, compliance oversight, and helping leadership make better financial decisions. Unlike a bookkeeper who records transactions, or an accountant who files taxes, a CFO connects your financial data to your organization’s strategy and growth.

Not necessarily. Our service includes bookkeeping as part of every tier, so you don’t need to hire one separately. We also provide training for leadership staff and anyone on your team involved in financial processes — whether that’s an office manager handling invoices, a program director tracking grant expenses, or a board treasurer reviewing reports. The goal is to build internal capacity so your team understands the financials, not just rely on them being managed externally.

A full-time nonprofit CFO typically costs $120K–$180K+ in salary and benefits. Most nonprofits between $250K and $2M don’t need — or can’t afford — that. A fractional CFO gives you the same caliber of financial leadership at a fraction of the cost, scaled to your actual needs. You get strategic thinking, compliance confidence, and board-ready reporting without adding a six-figure salary to your budget.

That depends on your tier. Essentials includes a monthly check-in call. Strategic includes bi-weekly calls. Executive includes weekly engagement. Outside of scheduled calls, you’ll always have access via email for quick questions or urgent items.

Our services are designed for nonprofits between $250K and $2M in annual revenue — the sweet spot where organizations have outgrown basic bookkeeping but aren’t ready for a full-time CFO. If you’re smaller or larger, we’re happy to chat on a discovery call to see if there’s a fit.

Yes — audit preparation is one of our core services, available both as a standalone project and within our retainer tiers. We organize your financial records, reconcile accounts, prepare supporting schedules, and work directly with your auditors so the process goes smoothly. This includes grant-specific audit reporting, OMB Uniform Guidance (Single Audit) preparation for organizations receiving federal funds, and California-specific compliance requirements like the RRF-1 and CT-2 filings. Many clients come to us specifically because their first audit is approaching and they want to be ready.

Absolutely. Proper fund accounting and grant compliance are essential for nonprofits, and it’s one of the areas where we add the most value. We set up or clean up your chart of accounts for proper fund tracking, build grant budget-to-actual reports, and make sure restricted and unrestricted funds are correctly classified and reported.

Board-ready financial reporting is included in our Strategic and Executive tiers. We prepare clear, professional financial packages that your board can actually understand — not just raw QuickBooks reports. This typically includes an income statement with budget comparison, balance sheet, cash flow summary, and a narrative highlighting key items the board should know about.

Not at all — that’s exactly when most organizations reach out. Whether it’s months of unreconciled books, a compliance backlog, or a chart of accounts that doesn’t make sense anymore, we’ve seen it all. Our Historical Compliance Cleanup project is specifically designed for this. We’ll get your financials in order, build the right systems, and set you up so you stay on track going forward.