Financial Management Fundamentals

As stewards of organizational resources, nonprofit leaders, staff, and board members understand that any level of decision-making should be informed by an understanding of your nonprofit’s financial health. Is my organization financially healthy and operating sustainably? Can we afford to grow our staff or scale our programs? Are we financially prepared to navigate a crisis? What information should I know, or what questions should I be asking to answer these questions? If you are new in your role and looking for guidance to answer these questions or seasoned in your role and looking for a refresher, this workshop is for you.

This foundational workshop will explore the key financial management strategies you need to be successful as a nonprofit leader. From developing and creating budgets to identifying meaningful financial metrics and reports for your organization, this workshop will give you the tools and language you need to build your financial management skills and confidence. Key concepts covered in this session will include:

• Common financial metrics for nonprofits;
• Building the financial storytelling muscle;
• Accessible financial reporting practices for board members, organizational leadership, and staff;
• Contingency and scenario planning to address unanticipated revenue changes; and
• Free resources available to support your financial leadership.

This workshop is free, but registration is required. Please click here to register. If you have any questions about this session, please reach out to Alana Peck, Senior Program Associate for Nonprofit Leadership and Effectiveness, at alana@gnof.org.

Meet Your Presenter

Hilda Polanco, CPA

Market Managing Partner, BDO USA LLP

Hilda Polanco leads accounting and professional services firm, BDO’s Nonprofit & Grantmaker Advisory specialty services group, which exclusively serves nonprofit organizations and their funders, and is the new home of FMA, the specialty practice she founded in 1999 as Fiscal Management Associates. Passionate about helping nonprofits develop a resilient long-term financial strategy, Hilda has also worked closely with some of the nation’s largest foundations to illuminate the full cost of delivering nonprofit programs and has joined them in calling others in the philanthropic sector to better understand nonprofit revenue models and ultimately, to work toward more knowledgeable financing of those business models. Hilda is widely known for providing nonprofit leaders with the skills and confidence they need to tell their organization’s financial story, as well as working with boards to strengthen their capacity to execute their fiduciary responsibility. Currently on the faculty of Columbia Business School’s Tamer Center for Social Enterprise, she is also a frequent speaker with the AICPA and philanthropy-serving organizations such as GEO, PEAK Philanthropy, and Philanthropy NY.