Optima’s client is a nonprofit whose Education Director was carrying the organization’s financial operations in addition to her core mission work, a common strain point for lean nonprofit teams balancing program delivery with back-office demands.
The Situation
The Education Director was handling bank reconciliations, credit card tracking, and expense entries on top of her education responsibilities. A part-time bookkeeper hire helped, but only closed a small piece of the gap. The organization still lacked the layered financial oversight needed to produce clean, audit-ready reports.
Key Actions Taken
Optima built a custom financial team scaled to the nonprofit’s exact needs, rather than a single generalist hire. Here is what we tackled:
- Placed a dedicated Bookkeeper for 12 hours a week to manage day-to-day transaction and reconciliation work
- Added an Accounting Manager for 10 hours a week to oversee accuracy and process
- Brought in a Controller for 8 hours a week for financial oversight and review
- Delivered three financial specialists for the cost of one full-time hire (versus roughly $70,000 for a single FTE)
- Advised the organization on clear, concise board-level financial reporting to avoid overwhelming decision-makers with excess detail
The Results
- Best audit in the organization’s history, with accurate reports and a solid budget
- Full confidence from staff and the audit committee in the financial numbers
- Audit committee began recommending Optima to other nonprofits, expanding Optima’s work across the sector
- Right-sized, specialist coverage replacing the burden on a single overextended staff member