Blog
Why Isolation Is the Best Thing for Your Accounting Team
We get told that the best leaders are those who keep their doors open and expect their staff—including the entire finance and accounting team—to be available for drop-in meetings and "quick syncs" at all hours of the day. This is a misconception.
Why is it hard to hire an accountant?
Nonprofits are having a hard time hiring accountants these days. Here are the reasons why.
The Overhead Trap: Why A "Cheap" Back Office is Costing Your Mission
As a CFO who has his career in the nonprofit trenches, I am officially declaring a moratorium on the "Overhead Apology." We have spent decades conditioned by watchdog groups and well-meaning but misguided donors to believe that the "best" nonprofits are the ones that starve their own infrastructure.
We’ve been told that every dollar spent on a high-quality accountant, a modern CRM, or an HR professional is a dollar "taken away" from the mission.
I’m here to tell you the opposite.
Three Habits to Strengthen Nonprofits’ Financials
Join JBL Strategies for a conversation with Sean Hale, founder and lead consultant of Austin, Texas-based Nonprofit CFOs. In this interview, Sean shares key insights on how nonprofits can build habits that support long-term financial resilience and navigate finances in the age of AI.
Podcast: Driven By CAUSE
In this episode of Driven By Cause, Sean Hale discusses the financial challenges many nonprofits face and how stronger financial leadership can help organizations grow and sustain their impact with better financial management.
Podcast: Revitalizing Nonprofit Finance
Discover essential strategies for financial resilience and the pitfalls of the overhead myth, as Sean Hale unpacks decades of wisdom. Plus, learn how embracing financial literacy can empower your organization's success. Listen for revelations that can reshape your nonprofit's fiscal approach.
Goldilocks Accounting Software: Scaling Without Breaking the Bank
Wondering if your nonprofit has outgrown Quickbooks? Here’s our take on that perennial question.
Silly Things That (Some) Grant Makers Do
A rant about grant makers who make tiny grants, that can only be used for programs, and also want an audit on top of that. Our founder, Sean Hale, gives his thoughts on this phenomenon and why nonprofits should just say no to these kinds of grants.
Podcast: Rethinking Your Nonprofit’s Relationship With Money
Get our take on budgeting, who needs to understand the finances, and more in this podcast.
Advanced Cash Management: Beyond the Dashboard
Nonprofits with revenue and expenses that change every month risk running out of cash with little notice. A cash flow projection reduces the risk and help you see cash shortfalls months earlier, when a small corrective action can still avert a big disaster.
Strategic Financial Leadership for Nonprofit Growth
Join us on YouTube for a conversation about strategic budgeting, audits, leadership, and more!
What They Don’t Tell You: Nonprofits Should Make a Profit
We’re not pulling your leg. Don’t let anyone tell you that a nonprofit shouldn’t make a profit!
How to spot financial trends before they become a crisis
If you let a financial crisis sneak up on your nonprofit, that spells trouble for you and the mission. A graphic financial dashboard can help you spot danger before it becomes a problem.
What They Don’t Tell You: Confusing Financial Reports are NOT Acceptable
You and your nonprofit deserve better. Here’s why.
Successful Nonprofits Spend Money to Save Money
Really! Generosity and trust can improve your nonprofit’s bottom line. Check out this quick interview featuring Penny Armbruster to learn how.
The Silent Crisis: When Your Board Checks Out During Financial Reports
When it’s time for your nonprofit’s financial reports, does your board check out or engage? Let’s discuss the causes, and a solution, to this problem that impacts too many nonprofits!
Identity and Resilience in Nonprofit Leadership
What kind of nonprofit leader are you? A do-gooder? A nonprofiteer? Or a “key employee?” Each type has important implications for your success and the success of the mission that you serve.
What They Don’t Tell You: Get a 5th Grade Math Teacher to be Your Treasurer
Don’t look for CPA. Try this instead.
When Mission Creep Includes Personnel
Mission creep can sneak up on you. Little by little, activities get added to your nonprofit that aren’t core to the mission but that do wear you down little by little. It can also show up in unexpected ways: like personnel.
Your CPA Will Not Take Care of It: Why Executive Directors Must Lead Financial Stewardship
The most successful executive directors take an active role in their nonprofit’s financial strategy. They don’t have to be a CPA or start doing the CPA’s job, but they do need to have basic financial literacy in order to effectively participate in financial decisions.

