About Fiscal Navigator
GUIDANCE BUILT FROM EXPERIENCE
We provide financial literacy resources specifically tailored for nonprofits. Understanding the sector’s challenges and opportunities, we use our knowledge and expertise to help organizations navigate their fiduciary, fiscal oversight, and financial management responsibilities.
Our knowledge and expertise come from years of experience volunteering with nonprofits, sitting on their boards, consulting management, teaching, mentoring, supporting leadership, and providing nonprofits with financial services.
Through 30+ years of guiding nonprofits and hundreds of audits performed, we have seen a lot. We have witnessed what works and what does not work. We love the opportunity to share all we have learned with you.
WHAT GETS US EXCITED
Learning and experience as ingredients of creative problem solving When you have access to the knowledge and experience of others, and the guidance to apply to your own situations, creative juices start flowing. Creativity as the genesis of ideas This practice of creativity opens the mind to new perspectives and new, never done before ideas show up to bring to our projects and business Innovation in converting ideas into action Providing new and useful ideas, methods, and technologies to our projects and businesses often forwards the fulfillment of our goals. An environment of innovation in our businesses promotes the nimbleness and responsiveness that is imperative in forwarding our organizational missions in today’s competitive and quickly changing world. Data that tells an accurate story The ability to effectively obtain, synthesize, analyze, and report on data makes the difference between operating in the dark and understanding the sources of our successes and failures, as well as replicate or avoid repeated results. Intentional transparency to share success and failure! When we are transparent about our results in a way that is accurate, clear and meaningful, we forward future efforts for ourselves and others.
OUR STORY
You would think that missing the first day of class in a master’s level Nonprofit Financial & Resource Management class would not bode well for the student/instructor relationship. Fortunately, for the absent Mamie, Mara was that instructor and this missed class would turn into something serendipitous. A personal meeting to catch up on that first class quickly pointed to a great match in teacher/student synergy.
Mamie’s bookkeeping experience led her to be a sponge for Mara’s decades of experience as a CPA auditing nonprofit organizations. Mamie’s energetic interest was a great match for Mara’s passionate teaching style, and a friendship was born. Mamie’s Capstone project on the topic of presenting nonprofit financial data to boards, and along with mutual interests and visions for what is possible in the business of nonprofit organizations, led to many conversations over lunch and coffee where the hours disappeared while discussing how important it is to have intimidating financial data to be presented in a way that is accessible to those who benefit from using it. It was clear to both Mamie and Mara that they had hit upon something much broader than the scope of Mamie’s project.
Shortly after Mamie completed her master’s degree in Nonprofit Leadership and Management, Mamie and Mara imagined a business plan that would evolve into Fiscal Navigator. Like all good adventures, there would be unanticipated events and developments, plot twists and direction changes. Plans for in-person training seminars hit a wall as the pandemic emerged, and the detour became short “edu-bite” online educational offerings. A transition in focus from transparency to a more holistic financial education resulted in a total overhaul of their strategic plan.
Beneath it all remains a steadfast shared belief that “how-to” knowledge for basic foundational financial practices should be accessible to everyone. From there, the building blocks of financially sound actions and reporting become available. We both believe these are key to organizations being able to make the best possible choices in fulfilling their entity’s purpose.
