How Strong Financial Controls Helped a Nonprofit Maintain Stability
THE CLIENT
Our client is a nonprofit organization focused on civic education and public engagement. The organization operates year-round educational programming and fundraising events, relying on a mix of grants, donations, and event revenue to support its missions.
Like many nonprofits, the organization must maintain strong financial reporting and clear oversight of spending to meet grant requirements, support board governance, and complete annual audits.
THE CHALLENGE
When Sayva joined the engagement, the organization was navigating several major transitions at once.
The accounting function was in the middle of a financial system change while simultaneously preparing for its annual audit. At the same time, the organization experienced significant leadership turnover across its most senior roles. Within roughly 18 months, the CEO, CFO, Chief of Staff, and Head of Development all transitioned out, creating substantial gaps in financial oversight and operational decision-making.
As leadership changed, accounting responsibilities shifted frequently and financial processes became inconsistent. Invoice approvals were not always routed to the appropriate department leaders, and incoming staff needed guidance on how financial systems and approval processes worked.
There were also challenges around revenue tracking tied to the organization’s largest annual event, a fundraising dinner generating $2.6M in revenue. Invoices and payments had been tracked across multiple years in a single spreadsheet, making it difficult to monitor outstanding balances and ensure revenue was recorded accurately.
With audit deadlines approaching and grant reporting requirements to meet, the organization needed strong financial structure, the right technology, and reliable internal controls to keep operations running smoothly.
SOLUTIONS HIGHLIGHTS
- Migrated accounting platform from Sage Intacct to QuickBooks online, reducing complexity and improving efficiency
- Implemented structured cash internal controls across departments
- Established clear expense review and approval workflows
- Managed invoicing and collections for a $2.6M annual fundraising event
- Onboarded incoming staff to financial systems during leadership transitions
- Strengthened audit readiness and financial reporting accuracy
THE SOLUTION
Sayva worked closely with the organization to stabilize the accounting function, right-size its technology, and introduce clearer financial controls.
One of the first priorities was the accounting platform. The organization had been operating on Sage Intacct, a system designed for significantly larger organizations. Sayva facilitated a migration to QuickBooks Online, which better matched the organization’s scale and reduced administrative overhead while maintaining full reporting and audit capability.
Sayva then implemented a structured cash internal control process across departments, establishing defined approval workflows to ensure expenses were reviewed by the appropriate leaders before payments were processed. As leadership changes continued, the team provided ongoing support to help incoming staff get up to speed quickly, maintaining continuity throughout the transitions.
A key focus was also the organization’s annual fundraising dinner. Sayva took over invoicing and collections management for the event and redesigned the tracking process, creating clearer documentation and better visibility into outstanding balances and collected revenue.
Throughout the engagement, Sayva supported audit preparation and financial reporting, ensuring records were organized and financial classifications were accurate across grants, events, and individual contributions.
“Sayva helped bring structure and stability to our accounting operations during a time of significant internal change. Their team strengthened our financial processes, improved oversight, and ensured we stayed on track with our reporting and audit requirements.”
— Chief Financial Officer
THE RESULTS
Since partnering with Sayva, the organization has completed two consecutive clean annual audits. A third is currently underway and is on track to be the most efficient to date, reflecting the durability of the controls and processes put in place.
The migration of QuickBooks Online eliminated the inefficiencies of an oversized platform, giving the team faster access to the financial data they need without unnecessary complexity.
Fundraising revenue is now easier to track and reconcile, with clear visibility into outstanding balances and collected revenue across the organization’s largest annual event.
Despite ongoing leadership turnover, accounting operations remained consistent, allowing the organization to meet critical deadlines for grant submissions, board reporting, and audit requirements.
Today, Sayva serves as the organization’s dedicated accounting team, working in close partnership with a new outsourced CFO to keep financial operations running at the level the organization’s mission demands.
KEY OUTCOMES
- Two consecutive clean annual audits, with a third currently underway
- Accounting Platform right-sized through migration to QuickBooks Online
- Structured invoicing and collections supporting a $2.6M fundraising event
- Stronger internal controls and expense oversight
- Consistent operations maintained through significant leadership turnover
- More organized, audit-ready financial records
