Company Size & Timeframe

  • 50+ employees
  • 2-3 days/week, 10 months

Results

  • Reduced month-end close from 15 days to 9 days (average)
  • Eliminated high turnover
  • Contracts stayed within terms and met required budgets

Company Profile & Position

  • Part-Time CFO
  • Nonprofit providing healthcare services
Results non-profit

Situation

  • Department was undergoing intense transition with 80% turnover
  • Role of senior finance executive was vacant for one year; currently backfilled by senior operations executive
  • Reporting took longer than it should, resulting in a perpetual close
  • Staff-designed processes resulted in lost time and resources; never achieving accuracy goal
  • Many accounting and reporting issues identified, but never resolved or fixed

Implementation

  • Reviewed processes and recommended improvements
  • Removed unnecessary complexity in accounting and finance operations
  • Simplified closing process
  • Staffed up mid-level accounting team
  • Designed monthly business review process with business segment owners to review implications of the numbers and proposed actions
  • Increased visibility on contract spending
  • Developed process to eliminate monthly reforecasting based on partial information; moved to a more robust quarterly reforecasting
  • Created an annual operating plan
  • Created financial recommendations package, including a longer-term plan for several software application changes
  • Implemented a weekly cash forecast
  • Removed structural errors in days cash on hand calculation and designed a new approach for improved accuracy
  • Worked with bank to increase services and generate investment income

See what Cerius can do for you.

Cerius Insights – Customer Quote

“Cerius helped us find an interim for a non-profit within a week. We really enjoyed working with [the interim], and his services and expertise helped us out when we were in a pinch.”