Think Like a CFO (Paperback)

Michael D. Ward

ISBN 13: 9798999282538

Editore: Michael D. Ward, 2026

Riguardo questo articolo

Paperback. You're responsible for the finances. That doesn't mean doing the finances - it means owning the outcomes.Most nonprofit CEOs came to the sector to pursue a mission, not manage a balance sheet. So finance gets handed off - to a CFO, a controller, an auditor - with the assumption that someone else has it covered. That works, until it doesn't. A cash crisis. An audit finding. A grant that doesn't come through. A board that starts asking questions you can't confidently answer. In those moments, the difference between delegating financial work and owning financial outcomes becomes very clear.Think Like a CFO: Finance, Risk, and Strategy for Nonprofit CEOs is the practical, experience-driven guide for nonprofit leaders who want to lead their organization's finances - not just manage them from a distance.Drawing on decades of experience as a nonprofit CEO, CFO, board member, and financial advisor, Michael Ward covers the full landscape of what financial leadership actually requires: The CFO mindset - how to think about financial decisions before they're made, not after the factFinancial statements - how to read them as leadership tools and use them to spot problems earlyBudgeting - how to build a rigorous annual budget and use it to guide performance throughout the yearStrategic financial analysis - how to look behind the top-line numbers to drive stronger resultsRevenue models - how to evaluate strategies across the nonprofit sector and borrow lessons from organizations unlike your ownRisk management - how to identify, assess, and manage the financial risks your organization faces before they become crisesInternal controls - why they matter to you as CEO and how to ensure the right safeguards are in placeTax compliance - what the IRS requires of nonprofit organizations and how to stay ahead of itLong-term commitments - how to evaluate facilities, technology, and multi-year financial decisionsOutsourcing - how to decide what to staff internally, what to contract out, and how to manage bothTelling your story - how to communicate financial results in ways that build trust with your board, funders, and communityWard draws on his experience leading a national nonprofit as both CEO and CFO, advising dozens of organizations as a consultant, and serving on seven nonprofit boards. He doesn't write like a professor teaching accounting. He writes like the advisor he is - direct, practical, and focused on what actually matters to the person in the CEO's chair.Whether you're stepping into a nonprofit CEO role for the first time, navigating a financial challenge, or looking to sharpen the financial leadership skills you already have, Think Like a CFO gives you the mindset and the tools to own the outcomes. A practical, experience-driven guide for nonprofit leaders who want to lead their organization's finances. This item is printed on demand. Shipping may be from multiple locations in the US or from the UK, depending on stock availability.

Codice articolo 9798999282538

Dati bibliografici

• Titolo: Think Like a CFO (Paperback)
• Editore: Michael D. Ward
• Data di pubblicazione: 2026
• Lingua: Inglese
• ISBN 13: 9798999282538
• Rilegatura: Paperback
• Condizione: new

Descrizione articolo

Riassunto

You're responsible for the finances. That doesn't mean doing the finances — it means owning the outcomes.

Most nonprofit CEOs came to the sector to pursue a mission, not manage a balance sheet. So finance gets handed off — to a CFO, a controller, an auditor — with the assumption that someone else has it covered. That works, until it doesn't. A cash crisis. An audit finding. A grant that doesn't come through. A board that starts asking questions you can't confidently answer. In those moments, the difference between delegating financial work and owning financial outcomes becomes very clear.

Think Like a CFO: Finance, Risk, and Strategy for Nonprofit CEOs is the practical, experience-driven guide for nonprofit leaders who want to lead their organization's finances — not just manage them from a distance.

Drawing on decades of experience as a nonprofit CEO, CFO, board member, and financial advisor, Michael Ward covers the full landscape of what financial leadership actually requires:

• The CFO mindset — how to think about financial decisions before they're made, not after the fact
• Financial statements — how to read them as leadership tools and use them to spot problems early
• Budgeting — how to build a rigorous annual budget and use it to guide performance throughout the year
• Strategic financial analysis — how to look behind the top-line numbers to drive stronger results
• Revenue models — how to evaluate strategies across the nonprofit sector and borrow lessons from organizations unlike your own
• Risk management — how to identify, assess, and manage the financial risks your organization faces before they become crises
• Internal controls — why they matter to you as CEO and how to ensure the right safeguards are in place
• Tax compliance — what the IRS requires of nonprofit organizations and how to stay ahead of it
• Long-term commitments — how to evaluate facilities, technology, and multi-year financial decisions
• Outsourcing — how to decide what to staff internally, what to contract out, and how to manage both
• Telling your story — how to communicate financial results in ways that build trust with your board, funders, and community

Ward draws on his experience leading a national nonprofit as both CEO and CFO, advising dozens of organizations as a consultant, and serving on seven nonprofit boards. He doesn't write like a professor teaching accounting. He writes like the advisor he is — direct, practical, and focused on what actually matters to the person in the CEO's chair.

Whether you're stepping into a nonprofit CEO role for the first time, navigating a financial challenge, or looking to sharpen the financial leadership skills you already have, Think Like a CFO gives you the mindset and the tools to own the outcomes.