The Balance: Recent Episodes
Brand K Partners
Nonprofit organizations do so much good in the world, but the people who found them and run them often struggle with the basics of managing their money. The Balance is here to help! Join Amy Karson, CEO of Brand K Partners - an expert in nonprofit finance with decades of experience in helping organizations large and small - as she and a wide variety of guest experts talk to nonprofit leaders about times their organizations overcame real-world challenges to become confident in keeping their books straight and their bank accounts healthy.
Diana Breen — “The Transition Whisperer” — is a career interim CEO who has guided nonprofits through all kinds of challenging situations. On this week’s episode of The Balance, Diana talks with Amy about navigating institutional change without fear and maintaining sound financial management when your organization is in flux.
Further Resources:
Diana Breen - Interim Executive Director/CEO
https://www.dianabreen.com/
Amy Karson - Chief Executive Officer, Brand K Partners
https://www.brandkpartners.com/
As accountants, bookkeepers, and financial planners, we’re excellent at understanding numbers. Talking about them can sometimes be challenging. In this episode, communication expert Don Waisanen speaks with Amy about how to present financial information in a way that keeps your audience informed, engaged, and confident!
Further Resources:
Don Waisanen - Founder and President, Communication Upward
https://commupward.com/
Amy Karson - Chief Executive Officer, Brand K Partners
https://www.brandkpartners.com/
For many people working in corporate finance and accounting positions, transitioning to the nonprofit sector may seem like a magical opportunity — passionate co-workers coming together to save the world...what could be better? The truth is that nonprofit work isn’t for everyone, and presents its own unique set of challenges. On today’s episode, Amy chats with Leigh Tucker of CliftonLarsonAllen about what a finance pro should consider before making the leap to working for a nonprofit, and what a nonprofit leader should consider before hiring a CFO from the corporate world.
Further Resources:
Leigh Tucker - Principal, CliftonLarsonAllen (CLA)
https://www.claconnect.com/
Amy Karson - Chief Executive Officer, Brand K Partners
https://www.brandkpartners.com/
Every organization wants to provide quality benefits to their staff, but when it comes to healthcare there are too many options! This week on The Balance, Amy speaks with benefits wizard Chuck Newman about navigating the sea of PEOs and HRAs to make the best choice for you and your team.
Further Resources:
Amy Karson - Chief Executive Officer, Brand K Partners
https://www.brandkpartners.com/
Chuck Newman - President and Managing Partner, Charles Newman Co.
https://www.charlesnewman.com/
Artists generally don't enjoy thinking about money, but in order to run a successful, sustainable arts organization, your finances and fiscal operations must be in order. On today's episode of The Balance, Amy talks with Kate Scorza Ingram of Create Today about how to apply effective money management to the performing arts and why financial planning is a creative pursuit!
Further Resources:
Amy Karson - Chief Executive Officer, Brand K Partners
https://www.brandkpartners.com/
Kate Scorza Ingram - Founder and Principal, Create Today LLC
http://www.createtoday.net/
Integrating new operations into your organization can be daunting, but if your organization isn’t using the best tools, it cannot achieve the best results. On today's episode of The Balance, Matthew Janeczko of Sisters of Charity Housing Development and Jim Coban of Coban Computer Solutions talk with Amy about modernizing financial systems and making technology your friend!
Further Resources:
Amy Karson - Chief Executive Officer, Brand K Partners
https://www.brandkpartners.com/
Matthew Janeczko - Executive Director and CEO, Sisters of Charity Housing Development
https://www.schdcorp.org/
Jim Coban - Owner, Coban Computer Solutions
https://cobancomputers.com/
A crucial part of fundraising is proving to donors that you will make good use of their financial support. On today’s episode of The Balance, Stephanie Carosella from Bank of America and Amy Jolin from Wholesome Wave join Amy Karson to discuss tips for writing a strong grant proposal and how to use fiscal statements to inspire confidence.
Further Resources:
Amy Karson - Chief Executive Officer, Brand K Partners
https://www.brandkpartners.com/
Amy Jolin - Director of Development, Wholesome Wave
https://www.wholesomewave.org/
Stephanie Carosella- Senior V.P. Community Relations Manager, Bank of America
https://www.linkedin.com/in/stephanie-nolan-carosella-5683809/
From 1099s to 990s to annual audits and beyond, no matter when your fiscal year ends, it’s a flurry of financial activity. Are you doing everything you can to make it run smoothly? Are you creating end-of-year reports that have real value for not just your financial team, but also your organization’s governance and fundraising? On this episode, Amy’s Brand K colleagues Matt Rief and Susan De Marco join her for a round table discussion about getting the most out of your EOY with the least amount of stress.
Further Resources:
Matthew Rief, Senior Accountant
Brand K Partners: https://www.brandkpartners.com/
Susan Demarco, Chief Operating Officer
Brand K Partners: https://wBrand K Partnersww.brandkpartners.com/
The New York Hall of Science – a much beloved destination for families in New York City – has had an outrageously difficult couple of years. Just as they were reopening from 18 months of COVID-19 lockdown, Hurricane Ida slammed into Queens, forcing the museum floor to close again for significant repairs. In this episode, we speak to Shih-Chang Lu, NYSCI’s Chief Financial and Operating Officer, about navigating natural disasters and even finding ways to come out of them stronger than ever.
Further Resources:
Shih-Chang Lu, Chief Financials and Operations Officer
New York Academy of Science: https://classic.nysci.org/
Amy Karson, Chief Executive Officer
Brand K Partners: https://www.brandkpartners.com/
Strong cash management and invoicing procedures are crucial for any organization - especially one that relies heavily on earned income. On today’s episode, nonprofit executive Melinda Brown-Magnani, Director of the Concordia Conservatory and small business owner Josh Riman, Founder and President of Great Believer, join Amy to compare notes on how to get paid in the present and avoid cash-flow stress in the future.
Further Resources:
Josh Riman, Great Believer: https://greatbeliever.us/
Melinda Brown-Magnani, Concordia Conservatory: https://www.concordiaconservatory.org/conservatory
Amy Karson, Brand K Partners: https://www.brandkpartners.com/
Presenting financials to your Board of Directors can be stressful… but effective preparation is all it takes to lead productive, meaningful conversations. On today’s episode, Amy welcomes fundraising consultant and long-time nonprofit leader Rhea Wong and Travis Carey, Founder and CEO of Carey and Co. to talk about strategies for entering the boardroom with confidence!
Further Resources:
Rhea Wong, Rhea Wong Consulting:
https://www.rheawong.com/
Travis Carey, Carey and Co.:
https://www.teamcarey.com/
Amy Karson, Brand K Partners:
https://www.brandkpartners.com/
Annual financial audits are a legal necessity for many nonprofits and the process can be very stressful. But with the right help, your audit can not only be smooth and easy but also tremendously useful to you and your team! In today’s episode, Amy is joined by her business partner, Allison Kucinski and auditor Joshua Chananie of Sax, LLP to talk about going into your audit with clarity and confidence.
Further Resources for this Episode:
Amy Karson and Allison Kucinski, Brand K Partners - https://www.brandkpartners.com/
Joshua Chananie, Sax LLP - https://www.saxllp.com/
It’s every nonprofit leader’s dream–a massive uptick in donations massively grows the size and reach of your organization, seemingly overnight. But (to paraphrase Spider-Man), with great success comes great responsibility. On this week’s episode, Amy talks to Malik Neal of Philadelphia Bail Fund and Jessica Santana of America On Tech about how they successfully built new operational infrastructure when their organizations grew a lot and very quickly.
Further Resources for this Episode:
Amy Karson - CEO, Brand K Partners - https://www.brandkpartners.com/
Malik Neal - Executive Director, Philadelphia Bail Fund - https://www.phillybailfund.org/
Jessica Santana - Co-Founder & CEO, America On Tech - https://www.americaontech.org/
Far too often, nonprofit leaders don’t have a clear understanding of what’s going on with their organization’s finances from day to day and month to month. In this episode, Sharon Sewell-Fairman and Patricia Jenny from Workforce Professionals Training Institute talk with Amy about the enormous value in using clear and accurate financial statements to define the present and plan for the future!
Further Resources for this Episode
Amy Karson - CEO, Brand K Partners
https://www.brandkpartners.com/
Sharon Sewell Fairman - CEO
Patricia Jenny - Board Finance Chair
Workforce Professionals Training Institute
https://www.workforceprofessionals.org/
Between large and small donors, corporate support, events, grants, and earned revenue, sustainable funding for your organization has to come from multiple sources. Too many eggs in the same basket and a single hiccup can hamstring your programs, maybe permanently! In today’s episode, Amy sits down with Penni Feiner from Kula for Karma and fundraising ace Doug Wingo to talk about how to diversify, stabilize, and grow, particularly in the post-COVID world.
Brought to you by:
https://www.brandkpartners.com/
Featuring:
https://kulaforkarma.org/
https://wingo.nyc/
One of the most important things about managing your money is keeping it safe, and the real and present dangers of cyber-crime have made this harder than ever. Is your organization as secure as it can be from online theft? And would you know what to do if you were hacked or phished or had your data held hostage? In this episode, Amy is joined by Nancy Negourney of Her Justice, a nonprofit that successfully weathered a crippling cyber attack and Joshua Peskay of Round Table Technology, the firm that helped her do it.
Further Resources for this Episode
- Amy Karson - CEO of Brand K Partners
https://www.brandkpartners.com/
- Nancy Nagourney - Director of Finance & Operations
https://herjustice.org/
- Joshua Peskay - vCIO
https://www.roundtabletechnology.com/
Every nonprofit wants to grow and serve more people—but how? Does slow and steady win the race, or does fortune favor the bold? On this week’s episode of The Balance, Amy sits down with Liz Accles, Executive Director of Community Food Advocates, and Marti Fischer, a seasoned Executive Coach, to discuss the steps to scaling up successfully.
Further Resources for this Episode:
Amy Karson - CEO of Brand K Partners
https://www.brandkpartners.com/
Liz Accles - Executive Director of Community Food Advocates
https://www.communityfoodadvocatesnyc.org/contact
Marti Fischer - Executive Coach
https://www.martifischergroup.com/
Billy Martin - best known as the drummer for Medeski, Martin, and Wood - went from being a full-time musician to being President and CEO of long-running nonprofit organization, the Creative Music Foundation. Along the way, he had a lot to learn about finance, fundraising, and how nonprofits function.
In today's episode, Billy, Amy, and ace consultant Tonia Papke talk about how telling a compelling story is as important in money as it is in music! Further Resources:
Amy Karson - Brand K Partners:
https://www.brandkpartners.com/
Billy Martin - Creative Music Studio and Creative Music Foundation:
https://creativemusic.org
Tonia Papke - MDI Consulting:
http://www.mdiconsult.com/aboutus.html
On the first episode of The Balance, host Amy Karson speaks with Amy Fiore, Managing Director of Sobel Bixel, and Natalia Feinstein, Chief of Staff at Wholesome Wave, about the importance of and struggles associated with fiscal transparency in the world of nonprofit finance.
Amy and Natalia discuss creating a “culture of philanthropy” and the tools they’ve used to facilitate healthy conversations with board members, funders and staff that have led to both increased giving and long term financial stability.
Further Resources for this Episode:
- Amy Karson - CEO of Brand K Partners
- https://www.brandkpartners.com/
- Amy Fiore - Managing Director of Sobel Bixel
- https://www.sobelbixel.com/
- Natalia Feinstein - Chief of Staff at Wholesome Wave
- https://www.wholesomewave.org/
Join Amy Karson of Brand K Partners and her amazing guests in conversations that de-mystify money and help nonprofit organizations learn to thrive. Season one launches September 8th, 2021 - subscribe now wherever you get your podcasts!