The Balance – Details, episodes & analysis

Is there anyone less popular than an accounting firm’s Quality Control Department? On today’s episode, Brad Muniz chats with Amy about how nonprofit finance pros can stop seeing QC as the bad cop, and instead welcome them as a valuable advisor. 

Further Resources:

Brad Muniz - CPA, CGMA

https://sobelcollc.com/about/our-people/brad-muniz/ 



Amy Karson - Founder, Brand K Partners

https://www.brandkpartners.com/ 

Staying engaged with your donors is the name of the game in the nonprofit realm. That’s easier said than done in a world that’s increasingly leaning on remote tech. So, how exactly do we grow a team of supporters, express sincere gratitude, maintain infectious energy, and keep those essential face-to-face interactions with the people behind our mission?

Stephanie Arcella, co-founder of TakeTwo services, joins us and brings a fascinating dual-perspective of someone who’s not only a talented fundraiser but also an experienced social worker. She’s our guide on this episode of The Balance — shining light on the heavy work we have to be doing, as well as some opportunities to lighten the load.

Further Resources:

Stephanie Arcella - Co-founder, Take Two Services

https://www.take2services.com/who-we-are/

https://www.linkedin.com/in/stephaniearcella/

https://mobile.twitter.com/take2services

Amy Karson - Founder, Brand K Partners

https://www.brandkpartners.com/ 

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 - Founder, 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 - Founder, 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:

Susan Demarco, Chief Executive Officer 

Amy Karson, Founder

Brand K Partners: https://www.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, Founder

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 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, 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 - Founder, 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/