Last month, I attended a nonprofit accounting class at the Center for Nonprofit Advancement in an attempt to forge a stronger connection between the numbers I work with everyday and the theories and larger-picture-ness behind accounting, a daunting task for someone who considers herself rooted in the idealism of liberal arts.  But through my work at the Roundtable, and external experiences like this class, I have come to realize the importance of the almighty dollar – much as we’d like to ignore it.  Luckily, my reluctant recognition of the dollar has come early in my foray into the nonprofit sector as finances and their impact are beginning to form the heart of my nonprofit understanding.

Unfortunately, others are not as lucky.  Rather, the mission-driven nature of nonprofits, which drew me and continues to draw me to the sector, has overwhelmed many people, so much so that basic financial necessities are not understood by those who not only need to understand them, but shape them.  At this class, for example, people of all different staff levels were present, from bookkeepers and development associates to executive directors and board treasurers.  We learned about basic financial policies – financial statements, budgets, and taxes.  Thus, it surprised me that such varied staff was present.  Shouldn’t executive directors and board treasurers know about budgets?  Aren’t they the ones dictating what goes in or out?

So what – so maybe they don’t know, but they know their missions and they know the tools to achieve those missions.  But what I’m realizing is that money is another important tool to reach those goals – and not just, hey, I need plane tickets to Nicaragua, better apply for a grant – but like other resources, it needs attention from everyone who’s affected by it, and for money, that’s pretty much everyone.