Like many finance directors in a large charity, I wear many hats: finance, HR, technology, governance, facilities and compliance. I ensure we put good financial decision-making at the heart of our organisation, as well as for the organisations we support. Not-for-profit organisations are rightly focused on their missions, but the best decisions are made when they are informed by finance.
I started out in the commercial sector but became disillusioned by working long hours and not seeing a public benefit to my work. A wise friend suggested trying housing associations as a bridge from commerce to charities. I joined the supported housing sector before finally making the transition to the charity sector, where I’ve been for the past 25 years.
The focus should be on thriving rather than constantly growing
I’ve seen organisations that I have worked for in the past benefit from CFG membership – and I’m now seeing things from the other side. As well as my finance role, I support our members and the wider sector through being part of technical accounting groups, developing and delivering training, and authoring articles for our online knowledge hub.
Being a remote-only organisation is a challenge. It can make it hard for newer members of staff to learn without the ‘office osmosis’, so we are mindful of this in all our internal communications. We have trained mental health first-aiders, and we have adopted Mental Health First Aid England’s approach of ‘wellbeing weeks’, where the whole office closes for a week, outside of annual leave. This time off is a big aspect of our benefits package, as we are unable to pay the salaries offered by the commercial sector.
Artificial intelligence, audit and the constant growth mindset are all challenges for the sector. AI is still relatively new, so we need to see how it develops. I think it will mean that as accountants we need to continue that mindset shift from ‘how do we process transactions’ to ‘how do we add value’. Regarding audit, the sector has struggled with the introduction of new IFRS Standards and a growing lack of audit capacity among the professionals servicing the third sector. There are also a lot more conversations around whether we need a constant growth mindset in our economy. I believe that the focus should be on thriving rather than constantly growing.
Seeing CFG through the pandemic is something of which I am enormously proud
One of my career highlights was being brave enough to make myself redundant. I’d been at an organisation for eight months when I realised the role wasn’t needed. I left and became self-employed for nine years, offering the same sort of support that CFG does. Another highlight has been participating in CFG’s review of the last Charities Statement of Recommended Practice (SORP) iteration. Being in the same room as some deep thinkers in the sector was quite intriguing. And seeing CFG through the pandemic is something of which I am enormously proud.
It’s vital to develop yourself and your career outside of the profession. I’ve never vested all my identity in being an accountant and made sure to develop my career and interests. I’ve been made redundant twice and because my identity was not solely as an accountant, I wasn’t hit as hard as some other colleagues. I’m a family man and my Christian faith is especially important to me. I have recently taken on the role as a youth leader at my church. I love being an ‘uncle’ figure to teenagers who need support and direction. It’s definitely mutually rewarding.
