Many finance leaders rightfully look at implementing a new financial management solution the same way any of us would look at scheduling a heart transplant:
- I absolutely won’t do it unless it’s a life or death situation
- It will be hugely painful and disruptive to my life
- There is a chance it won’t take and I will die
Morbid as this analogy sounds, you have to admit there is a lot of truth in it. We encounter nonprofit organizations of all sizes who stick with antiquated, inefficient systems, often at great direct and indirect cost, out of fear that the process might “kill” them. The reality is, if you don’t approach it the right way, it very well might.
There are two philosophies that JMT brings to our clients that are closely related to this analogy. First of all, people who eat well, exercise and lead an overall healthy lifestyle rarely need a heart transplant. Keeping your financial management systems optimized and current can help you keep your nonprofit financially sound, empower good management decisions and engender trust from donors and the community as a whole.
Secondly, should you need a heart transplant, I’m guessing you will want to leave as little to chance as possible. You wouldn’t choose a surgeon based on how close they live to your office. You probably wouldn’t hire a podiatrist to do your procedure either. I’m guessing you also wouldn’t send out an RFP to all of the surgeons in the area and choose the low bidder. This is important. Specific knowledge and reputation matter when it’s life or death.
With JMT, we are the leading heart surgeons (financial management systems consultants) in the country and we do all of the things you would expect from the best in the field:
- We won’t perform a procedure unless we believe it is absolutely necessary for your health
- We will carefully plan and scope the procedure so we can tell you exactly what to expect before, during and after
- We will do everything possible to minimize the pain and disruption to your life
- We will use our collective decades of experience to insure that there are no surprises, risk in managed and that the procedure is successful
- We will work with you after the successful operation to get to full health and stay there.
How does this compare to your expectations?
