Social Impact Commons Advisory Services

Social Impact Commons helps build equitable, resilient, and impactful fiscal sponsors and related backbone organizations through a whole systems approach.

Fiscal sponsorship is a nonprofit resources sharing platform for a more efficient, sustainable, equitable, and inclusive sector.

If you are one of the below types of organizations, we’d love to know how we can support your work through direct advisory services.

  • Fiscal sponsors of all models, sizes, and life stages, from aspiring to established, including multi-entity sponsors with (c)(3)s and (c)(4)s;

  • Philanthropies and philanthropy serving organizations of all kinds, including philanthropic intermediaries and collaborative funds;

  • Nonprofits that are not fiscal sponsors, but are interested in or whose work relates to the field of fiscal sponsorship.

For fiscally sponsored projects seeking support:

  • If you are sponsored by a Current Member, we’re happy to talk to both you and your sponsor about how we can help.

  • If you are not yet affiliated with a sponsor, consider Individual Membership.

  • If you are affiliated with a sponsor, who is not a Member, please encourage your sponsor to join.

Our below-market Advisory Services are intended to broaden and deepen the resources of the Members of Fiscal Sponsorship Commons.

Join today!

Commons

Advisory

Services

    • Program Design

    • Lean Strategic Planning

    • Financial Management & Portfolio Analysis

    • Sage Intacct Implementation & Support

    • Technology Research & Procurement

    • Staff Training & Professional Development

    • Interim Staffing

    • Policy & Procedures Review & Development

    • Legal & Risk Review & Advisement

    • Contract Drafting & Review

    • Structuring Complex Relationships

    • Project Transition Support

    • Educational Workshops for Board, Staff, & Stakeholders

    • General Problem Solving & Day-to-Day Advice

    • Training & Orientation Workshops on Fiscal Sponsorship

    • Fiscally Sponsored Grantmaking Policy & Practices Development Due Diligence Support for Fiscally Sponsored Grantmaking

    • On-call Support for Sponsored Grantees & Service Clients

    • Portfolio Development Strategy for Sponsored Grantees & Fiscal Sponsor Clients

    • Landscape Analysis & Mapping of Fiscal Sponsors in Your Region

    • Ecosystem Strengthening Projects for Fiscal Sponsors in Your Region

  • Social Impact Commons offers the only AICPA-endorsed, market-leading, multi-entity accounting system, Sage Intacct. Sage Intacct provides best-in-class accounting capabilities, access to a diverse set of data and reports, easy integration with CRM, payroll, and other enterprise solutions, allowing data to flow between multiple systems with ease.

    Our custom Intacct package and instance is designed by and for fiscal sponsors and is available through our exclusive partnership with the Sage Intacct Accountant Program (SIAP). Along with implementation support, we provide access to this globally acclaimed system to our Members at a fraction of retail licensing cost (up to 80% off retail!). Costs for implementation, licensing, and ongoing support are additional to annual membership dues.

    New to Intacct? Check out our information deck here!

Accessible Pricing

Our pricing model is structured to be hassle free and more financially accessible through membership in Fiscal Sponsorship Commons.

Direct Support Time: We provide both on-call and scoped work to our members. Support services are billed monthly via itemized invoice. Impact Commons may charge for up to 30 minutes time for scheduled meetings that are not attended and are not canceled within 24 hours of the start time.

Enterprise Solutions: Pricing for Sage Intacct instances is subject to level of utilization. Our support time for implementation and ongoing assistance is billed hourly at the above rates. We’re happy to provide scope and estimates for both Intacct costs and our support time.

Some Ways We Support

Below are some examples of ways that we support our member organizations. Costs for the below types of support are additional to annual membership dues.

For Fiscal Sponsors and their Sponsored Projects

  • You’re on your way as a fiscal sponsor, but you need occasional brainstorming or sounding board support for new policies and practices. You call us and ask for feedback from time to time.

  • You have a project contemplating spin out and you want help evaluating the relationship from both sides and helping the project through the thought process. We use our Spin Out Assessment Tool to frame the conversation.

  • You have a bunch of new board members who want to learn how fiscal sponsorship works, as well as trends and strategic questions for governance. We conduct a board orientation and workshop.

  • You’re brand new to fiscal sponsorship and need policies, practices, updates to your accounting system, as well as template forms and Fiscal Sponsorship Agreements. We have you covered.

  • You want to upgrade your accounting system from QuickBooks to a true multi-entity accounting system where projects can assess their own financial dashboard. We help you implement Sage Intacct at a deep discount.

  • You want to analyze and run scenarios on your portfolio and forecast when you’ll need to add more staff. We complete a Portfolio Analysis Tool that you can use to do scenario forecasts as well.

For Funders, PSOs, Peer Nonprofits, & Service Providers

  • A regional Philanthropy Serving Organization asks us to conduct a Fiscal Sponsorship 101 workshop for its members to learn about the models and trends in the field.

  • A private foundation engages us to develop fiscal sponsor/project-friendly grantmaking policies and practices and to orient its staff and board to fiscal sponsorship models and trends.

  • A community foundation commissions a landscape study of the fiscal sponsorship ecosystem in its area, as well as constituent nonprofit needs that could be addressed through building local fiscal sponsor capacity.

  • A management consulting practice engages us for a training session on fiscal sponsorship to build its knowledge base in the field and better serve its clients.

  • We partner with a management consulting firm to explore with a client the benefits and risks of becoming a fiscal sponsor.

  • A technology provider addressing the nonprofit market hires us to provide feedback on their platform and pricing to ensure that both are well positioned for the fiscal sponsorship marketplace.

  • An accounting and bookkeeping firm engages us to orient their team to fiscal sponsorship financial best practices and approaches to financial analysis and reporting for sponsors and projects.

Become a Member!

Learn more and Join today!
“I’m really grateful to the Social Impact Commons team for the information. Touched on big concepts, legal/model stuff, and strategy/big picture considerations for funders. All very helpful.”
— Attendee at Philanthropy Northwest Workshop