TRENDS Attends: Highlights from the CFO of the Year Awards Luncheon
From left, Charles Tate, CPA, Tate & Tryon; Joel Poznansky, Association TRENDS; Rising Star Award recipient Jason Daisey, Associated Builders & Contractors; CFO of the Year Stanley Berman, Global Impact; Transformational Leader Kimberly McKinnish, National Beer Wholesalers Association; and Eric West, West, Lane & Schlager. Photos by Jules Clifford for www.ChuckFazio.com
Communication and flexibility are key factors to being a successful association chief financial officer, two association winners said this week in a panel discussion at the Nonprofit CFO Awards Luncheon in Washington.
More than 300 attended the event at the Mayflower Hotel to honor CFO of the Year Stanley Berman of Global Impact; Rising Star Jason Daisey, Associated Builders & Contractors; and Transformational Leader Kimberly McKinnish of National Beer Wholesalers Association. The awards luncheon was a standalone event this year after being part of the program of the Greater Washington Society of CPAs Nonprofit Symposium for the past few years.
The luncheon's new format featured a panel discussion among the three winners, moderated by Current TV anchor David Shuster. On heading finances for an association with a 200-member board, Daisey said it required its own special skill sets, especially with communicating messages and strategy. He said a key to success in the nonprofit community is the ability to “communicate your ideas plainly.”
McKinnish was asked about the differences between working as a CFO in the for-profit vs. nonprofit worlds. She said it comes down to “the need for nonprofits to maximize their resources and constantly be able to adapt,” especially because the rules are different for associations and nonprofits.
Regarding resources, Berman said it is critical to retain and promote qualified staff. “Know in advance what qualities are critical to your organization, so that you have a plan of what to look for,” he advised.
The keynote speaker was Robert Egger, president of DC Central Kitchen (right), who discussed the changes that affect the nonprofit world. He said it is “through nonprofits that the basis for a robust community and economy is formed,” and that much of the “rebuilding of America” will come from the leadership of nonprofit CFOs. He added that the “millennial” generation is providing future executives who “want to learn how to give to the world.”
Another new feature this year was the hotly contested audience quiz, “Are you ready for 2012?” Healthcare Distribution Management Association COO Ann Bittman won a new iPad in a raffle after correctly answering three questions about nonprofit finance. Bittman coincidentally was a finalist in the "Best Practices and Exemplary Achievements in Not-for-Profit Financial Management" award, the precursor to the CFO of the Year award, and is also a past TRENDS Young & Aspiring Association Professional.
The luncheon hosts were Tate & Tryon, West, Lane & Schlager and Association TRENDS. Judges for the CFO Awards were chief judge Andrew Lang, CPA, president, Lang CPA Consulting; Brenda Hargett, CPA, CAE, COO, American Academy of Otolaryngology; Kathy McKinless, CPA, senior adviser to the Archbishop of Washington; and Richard Newman, Esq., who handles real estate, finance and tax matters for nonprofits.
