Your CFO is more than numbers - how the CEO can maximise their skills

Financial management is about much more than balancing the books. For not-for-profit CEOs and boards, understanding the numbers is critical to financial sustainability, managing risk and delivering on mission.

In this episode, Michelle and Danielle are joined by Tom Nisevic, an experienced CFO and business transformation leader, to explore how NFP leaders can use financial insight to make better strategic decisions.

In this episode, we discuss:

• What every NFP CEO should know about their organisation’s finances
• Why “no margin, no mission” matters
• Understanding the true cost of delivering impact
• Managing funding concentration risk and diversification
• How CEOs should use budgets and forecasts to look forward, not just backward
• The importance of understanding the assumptions behind the numbers
• Building an effective CEO-CFO partnership
• The CFO’s role in board governance and decision-making
• Why every board paper should answer the question: “So what?”
• Creating a culture where CFOs can challenge thinking
• Why the CFO should be a strategic partner, not the “bad cop”

The key message

Your CFO should be much more than the person who reports the numbers.

A strong CEO-CFO partnership connects financial performance, strategy, risk, opportunity and organisational impact — helping NFPs make informed decisions and build long-term financial resilience.

As Tom puts it, sustainable performance is about:

Results × Behaviours

Because in the NFP sector, financial sustainability isn't separate from mission— it enables the mission.

Connect with us:

LinkedIn: The NFP CEO: Overview | LinkedIn

Website: thenfpceo.com.au

Michelle Cutler: Michelle Cutler | LinkedIn

Danielle Ballantine: Danielle Ballantine | LinkedIn