A Day in the Life…of a Charity Finance Director.
Posted on | October 13, 2010 | No Comments
A snapshot of a ‘typical’ day in the life of a charity finance director from NORCAS’s Paul Slyfield
To be honest, from what I have experienced since I was appointed two months ago, there isn’t a ‘typical’ day in the life of a charity finance director at NORCAS. I am pleased to say I have a very varied role!
After arriving in the office on a Monday morning and getting up to date on my emails, I hold a weekly finance meeting with my team. This is our chance to review what has happened the week before and plan for the week ahead, including where we will all be at any one time.
People may assume that a finance director will spend the majority of their time in the office at a computer, but not so! My role is one of strategic management and the best way to do this is to be very involved with the organisation and on the pace of everything that is happening. This way I can provide senior management with not only the financial information, but also the best advice on how all sorts of financial decisions will affect the organisation. There are many aspects of the charity’s finances that I will be asked to provide information about, including supplying figures for the annual review and coordinating with the auditors, to reviewing how our data is presented so that the team is receiving useful and user friendly reporting that will assist them in their day to day jobs.
Part of my time since joining the charity, has been spent on a mini roadshow around the NORCAS services in Norwich, Ipswich and Yarmouth. I have been accompanied by chief exec Maggie who has been introducing me to everyone, so I can get to know them and understand the role that they play in the organisation.
If I’m not travelling to one of the other offices, I will often be involved in either one-to-ones with various members of staff, or a regular structured meeting, which may be with senior managers, project groups or the NORCAS trustees. I’m from a commercial background and this is probably one of the biggest differences in my role and one that I’ve found very beneficial to our ‘one team’ approach. There is a very big difference between the finances of a charity and a commercial organisation. Of course, in a business the concentration is always on delivering a return for the shareholders. With a charity this is completely turned on its head. The focus is on delivering services for our clients and ensuring we have the resources to meet the demand and help people who need us. While careful financial management is equally vital, it’s almost the mirror image and very rewarding to be on the other side!
Another part of my role is taking responsibility for the IT of the organisation, which includes everything from the financial package we are using, to ensuring our everyday IT is helping us to work as effectively and efficiently as we can. This includes attending an occasional conference so that we are kept up to date with developments.
A significant amount of my time is also allocated to another major project for NORCAS, more of which I’m sure will be reported in the next newsletter!
The role of charity finance director can certainly be a busy and varied one. It is rewarding to play a key part in providing a tough commercial mindset for an ambitious charity that has already been through such significant change in such a short space of time and will continue to positively evolve over the coming months and years.
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