Engagement Models

How We Work

Your Kaplan CFO brings a comprehensive skillset of financial leadership experience to your engagement. With three customizable engagement models, we meet you where you are and help you get to where you want to be. Each model is offered as an on-site or remote engagement and can be applied to both for-profit and non-profit organizations.

Embedded Engagements

Whether working on-site or remotely, an embedded Kaplan CFO gives you experienced financial leadership, without having to bear the cost of a full time C-level employee. We work as part of your management team for as long as it takes to realize your financial goals. Here’s how it works:

Select Your CFO

Each Kaplan CFO staff has a range of industry expertise and personal strengths. We ensure your CFO is the best match for your needs, based on their skill set and availability. 

Envision Success

You and your CFO will establish objectives and a timetable for the engagement.The objectives are the conditions necessary to reach the next stage in your company’s growth. The timetable is the expected length of time needed to get there. 

Set the Schedule

Determine how many days per week (or month) you’ll need your CFO. You can always increase or decrease the frequency as added. A typical embedded engagement lasts 18 – 46 months. Initial contracts have a four-month minimum and can be extended as needed.  

Add Your CFO to the Payroll

As a member of your senior management team, your CFO is on your payroll and is paid according to your normal payroll process. Kaplan CFO provides healthcare insurance for all engagement partners, so you do not incur those costs.

Why we begin with the end in mind.

At the beginning of any embedded engagement, you and your Kaplan CFO define the conditions that signal our relationship has reached a successful conclusion. For some, that means growing to the point where hiring a permanent CFO is the right move. For others, it means establishing the firm financial footing and internal procedures that allow your controller to manage the business without us.  For still others, it may be the successful sale or merger of the company. 

 Whatever the criteria, we make sure you are thoroughly prepared for our departure. It not only marks a successful conclusion to our productive relationship, it is the beginning of a new chapter in your company’s development—a time to celebrate. 

Project Engagements

A project engagement gives you all the experience and leadership of an embedded CFO, but on an as-needed finite basis. There is no minimum time frame because the projects are short-term in scope. 

It’s ideal for companies who require specific expertise for one or more projects. This includes small companies not yet ready for an interim CFO, as well as large companies looking to outsource. Examples include:

Due Diligence for mergers and acquisitions
Support your team in year-end tax audits
exit strategy planning
cash flow modeling
debt or equity funding
business plan development

A project engagement can be either on-site or remote. Here’s how it works…

Engage Your Project Manager

Each Kaplan CFO team member has expertise in all phases of business operations and financial management. Projects are assigned based on partner availability and specific skill set. 

Plan the Project

You and your project manager will then establish project objectives, a schedule and budget. The schedule for shorter projects may simply include a start and end date. Extended projects may be broken down into phases, each with its own schedule and objectives. 

Budgeting & Payment

The budget will include the estimated cost of all external and internal resources and materials needed to complete the project. Among these will be the cost for the services of your project manager which is calculated using an hour or daily rate.

Board Leadership

Kaplan CFOs are often asked to serve on for-profit Shareholders Boards and non-profit Advisory Boards. In this capacity, we provide fiduciary leadership and expertise, enabling the board to fulfill its responsibility for financial oversight and strategic planning.  

As part of our Board Leadership Engagement model, a Kaplan CFO is presented and voted onto the board where we serve as active financial advisors. As a participating member of the board, we attend all necessary board and committee meetings. We challenge the organization’s management and our fellow board members to think strategically as they consider how their planning will impact (and be impacted by) the organization’s financial decisions.  

Here’s how it works: 

Initial Meeting

We recommend meeting with Kaplan CFO first to discuss your situation and requirements and understand how our Board Leadership Engagement works. This helps us select the best CFO for you and enables you to articulate our services and value to the rest of the board.

Scope of the Engagement

During the initial meeting, we’ll also define the scope of the engagement. Typically, this involves outlining the number of meetings the CFO will attend, any committee assignments and special duties, such as presenting during the Annual Meeting.

Present and Vote on the Kaplan CFO

According to the organization’s by-laws, the Kaplan CFO is nominated and voted on to officially join the board.

Compensation

Kaplan CFOs volunteer their services to sit on and advise non-profit boards. When working with for-profit organizations, compensation is typically whatever other board members receive. Financial services beyond that of a typical board member are also available upon request.

Services Rendered

The following is an overview of the core financial competencies every Kaplan CFO brings to an engagement. This is in addition to the business leadership and mentorship we provide on a regular basis. 

Planning

→ Growth planning and support
→ Financial and tax strategies 
→ Capital budget forecasting   
→  Operating budget development
→ Business plan development  
→ Cash flow modeling  
→ Exit strategy planning  

Mergers & Acquisitions

→ Due diligence
→ Portfolio assessment
→ Negotiations
→ Cash infusion strategies

Operations

→ Operational best practices 
→ Financial management of subsidiaries
→ ERP selection and implementation
→ Transactional systems
→ AR/AP management
→ Product cost studies
→ Customer pricing analysis

Human Resources

→ Compensation strategies
→ Employee benefit plans
→ Payroll management
→ Severance policies
→ Headcount forecasting

Financial Information

→ Investment community interface
→ Structure and help management interpret financial statements
→ Annual and quarterly reporting to the  board of directors
→  Manage year-end auditing by outside accountant(s)

Risk Managment

→ Risk mitigation and control 
→ Interface with legal counsel
→ Insurance strategies
→ Regulatory compliance
→ Internal control analysis & Implementation

Funding

→ Negotiate debt financing
→ Help management better understand debt financing and compliance
→ Oversight of loan covenants
→ Due diligence to aide in equity financing
→ Oversee investment funding
→ Manage banking and investor relationships

Business Transition

→ Definition of transition goals
→ Transition strategy (ESOP, sale, family succession, liquidation, etc.)
→ Business valuation
→ External buyer profiling
→ Letter of intent
→ Negotiation with buyer

Get In touch

(828) 778-6907

available from 8:00 am – 5:00 pm

Address 825-C Merrimon Ave #189, Asheville, NC 28804

Email info@kaplancfo.com