About
((Parentheses Consulting)) is led by dawn matlak, a finance and operations leader who has worked behind the scenes with a range of nonprofits and cooperatives for over nineteen years. Besides their work with organizations like Diverse & Resilient, Public Allies, Spring Rose Growers Cooperative, Open Collective Foundation, Willy Street Co-op, & Meridian Institute, dawn comes from a background of 20+ years of movement organizing. Additionally, they spent many years consulting with cooperative startups, facilitating trainings with a popular education style, mediating organizational conflicts, and serving on multiple Boards of Directors.
dawn strangely loves numbers and the stories they tell, deeply enjoying empowering others who are in the process of expanding their money and compliance skillsets. Creating art & order from chaos is a skill dawn taps into in order to make fairly boring work a little bit lighter. This feels especially possible while centering humor & patience in the work.
Services
1
Finance coaching & oversight
Parentheses offers a wide array of services to strengthen financial health through improved management and reporting. Our focus on operational efficiency includes cleaning up systems, setting up robust internal controls, optimizing workflows, and preparing for audits. Hands on coaching is available for all staff (including leadership) in order to build a strong organizational emphasis on financial management and ensure IRS compliance. We also specialize in transitioning organizations to set up Ramp as a streamlined expense management system.
2
Fiscal sponsorship support
This is the area of expertise Parentheses Consulting excels at. Working primarily with models A & C, we provide a unique lens on fiscal sponsorship functionality. We can support changes related to fees & revenue structures, legal & insurance requirements, financial management & reporting, grant compliance, HR management, project relationships, successful spin-offs, and more. Our primary clients are fiscal sponsors, yet we work with sponsored projects as well.
3
Operational efficiencies
Beyond financial support services, Parentheses partners with nonprofits who are experiencing changes in order to streamline general operations. This can include performing operational audits and implementing best practices, providing guidance with contract management, supporting governance structures, enhancing HR functionality, or building comprehensive grant management strategies. Parentheses can help ensure your organization is equipped with the technology, systems, and infrastructure needed for sustainable growth and transformation.
