About Strand & Associates
Mr. Alan Strand, Principal, Strand & Associates, has more than twelve years of experience in nonprofit accounting, reporting, consulting, training and systems development. His expertise is grounded in a keen understanding of mission-based work and of nonprofits’ unique accounting, reporting and decision-making needs – including complex funding structures and diverse reporting requirements.
Mr. Strand’s firm, Strand & Associates, provides a full spectrum of financial management services to nonprofit organizations in the south Puget Sound region. His clients include human services, arts, and environmental organizations that receive funding from public and private sources. Previously, Mr. Strand spent two years as Senior Program Director for Financial Services at the Nonprofit Center of South Puget Sound, developing an outsourced accounting program, working directly with program clients, and developing a detailed financial self-assessment tool for nonprofits in the region.
Prior to relocating to Puget Sound, Mr. Strand spent nine years in progressively more responsible roles with the California Association of Nonprofits (CAN®) – chiefly as Director of Finance and Quality Reporting and ending his tenure there as Interim Executive Director. While at CAN, Mr. Strand developed and presented more than 40 nonprofit accounting seminars and workshops, helping more than 1,300 nonprofit professionals across the country improve their administrative and financial management skills. He also assisted countless member organizations to improve their financial systems; advised them on best practices in nonprofit accounting; and helped them develop policies, procedures and documentation to support and enhance their accountability.
In addition to his considerable experience as a nonprofit accounting practitioner, consultant, and trainer, we believe Mr. Strand’s specific expertise in financial system assessment and improvement brings particular value-added to this proposal:
- Mr. Strand was part of the team that developed, early this century, the Unified Chart of Accounts (UCOA®) (now a project of the National Center for Charitable Statistics) to promote flexibility and uniformity in nonprofit financial reporting.
- Mr. Strand sat on the national Committee for the Nonprofit Sector, 990 Subcommittee, convened by Independent Sector to make recommendations to the U.S. Senate Finance Committee as they updated Form 990 in 2007.
- In 2009 Mr. Strand authored the Web-based tool My Financial Management Plan for the national Nonprofit Risk Management Center to help nonprofit boards and executives develop financial policies and operations and address areas of financial risk within their organizations.
- In 2010-11, while with the Nonprofit Center, Mr. Strand developed a detailed financial self-assessment tool for nonprofits, designed to reveal specific areas needing improvement in financial operations.
- Over the years, Mr. Strand has worked with dozens of nonprofits to streamline and improve their financial systems for more efficiency, improved data quality, greater usability in decision-making, and increased compliance with the diverse reporting requirements of multiple stakeholders.
Mr. Strand launched Strand & Associates and this website in Winter 2008 to help nonprofit organizations manage, report on and make decisions about their resources in a more efficient and informed manner. He sits on the board of Camp Fire USA Orca Council and on the Finance Committee of the National Council of Nonprofits. His work includes:
- Outsourced bookkeeping and accounting services, on an ongoing or interim basis.
- Financial systems assessments, upgrades and integration.
- Custom staff and board training on financial and related topics.
- Special project consulting on accounting and related policies and procedures.
- Large-group training contracts with funders and academic institutions.
Mr. Strand’s LinkedIn profile can be found here.
Notforprofitaccounting’s Facebook page can be found here
Core Competencies
Mr. Strand’s core competencies lie in four areas that are key to optimal functioning of a nonprofit’s financial accounting and reporting processes. Specifically, he:
- Understands well the interrelationship between the accounting/financial functions and the mission, management and governance decisions an organization must make — and acts as a bridge between various parties during management discussions.
- Quickly and accurately analyzes and upgrades financial systems so that they intersect with the client’s mission, programs and reporting needs in a streamlined, logical and efficient manner.
- Identifies and addresses policy and process needs to ensure nonprofits are acting with the greatest level of practical knowledge, efficiency, integrity and accountability.
- Teaches critical information and new skills in the area of nonprofit accounting and reporting in a way that allows trainees to make informed decisions about their processes and needs.
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