FAQ

BTQ bills for services provided in the following programs: Health Home, Health Homes Serving Individuals with Developmental Disabilities, OMH, PROS HCBS, OPWDD, Article 28, 29, 31, OASAS, CFTSS

BTQ can handle all aspects of a nonprofit's fiscal operations.

BTQ offers a comprehensive suite of services that can meet the needs of nearly any nonprofit organization.

BTQ has a proven track record of success.

Our clients range from start-up firms requiring all-new financial systems, to well-managed nonprofits looking for efficiencies and cost savings and established organizations in need of fiscal turnaround.

New clients are typically referred through word-of-mouth from our satisfied nonprofits and client board members. Our reputation for quality, performance and leadership within the nonprofit community is something we take pride in.

BTQ's staff is comprised of mission-driven professionals who understand nonprofits' double bottom line.

The firm's founders have spent their careers working within and for the social sector.  Our Client Managers are committed to helping our nonprofit clients deliver on their missions. 

BTQ believes that it goes far beyond the expectations that an organization would have for a contracted consultant.  BTQ sees itself very much as a partner with its clients and that means “doing what needs to be done” to ensure a client's successful operations.  BTQ staff understand and relate to the mission of its clients (sometimes far more than they do to the mission and purpose of BTQ!). Of course, the client sets the ground rules, but BTQ staff like: to attend staff meetings; board meetings; be involved in planning; and setting up new initiatives, so that they can provide the real “value-added” services in which we take great pride.

BTQ was founded out of a consortium of nonprofits, government agencies and foundations that were seeking a new approach to managing the finances of nonprofits. A significant outcome of its inception is that it is focused on expanding and innovating its services far more than making a profit.

The business and social mission of the BTQ enterprise is to positively transform the huge, important and expanding nonprofit sector. Organizations in the nonprofit sector have long focused on their core missions while paying less attention to the administrative and financial functions, both as a result of the understandable pre-disposition by both management and boards of directors to apply most resources to meeting mission, and the lack of sufficient revenues to provide both excellent service and pay for professional management. Increasingly, though, the sector is being pressed to operate in a more “business-like” manner. Even without the external pressures, managers increasingly see the benefits that bottom line management and strong analysis bring to the delivery of their mission. The nonprofit challenge is to improve business management without sacrificing the social mission. The BTQ model attempts to provide a great solution to this challenge.

BTQ adheres to regular business hours. However, if a project deadline demands us to stay after regular hours we happily comply.

Client Managers serve as your CFO and therefore they are available as often as you need them. They correspond frequently by email, attend staff and board meetings and schedule teleconferences as needed. Many of our clients consider BTQ Client Managers members of their staff.

Our technology solutions enable our team to collaborate with clients on documents in real-time and provide you with answers to your questions when you need them.

The role of the Client Manager is to provide our nonprofit partners with the objective information and sound fiscal analysis they require to make timely and appropriate management decisions. The Client Manager monitors clients' cash position including bank balances, receivables, payables, etc, and makes recommendations on disbursements.

The Client Manager acts at the direction of the agency’s executive leadership and Board of Directors. At all times, our client agencies maintain sole and exclusive control over their funds, budgets and disbursements.

Many organizations come to us with 20 plus years of accounting records and books and naturally, there is apprehension about the ease of converting to a new model.

BTQ offers a team-oriented approach to all contract start-up and project initiation. We partner with your staff and work on-site at your offices to gather information from diverse stakeholders such as senior executives, board leadership and front-line accounting staff.  BTQ specializes in transitions and we are sensitive to the needs and issues that arise for organizations embarking on strategic change.

All organizations must comply with a uniform set of financial and accounting requirements. BTQ is able to implement a baseline platform to meet these needs. We are also uniquely able to customize this application to meet a wide variety of complex and unique accounting necessities.

After several meetings with BTQ Principals to determine the parameters of the working relationship, a project initiation and start-up phase is initiated. This consists of securing control over financial systems and establishing new reporting mechanisms.

The key initiation services include:

• Establishing a work plan for modification and restructuring of the fiscal system
• Transitioning general ledger systems, if appropriate
• Developing an annual agency budget by cost center or department and detailed 12-month cash flow projection
• Providing analysis of receivables and develop collection strategy
• Providing analysis of billing systems and develop appropriate billing system as needed
• Assessing functionality of the current general ledger system
• Designing a format of a monthly report and other appropriate management reports, including individualized agency benchmarks and other key indicators

BTQ uses a fixed monthly fee, which is easier for clients to manage and ensures no cost over-runs. Our fee is based on the level of staffing needs.  It is determined through a series of informational meetings and analysis of basic accounting information. A one-time transition fee may be necessary to cover the conversion of necessary fiscal systems and, if relevant, complete prior year audits or compliance reporting.

When evaluating a prospective client, BTQ undertakes an analysis of the level of effort required. It provides the prospective client with an analysis that reflects the full time equivalent level of staffing and qualifications of the required staffing level. We offer a fully transparent pricing model. There are no hidden fees or add-on costs once a contract has been finalized.

In general, BTQ’s fees are between 70% and 75% of what it costs for an in-house department. Although there is little in the way of definitive studies, most industry analysis indicates that high quality fiscal management cost between 3% and 7% of a nonprofits budget. There are clearly many variables to the cost of fiscal management, including the number of cost reimbursed contracts, number of staff, as well as size of budget. BTQ is often able to provide the services at 2% or less of its clients’ budgets.

BTQ establishes performance benchmarks with its clients that are revised annually.

Benchmarks may include:

• Indicators such as length of time to process invoices
• Number of days to issue monthly budget to actual financials
• Number of management comments on audits
• 100% spend down on all government contracts/grants, etc.

BTQ also conducts ongoing evaluations and surveys with its clients to determine the level of satisfaction.

BTQ measures its success both in terms of meeting all the fiscal and accounting requirements as well as evaluating how BTQ supports the mission-focused programs and services of each client.  To that end, BTQ measures the extent that the client achieves the following:

• A sense of well-being in terms of its financial management
• Maintaining positive funder relations;
• Ensuring the highest level of accounting, internal controls and financial reporting.

Most of BTQ’s clients have ongoing one year or two year contracts which are consistently renewed.

Client data is kept on a server in a secure facility with remote video monitoring and backup generators, as well as high speed and secure data access. BTQ digitally archives all paper files, including checks and invoices sent by you for deposit or payment. Our document retention policy ensures that we keep 2 years of files on-site before returning them to you for storage. BTQ follows stringent best-practices procedures for hiring and management, including regular background and credit checks on all employees. Staff may only disburse funds with proper authorization from both the client and BTQ management.

BTQ staff is happy to present at board meetings. We would need to meet first with senior management to better understand your financial and accounting needs.

We are also able to schedule preliminary meetings with your Board Treasurer or President and meet with them one-on-one as needed.