New York City Nonprofit Organizations: Fiscal Health Indicators Database

Fiscal Management Associates (FMA) provides fiscal consulting services to nonprofit organizations by enhancing knowledge and skills to successfully fulfill their missions. Currently FMA has a wealth of experience guiding its understanding of what works to achieve or maintain organizational fiscal health, but lacks hard data in some areas. FMA asked the Capstone team to launch a research project aimed at creating a database containing detailed financial and management information from local nonprofit organizations with annual budgets equal to $15 million or less, with particular focus on the areas of education, health and human services, and housing and settlement. The process of data collection included in-person interviews with several chief financial officers, online surveys, and the retrieval of information from F990 and financial statements. By collecting, organizing, and storing data in one centralized location, a powerful tool will be created for identifying specific best practices among effective and financially efficient nonprofit organizations.