Pro Bono
Accounting Support (PAS)
Empowering Grassroots Organizations with World-Class Finance Support.
Expert volunteers helping you build a solid financial foundation.
FiNGO provides local organizations with probono services, targeted towards developing the financial management capacity and long-term financial sustainability. Our qualified volunteer accountants can provide one to one coaching and consultation on all matters relating to the finance and accounting. This forms an important part of a long-term strategy to develop the financial management capacity of non-profit organizations. In FiNGO, our primary focus is to develop and enhance the skills, confidence and potential of local organizations and for our client to develop the capacity they need to deliver more effective and sustainable services to their beneficiaries.
We work majorly with local and community-based organizations, who are small and assignments will often be broad in nature, with different areas of focus at a very basic level. The need for qualified and experienced finance persons, is as a result of unavailability of training at a local level. This is combined with the complex reporting requirement by institutional donors. Institutional donors most likely will restrict their funding to specific items on a project’s budget and limit the allocation for infrastructures and capacity building of the organization. Most local NGOs that are small with very limited resources, finds it difficult to keep accurate records; with a different chart of accounts, reporting formats and sometimes dedicated bank accounts required by the institutional donors.
We cover the following
Eligibility criteria
We support local and community-based organizations with varying levels of financial management expertise; from those with no accounting processes, budgets or financial plans to more established organizations with full time accounting staff and recognizable accounting software. However, we focus on organizations who are committed to the development of their financial management infrastructure and can provide the organizational structure and resources needed for our volunteers’ support to be effective and sustainable.
To qualify for this support:
- Your organization must focus on improving the lives of children and vulnerable adults in the local community.
- Submit 1 reference from international NGOs/donors.
- Must have a minimum of one finance staff to work with our volunteers for a least 20 hours a week during the period of placement.
- A letter of commitment to improve the organizational finance management and systems.
PAS Process
- Application from the local partner with the 1 reference.
- Submission of Terms of Reference in FiNGO template
The local client is expected to develop a ToR, using FiNGO specified template. This document will account for the following: - financial reporting timelines, deliverables etc.
If the local partner is not sure of what is needed but highlighted major weakness that need to be addressed, FiNGO volunteers will determine the scope of the assignment during the few days of the first visit, and develop a detailed long-term terms of reference before focusing on key priorities as agreed.
- Organizational Capacity Assessment
- FiNGO’s volunteer & the local partner jointly develop a workplan for the assignment.
- FiNGO’s volunteer submits a weekly report to FiNGO’S Global Hub and local partner management team.
- Action plan and close out meeting.
*The duration of the assignment depends on the availability of the local partner staff, the scope of the ToR and availability of FiNGO’s volunteer. The timeline for the assignment usually vary from 4 to 52 weeks. FiNGO takes averagely 2 to 3 months in advance to plan for each assignment. The earlier the notice from the partner, the more likely FiNGO will find a suitable volunteer.
Fees:
FiNGO charges a small administrative fee to the local partner. This depends on the annual income of the organization and the duration of the assignment. For more information, contact: - info@fingoconsulting.com
Let’s Build Something Great Together.
Volunteers’ qualification criteria
Dealing with problems
- Ability to ensure strict adherence to FiNGO’s Standard Operating Procedure (SoP) to support sound financial management in a locally based organization.
- Ability to offer support through coaching and training of local clients’ staff to ensure improvement in performance and financial practices.
- Ability to be creative in building and working effectively within a diverse working environment.
- Ability to work with minimum supervision.
- Ability to analyze financial issues for decision-making and refer to placement manager for approval.
- Ability to manage competing priorities and expectations from internal and external stakeholders and remain calm and resilient in the face of pressure.
- Ability to manage multiple and work with distant colleagues to form virtual efficient finance team to support a locally based organization.
Communications and Working Relationships
- Ability to maintain a low contact with local clients’ external stakeholders (vendors, participants, beneficiaries etc).
- Has medium contact with State board for Internal Revenue and Federal inland revenue service on tax clearance, withholding tax remittances etc.
- Ability to maintain high contact with local clients’ staff to offer support as outlined in the terms of reference.
- High contact with local clients’ tax consultant and auditors in respect of tax issues and auditing findings respectively.
- Prepare and submit relevant financial reports including donor financial reports
- Work with other members of the local clients’ finance team and other departments to ensure effective and efficient program delivery.
Technical expertise, skills and knowledge:
Qualification and
Experience
- Bachelor of science in
accounting or equivalent; - Recognized professional accounting qualification
e.g. ANAN/ACA/ACCA/CIMA is preferred
but not compulsory. - No experience required.
Demonstrated behaviours needed by the post holder to be successful in the role.
- Communicates clearly and effectively.
- Strong team building skills, organized and methodical.
- Independence, objectivity and integrity.
Desirable
- Knowledge and use of accounting software
- Demonstrated experience in training others on financial systems.
- Knowledge of Nigeria tax regulations
- Advanced computer skills in MS Office programs, particularly Excel.
- Prior management experience and strong organizational skills.
- Excellent oral and written English skills.
Role-specific applied skills.
- Ability to engage effectively with both international and local stakeholders.
- Proven capacity to multitask, meet deadlines, and adapt to evolving program needs.
- Strong understanding of country-specific policy and regulatory environments.
- Excellent interpersonal, communication, and coaching skills, including listening, negotiation, and influence.
- Demonstrated ability to build and sustain relationships in diverse, multicultural settings.
Frequently Asked Questions
Ready to Take Your Business or Nonprofit to the Next Level?
Whether you're scaling a Non-Profit, building an MSME, or navigating complex financial decisions, FiNGO can help you move forward, faster and smarter. Our expert team is ready to tailor a solution that fits your needs and your budget.