Advisory & Sector Support
NPO Advisory for
Boards and
Finance TeamsDECISIONS BACKED BY NUMBERS
When the board faces a funding gap, a new donor, a merger or a growth decision, you need an adviser who understands non-profit finance. We sit alongside your leadership and help you decide.
Need NPO Advisory Beyond Year-End Compliance?
Compliance keeps you registered. It does not tell you whether a new programme is affordable, how to price indirect costs into a proposal, or what happens if your largest funder pulls out. NPO advisory at TPCSA covers those questions: budgets and cash-flow forecasts, cost allocation, funder proposals and reports, reserves policy and board finance oversight. A Needs Analysis is the quickest way to see where advisory would help most.
We work on a project basis or as an ongoing finance adviser to the board — attending finance committee meetings, reviewing management accounts, and translating numbers for directors who are not accountants.
NPO Advisory Services
Budgets & forecasts
Funder proposal budgets
Reserves policy
Finance committee support
Systems selection
Cost allocation
Donor reporting
Sustainability planning
Mergers & partnerships
Our approach
Advice Grounded in How NPOs Are Funded
Non-profit finance has its own pressures: restricted funds, under-funded overheads, short grant cycles. We start with your actual funding mix and cost base, then build budgets and forecasts that show the board where the gaps are and how long reserves last.
For proposals we help cost programmes honestly, including a defensible share of overheads, and set up reporting so what you promise a funder can be shown from the ledger. That work links directly into our NPO accountants service and keeps VAT services for NPOs and tax services for NPOs questions in view.
Where advisory turns up governance or control weaknesses, we bring in NPO risk management; for structural decisions like a merger or new entity, NPO legal structuring.
Why NPO Leaders Use TPCSA as Advisers
- Three CA(SA) directors covering finance, tax and audit
- Tax input from Ridhwaan Khan CA(SA), SARS Registered Tax Practitioner (PR-0008992), H Dip Tax
- Audit and donor-compliance experience from Farida Lavangee CA(SA), Registered Auditor
- Practical models and board papers, not long theory reports
- Focused on South African NPOs, NPCs, trusts and PBOs
Frequently Asked Questions About NPO Advisory
What is NPO advisory?
It is financial and strategic advice for non-profit boards and managers — budgeting, forecasting, cost allocation, funder reporting, reserves and sustainability planning — beyond the basic compliance of books, tax and audit.
How is advisory different from accounting?
Accounting records and reports what happened. Advisory uses those numbers to help you decide what to do next — whether a programme is affordable, how to price a proposal, or how to respond to a funding cut.
Can you help prepare budgets for funding proposals?
Yes. We build programme budgets that reflect real costs, including an appropriate share of overheads, and align them with the funder’s format and eligible-cost rules.
How should an NPO recover overhead costs?
Through a documented cost-allocation method — for example by staff time or programme spend — applied consistently. Funders are more likely to accept indirect costs when you can show how they were calculated.
Should our NPO have a reserves policy?
Most boards benefit from one. It sets a target level of unrestricted reserves, often expressed as months of core costs, and explains how reserves are used and rebuilt. We help set a target that fits your income risk.
Can you attend our board or finance committee meetings?
Yes, on an agreed schedule. We review management accounts beforehand and explain key points and risks to directors in plain terms.
Do you help with donor reports?
Yes. We prepare or review financial reports against grant budgets, reconcile them to the ledger and flag variances before submission.
We are considering a merger or partnership. Can you help?
We can assess the financial position of both organisations, model the combined budget, and work with our legal structuring team on the entity and governance options.
Can you recommend accounting software for an NPO?
We help you choose and set up systems — including cloud accounting such as Xero — so funds, projects and donors can be tracked. We recommend based on your needs, not on a single product.
How do we engage TPCSA for advisory?
Start with a Needs Analysis or contact us. We agree either a defined project or a monthly advisory retainer.
Related support: NPO consulting services | NPO accountants | NPO risk management | NPO legal structuring | Needs Analysis
Compliance references: DSD NPO Directorate | SARS Tax Exempt Institutions | CIPC | Nonprofit Organisations Act 71 of 1997
Get in touch
Let’s talk about your NPO
Speak to our team about your advisory and financial planning needs.
We’ll help you find the right support for your organisation.