Fractional Controller

There's a gap between a bookkeeper and a CFO, and most organizations fall into it.

Your books get done, but nobody owns whether they're right. The close takes three weeks. Grant reports get assembled by hand each time. The budget-to-actual only makes sense to the person who built it. Audit season is a scramble, every year, and every year you say you'll get ahead of it.

That's controller work. It's the layer that makes everything above it trustworthy, and it's the layer most organizations skip.

What we handle

  • Ownership of the monthly close and reconciliations

  • Chart of accounts design and class or fund structure

  • Restricted fund tracking and release documentation

  • Grant reporting and compliance support

  • Budget-to-actual reporting and variance analysis

  • Board-ready financial packages

  • Accounting systems, workflows, and documentation

  • Audit preparation and auditor liaison

  • Supervision of internal or outsourced bookkeeping staff

Who leads this work

Cailin Vallejo, our Director of Accounting, leads every controller engagement. Cailin brings over 10 years of accounting experience, supporting a variety of organizations with their financial operations and helping teams make informed business decisions. She's supported by our accounting team and has our full CFO bench behind her when a question needs it.

How the engagement works

Ongoing and retained, hours vary depending on transaction volume and reporting complexity. Fees start at $3,000 per month.

What we don't do

Controller engagements don't include forecasting, board strategy, capital planning, or funder relationship work. If you need those, you want a Fractional CFO. Many clients start here and add CFO support later.

We are not a payroll processor and we do not handle tax filings. We work alongside a firm we trust for both, and we'll make the introduction.