RESPONSIBILITY & SCOPE

What We Handle.
What You Keep.

Your leadership team continues making the decisions and owning the finance role. We coach and advise alongside you.

Credited back if you start an ongoing plan.

Minimalist architectural balance and clean geometric stone structure representing advisory scope and financial clarity

OUR PHILOSOPHY

Why This Matters

We'd rather lose a sale than sell you something you don't need. We judge our work by whether your ministry makes sound long-term decisions, not by how many hours we bill.

“People trust SBK more when they believe we are genuinely trying to help them make the right decision - even when the right decision doesn't maximize our revenue.”

  • Tell a ministry when it does not need a CFO

  • Recommend Controller Oversight instead of replacing a good employee

  • State plainly what remains the client’s responsibility

  • State what SBK does not do

  • Give insane value through Diagnostic work even if they never hire SBK

  • Refer audit/legal work instead of pretending to provide it

RESPONSIBILITY BREAKDOWN

Scope by Service

Based on your engagement choice, here's exactly who does what:

1. Fractional Accounting

Reliable books and a complete monthly close.

WHAT SBK HANDLES

  • Weekly bookkeeping

  • Account reconciliations

  • The full monthly close

  • Clean monthly financial statements

  • Donor restriction tracking

WHAT YOU STILL HANDLE

  • Approving and paying bills, unless you add bill pay

  • Payroll processing, unless you use SBK payroll

  • Signing authority on your accounts

  • Every ministry and spending decision

2. Controller Oversight

Keep your people. We review and sign off on their close.

WHAT SBK HANDLES

  • Review and sign-off on your team's monthly close

  • Review of reconciliations and financial statements

  • Internal controls review and recommendations

  • Process guidance for your bookkeeper or finance staff

  • A place to bring accounting questions your team can't resolve

WHAT YOU STILL HANDLE

  • Day-to-day transaction work, done by your team

  • Your team's first pass at the monthly close

  • Hiring, supervising, and managing your staff

  • Approving and paying bills

  • Payroll processing, unless you use SBK payroll

3. Fractional CFO

Finance leadership built on stable books.

WHAT SBK HANDLES

  • Leadership and direction of the accounting function

  • A rolling 90-day cash forecast, with a quarterly reforecast

  • Board-ready reporting and decision support

  • Scenario planning for hires, campuses, and campaigns

  • Monthly finance meetings with your executive pastor or treasurer

  • Coordination with your CPA, auditors, bankers, lenders, and attorneys

WHAT YOU STILL HANDLE

  • Final board review, vote, and formal approval of the annual budget
  • Leadership decisions regarding capital expansions, buildings, and land
  • Staff compensation parameters, pastoral salary scales, and bonus votes
  • Lending partner selection and execution of commercial credit agreements

4. CFO Advisory

Financial coaching for leaders who keep the finance seat.

WHAT SBK HANDLES

  • Rigorous financial evaluation of proposed new campuses or ministry plants
  • Detailed analysis of commercial loan term sheets and restrictive covenants
  • Debt restructuring models and lender negotiation advisory briefs
  • Long-term financial risk reviews for commercial leases and vendor contracts
  • Direct consultative counsel on critical financial transitions and milestones

WHAT YOU STILL HANDLE

  • Official board governance resolutions and organizational charter changes
  • Legal signature authority for property transactions and financing contracts
  • Ministry mission priorities and denominational alignment decisions
  • Endowment withdrawals, reserve policies, and capital usage authorizations

5. Ministry Payroll

Payroll processing, with ClergyCadence included.

WHAT SBK HANDLES

  • Payroll runs and automated direct deposit batch execution

  • Clergy housing allowance and dual-status setup

  • Federal, state, and local quarterly and annual payroll tax filings

  • Annual Form W-2 and Form 1099 generation and electronic filings

  • Ministry retirement contribution and health benefit deduction tracking

WHAT YOU STILL HANDLE

  • Final payroll batch preview and bank withdrawal authorization
  • Staff salary rates, hourly wage changes, and pastoral bonus approvals
  • Official board minutes documenting annual clergy housing resolutions
  • Employee hiring, separation, disciplinary, and severance decisions

OUR PHILOSOPHY

When You May Not Need SBK

We believe in direct relationships and clear boundaries. We are not right for everyone, and we would rather be upfront before either of us commits.

  • Healthy books: "If it isn't broken, don't pay us to look busy. Let's talk about how we leverage that clarity for confident next steps."

  • One-off question: "A quick question may not need a Diagnostic. Book a free Right-Fit Meeting and we'll tell you."

  • Lowest cost: "We aren't the cheapest option, and we won't pretend to be."

  • Strong internal team: "Then you may need a lighter touch from us, or nothing at all."

  • What you really need is an auditor, attorney, HR provider, or investment professional: We stay strictly in our lane of financial expertise.

CLEAR BOUNDARIES

What SBK
Does Not Do

Clear limits protect you and us. When something sits outside our work, we'll say so and point you to the right specialist.

  • Audits
  • Legal work / representation
  • Investment advice
  • HR duties
  • Management of client staff outside the finance process
  • Other work outside the agreed scope

We’ll refer you to the right specialist when something is outside scope.

NEXT STEPS

Want Clarity Before You
Spend Money?

Start with a Diagnostic Review. We look at your current finance and accounting, then tell you plainly what you need. Sometimes that's less than you expected, and sometimes it isn't us. You keep the findings either way.

Prefer to talk first? Book a free Right-Fit Meeting.