Lyra Works provides fractional CFO and grant accounting services to nonprofits with annual budgets of $1 million to $10 million. We get to know your programs, funders and budget so we can help you make sound decisions about your resources—not just close the books each month.
Month-to-month service. You can end our work together with 30 days’ notice.
Dear executive director,
Managing your organization’s finances matters, but it can be hard to know whether the work is being done well when you aren’t a finance specialist yourself. Many of the leaders we work with have hired someone to keep QuickBooks in order, close the books and pay the bills. That work is essential, and we do it too. But it’s only part of the job. You also need someone who understands your programs, funding and budget well enough to explain what the numbers mean—and how they should inform the decisions ahead.
There’s a difference between keeping the books and understanding what the numbers mean for your organization.
That broader understanding has been at the heart of our work since 2017. We mostly serve lean, grant-funded organizations, often without a dedicated finance team. Getting to know each organization takes time, which is why we keep our client list small.
If you want a finance partner who will take the time to understand how your organization works, I’d love to hear from you.
What kinds of issues do you help with?
These are real questions that come up in the organizations we serve. Open one to see how we would approach it.
Are we the kind of organization you work with?
Not a nonprofit? We also handle bookkeeping for a small group of businesses and online shops, and we’re happy to talk.
What does the engagement include?
Our standard service agreement covers four areas. Your proposal will spell out exactly what’s included for your organization.
We record transactions in accordance with GAAP, reconcile accounts each month, and maintain functional allocations and supporting schedules. We also help keep your CRM aligned with the books and build clear workflows for payroll, benefits, expense reports, invoicing and bill payment.
We help you plan cash around your priorities and put practical controls in place, including appropriate approvals and separation of duties. We also coordinate insurance renewals, state filings and fees, and Form 990 preparation with your CPA and auditor.
We build budgets by program and project, update forecasts, track key measures and prepare a live dashboard along with regular management and board reports. We also allocate grant costs according to each agreement and provide the figures you need for applications and progress reports.
We help staff with questions about pay, deductions and PTO, prepare ad hoc reports, correct issues and serve as a finance partner when questions come up.
How many months could our reserves cover?
| Cash & cash equivalents | $612,400 |
| Less payables | (48,150) |
| Available cash | 564,250 |
| Plus pledges & receivables | 221,000 |
| Less restricted funds | (184,000) |
| Reserve | $601,250 |
Months of reserves helps your board understand how long the organization could keep operating if revenue fell short, or how much flexibility it has to take on a new commitment. Reviewing the number monthly gives your treasurer an early warning, while there’s still time to respond.
A sound reserve policy turns that number into a plan. It sets a minimum and a target, measured in months, so the board agrees in advance on how much cushion is appropriate and when drawing on reserves should prompt a closer look.
What are your terms, and what does it cost?
We charge a flat monthly fee, and the relationship runs month to month. We’ve learned how to assess what an organization needs, price the work fairly and deliver it well. We’d rather earn your trust through the work than rely on a long contract. The terms below come directly from our service agreement.
Our work runs month to month. You can end the engagement with 30 days’ notice; we provide 60 days’ notice, giving you more time to find the right next person if we part ways.
There are no hourly bills or extra charges for calling us. Onboarding is a one-time fee starting at $2,000, quoted before we begin. If your needs change, we’ll discuss the scope with you before changing your fee.
Our office hours are 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. Eastern, Monday through Friday. You can call, email or text when something comes up, and we’ll respond during those hours. We’ll schedule meetings flexibly when needed.
Our fee increases by 5% each year on your service anniversary. This is spelled out in the agreement, and we’ll remind you in advance.
We work in your QuickBooks file and your filing system, so your records stay yours. If we ever part ways, you keep your books, files and workpapers.
"Contractor is responsible for ensuring transparency and clarity pertaining to the client's financial performance."
We include that promise in our service agreement because clear communication is central to good finance work.
Monthly fees begin at$2,500
One-time onboarding begins at $2,000.
After our first call, we’ll provide a written quote based on the scope and complexity of your accounting needs.
How do you actually get to know our work?
We do more than review your grants, programs and financial history. We work alongside your staff in the systems and conversations where decisions happen. That’s how we learn whom each program serves, how it’s funded and what each funder expects.
A few problems that understanding helps us catch early:
A multi-year grant pays for two positions but ends in March, while next year’s budget still assumes the money will be there. We track award terms and flag funding gaps months in advance, giving you time to pursue a renewal, find replacement funding or plan a transition.
Many grants cover program activities without covering the full cost of delivering them—things like rent, insurance, the audit and finance staff. We calculate the full cost of each program and use that information in proposals and indirect cost requests, so unrestricted funds aren’t quietly covering the gap.
Restricted gifts may sit in the same bank account as other cash, while the details of each restriction live in an email or grant file. We track those restrictions in the books and release funds when the requirements are met—such as when eligible expenses are incurred or a time restriction ends. That way, you can see what’s actually available for operations, and your auditor can follow the trail.
In a small office, one person may set up vendors, approve bills and send payments. When too much rests with one person, mistakes and fraud can be harder to catch. We design approval steps that fit your staffing and review system access whenever someone joins or leaves.
What happens when we start?
Wherever things stand today, we’ll meet you there. The transition usually takes about a month, and longer if there’s catch-up work to do. During that time, we get access to your systems, review grant agreements, bring accounts up to date and learn how your organization operates. The one-time onboarding fee is quoted up front, so you know the transition cost before you commit.
We meet with you and the people involved in your finances, then review your accounting system, financial platforms and grant agreements. We’ll explain what we find, including unreconciled accounts, overdue filings and any other loose ends.
We reconcile accounts back to the last reliable point and, if needed, organize the books around your programs and funders. We agree on the scope and price of any catch-up work before starting it.
We complete your first monthly close, build a budget grounded in how the organization operates and prepare your first board report. We review the report with you before it goes to the board.
Once we’re up and running, we coordinate with your board, staff, funders, CPA and auditor directly. You don’t have to be the go-between. Here’s what that support looks like.
Works
Who will actually be doing the work?
Lyra Works began in 2017, when two independent bookkeepers met and realized they could do better work together. Our clients have always included a mix of organizations, but nonprofits kept coming to us—and we kept building the experience to serve them well. Today, most of our work is with grant-funded organizations that need more than bookkeeping but aren’t ready to hire a full-time CFO.
Lydia leads each client relationship, with support from a team handling bookkeeping and accounting operations. You’ll always know who is working on your finances.
Co-founder & managing partner
Lydia has more than 15 years of experience in financial planning and analysis, including seven years in corporate financial planning. She started her own practice in 2014, and it became Lyra Works in 2017. Since then, she has grown the firm from a bookkeeping practice into a controller and CFO practice focused on grant accounting, board reporting and financial planning. From 2023 to 2025, she also served as interim Director of Finance for Giving Kitchen, an Atlanta nonprofit that provides financial assistance to food service workers in crisis.
Co-founder
Cara grew up around family-owned businesses and spent more than ten years working at multinational investment firms. She co-founded Lyra Works in 2017 and helped establish the hands-on, process-first approach that continues to guide the firm.
The first conversation is free. Bring whatever is on your mind—an audit request, a spreadsheet or a question from your board. We’ll be candid about whether we’re the right fit and how we may be able to help.