Han Group LLC

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the president and CEO of SADD, and we’re a national nonprofit organization that works with middle school, high school, and college students, to address the greatest risks and pressures to their health and safety. This would include topics like traffic and mobility safety, substance abuse, mental health, and leadership development.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Han Group LLC?

The challenge we were addressing was financial management and outsourced accounting.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

I see Han Group LLC as my outsourced chief financial officers. We’re a small but mighty group here, so I don’t really have any financial management staff on our team. They’re my primary partner on all things financial, they oversee our general ledger, closing of the books, they help us with the systems that manage payable accounts receivable, and they guide us and provide tremendous amounts of work through our A-133 single audit every year.

They’re in charge of pretty much everything related to the financial management of a two-million-dollar organization, including payroll processing.

What is the team composition?

Jamie (CPA) is our main point of contact.

How did you come to work with Han Group LLC?

We moved our offices from Boston to D.C. after 35 years, and I was terribly unhappy with our Boston-based accounting firm — particularly having moved and not seeing them in person ever. So I started doing some searching and I found Jennifer (Principal).

We had a conversation and after spending five minutes with her, I never thought of finance the same way ever again. She is very articulate, client-centered, and passionate about developing systems and metrics to make your organization better.

Their team has a grasp on nonprofit financial management that is unmatched by modern standards. After that one call, I was into having them take all the financial burdens off my plate. They’ve been an incredible partner to me, as I’ve taken over an organization that had 40 years of existence, but maybe lacked in keeping up with the times in conducting business practices.

How much have you invested with them?

We spend about $80,000 a year.

What is the status of this engagement?

They first worked as our auditors in March 2018. They then took over full financial management for us in October 2019, and our partnership is still ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

What evidence can you share that demonstrates the impact of the engagement? 

They have delivered some of the best financial reports I’ve ever seen with great in-depth analysis, and forecasting as to where things are financially — there are no qualms from us in that regard. Managing and reporting audits for me, is the litmus test for how well you are leading an organization, and audits with them are never scary because I know that our I’s are dotted and our T’s are crossed.

A clean audit has been consistently part of what they’ve done on the financial management side.

That one year when they were our auditors, that was probably one of the most thorough audits we’ve ever had as a single audit. To the point where I made a joke about them needing a blood sample, because they’re very detail-oriented. The board and I appreciated that, which is why we’ve transitioned to working with them on the financial management side.

One other thing that made me thankful to have them on our court was everything related to COVID-19, and understanding the TPP Process(Technical Projection Planning) and EIDLs(Economic Injury Disaster Loans) — as well as other opportunities that SADD could be a part of. Many businesses floundered because they couldn’t navigate those waters. It’s so important to have Han Group as a partner to help me navigate that process.

How did Han Group LLC perform from a project management standpoint?

We use a lot of systems, namely this platform called Bill.com — which has been a game-changer for us. They also use QuickBooks Online, and we typically communicate through phone and email.

What did you find most impressive about them?

What's impressive about them is they’ve made financial management easy for non-financial people. They’re helping me grow as a leader, and helping me better understand the processes, the best practices, and what our policies should be.

I don’t know if I can put a price tag on their leadership, attention to detail, and their grasp of not only the policies that make up nonprofit financial management, but also the ever-changing world of what the other organizations are doing. Because of them, I believe that SADD is in a better financial position, not only because of better reporting, but also because of their guidance and seizing opportunities that came about as a result of COVID-19.

I work with many executives in many other nonprofit communities. Every time someone asks who my favorite vendor is or if I have someone to recommend, I always say Han Group. I think I’ve converted three other organizations to work with them, either as auditors or as financial management people. It’s really hard to mess up PR, but if you don’t have true expertise in finance, it causes everything to fall apart.

The highest praise I can give them is I tell other people that they should use them —and I do that all the time.

Are there any areas they could improve?

I’m a firm believer that the answer to that question is always yes, but on the other hand, I don’t really know what it should be. They’re my favorite vendor that I’ve ever worked with and I honestly don’t know what they could do better.