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Associations · Foundations · Medico-social
Steering the finances of an association or a medico-social institution
Its resources depend on public funders, its budget is negotiated with a pricing authority, and its decisions are voted by volunteer board members. Good financial steering means holding these three threads at once.
Warning signs
5 situations that should alert you
- Two deficit years in a row, or a deficit that keeps recurring in the same activity.
- Cash only checked at month-end: a late payment from a funder is then enough to strain payments.
- A budget voted without scenarios: the board discovers the gap at year-end.
- Accounts that do not show which activity loses money: without cost accounting, cuts are made blindly.
- A finance director post vacant or overloaded as the budget or year-end approaches.
The tools
What makes financial steering solid
Budget and scenarios
A central, low and high case, costed before the vote.
13-week cash forecast
See tensions coming three months ahead, week by week.
Cost accounting
Results by institution, by activity, by funding stream.
Monthly dashboard
8 to 12 indicators a volunteer board member can understand.
EPRD and ERRD
The regulatory budget documents of medico-social institutions, stronger when built on the same analysis as internal steering.
Dialogue with funders
Coming to the multi-year funding contract (CPOM) negotiation with your own figures and scenarios.
An example
From −€482K to +€225K
At IRTS Poitou-Charentes (€7M budget), three deficit years: −€482K in 2022, −€123K in 2023, −€186K in 2024. Cost accounting, over €600K saved in two years, a €650K investment plan secured and weekly reporting to governance: +€225K in 2025.
The board’s role
The board should not receive tables but decisions to take. A good financial note fits on 2 pages: what happened, why, what we propose, and the risk of doing nothing.
How we can help
Three situations, three answers
Further reading
Our analyses (in French)
FAQ
What management teams ask us
Do you need a full-time CFO for a €5M to €20M budget?
Not always. A part-time CFO, 2 to 4 days a month, with a solid accounting team, is often enough. Full time is mainly justified during a turnaround.
What if the deficit has already been voted?
Build a plan to return to balance over 2 or 3 years, costed measure by measure, and present it with the next budget.
Isn’t a chartered accountant enough?
The accountant produces correct accounts; the CFO helps management decide with them. The two roles complement each other.
What about artificial intelligence?
It produces the figures faster; analysis and decisions stay with the CFO. Read our AI usage and confidentiality charter (PDF, in French).
A free 30-minute first call, no commitment.
You explain your situation, we identify the priorities, and you leave with a first reading of your numbers. Written quote within 48 hours.