Fixing Fires: How Nonprofits Can Turn Crisis Into Stability with T. Hampton Dohrman
Release Date: 10/21/2025
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info_outlineExplore nonprofit accounting and financial leadership on Nonprofit Counsel, hosted by May Harris. T. Hampton Dohrman of Hampton Nonprofit Management breaks down the operational challenges of interim executive director roles. Learn about insurance compliance, workers' compensation, payroll systems, and cash flow planning to stabilize your organization. Navigate board financials, manage restricted funds, gifts, grants, and program service revenue while staying mission-focused. Debunk the overhead myth, balance new programs with fee-for-service models, and use Form 990 reporting for transparency and strategic storytelling. Listen in for actionable insights for nonprofit leaders and boards.
What You’ll Learn in This Episode:
Master nonprofit accounting basics for handling financial crises and ensuring insurance compliance during operational chaos.
Strategies for interim executive director roles, including payroll systems and transition planning in nonprofit management.
Effective board financials presentation, focusing on restricted funds, gifts and grants, and 990 reporting.
Debunk the overhead myth through purposeful cost allocation and mission alignment in program service revenue.
Subscribe to The Nonprofit Counsel Podcast and stay ahead on the legal and strategic insights that help nonprofits thrive. Join the conversation and empower your mission with expert guidance every episode.
TIMESTAMPS:
00:00 Hampton explains purposeful money use in nonprofit accounting to advance mission via program service revenue and fee-for-service models
02:12 In a financial crisis, Hampton evaluates bank balance, insurance compliance, and workers' comp to avoid additional operational chaos
08:02 New nonprofit management should focus on mission alignment, awareness of rules, and gradual cash flow planning over perfection
11:45 Mature organizations should emphasize forward-looking board financials, restricted funds, gifts and grants, and 990 reporting integration
17:15 Cost allocation in nonprofit accounting reveals program interplay; lose money on purpose via debunking the overhead myth for growth
KEY TAKEAWAYS:
In nonprofit accounting, don’t be afraid to spend money to fuel mission growth via program service revenue and fee-for-service offsets.
Interim executive director roles prioritize insurance compliance, workers' comp, and cash flow planning amid financial crisis.
Effective board financials require cost allocation of restricted funds, gifts and grants for mission alignment.
Debunk the overhead myth through strategic storytelling in nonprofit financials and 990 reporting transparency.
ABOUT THE GUEST:
T. Hampton Dohrman, a San Diego-based social entrepreneur and nonprofit advocate, founded and leads Hampton Nonprofit Management, a referral-only firm offering interim executive leadership and support in accounting, operations, and HR to drive mission impact. A Southern transplant, he enjoys San Diego's weather, beer scene, nonprofits, beaches, and its proximity to the border. With expertise in management and accounting, he's also an orchestral musician and a former tech startup founder. A 2022 LEAD Impact Class member and San Diego Business Journal CFO of the Year finalist, Hampton has empowered hundreds of nonprofits to operate smarter and amplify small-org impact.
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