Request for Proposals

US Chess Seeks Part-Time or Contract Chief Financial Officer (CFO)

Background

US Chess is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization serving as the national governing body for competitive chess in the United States. With an annual budget of $3.5 million and 18 staff, the mission of US Chess is to empower people, enrich lives, and enhance communities through chess. 

Each year, US Chess rates over 850,000 chess games and more than 20,000 tournaments in all states across the country. During the past year, much of our chess-playing activity has moved to online platforms, providing new ways for our members to play rated chess. US Chess operations are funded by membership dues and programs that support our mission are funded through participation fees, grants, and charitable donations. US Chess presently has more than $4 million in assets.  For more information about us, please visit www.uschess.org.

US Chess is seeking a part-time or contract CFO with experience as a Director of Finance or CFO in a nonprofit organization of similar or larger size. The CFO will work with our staff bookkeeper to provide financial analysis and management level reports. 

US Chess is transitioning from a volunteer CPA who acted as the CFO to a more formal professional arrangement due to the growth of our organization and increasing accounting requirements. US Chess also is currently in transition from using Sage to QuickbooksOnline.

The US Chess Executive Board establishes financial policy, reviews the organization’s budget, oversees expenditures and will be a main recipient of the CFO’s work. The Executive Director is a non-voting member of the Executive Board and will be the day-to-day contact.

About the Chief Financial Officer Role

The CFO role is an important strategic addition to the management team and will contribute financial data, information and analysis that will be utilized in operational and strategic decision making. 

With an expected engagement beginning in June 2021, we expect the selected candidate to assist with year-end closing and audit preparation during June and July. (The US Chess fiscal year runs from June 1 to May 31.) Throughout the year, the level of work will likely be less intense, mainly providing monthly analysis and reports for the US Chess Executive Board. 

Primary duties:

• -Review monthly financial statements as prepared by staff 
• -Provide monthly financial statement analysis 
• -Assist staff with annual audit preparation, including contact with the contracted auditor
• -Support Executive Director with budget preparation and analysis
• -Consult with Executive Director to ensure business decisions are supported by sound financial data and that internal processes are efficient 
• -Review bookkeeping work of staff 
• -Review annual audit draft and provide comments to the contracted auditor
• -Ensure compliance with all applicable accounting and reporting requirements
• -Spend 1-2 days monthly supporting US Chess, with additional time required for audit (usually June/July), budget prep (January-February) and an occasional Board meeting (A rough estimate of approximately 300 hours annually is anticipated.)

Qualifications:

• -A minimum of 3 year’s experience as a consulting CFO/Director of Finance. Or 5 years or more as a Controller
• -Experience with nonprofit accounting; experience with a nonprofit with a membership base, donor base, and grants strongly preferred
• -BA with major or minor in accounting required. CPA preferred

Period of Performance
US Chess seeks a long-term relationship with a CFO. An initial contract of one year will be awarded, with up to 4 one-year extensions possible.  We also will consider a part-time staff member, depending on the individual’s preferences and US Chess needs.

Proposal Guidelines & Application Process

Your proposal should address each Primary Duty in detail, highlighting the experience of the principal who will be working with US Chess. A resume should be included with your submission.  Please include a detailed budget proposal for the work to be performed, along with 3 professional references knowledgeable about your nonprofit CFO work. Deadline to apply is May 3, 2021 at 5 p.m. EDT.

Please email your proposal to Carol Meyer (Click here to show email address). Questions about the RFP may also be directed to the same email address. Proposals will be reviewed and rated for quality, experience and cost. Finalists will be interviewed by members of the US Chess Executive Board during the week of May 10. A decision will be made by May 25. The successful candidate will be expected to begin work with US Chess by June 15.

Reference Documents:
 

FY 2019-2020 Audited Financials

2019 990

2020-2021 Budget

Download this RFP as a PDF here