Fiscal Sponsor Organizations

  • 1.  Staffing ratios?

    Posted 09-27-2024 20:44

    Hi all - question coming from our Executive Director. Is anyone who is doing comprehensive open to sharing whether they have a rough rule of thumb for ratios of staff headcount per metric of workload, and what they are? For example, we need one HR person per x FTE employees, or one accountant per y assets under management or z millions of annual revenue. As our program has grown well beyond a one-woman show (me haha) to actual HR and finance departments, we’re doing some information gathering about how and when to scale teams.

    Many thanks, friends!



  • 2.  RE: Staffing ratios?

    Posted 10-01-2024 21:54
    This is something that we’re trying to figure out too. I’d be happy to join a conversation about ideas for how to go about measuring/assessing this.


  • 3.  RE: Staffing ratios?

    Posted 10-04-2024 14:23
    Hi Ariel:

    From my observations and review of the data collected during the field scan, there is no easy and simple response to this question. Larger organizations reported much smaller support numbers than smaller organizations. Many organizations also mentioned that they are hiring and need to build/ strengthen internal capacity, which means the numbers might need to be higher.

    Overall, the portfolio reviews and internal cost drivers-related work that we have done with several fiscal sponsors show that organizational structure, portfolio complexity, individual and organizational needs, different aspects of support, depth of support, use of technology, and overall size of the organizations all play a role in this equation.

    I welcome discussing this topic with particular organizations one-on-one and in group settings. And I am excited to continue deepening our knowledge and experiences in this area.

    With gratitude,

    Asta