Finance Fundamentals for Auxiliary Leaders

Auxiliary programs play a critical role in advancing school mission, enhancing the family experience, and generating valuable non-tuition revenue. Yet many auxiliary leaders are expected to make financial decisions without formal training in budgeting, forecasting, financial reporting, pricing strategies, compliance, or business operations.

Designed specifically for independent school auxiliary program leaders, this interactive workshop provides the financial knowledge and practical tools needed to lead programs with greater confidence and strategic insight. Participants will explore how auxiliary programs fit within the broader independent school business model, learn to interpret key financial metrics, develop effective budgeting and forecasting practices, evaluate pricing strategies, and understand essential topics such as labor law compliance, internal controls, and audit readiness.

Learning Objective(s):

Analyze the financial drivers, operational challenges, and performance metrics of auxiliary programs to support informed decision-making and long-term sustainability.
Develop and utilize budgets, forecasts, pricing strategies, and financial data to evaluate program performance and align resources with institutional goals.
Apply effective risk management, compliance, staffing, internal control, and reporting practices to strengthen accountability and support successful auxiliary operations.

Instructor

Karen Volpi, MBA

Director, Accounting and Finance Programs

NBOA

Stephentown, NY

Karen Volpi is NBOA’s director, accounting and finance programs. Volpi plays an integral role in the development and delivery of resources and programming, particularly with regard to accounting, finance and tax compliance. She serves as the liaison to NBOA’s growing controllers community and the Controllers Council as well as to NBOA member accounting and audit firms. Before coming to NBOA, Volpi was CFO at Darrow School, a co-ed boarding and day school for grades 9-12 in upstate New York. Previously she served in the accounting policy department for Berkshire Bank, and her career has spanned many years in finance and operations roles, primarily in banking and in construction management.

Full Bio »

CPE Information

Recommended CPE Credits: 3.6
Delivery Method: Group Live Based
Program Level Basic

Field of Study: Business Management and Organization
Prerequisites: None
Preparation: None

NBOA is registered with the National Association of State Boards of Accountancy (NASBA) as a sponsor of continuing professional education on the National Registry of CPE Sponsors. State boards of accountancy have final authority on the acceptance of individual courses for CPE credit. Complaints regarding registered sponsors may be submitted to the National Registry of CPE Sponsors through its website: www.nasbaregistry.org.

SHRM Information

SHRM PDC Credit: 3.0

SHRM BoCK: Business Acumen

NBOA is recognized by SHRM to offer SHRM-CP or SHRM-SCP professional development credits (PDCs). For more information about certification or recertification, please visit www.shrmcertification.org.

HRCI Information

Recommended HRCI Credits: 3.0

Category: HR (Business)

NBOA is a recognized provider of recertification credits. HR Certification Institute® pre-approved this program for credits towards aPHR™, PHR®, PHRca®, SPHR®, GPHR®, PHRi™ and SPHRi™ recertification.