Application Guide

How to Apply for Senior Director of Finance

at Savanna Institute

🏢 About Savanna Institute

The Savanna Institute is a mission-driven nonprofit advancing agroforestry—integrating trees and shrubs into farming systems—to build ecological resilience and climate stability in the Midwest. This is a unique opportunity to align your financial expertise with a growing organization at the forefront of sustainable agriculture and climate solutions.

About This Role

As Senior Director of Finance, you will lead the entire financial function, from managing a team and overseeing outsourced accounting to driving strategic budgeting, forecasting, and cash flow. Your work will directly enable the Institute's mission by ensuring financial health, grant compliance, and data-driven decision-making for executive leadership and the Board.

💡 A Day in the Life

A typical day might start with reviewing cash flow and grant drawdowns, followed by a check-in with your finance team and the outsourced accounting firm. Midday, you might analyze budget variances and prepare a dashboard for the CEO, then end the day with a board committee call discussing financial strategy and risk management.

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🎯 Who Savanna Institute Is Looking For

  • A finance leader with 7+ years in senior roles, ideally in a nonprofit or with deep nonprofit engagement, who understands fund accounting and grant financial compliance.
  • A hands-on mentor who has supervised a team for 3+ years and can also effectively manage an external accounting firm relationship.
  • Proficient in Sage Intacct or similar ERP, with strong skills in budgeting, forecasting, and cash flow planning for a mission-driven organization.
  • An excellent communicator who can translate complex financial data into clear insights for non-financial stakeholders, including the Board and program staff.

📝 Tips for Applying to Savanna Institute

1

Tailor your resume to highlight nonprofit finance experience, especially fund accounting and grant management—mention specific dollar amounts and compliance successes.

2

In your cover letter, explicitly connect your financial leadership to mission impact, using language that shows you understand agroforestry and climate resilience.

3

If you have experience with Sage Intacct, mention it prominently; if not, demonstrate quick adoption of comparable systems.

4

Showcase examples of how you've improved budgeting or forecasting processes to support strategic decisions in a nonprofit context.

5

Prepare a brief statement on how you'd approach the unique challenge of managing both an internal team and an outsourced accounting firm.

✉️ What to Emphasize in Your Cover Letter

["Your passion for the Savanna Institute's mission and how your financial leadership can directly support agroforestry and climate goals.", 'Specific examples of nonprofit financial management, including fund accounting, grant compliance, and audit oversight.', "Your experience in strategic financial planning and how you've used data to guide executive decisions and board reporting.", "Your supervisory style and how you've built or mentored finance teams, plus your comfort managing external partnerships."]

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🔍 Research Before Applying

To stand out, make sure you've researched:

  • → Review the Savanna Institute's website and recent annual reports to understand their programs, funding sources, and financial scale.
  • → Read about agroforestry and its role in climate change mitigation to align your financial strategy with their mission.
  • → Look into their current financial team structure and any public financial statements to anticipate challenges.
  • → Familiarize yourself with key funders and grants (e.g., USDA, foundations) to understand compliance requirements.
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💬 Prepare for These Interview Topics

Based on this role, you may be asked about:

1 How would you ensure grant financial compliance while supporting program flexibility?
2 Describe a time you improved cash flow forecasting in a nonprofit with restricted funding.
3 How do you communicate financial complexities to a board with diverse backgrounds?
4 Walk us through your approach to annual budgeting in a mission-driven organization with multiple funding sources.
5 How would you manage the relationship with our outsourced accounting firm to ensure accuracy and timeliness?
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⚠️ Common Mistakes to Avoid

  • Don't focus solely on for-profit finance experience without drawing clear parallels to nonprofit fund accounting and restricted funds.
  • Avoid generic statements about 'passion for the mission' without demonstrating specific knowledge of agroforestry or the Institute's work.
  • Don't overlook the importance of grant compliance—failing to address it explicitly can signal a lack of understanding of nonprofit finance.

📅 Application Timeline

This position is open until filled. However, we recommend applying as soon as possible as roles at mission-driven organizations tend to fill quickly.

Typical hiring timeline:

1

Application Review

1-2 weeks

2

Initial Screening

Phone call or written assessment

3

Interviews

1-2 rounds, usually virtual

✓

Offer

Congratulations!

Ready to Apply?

Good luck with your application to Savanna Institute!

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