Armanino has a big focus on nonprofits, which is important to me. It’s a place where we truly start with a focus on the client and build a 360-degree practice around what the clients need. The leadership team believes in collaboration and trying new ideas, and that’s a mindset I share.
I think we will see more legislation to bring transparency and accountability to the nonprofit world. For example, we are seeing proposed laws that incentivize foundations and donor-advised funds to get the funds into active charities faster. This trend may continue. We may see more systemic changes, too — we are seeing difficulty around rural healthcare access and the rise of telemedicine to fill the gaps. That’s something that government regulators need to consider going forward. We see private education tuition costs being questioned when remote learning and other nontraditional paths are expanding.
I had a client who was a CFO during some serious wildfires, and we were figuring out what could be done for her employees and the affected community. We spent a great deal of time planning how to disperse resources to people, and all while, this CFO had also lost her house in the fires. It was inspiring and motivational, and even in my client’s time of personal crisis, the focus was on how to help employees.
I wouldn’t call it a single moment, but perhaps it was the point where I realized I had a mastery of my work. Once you get to a point in your career where you stop and go, “Okay, I’ve got this, and I know how to help my clients,” you’ve achieved a high level of success.
My father is someone who didn’t have an upbringing that valued education, but he pushed himself through medical school. He’s still working in private practice at 78. I learned a lot about the kind of person he is by seeing how his patients and staff adore him. Growing up, I remember seeing all the nice holiday cards and gifts patients would send him, and it made me think about the relationships he had with his them. It’s built on trust and respect. My father sees his patients as a charge to keep, and it’s how I see my clients, too.
