Achieving sound, effective fiscal management systems is a crucial part of holding yourself accountable to the public, according to Henrietta Zalkind, executive director. “When the public understands that your fiscal and legal systems are transparent and the nature of your business operations is completely clear, a level of trust develops that affects fundraising and ‘buy-in’ dramatically. People feel confident that their money is being put to good use programmatically. They know where the money goes and how it is managed. That really helps fundraising efforts.”