Non Profit Operating Partner
CoPilot is a startup and growth based consulting firm that provides expert advice and guidance to non-profit organizations. With a strong focus on operations optimzation, systems use and financial management, CoPilot helps non-profits overcome financial challenges and achieve their goals, our consultants have been instrumental in the success of numerous organizations.
Services
CoPilot’s is dedicated to helping non-profits thrive. We provide strategic advice to non-profit CEOs, and/or Executive Directors on organizational leadership, financial management, and operational efficiency. Developing and implementing fundraising strategies to support non-profit initiatives. Assessing and improving non-profit governance structures and processes. Collaborating with non-profit boards of directors to define goals and objectives.
Through proven approaches and experiences, CoPilot drives incremental recurring donations, FP&A discipline, operational process, organizational change, and technology integrations for sustainable growth and incremental impact on the mission.
The role we play is also called the deputy director, associate director, and director of operations, to name a few alternate titles.
We provide strategic guidance and advice to non-profit CEOs on leadership, financial management, and operational efficiency.
Strategic Guidance
Strategic Guidance. Proven ability to design and articulate the true vision, align resources to orchestrate the proper pace to the team’s expectations, and lead the evolution of the team’s execution towards desired results.
- Revitalized relationships with Board of Directors, Investors and 40+ LLC Members with detailed, data driven communication using regular scheduled events, documentation and recorded meetings.
- Designed, negotiated and implemented multi-teired primary partnership reseller agreement.
- Developed and negotiated agreements with United Way, BigBrothers/Big Sisters, Boys & Girls Clubs.
Executive Director Partner
Trusted Partner. Patient and detailed to understand the needs and expected outcomes so that each stakeholder, whether a company, group or individual person can benefit by working together on being effective and efficient in the use of often scarce resources.
Team Enhancement. Diverse, focused efforts to combine passion, skills, and priorities to ignite employee engagement via a personal connection that enables a group of people to achieve what no individual could alone.
- Won a top spot in South Carolina’s Best Places to Work in 2022, 2020, 2019, and 2018 by the South Carolina Chamber of Commerce.
Fund Raising
Fund Raising. Expert at leveraging data-driven process and metric-driven operational expertise in system setup, reporting, and analysis to improve donor retention, cost to acquire new donors, and size of donation per donor.
- Defined measurable funding operations to include data centric criteria, decreasing days to close by 20%, increasing closing percent to 80% and added 12% to size of deal revenue.
- 120% increase in government sales opportunities across 60+ department of defense departments and military units.
- Defined measurable sales operations to include data centric criteria, measuring days to close, reducing within six months from 82 days, to 61 days, to a consistent 33 days.
FP&A Discipline
Financial Leader. Build, manage and optimize complete FP&A function, budgeting, cost optimization and revenue growth. Prioritization of actions towards sustainable, measurable results to optimize valuation.
- Lead design, setup and implementation of financial analysis and modeling to support business decisions.
- Upgraded financial department in alignment with company strategic initiatives and metric driven scorecards.
- Built and implemented budget, forecast and actual analysis methodology to adapt future cash flow and decision making.
- Built FP&A methods and scorecards to measure near real time rolling performance in sales, partnerships and operations.
- Established fiduciary responsibilities and metrics throughout multiple divisions.
Operations Consulting
Operations Expert. Consistent record of driving the right improvements via process improvement utilizing data-based decisions that build a long-term foundation for operating profit growth and productivity.
- Developed industry-wide best processes and procedures into a repeatable, measurable standard of excellence.
- Deployed scorecards for operations, reducing admin time by 12% and increasing employee investment by 15%.
- Collaborated with C Suite, external agencies and department directors to prioritize actions and leverage resources.
- Decreased scope creep by 62% by implementing a pitch, promise, proposal and performance communication model.
Systems Integration
Systems Integrator. Evaluate, plan, and consolidate disconnected, siloed and manual technical systems into SOP-driven usage, process, and reporting that delivers an outcome of efficient, consistent use and effective data quality.
- Built and deployed content publishing platform to 7,800 Charter Schools impacting 3.7 million students nationwide.
- Technology transformation of website and operations process to sync up multiple senior level groups.
About Dave Armstrong
FP&A Executive | Strategy & Transformation | Valuation Expert
Overview
18+ years of C-Suite financial & operational leadership across multiple industries. Expertise in transformation, scaling, integrations and growth. Deep experience in collaborative problem solving and business transformation as the CFO. Consistent and calm leadership believing that a collaborative environment and culture is key to guide teams to seek out possibilities and work together to achieve goals.
Human
I’m a decorated combat veteran and a first-generation American. The difficult and dangerous path my grandparents took to get here motivates me to not waste this privilege. I value personal relationships. I find I approach most things by being creative but realistic, enthusiastic but disciplined, and optimistic about improvement or finding a solution to any problem.
My career started when I joined the military out of high school in 1986, the US Air Force, and during my enlistment I completed my bachelor’s degree. I served in war-time combat operations during the 1990-1991 Desert Storm, making lifelong friends along with establishing my core values that solidified then and continue to this day. I was a corporate employee for ten years from 1995 to 2005, I earned my MBA, then in 2005, I left my high-profile corporate role and turned my real passion of helping others grow their own business and create generational wealth.
My experience and results come from leading and mentoring teams. As a multifaceted C-level executive, I’ve invested my time and money into things that make a difference; healthcare, education, energy, etc. In addition to my investing, I’m an independent consultant working with companies in a CEO/COO/CFO role to plan and direct the strategy, execution and fiscal control systems.
My clients see me as a helping hand that adds to their value, doing real work and ultimately delivering results, together. I’ve been told I’m a calm collaborator even under the most intense situations; difficult problems that would have caused companies to fall apart moved forward with my facilitation.
Community Involvement
Board of Directors/Founder – Second First Change – 501c3 – 2023 – Present
Philanthropist – Soldiers to Sidelines – 501c3 – 2023 – Present
Philanthropist – South Dakota Service Dogs – 501c3 – 2023 – Present
Senior Mentor & Spokesperson – Warrior Rising – 501c3 – 2021 – Present
Entrepreneur Instructor – Federal Correctional Institution – 2022 – 2023
College Adjunct Professor – Arapahoe Community College – 2022 – 2023
Business Teacher – STEM School MIT LaunchX / DECA Judge – 2019 – 2020
Event Speaker and Mentor – Galvanize / Denver Startup Week – 2017 – 2019
Director of Football Operations – Oley Valley Football – 2007 – 2009
Youth Athletic Coach – Football/Baseball/Volleyball/Softball/Basketball – 1993 – 2017
Military Service
The United States Air Force – Electronics Engineer 1986 – 1995
Desert Shield/Storm Combat Operations – 1990 – 1991
1991 Maintenance Professional of the Year – Combat Operations
Southwest Asia Service Medal – 2 Bronze Stars – Defense of Saudi Arabia / Liberation and Defense of Kuwait
Education
MBA – University of Phoenix – 1995 – 1997
BS – Embry Riddle University – 1987 – 1991
Contact Us
Schedule an Appointment
This calendar is synced with a primary consultant. Find a day and time that works for you and schedule an appointment to talk to us directly. We’ll send you the calendar invite along with a link to meet up virtually. No cost to you.