The Excelsior Story
We started this company because we saw huge non-compliance and poor governance in the non-profit area. Lack of knowledge and awareness by board members, officers and stakeholders was (and remains) startling. Non-profit governance and compliance has changed significantly in the last fifteen years or so, and most people are just unaware.
In some cases the non-profits grew organically, founders were no longer around, and successors weren’t trained or were unaware of the risks of formation and governance oversights. In other cases, booster clubs are a good example, parents are just pitching in to help make their child’s extracurricular program the best it can be and they are never aware of the personal exposure and risk presented by the lack of compliance or potential improper startup formation. In some long established, even well-known or large non-profits, stakeholders never thought or knew to ask the questions that would raise concerns, highlight potential risks or even discover pending organizational disaster.
Typically, people who are involved with non-profits do it because they have a passion for the mission but not necessarily for governance and compliance. Our passion is to help these people do the work of non-profits and to weave it together in a coherent, well-run manner that inspires confidence, engagement, funding and mission delivery.
Sometimes participants know they lack information, sometimes they suspect it and many times they are just unaware. In all cases, they rarely know just how much is at risk. And, few know where to turn for reliable, understandable help. We can have an immediate impact by equipping and empowering them to achieve the meaningful results required to deliver their mission.
The Team
Steve Kosmala
Steve received his degree in Industrial Management from the Georgia Institute of Technology and his Masters of Business Administration from Mercer University with a concentration in taxation and strategic management. He has thirty-seven years experience in industry with positions in finance, accounting, administration, and operations and is now retired after thirty-one years with IBM. Steve has been an active volunteer with a number of organizations and was the founding president of the Peachtree Ridge HS Band Boosters Association. He and his wife, Jeanne, have two adult sons and reside in Duluth, Ga.
Warren McClellan
Warren received a Bachelor of Science degree in Accounting from the University of Tennessee and a Master of Business Information Systems from Georgia State University. He holds a CPA and a Series 7 license. Warren is the sole proprietor of a CPA firm and is a partner in a financial services company. He played Sousaphone in the biggest high school marching band in Southwestern Virginia. He was the founding treasurer for the Peachtree Ridge High School Band Boosters Association and is involved in a number of church, civic and community organizations. Warren has an adult son and resides with his wife, Barbara, in Duluth, Ga.