A dedicated supporter for nonprofit excellence, Lisa A. Gioia, a distinguished Certified Public Accountant and dedicated financial management consultant specializing in the nonprofit sector, has been honored with the prestigious Albert Nelson Marquis Lifetime Achievement Award, celebrating her 43-year career supporting mission-driven organizations.
After beginning her career as an audit manager at Laventhol & Horwath in both Kansas City and Philadelphia, she established her own independent consulting in Philadelphia in 1990, specializing in nonprofit accounting, auditing, and financial management. Her professional journey also included sharing her expertise as an educator at Eastern University.
A lifelong learner, Ms. Gioia graduated summa cum laude from Avila University and later earned a Master of Public Administration in nonprofit management from the University of Missouri-Kansas City. Her commitment to her field has been reflected in over thirty-five of her memberships, including the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants, the American Society of Women Accountants, the Missouri Society of CPAs, and the Kansas City Volunteer Lawyers & Accountants for the Arts. She currently serves on the board of trustees at Avila University.
Reflecting on her career, she notes, “Working as a CPA for nonprofit organizations brought me the greatest satisfaction of my career,” underscoring her passion for helping organizations to succeed financially to further their vital community impact.
The Foundation of Mentorship
Behind every great career stands professional mentors who helped lift it up. For Lisa Gioia, as a mentor, it was the supportive community at Laventhol & Horwath, where she began her career in 1981. The collaborative guidance from partners and staff who generously shared their expertise in accounting, audit, and client relations instilled in her a lasting commitment to mentorship and shared growth.
This early experience in a national firm, rooted in teamwork and guidance, became the blueprint for her own practice. It taught her that true leadership is built through lifting others, a value that became the cornerstone of her decades-long career dedicated to serving the nonprofit community.
Building a Purpose-Driven Path
Driven by her passion for mission-driven work, Lisa took a bold step in 1990 by launching her own consultancy. She chose to dedicate her expertise exclusively to nonprofits, helping them build capacity and achieve their goals rather than pursuing commercial profit. As a woman leader, she faced significant challenges, including the long hours required to meticulously complete audited financial statements and ensure her clients’ success. This unwavering commitment to quality was the foundation of her trusted practice.
Transitioning from Auditor to Trusted Advisor
The most pivotal turning point in Lisa Gioia’s career was her decision to transition from being an auditor to becoming an independent consultant. This strategic shift was driven by a deeper calling: to move beyond compliance and actively uplift not-for-profit organizations.
This decision allowed Lisa to do truly transformative work. She went beyond reviewing numbers, mentoring bookkeepers, shaping budgets, guiding grants, and preparing tax filings. She became a trusted partner, directly advising Finance Committees and Boards of Directors, building capacity and creating lasting, meaningful impact on the missions she supported.
Strengthening Teams Through Empowerment
Rather than replacing struggling bookkeepers, Lisa Gioia adopted a transformative approach, investing in their development and growth. When faced with bookkeepers who lacked skills in reconciliations, financial statements, or payroll, her unique solution was proactive, hands-on training. This empowerment approach building internal capacity rather than fostering dependency became a defining hallmark of her practice.
This philosophy became the heart of Lisa’s leadership. Drawing on years of teaching, serving on nonprofit committees, and advising CPAs, she built a collaborative environment where questions were welcomed and learning was shared. Her approach created a culture of mutual growth, leaving a lasting legacy of confident, capable professionals.
Partnerships That Define Lasting Impact
The strongest legacy lives in what continues to endure. Lisa Gioia’s legacy shines through 34 years of client relationships built on trust, loyalty, and shared growth. Her true success story rests in bonds that have only deepened with time.
Her impact was forged through deep collaboration, working alongside bookkeepers, staff members, executive directors, and boards members to build lasting financial strength and confidence. This created a powerful cycle of uplift: as she empowered their missions, their success and gratitude, in turn, enriched her own purpose.
This symbiotic partnership extended far beyond consultancy, inspiring lasting personal commitment. Lisa Gioia continues to support these missions through contributions and volunteering, a testament to a career where professional service and personal dedication became one.
Feedback as a Catalyst for Growth
Great leaders know that growth comes from listening. Lisa Gioia never viewed client feedback as criticism; she embraced it as a valuable gift of perspective. Through this mindset, she built trusting partnerships where executive directors and board members felt comfortable sharing honest, timely, and constructive feedback.
By embracing open dialogue, Lisa turned client feedback into a powerful tool for growth. Suggestions became a roadmap for improvement, helping her refine services and meet each organization’s unique needs. Through attentive listening, she transformed feedback into collaboration, becoming not just a consultant, but a trusted partner invested in their shared success.
Building Trust Through Ethics and Compliance
“In the nonprofit world, trust isn’t an asset; it’s the currency.” This belief guided Lisa’s entire approach to financial stewardship. She built confidence by designing transparent systems that safeguarded clients. She kept conflict-of-interest disclosures up to date and ensured they were openly discussed in board meetings. She further reinforced accountability through whistleblower policies and clear codes of conduct, creating a culture where integrity was not just expected but lived across every organization she supported.
To guarantee objective oversight and transparency, Lisa Gioia conducted meticulous comparisons of audit proposals over multiple years. For unwavering federal compliance, she meticulously prepared detailed IRS Form 990s, facilitating thorough reviews by leadership before submission. This unwavering, process-oriented approach ensured every financial action was defensible, transparent, and worthy of the public’s absolute trust.
Lessons for Nonprofit Sustainability
Lasting financial sustainability grows when everyone in an organization works with a shared purpose. Lisa Gioia has seen that success comes from integration when board members and staff members move beyond silos and treat programs, fundraising, management, and administration as parts of one connected story. Her message is simple yet powerful: lasting strength is built together.
Reaching true sustainability takes discipline and teamwork, with everyone committed to the basics that matter most: careful accounting, realistic budgets, smart decisions guided by data, and strategies that are lived every day, not just written on paper. At its heart, financial health becomes
a shared responsibility, built when each person sees how their role strengthens both the organization’s stability and its mission to make a difference.
Shaping the Future of Nonprofit Finance
Drawing on decades of experience, Lisa Gioia identifies several interconnected trends that will define the future of nonprofit financial management. She emphasizes that sustainability will be driven by a strategic focus on donor retention and the continuous development of compelling grant proposals, moving beyond mere acquisition to deepen supporter relationships.
Alongside revenue generation, proactive cost management and strategic compliance will be paramount. Lisa believes the most critical trend, however, is investing in people creating committed and capable teams equipped to navigate both new opportunities and emerging challenges. This holistic approach, blending financial acuity with human capital development, will be essential for organizations to thrive in an evolving landscape.
Empowerment through a People-Centered Approach
True leadership shows in the impact it creates, a belief reflected in Lisa Gioia’s work. She upheld the standards of Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (GAAP) with rigor, while her real distinction came through a people-centered framework rooted in empowerment. Her approach moved beyond documents into a living model of mentorship and capacity-building that others could carry forward.
Lisa’s most lasting contribution comes from her dedication to teaching. She guided bookkeepers, accountants, and nonprofit staff, helping them grow in both skill and confidence. One protégé she mentored all the way to CPA has now stepped into her role, continuing the cycle of learning. By focusing on knowledge-sharing rather than creating dependency, Lisa A Gioia instilled financial literacy across every organization she served, leaving behind a network of capable, ethical professionals who carry her impact forward.
Distinguished Achievements and Accolades
Lisa Gioia’s distinguished career and profound impact on nonprofit financial management have been extensively acknowledged by a wide array of prestigious institutions and publications. Her dedication to excellence has been celebrated through numerous features and awards,
Major Media & Publications:
- Feature in Time Magazine as a Marquis Who’s Who Industry Leader.
- Recognition in Forbes magazine for receiving the Albert Nelson Marquis Lifetime Achievement Award.
- Feature in Fortune Magazine’s The Nation’s Top Professionals.
- Mention in The Wall Street Journal newsletter for Marquis Who’s Who Distinguished Leaders.
- Profile in Marquis Who’s Who 77th Edition book.
- Feature in Marquis Who’s Who Insight magazine.
- Feature in Marquis Who’s Who Millennium Magazine.
- Profile in UMKC Henry W. Block School of Management Edition magazine and website.
- Feature in Ingram’s Local Heroes webpage and magazine.
Prestigious Awards & Honors:
- Albert Nelson Marquis Lifetime Achievement Award for Outstanding Career in Financial Management.
- Recognition by Marquis Who’s Who for Notable Success in Accounting and Nonprofit Partnerships.
- Who’s Who Humanitarian honor.
- Who’s Who of Professional Women Honoree.
- Honoree on the Who’s Who of Humanitarians and Philanthropists website.
- Honoree on the Who’s Who of Top Executives webpage.
- Honored for Expertise in Financial Management on Accessnewswire and apnews.com.
Notable Spotlights & Profiles:
- Spotlight on New York City’s Time Square 22-story screen for Marquis Who’s Who Excellence in Field of Accounting.
- United WE Donor Profile: A Legacy of Giving Forward.
- University of Missouri-Kansas City Community Connection for Midwest Center for Nonprofit Leadership as a Senior Fellow and nonprofit accounting and tax consultant.
- Michigan State University MUS Extension webpage feature for financial leadership.
- Reconciliation Services Annual Reports features for Financial Reports.
Professional Directories:
- Dun & Bradstreet Business Directory listing.
- CPAdirectory listing as a Kansas City Certified Public Accountant.
- PTINdirectory listing as a Kansas City, MO Tax Preparer.
This comprehensive recognition reflects a lifetime of commitment to the highest standards of professionalism and service in the field of accounting and nonprofit management.
An Open Letter to New Nonprofit Financial Leaders
To those stepping into the vital role of financial stewardship within the nonprofit sector, it can be uplifting to the leader and to the nonprofit organizations.
The landscape of nonprofit management is complex, unique, and endlessly rewarding. To navigate it successfully, you must first become a perpetual student of your craft. Your role is unique: you are a steward of both finances and mission.
Commit to being a perpetual student. Master the vital connection between accounting, fundraising, and programs. Treat compliance not as a burden, but as the foundation of trust.
Every number you manage serves one ultimate goal: to uplift your organization and its mission. This is the most important work you will ever do.
With best wishes for your journey,
Key Takeaways:
- Invest in internal capacity building over external dependency.
- Uphold ethical rigor as the cornerstone of fiduciary trust.
- Foster collaborative leadership that values mutual growth.
- Address root causes, not symptoms, to ensure sustainable solutions.
- Cultivate enduring, trust-based partnerships with clients and teams.
- Align financial strategy directly with mission-driven outcomes.
