James Kennedy sits down with Angela Satterfield-Sexton (Burkland) to unpack fund accounting and why it matters even if you’re not a nonprofit. Angela breaks down how grant funding really works (pre-award → mid-award → post-award), what causes the most compliance pain, and how the right systems (and habits) can keep your funding safe, your reporting clean, and your team sane.
From time tracking and class coding to receipts, audits, and spend deadlines, this episode is a practical guide for founders, finance leaders, and grant-funded operators who want to stay compliant and move fast.
About Angela Satterfield-Sexton
Angela is a grant accounting specialist at Burkland, helping startups and nonprofits manage grant compliance across funding sources like NSF, DOE, USDA, and more. Before Burkland, she built deep hands-on experience as a nonprofit finance leader – starting as Finance Director and growing into a CFO role as her organization scaled from 13 employees and a $600K budget to 53 employees and a $4M+ budget, spanning 25 programs with complex funding requirements.
What You’ll Learn:
- What fund accounting is (and why it’s not just for nonprofits): The mindset shift from “normal accounting” to grant-driven compliance and reporting.
- The biggest grant compliance trap: Why time sheets can make or break you and how to operationalize them.
- How to structure QuickBooks for grant tracking: Using class coding so every grant-linked transaction is tagged correctly.
- The tech stack that makes grant compliance easier: Tools like Brex for receipts and coding, plus HR/payroll systems like Rippling and Gusto.
- Spend timing + audit readiness: What “use it or lose it” really means, what audits look for, and how to avoid nasty surprises.
Episode Highlights:
- “Paddleboarding is a lot like grant accounting – you have to balance the waves and navigate life.”
- “One of the biggest things with the federal government is time sheets.”
- “Every transaction tied to the grant has to be class coded.”
- “Auditors look at you with a fine-tooth comb – policies, HR files, time sheets, segregation of duties.”
More About Angela’s Role:
At Burkland, Angela supports grant-funded organizations with the financial infrastructure that makes funding sustainable – helping teams get their policies, chart of accounts, indirect cost alignment, and systems in place before they apply, so they’re not scrambling later. She’s worked across a wide range of grant environments – from social services to highly technical federal programs – helping teams stay compliant while still moving quickly toward their mission and growth goals.
