Karen Kennelly, owner and president, k-squared, knows not-for-profits.

Although beginning her not-for-profit professional involvement in 1987, since 1999 Karen Kennelly has been even further immersed in the not-for-profit world as a volunteer. In that year, she was a founding board member of Dress for Success in Indianapolis, which is still going strong today, helping provide professional attire and an extra “boost” towards economic independence to disadvantaged women. Karen previously served as the board president for Impact 100 Indy, a women’s giving circle that awards grants to community nonprofits, the Board Treasurer for Herron High School, a public charter high school offering world-class education in the heart of Indianapolis, as well as the Treasurer of the board for the Indianapolis Art Center, which provides arts education and outreach. She’s currently serving as the Treasurer of the Board of The Humane Society for Hamilton County as well as the Treasurer of the Board for Women4Change Indiana.

CFO experience

Not only does Karen’s work in the nonprofit sector give her the specialization she needs to act as a valuable resource for any 501(c)(3) organization, but she has had multiple years of experience working for Arthur Andersen, a global accounting and consulting firm, cultivating skills translatable to the not-for-profit world by serving clients in a variety of industries.

In addition to that experience, Karen worked for many years at the Children’s Museum of Indianapolis as the Vice President of Finance and Administration and Treasurer of the Board of Directors. She supplemented that knowledge and experience by consulting, auditing, and working with business development for nonprofits and governmental clients for many years at Katz, Sapper & Miller, a regional accounting firm.

Teaching experience

Butler University’s MBA program called on Karen when they wanted to develop a not-for-profit Board Fellowship program. She worked with a team of specialists to establish the curriculum and, as part-time faculty, instructs graduate students on financial issues, taxes, and fundraising for not-for-profits.

k-squared’s successes

As owner and president of k-squared, Karen has provided financial guidance and oversight to multiple not-for-profit organizations, including acting as CFO for Special Olympics, Near East Area Renewal, Inc., St Joseph’s Institute for the Deaf and SideKick Foundation. When Girls’ Inc. National Headquarters moved its accounting office to Indianapolis, Karen stepped in to do transitional work and helped them smoothly settle into their new environment and procedures. She also functions as controller and offers operational consulting for many other not-for-profits in need of those services, and she’s had experience helping not-for-profits in financial difficulty make a turnaround. For more information about other client experiences, go here.

Karen says, “This kind of work is the perfect intersection of my passions; sound financial and business strategy is critical to creating a strong base for nonprofits. When you have that foundation, you can concentrate on the important stuff: the greater good.”

What can k-squared do for you? Depending on your company size and current needs, Karen can advise you, so you get the kind of financial help you need. See k-squared’s services and specializations.