Long-term reserve fund
Often invested for durability, inflation protection, and moderate growth using low-cost diversified funds when the time horizon supports it.
Nonprofit investment advisor
Flat-Fee Investment Management for Nonprofits and Associations
A nonprofit portfolio should be governed by mission, liquidity needs, board oversight, and a written investment policy, not by an advisory fee that automatically rises with portfolio value.
Short answer
Can a Nonprofit Use a Flat-Fee Advisor for Its Portfolio?
Yes. A nonprofit, association, foundation, or member-controlled organization can often hire a flat-fee investment advisor to help with an Investment Policy Statement, reserve allocation, rebalancing, and board reporting.
This can be especially useful for portfolios around $500,000 to several million dollars where a percentage-of-assets fee may be hard to justify for a relatively simple reserve and operating-fund structure.
Typical structure
A Nonprofit Portfolio Often Has Two Jobs
Many nonprofit portfolios are not one generic investment account. The board usually needs to separate long-term reserves from near-term operating liquidity.
Operating or liquidity fund
Often held in Treasuries, money market funds, CDs, or high-quality short-duration fixed income so the organization can meet cash needs.
Scope
What a Nonprofit Board Should Expect
- Review or drafting support for an Investment Policy Statement.
- Target allocation guidance for reserves, operating funds, and liquidity needs.
- Portfolio implementation using low-cost, transparent investments where appropriate.
- Quarterly performance reporting written for board or finance committee review.
- Biannual or quarterly meetings depending on the scope and complexity.
- A fixed annual retainer quoted by scope, not a percentage of portfolio value.
Pricing
Nonprofit Pricing Is Scope-Based, Not a Household Tier
Nonprofit and association engagements are quoted separately from Flames FP household memberships.
Flames FP provides a fixed annual retainer based on the scope of work, not a percentage of the portfolio.
Related pages
Other Institutional Flat-Fee Pages
Institutional hub
See the full institutional page family for businesses, nonprofits, universities, and fiduciary firms.
Open hubBoard-governed portfolios
For organizations that need IPS discipline, rebalancing notes, meeting cadence, and committee-ready reports.
Board pageUniversity portfolios
For university-affiliated entities, foundations, and committees managing reserves or restricted funds.
University pageFAQ
Nonprofit Investment Advisor Questions
What should a nonprofit ask an investment advisor?
Ask how the advisor will support the IPS, liquidity needs, reserve allocation, rebalancing process, reporting, fiduciary documentation, meeting cadence, and fee structure.
Is a flat fee better than AUM for a nonprofit?
It can be. A fixed retainer may be easier for a board to budget and review, especially when the organization wants conservative implementation, clear reporting, and IPS support rather than a complex investment program.
Can a nonprofit use index funds and Treasuries?
Often, yes, if that matches the organization's investment policy, liquidity needs, time horizon, and risk tolerance. The right mix should be documented and reviewed by the board.
Next step
Need a Nonprofit Portfolio Proposal?
Share the portfolio size, current allocation, reserve purpose, operating cash needs, IPS status, and board reporting cadence. Flames FP can review whether a fixed-retainer relationship is a fit.