Fractional CFO services, fully remote.
Senior finance leadership without the full-time salary. Twenty years as a controller and CFO across SaaS, financial services, and public companies — now available to your startup or small business, part-time, from anywhere in the US.
Donkey Ideas provides remote fractional CFO services for US startups and small businesses — financial modeling and forecasting, cash-flow and runway management, fundraising preparation, investor reporting, and monthly close oversight — led by a controller and CFO with 20 years of experience, at a fraction of the cost of a full-time hire. Best fit: companies doing roughly $500K–$10M in revenue with no senior finance hire. To start: book a free 30-minute diagnostic call.
What a fractional CFO does for you.
A bookkeeper records the past. A controller closes it accurately. A CFO owns the future — the models, the runway, the raise. This engagement covers that forward-looking layer, and because I spent years as a controller too, the foundation underneath gets checked while we're at it.
Financial modeling and forecasting
Unit economics, three-statement models, and scenario planning you can defend in a board meeting — built, maintained, and explained in plain English.
Budgeting, cash flow, and runway
Know exactly how much cash you have, how fast it moves, and the date decisions come due. No more discovering problems in the bank balance.
Fundraising preparation
Investor-ready projections, data room assembly, and pitch financials that survive diligence. I sit on your side of the table for the hard questions.
Investor reporting and board support
The monthly update investors actually read: metrics that matter, honest commentary, and no surprises in the board deck.
Monthly close oversight and KPIs
Your bookkeeper keeps the books; I make sure the close is right and turn it into a scoreboard — so you run the business on numbers instead of vibes.
Systems and process
Accounting stack setup, dashboards, and financial hygiene that scales — built by someone who has run finance at every size from startup to public company.
Who this is for.
Fractional works when you need CFO-level judgment, but not forty hours of it a week.
A good fit if you're...
- A startup preparing to raise — or cleaning up after a raise
- Doing roughly $500K–$10M in revenue with no senior finance hire
- A founder making cash decisions on gut feel and a bank balance
- Getting investor questions your bookkeeper can't answer
- A small business that wants real forecasting, not just clean books
Not the right fit if you're...
- Looking for bookkeeping or tax prep alone — I'll refer you out
- Big enough to need a full-time CFO in the building daily
- Wanting numbers that say what you wish were true
Ready for an honest read on your numbers?
Free 30-minute diagnostic. Book a time, or send the details and I'll come to you.
How an engagement works.
Free diagnostic call
Thirty minutes on where your finances stand and what you actually need. If you don't need a CFO yet, I'll tell you that — it's cheaper for both of us.
Scoped monthly engagement
A fixed retainer tied to concrete deliverables and a meeting cadence — typically a few days a month, scaled to your stage. No hourly meters running.
First 30 days: the foundation
Model built or rebuilt, cash-flow visibility established, close process reviewed, and a KPI dashboard you'll actually look at.
Ongoing: the forward look
Monthly close review, updated forecasts, board and investor materials, and a standing call where we make the numbers argue with your plans.
Remote by design.
Finance is the most remote-friendly seat in your company. Your books live in the cloud, your model lives in a shared file, and your board meets on video. I work with companies across the US from New York — same-day responsiveness, no travel line item, and every deliverable in tools you keep if we ever part ways.
Based in New York City, which means market hours, US GAAP fluency, and the occasional in-person session if you're in the city and want one.
The track record behind your numbers.
Not a junior analyst with a template — two decades of senior finance leadership, now focused on your business.
Simple, fixed pricing. Monthly retainers scoped to your stage — a fraction of a full-time CFO's salary and equity. No hourly meters, no surprises. The first diagnostic call is free.
Book a free callFractional CFO questions, answered.
What is a fractional CFO?
A senior finance executive who works with your company part-time — typically a set number of days per month — providing CFO-level leadership: financial modeling, forecasting, cash-flow management, and fundraising support, at a fraction of the cost of a full-time hire.
Do fractional CFOs work remotely?
Yes — it's now the standard model. Modeling, forecasting, close review, and board reporting all run on cloud accounting and shared dashboards. Donkey Ideas works fully remotely with companies across the US from a New York base.
When should a startup hire a fractional CFO?
Common triggers: preparing to raise, revenue passing roughly $500K to $1M, cash decisions getting consequential, investors asking for reporting you can't produce, or a bookkeeper handling transactions while nobody owns the forward-looking numbers.
What's the difference between a fractional CFO and a bookkeeper or controller?
A bookkeeper records transactions. A controller makes sure the books close accurately. A CFO looks forward — scenarios, runway, budgets, fundraises. Having spent 20 years as both a controller and a CFO, I cover the full stack and can tell you which layer your problem actually lives in.
How much does it cost?
A monthly retainer scoped to fixed deliverables and cadence — a small fraction of a full-time CFO's salary and equity. The first call is free and includes an honest read on whether you need a CFO at all yet.
Stop running the business on vibes.
One free call. An honest read on your numbers. Zero pressure — the donkey carries the load either way.