The Client:
Mosaic SA is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that raises awareness and funding for the development of programs and housing for orphaned and vulnerable children in South Africa.
The Challenge:
During a mission trip with her church, Karen Baker met a South African couple with a dream to change lives. This dream became the organization Mosaic (“Motivating Orphans in South Africa to Initiate Change”). Mosaic constructs homes for families who foster or adopt orphaned children and provides ongoing education, life skills and job training/creation for both adults and children.
Inspired by the desire to help change lives, Baker returned home to the U.S. determined to support this cause but unfamiliar with where to start. RKL has long served the commercial assurance needs of Baker’s Exton-based security business, The Protection Bureau, but now she turned to the firm’s team of nonprofit specialists to help her launch a U.S. charity to raise funds for the South African organization.
The RKL Approach:
Before helping Baker make her dream a reality, RKL gained a firm understanding of the South African organization’s mission, goals and processes thanks to in-person meetings with Mosaic’s leaders when they were visiting the U.S. Armed with this foundational knowledge, Baker’s RKL advisors helped her structure the 501(c)(3) entity (which she named Mosaic SA), file an application for tax exemption and register as a charity in Pennsylvania.
As Mosaic SA solicited donations across state lines, RKL helped Baker obtain the necessary registrations with a growing list of states. Mosaic SA’s continued growth soon necessitated a deeper level of financial reporting, so the RKL team prepared compiled financial statements to provide additional transparency for the nonprofit’s donors and regulators.
The Results:
RKL’s financial and management expertise helped launch Mosaic SA almost a decade ago, but it is the firm’s organizational insights and forward-thinking approach to planning that fuel its continued success. With RKL’s nonprofit team – one of the largest and most respected in the region – advising on operations and building a sustainable framework for growth, Baker is free to focus on Mosaic SA’s humanitarian impact. As of mid-2018, construction is underway on three educational and residential communities in South Africa RKL remains inspired by the opportunity to serve as Mosaic SA’s trusted advisor as the organization strives to reach its ultimate goal of helping five million children and families.
To learn more about how RKL can drive real results for your organization, send us a message or contact one of our local offices.
