David Hoag, president of the Council for Christian Colleges & Universities, was making $13,000 a year in admissions at Asbury when its CFO required 3% of every check for retirement; what he put in over nine years is now worth over $300,000. He has always worked at his relationship with the CFO, because presidents are only as good as the financial information they have. He and Bruce talk about stewarding every dollar, shared services, and the CCCU's fight in Washington.

Takeaways

• Presidents are only as good as the financial information they have. Develop your relationship with the president, and "brutally tell the truth."
• "Every dollar matters." One faculty load report showed the cabinet that a nine-hour load instead of twelve meant $3,000 for another instructor.
• A budget gap can't simply become the annual fund goal. Take out non-repeatable gifts, like estate gifts, and work from a three-year average.
• The real savings come from sharing back-office systems like an LMS or ERP, over a million dollars, not from buying toilet paper together.
• Federal aid is often a school's biggest donor, and the earnings test could put Title IV at risk. Help your president bring lawmakers to campus.

Chapters

• 00:00 Meet David Hoag
• 03:34 From Asbury admissions to the CCCU
• 07:18 The legendary CFO who said no
• 10:25 What CFOs carry that presidents don't
• 12:40 Only as good as the CFO's information
• 14:43 Compliance is not just the CFO's problem
• 16:31 Faith, stewardship, and the annual fund goal
• 18:41 Better together through shared services
• 23:35 Associations practicing what they preach
• 25:26 What the CCCU is doing in Washington
• 32:25 Every dollar matters
• 34:33 How the CCCU is in your corner
• 36:34 Build the relationship and tell the truth

Guest: David Hoag, President of the Council for Christian Colleges & Universities (cccu.org)

The ABACC Podcast is hosted by Bruce Hoeker, Executive Director of ABACC. Learn more at myabacc.org. Know someone who should be a guest? Email bruce@myabacc.org.

Join us at the ABACC Annual Conference, February 14 to 18, 2027, in Orlando: myabacc.org/conference

This episode is brought to you by CapinCrouse. Since 1972, CapinCrouse has served mission-focused nonprofits, churches, and Christian colleges, and today they work with more than 120 higher education institutions. Learn more at capincrouse.com.

Philip Dearborn started in admissions at Lancaster Bible College for $16,000 a year, stayed 26 years and became provost, and now serves 171 institutions as president of the Association for Biblical Higher Education. From that seat he sees what makes the partnership between a president and a CFO work, and what quietly breaks it. He and Bruce talk through both sides of the table: what presidents need from their business officers, and what CFOs should expect in return.

Takeaways

• Presidents want honesty first: no spin, no surprises, and never being the last to hear about a problem.
• Report the numbers neutrally, then stay in the room. The CFOs presidents trust bring the problem and a possible solution together.
• Giving the CFO a seat at the cabinet table is the president's job. "Your CFO is not your bookkeeper."
• A no can hold five yeses. Tell the whole story, wins included, so the CFO isn't only the bearer of bad news.
• "The higher you go in leadership, the fewer truth tellers you have around you." Build trust across the cabinet, starting with coffee with your chief academic officer.

Chapters

• 00:00 Meet Philip Dearborn
• 03:35 From admissions to provost to ABHE
• 06:28 Patterns across 171 institutions
• 08:25 What a good president needs from a good CFO
• 12:43 Neutral on the numbers, part of the solution
• 15:11 Becoming a strategic thought partner
• 17:09 Who gives the CFO a voice
• 18:38 Saying no without being the downer in the room
• 24:35 The trap of perpetual fall
• 28:01 Why CFOs need a network
• 30:12 What a CFO should expect from a president
• 32:17 Healthy and toxic cabinets
• 35:12 Advice for a new president and a new CFO
• 39:18 A word of thanks to CFOs

Guest: Philip Dearborn, President of the Association for Biblical Higher Education (abhe.org)

The ABACC Podcast is hosted by Bruce Hoeker, Executive Director of ABACC. Learn more at myabacc.org. Know someone who should be a guest? Email bruce@myabacc.org.

Join us at the ABACC Annual Conference, February 14 to 18, 2027, in Orlando: myabacc.org/conference

This episode is brought to you by CapinCrouse. Since 1972, CapinCrouse has served mission-focused nonprofits, churches, and Christian colleges, and today they work with more than 120 higher education institutions. Learn more at capincrouse.com.