What is Fractional Athletic Business Office Support? An Overview of Outsourced Financial Services

For many athletic departments, managing all functions of the business office can be challenging due to limited resources, competing priorities and the evolving nature of collegiate athletics. Outsourcing business office support can provide immense value by offering expertise, efficiency and peace of mind.

Our Fractional Athletics Business Office (ABO) Support team provides a comprehensive suite of services designed to meet these challenges head on. Here, we explore the different service types available and demonstrate their potential impact on your organization.

What is Fractional Athletics Business Office Support?

Fractional ABO support is a type of outsourced service in which athletic departments pay a monthly fee to access an agreed-upon suite of business office services.

Unlike traditional consulting, which might be project-based or involve ad-hoc support, our fractional ABO support offers continuous, personalized assistance from experienced professionals who understand your institution and the collegiate athletics industry deeply.

This approach is an add on to tech-based solutions, which often rely on software to automate tasks. While technology is beneficial, our Fractional ABO Support team brings the human touch and personalized insight that comes from a dedicated professional.

With our Fractional ABO Support services, you retain control over your operations while benefiting from expert support.

The benefits of our services are significant Athletic departments gain access to:

• Experienced financial leaders
• Personalized guidance aligned with best practices
• Predictable costs
• A solution tailored to the athletic department’s unique needs.

Fractional ABO Support Services: What to Expect

We offer two tiers of fractional business office support services, each customizable to each institution’s unique requirements. These tiers ensure that whether you need minimal guidance or high-level support, there’s a suitable option for your athletic department.

On-Call Retainer

The On-Call Retainer is our entry-level support tier. It’s designed for athletic departments that already have robust business office capabilities but need occasional expert advice and resources. The On-Call Retainer can be set at one, two or three hours of monthly consultation time.

Imagine a Division I program with an associate AD for finance who is well-versed in the daily operations but occasionally needs guidance on complex issues like navigating new regulatory requirements or telling your financial story. With the On-Call Retainer, that manager can reach out to our team and quickly get expert advice, ensuring even the trickiest challenges are handled effectively without committing to a large, outsourced package.

This package is ideal for those who don’t need support for day-to-day operations but require occasional guidance on specific issues. This might include questions about unique transactions, best practices or specific initiatives that fall outside routine tasks.

Recurring Financial Support

The Recurring Fractional Support tier provides you with a fractional chief financial officer (CFO). In other words, you can bolster your existing business office with strategic insights and support through services such as:

• Financial reporting
• Budgeting
• Financial planning and analysis
• Policy development
• EADA and NCAA filings
• Preparing for your NCAA agreed-upon procedures
• Compliance with IRS regulations

This package does not include day-to-day management, so it’s ideal for departments that have this work covered but lack strategic leadership of a full-time, in-house CFO. That might include programs undergoing transitions, experiencing growth or facing complex financial challenges.

For example, a Division I program that has conducted multiple CFO searches without success might need external support to assist internal staff members handling day-to-day functions. Fractional support can fill in those knowledge gaps, work on developing standard operating procedures, manage special projects and help navigate industry changes.

Build Your Outsourced ABO Consulting Package with Us Today

Investing in outsourced business office support ensure you have the expertise and support necessary to provide compliant, high-quality financial services to your athletic department. And by relieving some of the management burden through strategic guidance or hands-on support, your leaders get more time to focus on what they do best — strategically supporting your athletic program.

Outsourcing your business office support to us provides you with tailored, expert assistance that helps your athletic department succeed. Whether you need occasional advice, strategic leadership or comprehensive management, the right service can be customized to meet your department’s unique needs.

Contact us today to learn more about how our Fractional Athletics Business Office Support services can benefit your athletic department.

All content provided in this article is for informational purposes only. Matters discussed in this article are subject to change. For up-to-date information on this subject please contact a James Moore professional. James Moore will not be held responsible for any claim, loss, damage or inconvenience caused as a result of any information within these pages or any information accessed through this site.