Meet the New CEO of GMS, inc. Donald Cassady
Where did you work before joining GMS and what role did you play?
I was the Finance Director at Community Action Committee of the Lehigh Valley in
Bethlehem, PA. Prior to that I was in public accounting.
What role(s) at GMS did you play before becoming CEO?
I was originally hired as Field Staff, and when I came off of the road I was Director of Accounting Services.
What do you enjoy most about being a part of GMS?
Without a doubt it is the closeness and common goal of the staff. Being spread out
across the country, for the most part we only see each other twice a year at our
staff meetings. But we all share a common goal in that we truly care about
our clients and want the best for them. This is a special relationship and I am
closer to this staff than any group I have ever worked with.
With nonprofit accounting professionals working to keep up with managing budgets while trying to stay up to date with technology, how is GMS dealing with these issues?
It seems like the technology changes on a daily basis and along with that comes more involved record keeping and reporting flexibility/requirements. The average non-profit organization cannot hire more staff to meet these demands due to their budget constraints. GMS is in the process of developing partnerships with other vendors to enhance our software capabilities that we can pass along to our clients. Examples of this would be in in the areas of Human Resource reporting and Donor tracking.
What are some of the things you think make GMS a great option for nonprofits?
A large number of the GMS staff come from non-profit organizations. We have accountants and past Finance Directors and fiscal staff as GMS employees. This gives us a unique perspective in the problems inherent to the social service industry. We understand the daily problems that our clients deal with because “we’ve been there”. This gives us a tremendous advantage in helping to solve
those issues.
Are there any trends you are noticing in nonprofit accounting that nonprofit organizations should be aware of in 2014?
The trend I think would be the most important is one that has been happening probably for 10 years now. With every passing year discretionary giving seems to decrease to a certain extent. This makes the dependency on regulated (grant and contract) money even more significant. The non-profit agency needs to be 100% accountable as to how they are spending their funds while at the same time
provide the best services they can.
What should nonprofits consider when looking for accounting and financial management software?
In addition to the obvious answers such as accuracy and flexibility of reporting, ease of use and the level of service provided are critical. The software has to take what you view as a logical approach to the daily activities, and when questions arise having timely and concise service and support is an absolute necessity.
What do you like best about working with nonprofit organizations?
For me it’s all about giving back. Every day I know that by day’s end in some manner I have helped a non-profit organization in some way provide a service to a person in need.
Fun Facts About Donald….
What college/university did you attend?
East Stroudsburg State College and Penn State University
What are your hobbies?
Cooking and music.
Where is the furthest you have traveled?
Central Africa
What is your favorite animal and why?
Cats. In addition to the affection you get from them as you would a dog, a cat has an “in your face” independence like no other animal!
If you could travel anywhere in the world, where would you go and why? That is a toss-up between Greece and the ruins at Machu Picchu.
If you could meet any past or present celebrity, which would you meet?
Van Cliburn.
What is your favorite type of music?
Live! My wife and I spend a lot of time going to concerts as we both enjoy that type of entertainment. As far as the genre of music, we have pretty wide tastes. For example, two of my favorite live performances were Aerosmith with Kid Rock and Luciano Pavarotti.
What is your favorite food?
Anything that involves pasta.
What organizations do you volunteer your time with and why?
I do a lot of work with 4-H. In addition to specific skills, 4-H teaches today’s youth responsibility, accountability and working within the community. I have also been involved with our local homeless shelters.
