The Works, Inc. is one of the largest community-development corporations in the Southeast—serving Memphis since 1998 with a mission to move vulnerable communities toward housing security, food stability, health equity, financial empowerment and regenerative solutions.
In 2023, The Works merged with Neighborhood Preservation, Inc., adding policy advocacy, strategic code-enforcement training and blight-elimination initiatives to an already complex mix of programs.
After the merger, The Works managed:
A full-time CFO briefly filled the gap, but the scope outgrew one person. Bills slipped, partners went unpaid, and audit season loomed. President and CEO Roshun Austin needed deep expertise—without the cost of rebuilding an entire finance department.
To meet the growing complexity of its financial operations, The Works, Inc. turned to CFO Leverage for a fractional finance team that could scale with its needs. The partnership began with essential bookkeeping services like bank reconciliations, monthly financial reporting and audit preparation. Over time, the engagement expanded to include full accounts payable support and strategic oversight from a fractional CFO. With deep nonprofit and real estate experience, the CFO Leverage team quickly adapted to the organization’s unique structure—implementing clean internal controls, streamlining financial workflows and delivering reliable, board-ready reporting. This flexible and responsive model allowed The Works to regain financial clarity and stability without the burden of hiring and managing an in-house finance department.
With CFO Leverage as a partner, The Works, Inc. gained stronger internal controls, faster monthly closes and cleaner audit processes—all of which enabled more confident decision-making across their housing, food and health initiatives. Leadership could shift their focus from managing accounting tasks to advancing the mission and expanding impact. As The Works continues to grow its footprint in affordable housing and neighborhood revitalization, the scalable support and sector expertise provided by CFO Leverage ensures their financial infrastructure grows right alongside it.
