Forensic Accounting Expert (Volunteer)

Forensic Accounting Expert (Volunteer)

PromiseFinance | Financial Investigations, Fraud Risk & Financial Integrity

Organization: Mentor A Promise (MAP)

Division: PromiseFinance

Location: Remote — United States

Type: Volunteer Specialized Finance Role

Commitment: Approximately 5–10 hours per week, based on organizational needs

Minimum Commitment: 6-month commitment preferred

Reports To: Chief Accounting Officer / Executive Leadership

Works Closely With: PromiseFinance, PromiseTrust, Compliance, Executive Leadership, and other authorized organizational leaders

About Mentor A Promise

Mentor A Promise (MAP) is a New York City–based nonprofit supporting children and youth ages 5–18 experiencing housing instability through mentorship, education, literacy, social-emotional learning, creative opportunity, career development, advocacy, and community-centered support.

Strong financial stewardship is fundamental to maintaining the trust of the children and families we serve, donors, partners, volunteers, regulators, and the broader community.

Role Overview

MAP is seeking an experienced Forensic Accounting Expert to strengthen the organization’s ability to identify, examine, document, and respond to unusual or potentially improper financial activity.

This role will provide specialized expertise when transactions, accounting records, internal controls, financial relationships, or patterns require deeper examination than ordinary accounting review.

The Forensic Accounting Expert should follow the evidence wherever it leads—without assuming that an irregularity automatically means wrongdoing.

Key Responsibilities

Forensic Financial Review

• Examine financial records and transactions when concerns or significant inconsistencies arise.
• Reconstruct transactions and financial activity when necessary.
• Trace the movement and use of organizational funds.
• Analyze accounting records, supporting documentation, payments, reimbursements, deposits, expenses, and other relevant financial information.
• Identify unexplained discrepancies or unusual patterns.
• Distinguish accounting errors, control weaknesses, documentation problems, and potential misconduct.

Fraud Risk & Detection

• Help identify financial processes vulnerable to fraud, misuse, conflicts, or circumvention of controls.
• Evaluate potential warning signs and financial anomalies.
• Recommend preventive and detective controls.
• Support periodic fraud-risk assessments.
• Help MAP strengthen systems before weaknesses become losses.

Investigative Support

When formally authorized:

• Establish clear scope and objectives for financial reviews.
• Gather and analyze relevant financial documentation.
• Develop financial timelines and transaction histories.
• Document methodology, evidence, findings, and limitations.
• Conduct objective financial analysis without prejudging outcomes.
• Coordinate with authorized legal or compliance professionals when appropriate.
• Preserve confidentiality throughout the review process.

Internal Controls

Evaluate controls involving areas such as:

• Cash receipts and disbursements
• Bank and credit-card activity
• Expense reimbursements
• Purchasing and vendor payments
• Donations and restricted funds
• Grants
• Payroll or contractor payments where applicable
• Royalties and earned revenue
• Financial approvals
• Account reconciliations
• Segregation of duties
• Financial system access
• Supporting documentation

Recommend practical improvements based on MAP’s size, resources, risk profile, and operating environment.

Financial Documentation & Evidence

• Maintain organized records supporting forensic reviews.
• Establish clear documentation practices.
• Protect the integrity and confidentiality of financial information.
• Maintain appropriate records of analyses, findings, and supporting evidence.
• Coordinate preservation of relevant records when legal, regulatory, or governance concerns arise.

Reporting & Recommendations

• Prepare clear, factual findings for authorized leadership.
• Separate confirmed facts from assumptions, unresolved questions, and professional judgment.
• Quantify financial impact when reasonably possible.
• Identify control failures that contributed to an issue.
• Recommend corrective and preventive actions.
• Escalate significant concerns through appropriate organizational channels.

A forensic review should answer not only what happened, but how it happened, what evidence supports that conclusion, and what should change to reduce the likelihood of it happening again.

Independence & Confidentiality

The Forensic Accounting Expert must approach every review objectively and without predetermined conclusions.

Potential conflicts of interest must be disclosed before accepting an assignment.

When independence could reasonably be questioned, the matter should be escalated and reassigned as appropriate.

Information obtained through an investigation must be treated as confidential and shared only with individuals authorized to receive it.

Role Boundaries

This position does not replace MAP’s routine accounting, audit, compliance, governance, or legal functions.

The Forensic Accounting Expert does not independently determine criminal liability, make employment decisions, provide legal conclusions, or accuse individuals of misconduct based solely on financial anomalies.

Potential legal, regulatory, employment, governance, safeguarding, or criminal matters should be escalated to the appropriately authorized MAP leadership and qualified professionals.

Ideal Candidate

Strong candidates may have professional experience in:

• Forensic accounting
• Fraud examination
• Investigative accounting
• Internal audit
• Financial investigations
• Fraud risk management
• Public accounting
• Financial compliance
• Internal controls

Preferred qualifications may include:

• CPA
• CFE
• CFF
• CIA
• Significant equivalent forensic accounting experience

Candidates should demonstrate exceptional discretion, independence, professional skepticism, analytical ability, documentation skills, and financial judgment.

Nonprofit accounting or experience investigating matters involving nonprofit organizations is especially valuable.

What Success Looks Like

Success means MAP can confidently investigate significant financial irregularities when they arise while maintaining fairness, confidentiality, and appropriate due process.

Financial concerns are examined based on evidence rather than assumptions. Findings are documented. Control weaknesses are corrected. Leadership understands material financial risks.

Most importantly, MAP becomes increasingly difficult to misuse financially because the systems surrounding its resources continue to become stronger.

Why This Role Matters

Every dollar entrusted to MAP carries a purpose.

Financial stewardship therefore requires more than accurate bookkeeping. It requires the ability to recognize when something does not make sense, investigate responsibly, establish what the evidence actually shows, and strengthen the organization afterward.

Forensic accounting is not about looking for someone to blame.

It is about finding the truth in the numbers—and protecting the mission those numbers exist to serve.

How to Apply

Interested candidates should apply directly through Idealist and submit:

• Resume or CV
• Cover Letter

Please highlight relevant experience in forensic accounting, fraud examination, financial investigations, internal audit, nonprofit accounting, financial controls, or related fields, along with any applicable CPA, CFE, CFF, CIA, or similar credentials.

This is an unpaid volunteer position.

At this time, MAP volunteer opportunities are limited to individuals based in the United States due to legal, safeguarding, data-privacy, compliance, and programmatic requirements.

Follow the evidence. Protect the resources. Strengthen the controls. Safeguard the mission.