Many nonprofits depend on grant funding and community support. However, they often lack the internal resources to manage complex financial operations. Brian Ramos has made it his mission to help these organizations operate with greater financial confidence. As vice president, chief financial officer, and co-founder of RADAR Nonprofit Solutions, he builds systems that remove the roadblocks to nonprofit growth.
Arts Experience Meets Financial Strategy
Ramos possesses a unique mix of creativity and strategic thinking. He has background training in theater arts and a Master of Business Administration in arts administration. Early roles at Seattle Opera and Opera Philadelphia exposed him to the inner workings of nonprofits. These organizations often struggle to align mission-driven work with financial demands. Ramos used his insights to bring structure, strategy, and smart tools to the nonprofit sector’s financial blind spot.
“About 10 years ago, I developed a Power BI model that sits on top of Tessitura,” Ramos says. “We pull data out of that CRM, reconfigure, denormalize it, and build relationships between the data.” Used widely in the arts sector, Tessitura now gives fundraising and finance teams access to actionable information. Additionally, RADAR provides clients with outsourced financial departments, including certified public accountants and data specialists.
Support for Nonprofit Growth Phases
“We have three lines of business at RADAR Nonprofit Solutions that we are trying to grow,” Ramos says. These include outsourced accounting, fractional CFO consulting, and data reporting solutions. Each area serves a different stage of organizational growth. Some clients need help building foundational systems. Others require strategic support during leadership transitions or financial restructuring. These efforts involve helping clients scale their systems.
As a certified public accountant (CPA), Ramos has served as RADAR’s director of operations and implementations. Later, Ramos became the director of systems and process improvement. Every layer of his company’s infrastructure carries the DNA of his past professional experience. Current business goals include expanding the consulting services, developing more efficient reporting systems, and improving the internal and client-facing experience.
Teamwork as a Core Principle
Longtime collaboration with business partner Jeremiah Marks has been key to RADAR’s success. The two have worked together for over a decade. They cultivated a workplace culture based on mutual respect and shared values. Ramos attributes much of his success to the people around him and often credits teamwork over personal achievement.
Colleagues recognize Ramos’s ability to solve complex problems. Technological problem-solving has become his greatest strength. As a result, he turns disorganized data into meaningful insights. The systems he builds help nonprofit leaders focus on their mission with fewer administrative hurdles.
Family, Faith, and Focused Living
Ramos remains active in the community and church. As an Eagle Scout and member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, he served a mission in Las Vegas, Nevada. Spending time with his wife, Brouge, and their three sons brings him joy. A lifelong ballroom dancer, he has performed with national formation teams and still finds time for CrossFit, singing, and theater.
Discipline and purpose guide both Ramos’ personal and professional life. Whether building finance departments or choreographing a dance routine, Ramos finds ways to bring order to complexity. The recently announced Top Executive has become a valuable asset to the field of nonprofit organizing.
