Fractional CFO
When your business is ready for a fractional CFO.
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Zen Consulting · Evolve Leadership Coaching
Financial leadership for organizations creating meaningful impact.
One advisory practice. Two specialized divisions. Robin Smith partners with growing businesses and mission-driven nonprofits to build stronger organizations through executive financial guidance, strategy, and coaching.
- 20+
- Years leading finance
- 2
- Countries directed
- 1
- Unifying philosophy
Meet Robin
An executive whose career sits at the intersection of finance, leadership, and mission.
From directing finance at the American Red Cross to leading nonprofit organizations across Guatemala and Nicaragua, Robin has spent two decades helping mission-driven teams and growing companies make confident, well-informed decisions.
Today, she brings that rare blend of executive experience, international leadership, and financial expertise to every client — through two complementary practices under one guiding philosophy.
Former Finance Director, American Red CrossExecutive Director, GuatemalaCountry Director, NicaraguaMaster's in Accounting, UNC-Chapel Hill
Two ways we partner with leaders
Choose the path that fits the organization you lead.
Zen Consulting
I lead a business.
Fractional CFO leadership, tax strategy, and growth planning for entrepreneurs and small to mid-sized companies ready to scale with clarity.
- Profitability & cash flow
- Financial systems & reporting
- Growth & business strategy
- Tax strategy
Evolve Leadership Coaching
I lead a nonprofit.
Fractional CFO, grant financial management, and executive coaching for foundations, community organizations, and mission-driven teams.
- Grant financial management
- Board reporting & governance
- Executive & leadership coaching
- Financial sustainability
Our philosophy
Finance should create confidence.
Financial work isn't about reports. It's about helping leaders make confident, well-informed decisions — for their teams, their communities, and their missions.
Zen Consulting
Helping businesses grow smarter.
For founders and operators who need an executive partner — not just a bookkeeper. Zen Consulting brings CFO-level thinking to growing companies ready for their next stage of scale.
Explore business servicesFractional CFO
Executive-level financial leadership without the full-time overhead.
Growth planning
Model the next chapter with clarity, from pricing to hiring to expansion.
Business strategy
Turn financial insight into stronger decisions across the entire company.
Tax & systems
Modern accounting systems and proactive tax strategy that scale with you.
Evolve Leadership Coaching
Helping missions grow stronger.
Nonprofits deserve executive financial leadership every bit as much as corporations. Evolve pairs fractional CFO expertise with coaching for the leaders behind mission-driven organizations.
Explore nonprofit servicesGrant financial management
Restricted funds, reporting, and compliance handled with executive care.
Board reporting
Financial narratives boards actually understand and trust.
Executive coaching
1:1 coaching for EDs navigating finance, staff, and strategy.
Financial sustainability
Multi-year plans that keep the mission moving forward.
What we stand for
Values that unify both practices.
01
Equity-centered leadership
Financial systems, done thoughtfully, create stronger and more equitable communities.
02
Financial empowerment
Every leader — corporate or nonprofit — deserves genuine financial clarity.
03
Leadership through service
The best financial advice supports people first, spreadsheets second.
04
Long-term sustainability
Strong organizations create lasting impact for the people they serve.
Robin's journey
One consistent story: helping organizations create lasting impact through stronger financial leadership.
- Step 01Finance DirectorAmerican Red Cross
- Step 02International Nonprofit LeadershipExecutive Director, Guatemala
- Step 03Executive LeadershipCountry Director, Nicaragua
- Step 04Master's in AccountingUNC-Chapel Hill
- Step 05FounderZen Consulting
- Step 06FounderEvolve Leadership Coaching
Who we serve
The leaders we're built for.
Business ownersExecutive directorsFoundersNonprofit boardsCommunity leadersMission-driven organizationsGrowing companiesFoundations
A commitment to equity
Intentional partnership with leaders building more equitable communities.
We're proud to support BIPOC leaders, LGBTQ organizations, mission-driven founders, and community organizations doing the work of a more equitable world. Our door is open to any client whose goals align with our collaborative, purpose-driven approach — and we're intentional about who we're built to serve.
BIPOC leadersLGBTQ organizationsMission-driven foundersCommunity organizations
Learning center
Ideas for the leaders we serve.
Grant management
Financial systems that make grant reporting effortless.
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Leadership
Coaching your team through financial decisions.
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Our North Carolina roots
Grounded in Chapel Hill. Serving leaders everywhere.
From Carolina forests to the coffee shops of Durham and the boardrooms of Raleigh, our practice is rooted in a place that values scholarship, community, and craft. We bring that same steady, considered pace to the leaders we work with — across the state and across the country.
Chapel Hill
Durham
Raleigh
Greensboro
Forests · Trails · Water
Piedmont, N.C.
Universities
UNC · Duke · NCCU
Community
Nonprofits & founders
Made in N.C.
Serving leaders nationwide
Let's begin
Clear finances create confident leaders.
Whether you're leading a growing business or a mission-driven nonprofit, we'd love to learn about the organization you're building.