“How does an accountant help people?”: A Q&A with new accounting specialist Maddi Haan
Maddi Haan never planned to be an accountant. First at Clinton Community College and later at Western Illinois University, she sampled one healthcare field after another—nursing, radiology, mental health—without finding the right fit. “I really wanted to do something where I could help people,” said Haan, “but I kept hitting dead ends.”
So, she decided to try something different and began to take accounting courses. Now, after more than a year working full-time in auditing, Haan recently took the next step down her path, joining the Quad Cities Community Foundation this July as an accounting specialist.
Welcome, Maddi! You’re originally from Fulton, but you’ve settled down in the Quad Cities. What do you love about it?
Fulton actually has a Geographic Affiliate Fund at the Community Foundation, which I thought was a nice connection. Here, I love that there’s always so much to do. There’s something for everyone, but a personal favorite is the Freight House Farmers’ Market in downtown Davenport (Saturday’s the day to go!). I like to support the farmers in the area, and there are good food trucks and a lot of crafts.
Tell us more about your journey to accounting.
It took me a while to figure out what I wanted to do. I always liked math, but I thought accountants just sat at desks doing taxes—and that wasn’t for me. When I realized there could be more to accounting than that, I took a leap of faith. I thought, “Well, if it doesn’t work out, I’ll try something else.”
And I did almost want to give it up because I started asking myself how do I help people in this role. That was my main goal in finding a career. “How does an accountant help people?” I had a great professor at the time who told me, “You go into nonprofit work.”
How did you come to the Community Foundation?
Someone who knows me and knows the work of the Community Foundation said I should really apply. When I interviewed, it was immediately obvious that there’s a great team here and that it’s a really positive place to work. Since then, it’s been great onboarding. Everybody’s so friendly, helpful, and welcoming. Everybody’s always available and willing to assist.
Looking back in a few years, what do you think you’ll remember about your first month here?
We have an informal staff meeting every other Wednesday, and my first week, we had a bake-off. Everybody brought in their desserts and we voted on the favorite.
What did you make? (And who won!?)
I did a Boston cream pie poke cake. I’d never made it before—I just went for it. It was really good, but Cory Sellers won with an Andes mint French silk pie.
How does the finance team support the Community Foundation’s mission?
The finance team touches all the ins and outs. When gifts come in, we make sure that they’re properly designated to the appropriate fund and held in the right place until they’re granted out. We work closely with the development team to know what’s coming in and with the grantmaking team to know what needs to go out. Our work involves a lot of paying attention to the balances of the investments. Some funds are meant to last forever, so it’s important to pay attention to the balances to ensure the longevity of the fund—that it really does last forever.
What are you looking forward to?
I’m looking forward to continuing to learn and finding efficiencies in my role. I also want to meet with more people in the nonprofit world. At the office, we have a shared community space, and it’s been fun to see the different nonprofits that come in and use it—to see some of the people we’re helping with our work.