The 3 Doors

"Meets us where we're at...."

The 3 Doors is an international educational nonprofit founded in 2010 by Tibetan meditation master Tenzin Wangyal Rinpoche dedicated to transforming lives though meditation practices of wisdom and compassion. The three doors refer to body, speech, and mind – entry points to connect with the essential nature of our being. The organization’s signature program is The 3 Doors Academy, a series of retreats taking place over a two-and-a-half-year period that guide participants to explore the power of meditation and community to support self-discovery, personal transformation, and actions that benefit others. Additionally, The 3 Doors offers a wide variety of different length programs to deepen and refresh meditation practice, such as a 9-month Compassion Project. Designed for healthcare professionals, educators and therapists, The 3 Doors Compassion Project is open to anyone who would like to apply ancient meditation practices to process difficult situations with more ease, reduce stress and burnout, and respond to others from a place of presence and compassion.

Development Director Robyn Tighe recalls that a senior teacher in Philadelphia had heard about Your Part-Time Controller. “We had known for several years that we needed additional support to make sense of our financials in order to inform our strategic growth. Our leadership needed information to see how we were doing.”

Tighe came to the organization with a solid expectation of what financial reports should look like from her previous career. “I was asking for our financial reports and we just didn’t have any, and that made my job challenging,” she recalls. “We need the numbers.”

YPTC’s Hatsy Cutshall conducted a “hugely helpful” assessment and Associate Marc Jones began organizing the financial systems and reporting. “Marc has been amazing. Now we have reliable, accurate monthly and quarterly reports. Our forecasts are updated with actuals so I can refer to current information in our meetings,” she says. “Marc is also an excellent liaison with our board members to help them understand our financials.”

Tighe notes that Jones is not only knowledgeable “but he also listens to what we think our needs are and he isn’t afraid to push back respectfully. He meets us where we’re at as an organization. That’s really an advanced art! He understands what would be helpful. Without creating alarm, he’ll point out the facts and then also note areas that we may want to pay closer attention to in coming months. It is very supportive.”

Tighe appreciates the advantages of having an outside expert coming in to look at an organization’s entire picture and identify areas that need addressing. “I can’t stress enough the importance for nonprofits to understand their current financial situation and have realistic goals of where they want to go. With YPTC you can see what is working well and what needs to change, so you can operate in ways that support mission goals. It’s essential to have this support, especially as a growing nonprofit.”