Cook & Company

What Cook & Company does

Cook & Company, A Professional Accountancy Corporation, is a privately held certified public accounting firm headquartered at One Sansome Street in San Francisco, California. Founded by Douglas E. Cook, the firm specializes exclusively in providing independent audit, financial review, and nonprofit tax return (Form 990) services to small and medium-sized nonprofit organizations operating in California. The firm deliberately forgoes generalist CPA work to concentrate on the nonprofit vertical, positioning itself as a domain expert in nonprofit-specific accounting rules, restricted net assets, government contracts, endowments, and functional expense reporting — areas where general CPA firms are described as frequently lacking depth.

The firm's three core service lines are Independent Audits (third-party assurance engagements demonstrating responsible fund use to donors and funders), Financial Reviews (limited-assurance engagements with a Management Letter for senior management and boards, priced at approximately half the cost of a full audit), and Nonprofit Tax Returns (990 preparation and filing to protect tax-exempt status). The firm operates on a quote-based professional services pricing model, with audits for small nonprofits at the ~$1 million annual budget level typically starting around $10,000. Engagements are structured as multi-year contracts, and pricing scales with organizational complexity, revenue streams, government funding levels, and endowment holdings.

Technology adoption centers on cloud-based accounting platforms (QuickBooks Online, Xero) and accounts payable automation (Bill.com), used both for client deliverables and internal efficiency. The firm employs 1-10 staff led by Founder & Principal Douglas Cook (CPA/MPA, 17 years of nonprofit experience, SF State University instructor) and Senior Staff Accountant Ying Zhang (CPA/MS). Go-to-market is sales-led via a content-driven website (60+ blog articles, free downloadable checklist, newsletter), direct outreach to nonprofit executive directors, controllers, and boards, and referrals from existing clients and funding sources. The firm is certified Green under the California Green Business Program and operates as a founder-owned professional corporation with no institutional investment, M&A activity, or disclosed expansion beyond California.

Name

Cook & Company

Legal name

Cook & Company, A Professional Accountancy Corporation

Website

https://cookandcompanycpa.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2011

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Cook & Company is a San Francisco-based CPA firm providing independent audits, financial reviews, and nonprofit tax return preparation exclusively to small and medium-sized California nonprofit organizations.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

San Francisco

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Audit Services: Independent audit engagements where the firm examines nonprofit organizations' annual financial statements and renders an opinion on their reliability. Audits involve extensive procedures including document examination and communication with third parties. Typical fees for small nonprofits with $1 million annual operating budget start around $10,000.
2. Financial Reviews: Financial statement reviews providing limited assurance that financial statements are reliable. A less expensive, less invasive alternative to audits. Review fees can often be about half the cost of an audit. The firm provides a summary of findings (Management Letter) for nonprofit senior management and board.
3. Nonprofit Tax Returns: Preparation and filing of nonprofit tax returns (IRS Form 990) ensuring compliance with tax-exempt status requirements and avoiding penalties.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

Cook & Company is a certified public accounting firm that provides independent audits, financial reviews, and nonprofit tax return (Form 990) preparation exclusively for California nonprofit organizations. Services are designed to demonstrate responsible use of funds to donors, support funding eligibility, maintain tax-exempt status, and ensure compliance with nonprofit-specific accounting and reporting requirements.

Product overview

Cook & Company is a certified public accounting firm that specializes exclusively in providing audit, review, and tax services to California nonprofit organizations. The firm operates three core service offerings: Independent Audits (full third-party audits), Financial Reviews (limited-scope reviews with management letters), and Nonprofit Tax Returns (990 preparation and filing). The firm is not a software product company but rather a professional services firm.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Independent Audits Third-party independent audit services for nonprofit organizations that examine annual financial statements, render an opinion on their reliability, and produce a detailed report that helps demonstrate responsible use of funds to donors and open doors to new funding opportunities. Typical fees for small nonprofits with a $1 million annual operating budget start around $10,000.
• Financial Reviews A less detailed, less expensive alternative to a full audit that provides limited assurance that nonprofit financial statements are reliable. Delivered with a summary of findings known as a Management Letter for the nonprofit's senior management and board, with review fees typically about half the cost of an audit.
• Nonprofit Tax Returns Preparation and filing of nonprofit tax returns (IRS Form 990) to ensure correct and timely filing, protect tax-exempt status, and avoid IRS penalties for California nonprofit organizations.

Quantifiable outcome

• Small nonprofit with $1 million annual operating budget should be prepared to pay approximately $10,000 for an audit
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• BDO USA: Top global accounting network with a dedicated nonprofit industry group serving audit, tax, and advisory needs of nonprofit organizations. A larger-scale competitor offering broader service depth than Cook & Company.
• Plante Moran: Large U.S. accounting and advisory firm with a significant nonprofit practice providing audit, tax, and consulting services. Competes for the same nonprofit audit clients as Cook & Company, but at significantly larger scale.
• Marks Paneth: Mid-Atlantic–rooted CPA firm with a notable nonprofit practice offering audit, tax, and advisory services. Comparable in serving the same vertical, but with broader practice scope and East Coast geographic concentration.
• Withum: Top-30 U.S. accounting firm with a dedicated nonprofit practice serving audits, tax, and advisory. Competes for similar California and national nonprofit engagements, but with much broader geographic reach.
• CliftonLarsonAllen (CLA): Top-10 U.S. accounting firm with one of the largest dedicated nonprofit practices, serving organizations of all sizes including audits, advisory, and outsourced services. Represents the 'large firm with nonprofit division' competitor that Cook & Company positions against.
• The Bonadio Group: Northeast-based top-50 CPA firm with a dedicated nonprofit practice providing audit, tax, and consulting services. Comparable vertical focus, but larger scale and different geography than Cook & Company.

Direct peers

• Councilor, Buchanan & Mitchell (CBM): Mid-Atlantic CPA firm with a strong nonprofit practice providing audit, tax, and advisory to nonprofit clients. Comparable in serving the same vertical with audit/review/tax core offerings.
• CapinCrouse: National CPA firm exclusively serving nonprofit organizations with audit, tax, and advisory services. The most direct peer to Cook & Company given its nonprofit-exclusive focus, although operating at significantly larger national scale.
• Tate & Tryon: CPA and consulting firm focused on nonprofit organizations, offering audit, tax, and outsourced accounting services. Comparable as a vertically-specialized firm in the nonprofit accounting space.
• Wegner CPAs: CPA firm with a dedicated nonprofit practice providing audit, tax, and consulting to nonprofit and government clients. Comparable in serving the same vertical with similar service lines, though broader in scope than Cook & Company.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights5 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/CPA4Nonprofits

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Cook & Company