Based in Maynard, Massachusetts, Neighbor Brigade forms volunteer-based chapters to assist neighbors in crises, such as illness, serious injury, or tragic events. By providing support and resources, they establish community-specific networks of volunteers that can be mobilized to help residents in need quickly and free of charge. Neighbor Brigade recognizes the value of a meal, a ride, or basic household chores for neighbors in need and helps coordinate this support for those who truly need it.
The Challenge
Prior to joining Jitasa in 2015, the Neighbor Brigade was challenged with providing clear reporting to their Board of Directors. Confusing books and reporting challenges go hand-in-hand with grant and donor management difficulties, sometimes causing hold-ups with funding. With countless hours spent on their bookkeeping, trying to keep everything as organized as possible, it was taking away precious time from their staff to focus on the nonprofit’s mission.
The Solution
Jitasa offered customized nonprofit accounting services and annual 990 tax fillings to meet the Neighbor Brigade team’s needs. Proactively knowing when their board meetings are, Jitasa ensured Polly’s team had all the reports prior to every meeting and adapted when employees took vacations. By acting as a proactive resource, Jitasa provided a checks and balances system to ensure Neighbor Brigade’s accounting never missed a beat.
The Result
Working with Jitasa not only helped Neighbor Brigade to get everything organized but continues to help them keep it that way. By providing fast responses to their questions, Jitasa ensures their team was always kept in the loop to ensure necessary information is communicated immediately. With more accurate books, Neighbor Brigade can provide regular, clear reports to their board of directors. They have access to that information when they need it thanks to Jitasa’s proactive reporting, ensuring they have everything they need for upcoming board meetings and grant deadlines.
Why Jitasa?
The speed and accuracy of Jitasa’s services made their outsourced bookkeeping and accounting services stand out above the crowd. Polly Hunt Mendoza of Neighborhood Brigade put it best when she said, “Professionals at Jitasa focus on bookkeeping every day and it is their expertise, they are much faster and thorough than we could ever be. This allows us to focus on the service of our nonprofit, which is our expertise.”
Jitasa gives our donors the security they deserve by providing fast reporting, invoicing and troubleshooting. We have saved many work hours by having [Jitasa] professionals be able to focus on our financials instead of spreading our staff too thin.”
Polly Hunt Mendoza
Neighbor Brigade