NPOWER PENNSYLVANIA
“They save my organization a ton of money…”

Patrick Callihan
Executive Director

Coming from a background in Information Technology, and heading an organization that provides technology services and support to nonprofits under the motto “Your mission – our technology,” NPower Pennsylvania Executive Director Patrick Callihan knows well the value of outsourcing technical specialty services. “When I started here two and a half years ago, Your Part-Time Controller was already in place, and I immediately understood the value proposition of outsourcing my accounting,” he says.

“I realized that with YPTC I was getting a skill and a lot of experience that I didn’t have in-house,” he notes. And with only about 20 employees, it did not make financial sense to have a full-time accountant on staff.

Fast-forward to the present, and Callihan is even more impressed with YPTC’s services. “As I review their work I find that they are extremely efficient in what they do. They invest in good people, and train them well, so we get great efficiencies from them. They don’t cut corners or compromise. Their work is fast and it saves our organization a ton of money.”

NPower Pennsylvania helps build the technology capacity, stability, security, effectiveness, and impact of over 400 other Delaware Valley nonprofits. Its many programs include strategic technology consulting, planning computing infrastructure, workforce development programs, bridging the digital divide, and database development. As the independent Philadelphia affiliate of the NPower network founded in Seattle in 1998 to address the lack of technology resources available to nonprofits, the organization takes care of other nonprofits’ technology at prices they can afford so they can focus on more important things – their missions.

Which is exactly what YPTC does with accounting and controllership, and the similarity of back-office services and value proposition is not lost on Callihan. “To hire someone on staff would cost me a lot of money and you never know what you’re getting,” he says. “Plus, if they don’t work out that leads to even more problems, and then you have to find someone to fill the seat again.”

YPTC Manager Heidi Pelczar comes in to the NPower Pennsylvania office one day a week to prepare the general ledger and monthly reports for the board, assist the grants administrator and provide materials for the auditor. “She keeps all of her papers in great working order and I know that if anyone on Eric’s staff left he would backfill the position immediately.”

Callihan also likes the fact that as YPTC’s staff have become more familiar with NPowerPA and its operations, they have become even more efficient over time. “That’s a big plus for me,” he says.

“A side benefit is that I’m also getting a third party watching over our funds and seeing how the money flows,” he adds. “It gives me a certain measure of confidence knowing I’ve got another set of eyes looking at our operations. I sleep better at night.”