Arizona Legal Women and Youth Services (ALWAYS)

"I know I'm in good hands"

Arizona Legal Women and Youth Services (ALWAYS), based in Arizona, is on a mission to remove legal barriers to safety, stability, and opportunity for trafficking survivors of all ages and people under 25 who have been impacted by crime, homelessness, or foster care. The organization is made up of attorneys, legal advocates, and social workers who provide no-cost, trauma-informed, culturally competent services to people who would otherwise not have access to representation or intensive pro se assistance. With the help of ALWAYS, clients and other community members can obtain housing, pursue education, and achieve milestones they might have previously felt were impossible to reach.

Valentina Restrepo Montoya, Executive Director & CEO of ALWAYS learned about YPTC when the organization’s longtime bookkeeper, Kristi Ahrens, would no longer be able to help ALWAYS in the capacity she had for years because she was making the move to YPTC. Valentina and her team spent ample time researching other bookkeeping options and decided to continue working with Kristi whilst adding additional support from the team at YPTC.

Valentina appreciates that the people at YPTC are true thought partners. “It’s not just about sending documents back and forth for review and approval, but they help us build budgets for potential funders, prepare reports for the Board of Directors and existing funders, and are never above taking time to educate me and other ALWAYS folks when we’re out of our comfort zone and want to better understand something” she says.

“YPTC not only facilitates ‘the basics’ but is clearly dedicated to also helping us improve internal controls and policies, be prepared for annual audits, and better our systems in general,” Valentina says. She gives credit to Kristi Ahrens and her team at YPTC for having a significant impact on different projects including finding a credit card company that better integrates with their systems and promotes more robust internal controls. Valentina goes on to say “YPTC is not just a service or solution, it’s a source of support and one of our most meaningful partnerships.”

For Valentina and the ALWAYS team, YPTC has been an absolute delight to work with as they are knowledgeable, generous, organized, and accommodating. “I admire and appreciate how they work as a team and can tap one another for their specialized areas of expertise. When I’m working with YPTC, I know I’m in good hands.” Speaking more about her experience with Kristi, “She is single-handedly responsible for the finance- and accounting-related improvements made to ALWAYS over the last few years. I feel that, prior to YPTC, we were just focused on keeping our heads above water. I truly consider Kristi a thought partner, teammate, and friend. I am drastically out of my element when it comes to finances and accounting. Kristi makes me feel right at home, taking the time to ask me questions, explain things, and make sure what we’re doing is always in the best interest of the organization and its clients.”

She describes YPTC as a wrap-around support system for organizations that want peace of mind that the accounting and finance side of things is taken care of so that organizations can focus on executing their mission.

“I have recommended YPTC to several other nonprofit legal services providers as well as a large foundation, and all of their leaders have come back to thank me for the way YPTC helped them turn things around.”