AYA Foundation

"Piece of the puzzle"

AYA Foundation (eye-uh) is Colorado’s Black-serving and Black-led operating community foundation that provides ongoing support to primarily aspiring entrepreneurs, startup founders and business owners. AYA Foundation is dedicated to restoring the health of Black individuals and families by actively closing the wealth gap and nurturing success in individuals throughout Colorado with comprehensive training, access to capital, and connection to the right networks for success. AYA is committed to supporting individuals from all backgrounds, regardless of their race, ethnicity, identity or religious background.

Benilda (Benny) Samuels, CEO of AYA, explains that during early endeavors to get their finances in order with the Nonprofit Finance Fund, they realized they needed more support and were introduced to YPTC. “We’re all sort of interconnected. I had never heard of YPTC so it’s nice to know that you can be partnering with other organizations and learn about supportive services like theirs” Benny says. “We were growing faster than we expected and YPTC came in as a partner that was very familiar with that growth and our work, so having that expertise has been very important to me as a CEO.” Benny continues, “The board has been very pleased that we are growing the capacity to report on our finances monthly.”

Benny tells us that Laurie Raskasky, Associate, has been extremely helpful with bringing the board monthly financial packages, attending meetings, and answering their questions. “It’s been very helpful to have a partner that pushes us to operate at the highest level. I wanted someone who was not just running our financials, but taking on the policies and processes needed for our growth.” She continues, “I can speak to Laurie within 24 hours, and I appreciate email communication. We also worked with Marcie Johnson, Staff Accountant. I really loved working with them. They’re both very supportive of our mission, which is important to us. Benny recalls telling Aimee Pourciau, Director, in the early days of our partnership, “We do very specialized work and I want accountants and a team that believes in this like we do, and that’s exactly what we got.”

Benny continues, “Finance people can be inflexible at times, which is why I really appreciate working with Laurie and Marcie. They are very detail oriented, flexible and focused on the process and the procedures while at the same time staying open to how we’re trying to do our work, the big picture and not let us miss the forest because we’re just looking at the trees.”

Benny has already recommended YPTC to other organizations, “I’ve probably had 5 calls in the last year about YPTC with different nonprofits about my experience. The help goes both ways. I know in Denver this is very much needed because I have spent my whole career in nonprofits, and I know leaders are struggling with this piece of the puzzle.”