Densho

"Our experience feels personalized and local"

Densho, meaning “to pass on to the next generation,” is a nonprofit organization started in 1996 and based in Seattle, Washington with the initial goal of documenting the lives of Japanese Americans who were incarcerated during World War II. Their mission is to preserve history, educate the public, collaborate with community members, and inspire action for an equitable society.

Densho’s founding executive director had a high-level business and finance background, so the organization had never hired staff with accounting experience. After their longtime staff bookkeeper transitioned to a different role, they hired several part-time bookkeepers. At that point, Densho saw a need for controller-level expertise.

As they looked for a consultant to fulfill that role, Dana Hoshide, Operations Director, was introduced to YPTC by Densho’s treasurer. “We met with several consulting companies, and we were impressed with YPTC’s professionalism and clear and direct communication about their services,” Dana says. “It’s helpful to have a resource to turn to when we have questions,” she expresses. “It helps us feel secure that an accountant is reviewing our bookkeeping processes.”

Dana goes on to explain that Densho’s annual budget warrants controller-level expertise, to help with their annual audit and federal grant reporting, for example. “But we are too small to support a full-time finance director or CFO,” she says. “We have struggled with this for years, and YPTC seems to be the answer for us. I know there are many nonprofits in this same situation, so I would recommend YPTC.”

Describing her experience working with YPTC, Dana says, “I have been impressed that with YPTC being a large company, our day-to-day working experience with our accountant makes it feel smaller, personalized, and local, which is something that we appreciate. YPTC has also, from the beginning, been upfront and open about their fees, emphasizing efficiency and finding ways to help us keep costs down.”

She continues, “An issue for us previously was getting timely responses and meeting time with contractors who were juggling multiple clients. Tom Timmel, our YPTC accountant, has many clients, but he responds quickly and comes to check-in meetings prepared. He is a clear communicator and highly organized. We also appreciate the structure of having YPTC Manager, Ryan Drake, involved. We’re confident he cares about our organization and our experience with YPTC.”