WICHITA FAMILY CRISIS CENTER

"We get the 360-degree view of who we are as an organization"

Offering shelter, help and hope for domestic violence survivors in three Kansas counties is the watchword for the Wichita Family Crisis Center. Each year, the agency provides crucial shelter, education, and advocacy services for over 2,000 survivors. Formerly known as the YWCA Wichita, the nonprofit has been serving the community since 1907. Wichita’s first emergency shelter for victims of domestic violence, the Women’s Crisis Center, opened in 1976 to empower, strengthen and stabilize families impacted by domestic violence. In 2016, the organization officially changed its name to the Wichita Family Crisis Center to better reflect its local mission.

When the Center’s experienced and highly qualified finance director retired, Executive Director Amanda Meyers was struggling to find someone who could take over the role. “It was a challenge to find qualified financial professionals here in south-central Kansas who could handle not only our financial reporting and audit preparation, but we also receive a significant number of government grants with their laborious reporting requirements,” she recalls. When she heard a YPTC promotional on NPR radio, she investigated and has never looked back.

“To find an organization that is so familiar with grant reporting has been incredibly helpful,” she says. Meyers deeply respects Associate Tracy Antonik’s knowledge base and depth of experience in working with other nonprofits with similar financial issues.

“It’s not only that, but it’s also the level of confidence that he gives me that I don’t have in other aspects of my professional life. It’s hard to find a sense of a safety net in a domestic violence shelter; we’re always in an end-of-the-world situation, whether it’s with a client, a threat of violence or a worry about funding cuts,” she explains. “To have one area that’s functioning well is unbelievable.”

The Center’s original plan was to retain YPTC only short-term during the transition period. “But now there’s no way I’d do it without Tracy,” she adds. “I really trust him with decisions that we’re making about funding sources, preparation of financial reports and getting ready for the audit. We get the 360-degree view of who we are as an organization and not just looking at how we’re going to pay this bill.”

“I recommend YPTC to any organization whose finance person is leaving,” she adds. “I wish I could have a Tracy in every area of my life!”