The Mission Continues

"Instrumental in getting me up to speed and fully functional..."

Since 2007, the national, nonpartisan nonprofit The Mission Continues has engaged over 80,000 veterans and community members in over 7,000 service projects by providing opportunities for veterans to continue their service through empowering programs that have transforming social impact in under-served communities. Veterans have the drive and desire to serve others, but without access to the tools needed, their potential to make meaningful impact at the local level remains untapped. Through the Service Leadership Corps, the Women Veterans Leadership Program and mass deployments, The Mission Continues empowers communities with veterans’ talent, skills and preparedness to generate visible impact. Headquartered in St. Louis, with operations in more than 40 cities across the country, The Mission Continues’ veteran volunteers work alongside nonprofit partners and community leaders to achieve critical objectives such as improving educational resources, tackling food insecurity, fostering neighborhood identity, and more.

Your Part-Time Controller had been working with The Mission Continues for several years, and when the previous CFO left and Autumn Smoot was named Chief Financial and Technology Officer she was facing immediate challenges and turnover in the finance department. But Aimee Pourciau in YPTC’s Houston office was there to help ease the transition.

“Aimee was instrumental in getting me up to speed and fully functional,” Smoot recalls. “This is a large operation with lots of room for problems and issues. But she was incredibly knowledgeable and forthcoming with information, and very strict in making sure we were adhering to policy and doing what we needed to do. She helped me understand the complexity of our financial picture and areas that could be concerning, such as places where our internal controls could break down and areas where we might make mistakes.”

Pourciau pointed out areas where the organization could add rigor to the accounting processes and helped Smoot navigate internal organizational relationships and resolve underlying issues. She helped the organization to make important decisions by offering different perspectives and pros and cons.

When Pourciau was later promoted, YPTC brought in Liz Forrest to work with The Mission Continues. “We were worried at first because Aimee had been such an integral part of our team but the transition was seamless,” Smoot says.

“They’re wonderful people to work with. They’re very positive, very open, and, more than anything, very knowledgeable. I truly appreciate the dedication of Your Part-Time Controller’s team.”