SKYTRUTH

"I feel really safe"

SkyTruth was founded in 2000 to fill a critical and unique gap that bridges emerging satellite imagery technology with environmental conservation. At that time, industry often used satellite imagery to exploit and even destroy landscapes by identifying promising mining and drilling sites from space. SkyTruth realized the same technology could be used to expose to world view the devastating and harmful effects that had previously been hidden. By giving away information that had been available only to industry, SkyTruth has been able to reveal accurate details about global environmental disasters, such as the BP Deepwater Horizon oil spill, illegal mining and deforestation, oceanic oil pollution, and habitat loss. Today, SkyTruth continues to use the latest technology to inspire a global movement where everyone can freely and easily access the resources we use and be motivated to protect the planet from future catastrophes. “If you can see it, you can change it” is the watchword of this nonprofit that is using technology for good.

When Amber Nelson came on board as Manager of Operations & Finance, SkyTruth had been outsourcing its accounting to another firm. “It just wasn’t working so well,” she recalls. “There was still way too much work on our end, mistakes were being made and the arrangement hadn’t necessarily made anything easier.” Nelson started searching for nonprofit remote accounting services. After talking to several of them, YPTC came away as the clear winner.

“They won because of the way the billing is set up and how a team is dedicated to you,” she says. She appreciated YPTC’s “100% willingness” to work within clients’ existing accounting systems and not force them to use a different one.

“From the start it’s been exactly what we’d hoped for. We get fast responses, and everything is correct; not once have I had to correct a mistake. That’s a huge change for me. I’m an accountant so I probably have pretty high standards. YPTC’s work is always accurate and the communication is fantastic. Every week I’m so happy!” she exclaims.

“I like the way they took ownership and worked to understand what’s going on in our system. They help us handle grants and expenses in the most efficient and useful way possible. It’s been seamless. I feel really safe.”