Kelly Gerber

"They mean what they say..."

I started my professional career in Atlanta and later in North Carolina, pigeonholed into doing taxes and auditing for CPA firms and one of the Big Four, but these jobs weren’t a good fit. I’m a naturally inquisitive person and I like getting to know my clients, meeting them and understanding how they work. Meanwhile, the crazy work hours never ended. I couldn’t do it anymore and went to work for a nonprofit working in youth services. I fell in love with how the nonprofit world works and being able to use my skills as an accountant to do more than just helping a shareholder or making a bottom line look better. When my family moved to Fort Wayne, Ind., I went back to the corporate world and hated it. I decided I wanted to be a controller at a nonprofit and worked at our local Habitat for Humanity for seven years, where I loved the mission-driven work of serving the community.

Then one day it was just time for a change, and I somehow learned about YPTC. The client and staff testimonials sounded exactly like the kind of place I was looking for. The website pictures looked like real people and not stock photos. I was fascinated by how they put the employees first and the clients a close second and wondered if it was really true. At every step along the way the messaging was consistent, and people were saying the same thing even more emphatically.

At six months into the job came the moment when I knew that they mean what they say, and they’ve got my back. My first client was difficult to work with and my manager gave me full support. I knew they were going to take care of me.

I’m part of the YPTC Anywhere Team. I love helping nonprofits across the country to become better and stronger in helping their communities to rise up. Our clients recognize our great work and recommend us to other nonprofits.

I love the phenomenal people I get to work with. Even though our work is remote I have the opportunity to make human connections with my co-workers. When we get together there are lots of hugs and we get to catch up and talk, not only about our clients’ craziness but also to know each other on a personal level. I’ve also been able to join YPTC’s internal quality control team. I’m the daughter of two teachers so I love educating other YPTC employees and supporting them along their professional journeys.

When my family had some personal issues, my manager let me reduce my client load for a while. Having them work with me and feeling so valued and appreciated for who I am and what I’m going through is great. I’ve never experienced anything like this in my professional career and I’ve been doing this for over 20 years.

The 35-hour work week and the emphasis on work/life balance is such a blessing to my family. I tell other accountants to come join us where you’ll have a chance to breathe, to relax and refresh at the end of each day, and to enjoy life. This is a great place to work.