""Having someone else prepare things – and having me be the person who's reviewing instead of the person in the weeds – has given me a very different perspective. It's helpful to be the person who's seeing things at a level a little bit higher than some of the day-to-day items. It's helped me think differently about how other people might be viewing them.""
— Jennifer Bagaglio, Chief Operating Officer
The Challenge
When Jennifer Bagaglio joined Service Year Alliance as Chief Operating Officer, she quickly became the operational backbone of the organization — handling everything from finance reconciliation to team administration. In the fall of 2020, with maternity leave approaching, she faced a pressing question: who would keep the day-to-day running while she was away?
Jennifer had first heard about BELAY from a partner organization about a year earlier, but wasn’t convinced a virtual staffing model would work.
“We weren’t totally sure if a virtual model was going to work for our organization at the time when all of us were pre-pandemic, going to an office every day.”
The shift to remote work during the pandemic changed everything. With the entire team already working virtually, Jennifer recalls, “the playing field was leveled in a lot of ways.” She reached out to BELAY specifically to find someone who could maintain financial and administrative continuity during her leave — with the long-term intention of fully integrating that person into the operations team upon her return.
The Solution
BELAY matched Jennifer with Virtual Assistant Alyssa Pence, and the two quickly established a productive rhythm once Jennifer returned from leave. Weekly one-on-ones provided structure, and Jennifer was deliberate about setting clear expectations from the start.
“When I got back on board, we definitely tried to standardize a lot of things. We were checking in, we were doing one-on-ones weekly, and I was able to set clear guidelines and expectations for how we were going to use a person like this.”
Alyssa took on a broad and meaningful scope of work. She manages the daily agendas and calendars of the senior leadership team, and plays a central role in the organization’s monthly financial close — reviewing timesheets, reconciling revenue against cash accounts, processing invoices, and ensuring vendors are properly maintained in the system. She also undertook a full overhaul of Service Year Alliance’s digital filing system.
Jennifer was intentional about positioning Alyssa for success across the entire team, ensuring she received enough guidance from multiple stakeholders to function as a true operational partner — not simply a personal assistant.
""Alyssa is wonderful, and we've had a great experience.""
— Jennifer Bagaglio, Chief Operating OfficerThe Impact
The results have been felt across both the operational and cultural dimensions of Service Year Alliance. On the finance side, Jennifer has been able to step back from execution and into a more strategic, review-oriented role.
“Having someone else prepare things – and having me be the person who’s reviewing instead of the person in the weeds – has given me a very different perspective. It’s helpful to be the person who’s seeing things at a level a little bit higher than some of the day-to-day items. It’s helped me think differently about how other people might be viewing them.”
Beyond the practical gains, Alyssa’s warmth and collaborative spirit have made her a natural fit for Service Year Alliance’s caring culture. Jennifer notes that the entire team regularly remarks on what a kind presence Alyssa brings.
“She is the kindest person we’ve ever met. She is a very, very kind person and wants to be helpful in whatever way she can, and that’s definitely a big part of our culture.”
Looking ahead, Jennifer is excited to continue expanding Alyssa’s responsibilities as trust and capability have grown. “I have noticed over the last few months I’ve been able to put more and more on her plate,” she says — a reflection of the deep working relationship the two have built since that first conversation in the fall of 2020.