""I would say it's hard to put a number on or to quantify the impact of Jennifer on our organization. Because for every financial aspect of our organization that Jennifer handles, those are minutes and hours and maybe even days that I am able to be available for other things.""
— Brandon Gossett, Director of Operations
The Challenge
Awake Ministries, a faith-based nonprofit in Shelbyville, Kentucky, had been experiencing rapid growth across its three flagship programs: a residential addiction recovery program, one of the state's largest food banks, and a community coffee shop providing vocational training. With that growth came a significant increase in financial complexity — more transactions, more budget line items, and more moving parts than the small ministry could easily manage internally.
Brandon Gossett, the Director of Operations, joined the team about six months ago and quickly found himself navigating an unfamiliar financial landscape.
"A big challenge for us is that we are a relatively small ministry and small nonprofit, but we have seen a lot of growth in the last couple of years — and, as expected, when you're growing in any capacity, you're also probably spending more money. That means more transactions and more things to keep up with, more moving parts,"Brandon explained. Without a full-time accounting professional on staff, the ministry risked letting financial complexity slow down its mission-critical work.
The Solution
Fortunately, Awake Ministries had already taken a proactive step before Brandon even came on board — partnering with BELAY Accounting Professional Jennifer to handle the organization's financial operations. Her deep familiarity with the ministry's finances proved invaluable as Brandon worked to get up to speed in his new role.
"As the new person, Jennifer helped me overcome a pretty big learning curve in all things financial, all things QuickBooks, budget-related. I was really leaning very heavily on her expertise — and I still do,"said Brandon. Jennifer's combination of accounting expertise and institutional knowledge allowed Brandon to onboard seamlessly without any disruption to Awake Ministries' financial operations.
From reconciling transactions to explaining budget adjustments and fielding on-the-spot financial questions, Jennifer served as a responsive and reliable resource.
"Being able to reach out to somebody like her just for general financial expertise is invaluable. It's just nice to work with somebody who knows their stuff."Her accessibility gave Brandon the confidence to make informed financial decisions quickly, even without a formal accounting background.
""In a smaller organization like ours — where we are relatively small but large enough to have a lot of moving parts — BELAY is the sweet spot.""
— Brandon Gossett, Director of OperationsThe Impact
With Jennifer managing the financial complexity, Brandon was freed to focus on what matters most at Awake Ministries: serving people. The organization continued expanding its addiction recovery services, food bank operations, and job training programs — all without being slowed down by financial burdens or uncertainty.
Brandon described the impact in terms of time reclaimed and mission protected:
"In a relatively small nonprofit ministry like ours, we have so many irons in the fire on a daily basis. Plus, we do work in the addiction recovery space, and that means you have immediate, mission-critical situations that will arise. Having the ability to lean on someone for specialized financial tasks that are not my expertise anyway is huge."
For Awake Ministries, financial order isn't just good business practice — it's the foundation of their ability to serve. As Brandon put it simply,
"At the end of the day, if your finances are not in order, then your mission is compromised."With BELAY in their corner, the ministry has grown with confidence, knowing their finances are handled by someone who truly knows her craft.