Jitasa
at a glance
Launched in 2008, Jitasa is the leading accounting and bookkeeping services provider in the U.S. dedicated solely to the nonprofit sector. A certified B Corp, Jitasa operates in five countries and has served over 2,000 nonprofits.
Jitasa partnered with Oyster in order to launch and scale their operations in the Philippines. Thanks to Oyster, they’ve grown their Philippine team fourfold in two years while streamlining HR admin and ensuring an excellent employee experience.
- Jitasa grew their Philippines team 4x in 2 years
- Jitasa saved 400 hours on HR admin for new hires
- Jitasa achieved a 94% retention rate in the Philippines
The challenge
A certified B Corp, Jitasa provides accounting and bookkeeping services to nonprofits, boosting their financial and organizational effectiveness so they can focus on creating positive change in the world. Having grown exponentially in the last few years, Jitasa’s global team is currently distributed across the United States, Thailand, Bosnia, Costa Rica, and the Philippines.
However, building a global team was a challenging process. David Cassel, Jitasa’s Managing Director for Costa Rica and the Philippines, recalls the bureaucratic hassles of setting up entities, having experienced it firsthand. “Opening an entity is a huge hassle. It takes months and months, and requires stacks of paperwork. There are so many legal hurdles to overcome, and it’s always more expensive than you expect,” he says.
Running a lean operation, David didn’t want to be burdened by HR admin, onboarding, and payroll, preferring to focus instead on their people strategy and business growth. The Jitasa team had tried out various global employment solutions, but were disappointed by the poor service quality of previous EOR providers they had worked with. In particular, they struggled with poor communication and an overall lack of transparency regarding their workforce.
“Our pain points with previous EORs come down to transparency and communication. If I need a payroll report or have a question about a legal or HR process, I have to go through multiple communication channels with some EORs. There’s a lock of visibility and transparency, and communication is a struggle.”
Meanwhile, Jitasa was growing fast and about to launch operations in their fifth country: the Philippines. Forecasting rapid growth, they needed to set themselves up to scale quickly without getting slowed down by the logistics of cross-border employment. They had already started testing the local market by engaging contractors there, but needed to convert their contractors to full-time employees as part of their next phase of investment and expansion in the Philippines.
These were some of the challenges Jitasa needed to solve in order to successfully launch and scale operations in a new country.
The solution
After researching their options, Jitasa chose Oyster as their EOR partner in the Philippines in December 2022. It was clear to them from the demo that Oyster would provide the hassle-free global employment experience they needed.
“When we were doing our research to launch in the Philippines, Oyster was one of the first platforms that we demoed, and we were so thoroughly impressed that we didn’t go any further. We had experience with our other global locations and had worked with other EORs, and we knew that this experience was just so phenomenal that we ran with it.”
The first test of the new partnership was converting about 20 contractors to full-time employees in order to be fully compliant with local laws. David was anxious about getting it right, but he recalls how the Oyster team ensured a smooth and seamless contractor conversion process.
“Converting our contractors to employees was a big decision for us, and there was a lot of stress going into it. But the Oyster team worked with me through the Christmas period to get everything set up. I just needed to have a couple of calls and provide some guidance, and they took it from there. The whole process was seamless and phenomenal.”
As their team has grown, Oyster has streamlined HR admin and payroll for their Philippine workforce. Whether he’s reviewing time-off requests or pulling payroll reports, David finds the Oyster platform user-friendly and seamless. He also appreciates the transparency and visibility the software provides, as well as the high service quality whenever he reaches out for support.
“The Oyster platform is seamless and easy to use. We can pull reports at one touch and get a status update on all our employees in one place. That visibility and transparency really stands out when compared to other EORs we’ve worked with. I can also reach out to our dedicated team anytime, and they typically respond within 12 hours, which is incredible.”
For David, Oyster is a trustworthy partner he can rely on to listen attentively and collaborate actively to solve problems. “They take the time to understand our business and what we need, and they’re always offering solutions. Other EORs I’ve worked with don’t have that personal touch,” he says.
A good example of that collaboration happened recently when Jitasa was considering opening an entity in the Philippines. This would reduce operating costs, but David was worried about the heavy admin burden that comes with running an entity. The Oyster team worked closely with Jitasa to find a customized solution to meet their needs.
“We had a transparent conversation with the Oyster team, and they were so accommodating and willing to work with us to find a solution. They used Oyster Scale to create a long-term contract specifically customized to fit our needs. Props to them for listening to our concerns, understanding our business, and helping us find a good deal that works for everybody.”
By partnering with Oyster, Jitasa has successfully launched and scaled operations in the Philippines, growing their team fourfold in two years. They’re able to onboard talent quickly and compliantly without getting slowed down by legal or logistical issues.
“When a candidate accepts an offer, it takes just five minutes to add the candidate to the Oyster platform. From there, it’s hands off. And come start date for the new employee, they’re all set up and ready to go. That peace of mind—not having to worry about the onboarding process—has been critical to our growth, allowing us to remain lean in our operation and focus on our clients.”
Being relieved of employment logistics has given Jitasa speed and agility in their recruiting and growth, making it possible for them to grow their Philippine team to 80+ people in just over two years. David estimates that his team has saved over 400 hours of admin.
“Anybody who has experience hiring new staff knows the amount of admin legwork involved. Onboarding new hires with Oyster means we don’t have to deal with the compliance setup, HR admin, and payroll. That has saved us around 400 hours of admin work, which is amazing.”
David also credits Oyster with providing an excellent employee experience resulting in their Philippine team having the highest retention rate of all their global locations. “Globally, we have a 80-85% retention rate, but in the Philippines it’s 94%. So, all else being equal in how we operate from location to location, there’s one thing that stands out—and that’s our Oyster relationship. Oyster plays a big part in ensuring a strong employee experience and a high retention rate,” says David.
To lay the foundation for their next phase of growth, Jitasa recently switched to Oyster Scale, a seat-based annual subscription that offers significant savings. With a long-term agreement tailored to support their forecasted growth in the Philippines, Jitasa will save more than $1.5 million in operating costs over the next three years while also ensuring more efficient workforce and resource planning as they grow.
“Oyster Scale will really impact our business as a whole. We’ll be able to scale quickly while continuing to operate lean and save on costs. We can focus on finding the right people and fulfilling the demand for our services, knowing that Oyster has our back.”
Looking ahead, David is excited about continuing to work with Oyster as a trusted partner supporting their growth. “We’re expecting to grow a lot, and I’m excited about our ability to scale fast while focusing on what we do best—which is serving the nonprofit community,” says David.
Based on Jitasa’s successful expansion in the Philippines, David is happy to recommend Oyster to other companies looking to scale across borders.
“If you’re running a lean operation, or need peace of mind regarding HR admin, or don’t know how to set up operations in another country—Oyster will handle it for you. I had zero experience setting up any sort of operation in the Philippines, but we’ve had tremendous success with it—and it’s thanks to Oyster.”
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"Prior to using Oyster, employing anyone outside the U.K. was a nightmare for us... now it's super fast and painless."
CEO and founder of Juno
Ally Fekaiki
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