iATS Payments may deal with data, digital payments, and technology, but it’s people that drive us forward. Behind our cutting-edge tech is a dedicated team that cares deeply about helping nonprofits succeed. It’s thanks to these amazing humans that iATS can continue improving, growing, and adapting to the needs of our nonprofit clients.
Today we highlight one of our employees that makes a difference: Karen Jacob, iATS Payments Sales Executive.
We sat down with her for a chat to learn more about her and her impact on iATS Payments.
iATS: Tell me about yourself! Where are you from? What’s your background?
Karen: I’m originally from a seaside town in Ireland that has what I think is the most beautiful beach in the world. My educational background is in acting, languages, and business. After university I traveled extensively – traveling is one of my lifelong passions.
iATS: What are your other passions? What do you like to do?
Karen: Outside of traveling, I love reading, food, music, and fitness – especially when I can combine it with going into the mountains. I am also passionate about hummus; it’s delicious. And I love dogs. Dogs are the best.
iATS: Agreed on both the hummus and dogs. How long have you been at iATS?
Karen: I’ve been at iATS for two years, so almost as long as I have been in Canada!
iATS: How has your role evolved since you joined the team?
Karen: I was initially hired as an account executive to work on our partner channels. My job was to work alongside partner teams to provide a seamless onboarding experience. More recently, my role has expanded, and I wear a few hats; I’ve stepped into working directly with individual nonprofits.
iATS: Have you enjoyed the changes in your role?
Karen: All roles organically evolve over time as you increase in your knowledge. For instance, I’ve come a long way in my knowledge of payments and products. I’ve learnt the nuances and product functionality, but every day I am learning something new. Payments evolve every day and it’s never ending, which is something I love about the industry.
iATS: What experiences have shaped you in your professional development?
Karen: I worked in hospitality all through university. Once I graduated university and started travelling, I had the chance to be immersed in so many different cultures. Both experiences helped me understand different cultures and people, which is fundamental to my role now. I’ve also worked in tech within the STEM industry. I can tell you that I’ve come a long way since my first “big girl job!”
Today, I talk to so many people from such diverse experiences and backgrounds, and my travels help me connect with them. That’s what I love about nonprofits – the diversity and the open mindedness the industry invites.
iATS: You’ve mentioned traveling a couple times now. What are your favorite places?
Karen: It’s hard to choose, but I loved visiting Myanmar and I loved the year I spent living in Austria. I skied a lot!
iATS: What do you love about working at iATS?
Karen: I love the day to day and talking to so many different people from different walks of life. I love hearing how people’s lived experiences led them to the cause they support. People have incredible stories to tell and important missions that need support. That’s where I can make a difference. I am there to help point them in the right direction as they establish their mission and build a platform. I get to help nonprofits succeed.
iATS: What causes are near and dear to you?
Karen: We work with so many amazing organizations that it’s hard to pick one! One that does stand out for me is Heroes Hockey. They use ice hockey to help teach and empower marginalized youth. Their programs are designed to help kids from disadvantaged situations have fun and learn life skills. I’ve talked with the team there, and their genuine care for their work is evident.
iATS: What are some of the challenges that you’ve faced since joining the team?
Karen: Initially, my biggest challenge was learning such a complex industry as I hadn’t previously worked in payments. People think of payment processing as simple and streamlined, but there are so many nuances. I can relate to how daunting it can be for new nonprofits to sort through it when they’re looking for a payment processer.
iATS: How did you get through that challenge?
Karen: It took some time, but I discovered that once you learn it, payment processing can be “unscary” and that when all the parts work together you can find success.
iATS: What is the most important lesson that you’ve learned from working with the team?
Karen: Collaboration, hands down. It’s imperative in any walk of life. To work effectively with people, you need to be able to take on board criticism and feedback and use it to improve yourself, your process, and the way that you work.
iATS: What parts of our mission do you connect with?
Karen: The sole purpose of my job to help people and help their organizations flourish. That’s the top priority and that imperative hasn’t changed since I started.
iATS: Brag about yourself! What have been your biggest accomplishment on our team?
Karen: I hate talking about myself like this. But if I have to answer, I’d say I’ve had good success at streamlining the onboarding process for nonprofits. I’ve successfully onboarded some of the biggest nonprofits in the U.S. and Canada, which I am proud of. I’ve also found that I’m very adaptable and able to respond to the changing needs of the team, the company, and our clients.
iATS: What are your goals? What are you working towards?
Karen: I'm enthusiastic about continuing my collaboration with nonprofits and supporting them in achieving their objectives through excellent onboarding and deep product understanding. I'm eager to witness the growth of our Deluxe Payments Platform and the opportunities it presents. My objective is to facilitate seamless internal collaboration to ensure sustained success for our clients.
If you need a payment processor that’s designed for nonprofits, easy to use, and has helpful, real people like Karen to help you out? Then connect with the team at iATS Payments!
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