Achieve Twin Cities

“The executive committee is composed of the board chair and treasurer, along with the heads of all standing committees. The executive committee meets on an as-needed basis. The executive committee sets the agenda for the board meetings, supervises the ceo and performs any other duties assigned by the board of directors.”

“The form 990 is prepared by an independent accounting firm and is first reviewed by the director of finance. The director of finance then emails a copy of the form 990 to the finance committee for their review. Although the finance committee is empowered by the board of directors to approve the form 990, the finance committee reviews the 990 and then recommends the board approve the 990 at its meeting in advance of filing.”

“A conflict exists when a director, officer, committee member or key employee or a member of their immediate family has a material financial interest or other professional or personal relationship which may make it difficult to exercise independent judgement in the best interest of achievempls. Immediate family includes a spouse, parent, child, spouse of a child, brother, sister or spouse of a brother or sister. Any director, officer, committee member or key employee shall immediately disclose a conflict to the board of directors ("board") or relevant committee as soon as it becomes apparent to the involved individual that such a conflict exists on a matter under board or committee consideration. Each financial interest shall be fully disclosed or known to the board or commitee prior to any action on the relevant contract or transaction. This disclosure shall be made orally and shall be followed up by a disclosure in writing within ten (10) business days. The board or committee shall exclude any person disclosing a financial interest from discussion on the issue involving that conflict and such interested parties shall not be counted in determining the presence of a quorum. To approve any transaction involving a conflict, the board or committee shall determine by majority vote (not counting any vote an interested party might otherwise have), that the contract, transaction or relationship involving the conflict is in the board's best interests and is fair and reasonable. The minutes of meetings shall indicate the individual disclosing any conflicts and the nature of such conflicts, the persons present, the discussion and basis from the decision made, and a record of the vote taken.”

“The process of determining the compensation of the president and ceo p. Costain includes a review and approval by the executive committee in an executive session. In 2012, the process also included a review of the minnesota council of nonprofits' survey for compensation to assess whether the salaries are comparable. The president and ceo makes all compensation decisions for other officers and staff. For other officers and staff, an annual performance review system is used to determine the compensation. This process was most recently undertaken in 2014 for the director of finance, d. Baker.”

“The organization makes its governing documents, conflict of interest policy and financial statements available to the public upon request.”

“AchieveMpls is the nonprofit partner of the Minneapolis Public Schools (MPS). Our mission is to mobilize a wide web of community support and resources to ensure academic achievement, equitable opportunities, and career and college readiness for all students. Over the last decade, AchieveMpls has placed more than 6,500 low-income youth in paid summer jobs, helped raise the college-going rate for MPS graduates by more than ten percentage points, and engaged over 1,000 businesses and nonprofits to support public education in our city. While MPS focuses on preparing students academically, we coordinate a comprehensive system of programs and partnerships to offer students the non-academic skills, resources, and experiences they need to succeed in the 21st Century workplace. The three programs in our Career and College Initiative make a long-term impact on students' lives by showing them the tangible connections between academic effort and future success. Failure to see this connection is the number one reason high school dropouts cite for leaving school.”

“Minneapolis Public Schools: Since its founding in 2002, AchieveMpls has been charged with raising money and mobilizing public support for the strategic priorities of the MPS superintendent. In recent years we have helped raise millions of dollars for early literacy and STEM education, kindergarten and college readiness, leadership and human capital development, innovation and accountability, and MPS Arts. AchieveMpls also supports MPS by administering over 130 funds for individual MPS schools, departments, college scholarship awards, and competitive grant programs for MPS staff and classrooms. Highlights of our support for MPS in 2013-14 include: - AchieveMpls administered 70 college scholarship awards for MPS students worth over $80,000. - 20 MPS teachers and other licensed staff received over $34,000 in professional development grants administered by AchieveMpls. - Through the support of the Community Learning Fund, community members and AchieveMpls discretionary funds, more than 2,000 MPS students participated in 29 field trips to the Bakken Museum, Oliver H. Kelley Farm, the U.S. District Courthouse, Wolf Ridge Environmental Learning Center and other destinations. - In May, 27 local corporate, government and nonprofit leaders participated in Principal Partner Day, shadowing an MPS principal, building relationships with MPS schools and learning about daily life in the district.”

“Career and College Centers (CCCs): AchieveMpls Career & College Centers (CCCs) in ten MPS high schools are open to every MPS student in these schools. Each CCC coordinator is an AchieveMpls employee and a member of the school counseling team. Student-initiated drop-in visits are one of the most important ways CCC coordinators help young people at their school site. We now use swipe cards to track every student who initiates one-on-one contact with a coordinator, the top-tier of the service delivery triangle. In the 2013-14 academic year: - 2,710 students visited Career and College Centers for one-on-one support out of a total population of 8,038 we serve. That means CCC coordinators met one-on-one with more than 1/3 of students. Perhaps more importantly, over 1,300 seniors visited the CCCs for assistance, including 72% of all MPS seniors in the 10 schools we serve. - African American students were especially frequent users of our services, making up 48% of high-frequency users, despite being only 37% of the MPS population. - Low-income students are also strong users of CCC services. 69% of students visiting the CCCs five or more times were low-income though they represent only 63% of the total population. Additionally, two out of three students seeking assistance from a CCC coordinator (low, medium, or high-frequency) were low income. - Female students are also significantly more likely to use the CCCs than males (65% to 35%). We are currently exploring strategies to encourage more male students to use the CCCs. CCC coordinators track several key indicators about post-secondary planning and personally follow up with every senior to ensure they have a plan. In the 2013-14 academic year: - 86% of MPS seniors in the seven major MPS high schools submitted a college application - 99% of seniors had a plan to go on to college, join the military, pursue alternative education or continue working towards a diploma. - More than 90% of seniors reported that they completed the ACT. ACT completion is now a major initiative of MPS, and CCC coordinators were instrumental in coordinating an all-district testing day and providing advance test prep. - 73% of seniors reported completing a FAFSA application for federal student aid, and an additional 2% completed Minnesota Dream ACT financial aid for undocumented immigrants. The strong correlation between FAFSA completion and college enrollment is well documented.”

“STEP-UP Achieve: Since 2004, STEP-UP Achieve - our youth employment program directed in partnership with the City of Minneapolis - has helped over 6,000 low-income Minneapolis students explore the world of work and make professional connections through paid internships. Their employers include Fortune 500 corporations like Boston Scientific, Medtronic and U.S. Bank, law firms, healthcare providers, high tech companies and dozens of small businesses. An innovative, public-private partnership with a unique emphasis on work-readiness training, STEP-UP has made Minneapolis a national model for youth employment. In 2013-14, STEP-UP Achieve created 883 internships with 170 employers, including summer and school-year internships. These interns earned a total of $ 1.4 million in wages. In addition, 2,067 interns- including interns from STEP-UP Achieve and STEP-UP Discover (two of the three STEP-UP program components) - successfully completed STEP-UP work-readiness training certified by the Minneapolis Regional Chamber of Commerce. STEP-UP Career Pipelines in STEM, healthcare, financial services, legal services and outdoor/environment - managed in partnership with top Twin Cities leaders in these sectors - help interns jump-start their professional development through career exposure opportunities and a variety of industry-specific trainings and certifications. - Each year the STEM Pipeline hosts a STEM expo and full-day young entrepreneurship training with Google, and helps MPS students enroll in I.T. classes at Minneapolis Community and Technical College (MCTC). - Through the Healthcare Career Pipeline, interns can participate in a Pre-employment to Healthcare (PETH) training, learn about healthcare careers at the week-long SCRUBS camp and gain additional exposure through monthly trainings provided by the nonprofit healthcare organization The Ladder. We are also facilitating a Certified Nursing Assistant training at MCTC in partnership with the STEP-UP Achieve - Minneapolis Public Schools work-based learning program. - Career Pipeline partners also host an annual Financial Services Career Day at local financial institutions such as Wells Fargo and the Federal Reserve and a week-long Legal Institute at the University of Minnesota Law School.”

“Outreach and Partnerships Program: Volunteers: Last year, 767 community volunteers gave more than 3,800 hours to Minneapolis Public School students through AchieveMpls Outreach and Partnership programs. They mentored students as Graduation Coaches, inspired them with stories of their professional journeys at Career Fairs, and offered multi-week workshops in financial literacy and career skills. 96% of volunteers said they had a rewarding experience, and 60% of volunteers leveraged their impact by mobilizing others in support of public education. Graduation Coaches: AchieveMpls Graduation Coaches met with individual students every month, helping them stay on track to graduate and prepare for life after high school. 72% of students who participated in our 2014-15 program demonstrated increased college and career knowledge, and 98% said the program made them more likely to apply to college. The program expanded for the 2014-15 school year from 190 Graduation Coaches to more than 400, allowing us to more than double the number of students we serve (500 this past year). Career Fairs: 250 volunteers connected with over 2,000 students at Career Fairs in MPS high schools, sharing their passion for their work and outlining the necessary skills and experience for their field. 84% of students who participated in Career Fairs reported feeling more prepared to find a career after graduation. Emerging Leaders: Teams of students in MPS high schools - more than 220 participants - met twice a month in our Emerging Leaders program. Working with AchieveMpls staff and college student volunteers, students learned leadership skills and increased their college access knowledge. They ended the year by creating publicity campaigns to boost college-going at their school. 96% of participating students said the experience improved their leadership skills. Public Education Events: Hundreds of community members attended Our City, Our Schools (OCOS) and EDTalks public education events in 2013-14. Attendance for EDTalks - which engages young professionals in public education issues - was particularly strong, with 300 participants enjoying presentations by experts on STEM education, the power of art for young people, and urban mentoring. More than a third of the audience for EDTalks was attending an education event for the first time. Business Partnerships: Fifty volunteers from five of our top business partners-Deloitte, PwC, Junior League, ATK, and Wells Fargo-offered nine multi-week workshops to more than 100 MPS high school students in subjects like career readiness, financial literacy, and transitioning to college. 95% of participating students demonstrated increased knowledge in the workshop subject areas. MPS Alumni Outreach: The Minneapolis Alumni Connection (MAC) created the new CollegeCrewMpls.org blog, featuring writing by new MPS graduates about their college experiences and designed to provide information and insights for college-bound high school students. MAC also hosted two networking events and increased its membership to more than 600. At one event, principals from seven MPS high schools addressed alumni about the news from their schools and how they could get involved. Alumni members also coordinated a professional networking training event for 100 low-income students participating in STEP-UP summer internships.”