Achieve Twin Cities

“The executive committee is composed of the board chair, treasurer and secretary, along with the heads of all standing committees. The executive committee meets in the months that the board of directors does not meet. 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 and approval. Although the finance committee is empowered by the board of directors to approve the form 990, the finance committee reviewed the 990 and then recommended the board approve the 990 at its meeting in advance of filing.”

“A "conflict" exists when a director, office, 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 judgment in the board's best interest. 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 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 of committee 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 of committee shall determine by majority vote (not counting any vote an interested party may 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 for the decision made, and a record of the vote taken.”

“The process of determining the compensation of the president and ceo p. Constain 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 2013 for the director of finance, d. Baker.”

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

“AchieveMpls is the strategic 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 we have placed more than 7,000 low-income youth in paid summer jobs, significantly increased the college-going rate for MPS students, engaged over 1,000 businesses and nonprofits to support public education in our city, and enlisted hundreds of community members as volunteers with students. While MPS focuses on preparing students academically, we are creating 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 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, the Advancement via Individual Determination program (AVID), 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 2014-15 include: - AchieveMpls administered 81 college scholarship awards worth over $110,000 for MPS students. - Six MPS teachers and other licensed staff received over $17,000 in professional development grants administered by AchieveMpls. - Through the support of the Community Learning Fund, community members and AchieveMpls discretionary funds, more than 1,600 MPS students participated in 28 field trips to the Landscape Arboretum, Fort Snelling, the Humane Society, Penumbra Theater and other destinations. - In May, 27 local corporate, government, and nonprofit leaders participated in Principal Partner Day, shadowing MPS principals, building relationships with MPS schools and learning about daily life in the district.”

“Career and College Centers (CCCs): AchieveMpls Career & College Centers (CCCs) are drop-in centers open to every student, every day, in all seven of MPS' comprehensive high schools and two specialty high schools. They offer one-on-one guidance on seeking post-secondary academic, financial aid, and career opportunities. CCC coordinators, as AchieveMpls employees and members of the school counseling team, host financial aid workshops for students and parents, organize college visits and career fairs, and bring hundreds of business and community leaders into the schools to engage with students. Coordinators make students aware of CCC services through classroom presentations and also use attendance data to seek out students who are not using the CCCs and have significant barriers to post-secondary success. Our work helps ensure that students graduate from high school having achieved critical milestones for future success. For the vast majority of students, this will mean taking the ACT, completing the FAFSA, securing financial aid, and applying for college. For other students, this can mean applying for an internship or a full-time job, or serving in the military. In the 2014-2015 academic year: - Coordinators track individual students who access the CCCs by having them "scan in" as they enter. This allows us to identify and proactively engage underserved demographics. - 2,561 individual students made 8,330 visits to AchieveMpls Career & College Centers. That means CCC coordinators met one-on-one with more than a quarter of all students enrolled in MPS high schools at any time during that year. - 7 in 10 seniors visited a CCC at least once. More importantly, seniors comprised 76% of students who visited 4 or more times. - African American students made up 44% of high-frequency users, though they only made up 35% of the MPS population. - Low-income students - those students qualifying for free or reduced price lunch - are strong users of CCC services. This year, two out of three students accessing a CCC for one-on-one guidance were low income. - During the 2013-2014 school year, male students made up just 35% of high frequency users. However, after a deliberate effort on the part of coordinators this past year to encourage young men to use the CCCs, the percentage of high frequency male users increased to 40%. 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 2014-2015 academic year: - 97% of graduating seniors applied to college or reported having a plan for after high school. This resulted in 114 more applications than in 2014 (1317 vs. 1203). - 69% of seniors reported completing a FAFSA application for federal student aid, and an additional 2% completed a Minnesota Dream ACT financial aid application for undocumented immigrants. Completing the FAFSA or other financial aid documentation is a critical first step in attending college after high school, especially for low-income students.”

“STEP-UP Achieve: Since 2004, the STEP-UP Achieve youth employment program has trained and placed more than 7,000 students in paid summer and school year internships and helped thousands of community members connect with low-income youth as employers, supervisors and mock interview volunteers. As STEP-UP co-chairs, former Minneapolis Mayor R.T. Rybak and U.S. Bank Chair, President & CEO Richard Davis lead the public-private partnership at the heart of our model. By partnering with over 160 employers each year, STEP-UP Achieve connects top Twin Cities companies, nonprofits and public agencies to their next generation workforce and future community leaders. In 2014-2015, STEP-UP Achieve provided 727 internships with 148 employers throughout the summer and school year. These interns earned a total of $1.4 million in wages. Also, 1,951 additional low-income youth successfully completed our foundational STEP-UP work readiness training certified by the Minneapolis Regional Chamber of Commerce. 94% of STEP-UP Achieve interns were youth of color, 93% came from low-income families, 63% were potentially first-generation college students, and 40% were first or second generation immigrants. In addition to internships, we are working with dozens of corporate, higher education, and government partners across the metro region to offer focused STEP-UP Career Pipelines education trainings and exposure events for interns in STEM, Healthcare, Financial Services, Outdoor/Environment, and Legal Services. Employers and experts in these industries are working together to design sector-specific trainings, outreach, networking events, and industry-recognized certifications for Minneapolis youth. These activities included: - STEM: Our annual High Tech Innovation Day hosted by CoCo Minneapolis is a full-day Saturday experience for STEP-UP Achieve interns who are interested in pursuing careers in technology. This year, the event was attended by 50 interns, CoCo members, and representatives from 15 local high tech companies. - Healthcare: This year 118 interns participated in our day-long Pre-Employment Training for Healthcare (PETH) and Health Careers Fair, which enabled them to better understand the range of health careers and the underlying skills essential to success, and connected them with local health care professionals. - Financial Services: 109 STEP-UP Achieve interns participated in the annual Financial Education Day hosted by US Bank, which took place on the University of St. Thomas campus and focused on personal finance. Interns learned about budgeting, conducted cost-benefit analyses of various levels of education and their potential future earnings, and received tips on managing loans and credit cards. We also hosted a Financial Services Careers Day for 60 interns who are interested in financial services careers. Interns learned about the wide range of financial services careers and the skills necessary for this field, and also met local professionals. - Outdoor/Environmental: Hosted by the Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board, the STEP-UP Outdoor/Environment Career Day gives interns hands-on activities to experience and learn about career tracks in parks and recreation and other outdoor careers. - Legal Services: Before beginning their summer internships in the legal field, 33 interns participated in the annual 5-day law immersion program organized by Just The Beginning Foundation at the University of Minnesota Law School. Interns visited federal courts and law firms, met with judges and practitioners, engaged in mock trials and oral argument competitions, participated in networking etiquette, professional skills and financial literacy workshops and learned about a wide variety of legal careers and required education.”

“Outreach and Partnerships Program: Volunteers: Last year, 783 community volunteers gave 4,776 hours to MPS students through AchieveMpls community outreach 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. 93% of volunteers said they had a rewarding experience, and 61% of volunteers leveraged their impact by mobilizing others in support of public education. Graduation Coaches: 400 AchieveMpls Graduation Coaches met with 480 individual students every month, helping them stay on track to graduate, set and pursue their academic and career goals, and prepare for life after high school. 92% of students who participated in our 2014-15 program said they felt more confident exploring post-secondary options as a result of the experience. Career Fairs: Over 300 volunteers connected with hundreds of students at Career Fairs in MPS high schools, sharing their passion for their work and outlining the necessary skills and experience for their field. Consistently, over three quarters of students who attended a career fair said they felt they better understood what to do to prepare for a career, what a person in a particular career does every day, and what skills are necessary to be successful in a career. Emerging Leaders: Our Emerging Leaders program engaged dozens of students in leadership development and career and college readiness activities. We formed two new partnerships - with Beacons and Upward Bound - to help us facilitate the program at Roosevelt, Edison, Henry, North and South High Schools. We ended our management of this program in June 2015 and passed on responsibility to our partner organizations. Public Education Events: AchieveMpls hosts several public events throughout the year to build community knowledge and support of issues facing public education and our young people. These include EDTalks, a lively series of networking events for young professionals; the annual Education Partners Luncheon, which gathers over 600 community leaders who are committed to strong public education; Achieve101 events in our Career & College Centers; and Principal Partner Day, which matches community leaders with principals for a half-day shadowing experience. This past year, nearly 200 community members came to an EDTalk event, half of whom were first-time attendees, and four in five reported that they felt more informed about public education as a result of attending. Workshops: 63 volunteers from seven of our top partner organizations-including Deloitte, PwC, Junior League, TCF and Wells Fargo-offered 11 multi-week workshops to more than 100 MPS high school students in subjects ranging from career readiness and financial literacy to transitioning to college. 62% of participating students demonstrated increased knowledge in the workshop subject areas following these sessions. 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 morning coffee hour and happy hour networking events designed to help MPS alumni to reconnect. MAC also coordinated a professional networking training event for 100 low-income students participating in STEP-UP summer internships.”