Achieve Twin Cities

“The executive committee is composed of the board chair, vice chair and treasurer, 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 complete 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 copy of the form 990, excluding schedule b (the schedule of contributors), which is omitted for the privacy of our contributors, was sent to all board members in advance of the board meeting. However, board members can request a copy of schedule b to review.”

“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 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 or 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 or 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 pam costain includes a review and approval by the executive committee in an executive session. The process includes a review of the minnesota council of nonprofits' survey for compensation to assess whether the salaries are comparable. Her compensation has not changed during this period. 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. Before beginning the hiring process for the new director of finance, an evaluation of compensation for finance directors was conducted by reviewing the 2014 minnesota council of nonprofits salary and benefits survey.”

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

“As the strategic nonprofit partner of Minneapolis Public Schools (MPS), AchieveMpls mobilizes a wide web of community resources to ensure academic achievement, equitable opportunities and career and college readiness for all students. We believe that preparing our young people to succeed in school, work and life is the best investment we can make in our citys health and vitality. While MPS prepares students academically, AchieveMpls focuses on ensuring that all students graduate career and college ready. Our city has one of the countrys widest employment opportunity gaps by race, and by 2020, 74% of all jobs in our state will require high-quality post-secondary education. AchieveMpls is working hard to close these gaps and help young people identify and successfully pursue meaningful high-wage careers and post-secondary education. We accomplish this work through individualized student support and resources in our Career & College Centers in nine MPS high schools, work readiness training and paid internships through our STEP-UP Achieve youth employment program, and by connecting MPS students with 800 community volunteers who serve as Graduation Coaches, career event presenters, mock interviewers and trainers each year.”

“As part of our historic relationship with MPS-which stretches back to our founding in 2002-AchieveMpls also supports the district by raising millions in corporate and foundation support for key MPS priorities and managing over 130 MPS school and department funds, college scholarships and mini-grants for MPS staff and classrooms. In partnership with MPS leadership, we pursue major grant support for such priorities as STEM,(SCIENCE, TECHNOLOGY, ENGINEERING, AND MATH), AVID (Advancement via Individual determination), college readiness and human capital development programs. In addition to this fundraising, in 2015-16 AchieveMpls also: - Administered over 100 college scholarship awards for MPS seniors worth over $170,000 - Distributed over $24,000 in mini-grants for classrooms, field trip grants and professional development for MPS teachers - Made awards to MPS teachers through the Minneapolis Educator Leadership Award, an innovative new peer-nominated program. Eight educators received over $65,000 to support classroom projects ranging from an arts residency program for students with developmental disabilities to an outdoor adventure school at a Minneapolis park. Other projects included a 'makerspace cabinet' to help recently immigrated high school students access the Maker Movement, and an examination of indigenous resistance throughout history. Each year we also partner with MPS on the annual Principal Partner Day, an invitation-only event that matches 50 Twin Cities business and civic leaders with MPS principals for a half-day shadowing experience. Participants get a behind-the-scenes view of a MPS school, learn about daily challenges facing principals, meet MPS staff and students and share feedback and strategies with principals and other participants.”

“Career and College Centers (CCCs): AchieveMpls Career & College Centers (CCCs) help thousands of MPS students make their career and post-secondary dreams come true. Located in nine MPS high schools, our CCCs are hubs for post-secondary planning and are available to all 9,000 MPS high school students. We provide individualized support to over 3,500 students each year-particularly students from lower-income familiies and students of color. We offer the personal attention and strategic guidance that all students need to create a plan for career success after graduation, whether that means college, technical training, apprenticeships or other opportunities. Our resources include: - Post-secondary school fairs, tours and recruiter visits - Career exploration events with local professionals - ACT and SAT test preparation - Post-secondary application assistance - FAFSA, financial aid and scholarship assistance - Resume writing, job interview and other skills workshops We proactively engage underserved students and strive to ensure that all students complete critical milestones for future success. For most youth, this means taking the ACT, completing the FAFSA, applying for post-secondary education and securing financial aid. For others, this can be applying for an internship, securing a full-time job, entering an apprenticeship, or other opportunity. In the 2015-2016 academic year: - 3,530 individual students-42% of all MPS high school students-made 11,818 visits to our CCCs. - Nearly eight in ten seniors visited a CCC at least once to seek individual help. 87% of seniors who visited their CCC completed a college application compared to 82% of all seniors. - Nearly two out of three students who accessed one-on-one guidance were low-income youth - 76% of students who worked with our CCC Coordinators were students of color. We also served 50% of all MPS American Indian students. Our CCC coordinators track several key indicators on post-secondary planning and personally follow up with every senior to ensure they have a post-graduation plan. In the 2015-2016 academic year: - Of graduating seniors 96%-1,317 students-applied to a post-secondary school or reported having a plan for life after graduation. - To date, according to the Federal FAFSA database, 1,168 students completed a FAFSA in a school served by our CCCs, 118 more students than the prior year. - 71% of seniors reported completing a Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) or a Minnesota Dream ACT state application (for undocumented immigrants). Completing these applications is a critical first step in attending post-secondary school, especially for low-income students.”

“STEP-UP Achieve Youth Employment Program: Each year, our STEP-UP Achieve youth employment program-part of the City of Minneapolis STEP-UP program-provides high-quality work readiness training, professional mentoring and paid internships for over 700 Minneapolis youth (ages 16-21) who face some of the greatest barriers to employment. Since 2004, STEP-UP Achieve has created nearly 8,000 high-quality internships and helped hundreds of businesses identify and nurture future talent for their industries. In 2015-2016: - STEP-UP Achieve partnered with over 150 Twin Cities companies, nonprofits and public agencies to provide 767 paid summer and school year internships in 15 industries. - Interns earned $1.4 million in wages at their work sites. - STEP-UP Achieve provided work-readiness training for 2,036 low-income youth from STEP-UP Achieve and STEP-UP Discover (a City of Minneapolis STEP-UP program for younger students). - 90% of STEP-UP Achieve interns came from low-income families. 88% were youth of color, 63% were potentially first-generation college students and 54% were first or second generation immigrants. - 95% of interns who participated in our survey said STEP-UP Achieve prepared them to become valuable contributors to the future workforce. - 96% of STEP-UP Achieve supervisors surveyed said the program was a success at their organization; 73% said that that if they had a job opening they would hire their intern as an employee. In addition to internships, STEP-UP Achieve also collaborates with dozens of corporate, higher education and government partners across the Twin Cities on STEP-UP Achieve Career Pipelines. Employers and experts in STEM,(SCIENCE, TECHNOLOGY, ENGINEERING, AND MATH), healthcare, financial services, outdoor/environment and legal services collaborate to design sector-specific trainings, networking events and industry-recognized certifications for Minneapolis youth. In 2015-16 our Career Pipeline activities included: - STEM: Our annual High Tech Innovation Day connected STEP-UP Achieve interns who are interested in technology careers with Twin Cities tech leaders and entrepreneurs. Hosted by CoCo Minneapolis, 44 interns, CoCo members, and trainers from 15 local high tech companies engaged in a full day of design thinking exercises and product creation competitions. Our STEM Pipeline also coordinated a new IT Training Credential for 15 interns, which required completion of a 21-hour class led by a community college IT instructor and featuring lectures and hands-on activities. This new certification program introduced students to Scratch, Linux, Python, computer security and careers and education in IT. - Healthcare: 152 STEP-UP Achieve interns participated in our day-long Pre-Employment Training for Healthcare (PETH) and Health Careers Fair, which connected them with local healthcare professionals and introduced them to the wide range of health careers and underlying skills essential to success. In another Healthcare Pipeline activity, 12 interns completed the annual week-long Scrubs Camp, a summer healthcare immersion camp at Augsburg College organized by our partners at Healthforce Minnesota. - Financial Services: 52 interns who were interested in financial services careers participated in our annual STEP-UP Achieve Financial Services Careers Day hosted by our pipeline partner, the Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis. Interns learned about the wide range of financial careers, heard a presentation by Federal Reserve COO Jim Lyon, practiced networking skills and participated in professional development sessions. 27 volunteers from some of our most dedicated Financial Services Pipeline partners participated in the event, including Piper Jaffray, TCF Bank, Thrivent Financial, U.S. Bank and Wells Fargo. - Outdoor/Environmental: In a brand new initiative, six STEP-UP Achieve interns participated in the Outdoor Careers Academy, where they learned about Leave No Trace principles, first aid/CPR and career opportun”

“Volunteer Program: Volunteers: In 2015-16, 783 community members donated 4,776 hours to MPS students through AchieveMpls volunteer opportunities. They mentored students as Graduation Coaches, inspired them with stories of their professional journeys at our career exploration events, served as STEP-UP mock interviewers and work readiness trainers, and offered workshops in financial literacy and career skills. Graduation Coaches: Over 80 AchieveMpls Graduation Coaches provided personalized support to 137 MPS ninth and twelfth grade students, helping them to graduate on time, prioritize their academic goals and plan for life after high school. Students met with their Graduation Coach twice each month at their school. They benefitted from a positive relationship with an adult outside of the family, gained greater confidence and strengthened their study skills, relationship-building, career exploration and post-secondary planning. 93% of seniors worked with their Graduation Coach on a plan for their future. Ninth grade students who participated in the program also had on average a GPA that was .35 higher than similar students who did not participate. Career Exploration Events: Our career events brought 250 volunteers into MPS high schools to share their career insights and advice with 4,302 students. Students learned about the highlights and challenges of a wide range of professional fields and how to begin preparing now for great careers including some careers theyd never heard of before. 90% of students who participated in a career event said they learned about a new career, and 87% said they now have a better understanding of what people do in particular fields. Other Volunteer Opportunities: In addition to these two volunteer programs, AchieveMpls also provides opportunities for hundreds of community members to volunteer at our annual 4-night STEP-UP mock interviews event. And through our STEP-UP Achieve youth employment program, employees from participating and partner companies volunteer with our interns as work readiness trainers, career exposure event leaders, and financial literacy and career skills facilitators. Public Education Events: AchieveMpls hosts several public events throughout the year to strengthen knowledge and support of public education and Minneapolis students. These include: - EDTalks, a lively series of happy hour events featuring compelling short talks on cutting-edge issues impacting education and our young people. - Education Partners Luncheon, our largest annual event for 600+ business, education and civic leaders with keynotes by nationally-renowned educators, journalists, business and policy leaders. - Principal Partner Day, which matches Twin Cities community leaders with MPS principals for a half-day of job shadowing, feedback and dialogue with other participants. - Achieve101, which provides an exclusive glimpse into our Career & College Center programs and introduces new opportunities to support students.”