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), we rally community support to inspire and equip Minneapolis students for careers, college and life. Our vision is that all young people have full access to educational and career opportunities, resulting in a more equitable and vibrant Minneapolis. While MPS prepares students academically, AchieveMpls helps ensure that all students graduate with the resources, support and confidence they need to achieve their career and post-secondary dreams and keep our city strong and vibrant. Minneapolis has one of the countrys widest racial employment and wage gaps, and by 2020, 74% of all jobs in our state will require high-quality post-secondary education. At the same time, local companies are facing a growing worker shortage, with an estimated 500,000 jobs going unfilled in the coming decade. In this time of tremendous challenge and opportunity, AchieveMpls is working hard to close these gaps by equipping Minneapolis students with one-on-one career and college planning tools and guidance through our Career & College Centers in eleven MPS high schools; work readiness training, paid internships and professional connections through our STEP-UP Achieve youth employment program (part of the City of Minneapolis STEP-UP program); and a wide volunteer network of caring adult professionals and mentors who serve as Graduation Coaches, career event presenters, mock interviewers and trainers each year.”

“Minneapolis Public Schools Partnership: As part of our historic relationship with Minneapolis Public Schools (MPS), which stretches back to our founding in 2002, AchieveMpls provides career and college readiness programs for MPS students, and 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) education, AVID (Advancement via Individual Determination) college readiness programs, and human capital development programs. In 2017, we were instrumental in securing a $4 million, three-year grant from the Cargill Foundation to support MPS STEM and college readiness programs and our AchieveMpls Career & College Centers in MPS high schools. In addition to this fundraising, in 2016-17 AchieveMpls also: - Processed over $1.2M in contributions to MPS school and department funds and distributed over $800,000 to support activities ranging from classroom supplies and school equipment to guest artists and therapy dogs - Administered over 80 college scholarship awards for MPS seniors and recent graduates that were worth over $110,000 - Awarded over $90,000 in grants for MPS classrooms, field trip grants and professional development for MPS teachers Each year AchieveMpls also partners with MPS on our annual Principal Partner Day, an invitation-only event that strategically matches 30 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, engage in in-depth conversations with their principal, learn about daily challenges facing school leaders, meet MPS staff and students and share their 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 eleven MPS high schools, our CCCs are hubs for post-secondary planning and are open to all 9,000 MPS high school students. We provide free individualized support to over 3,500 students each year, particularly students from lower-income families and students of color. Our CCCs 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 CCC resources include: - Post-secondary school fairs, campus tours and recruiter visits - Career exploration events, including worksite tours and job shadowing, with local professionals - ACT, SAT and Accuplacer test preparation - Post-secondary application assistance - FAFSA, Minnesota Dream Act, financial aid and scholarship assistance - Resume writing, job interview and other 21st century 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 or Minnesota Dream Act (for undocumented immigrants), applying for enrollment at post-secondary education institutions 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 2016-2017 academic year: - 3,974 individual students, 42% of all MPS high school students, made 13,971 visits to our CCCs - Nearly 87% of high school seniors visited a CCC at least once to seek individual help - 86% of seniors who visited their CCC completed a college application, compared to 79% of all seniors - Nearly two out of three students who accessed one-on-one guidance were low-income youth - 74% of students who worked with our CCC Coordinators were students of color 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 2016-2017 academic year: - Of graduating seniors, 98% applied to a post-secondary school or reported having a plan for life after graduation - To date, according to the Federal FAFSA database, 928 students completed a FAFSA in a school served by our CCCs - 71% of seniors reported completing a FAFSA or a Minnesota Dream ACT state application We also launched a new Career Readiness Initiative (CRI) through our Career & College Centers that focuses on individualized and experiential career exposure to help students make better informed decisions about their post-secondary plans. In 2016-2017, we hired four new CRI staff, including two Career Readiness Coordinators, one Career Readiness Manager, and one Career Exposure Associate, which are all overseen by AchieveMpls Senior Program Director. Although CRI was piloted at two of our 11 Career & College school sites (Roosevelt and Edison high schools), CRI staff are responsible for conducting all career exposure activities in schools where our CCCs are located. At our Roosevelt and Edison CRI pilot schools, 806 (44.2% of the total 1,824 population) unique students logged 3,276 visits to the CCCs for an average of 4.1 interactions per student. This includes all CCC services rendered, including assisting youth with college-specific counseling. Drilling down further, 554 of those students received career access and exploration-specific services from our CRI Coordinators, comprising 1,128 of all logged interactions. In other words, 69% of all students served by the CCCs at Edison and Roosevelt received assistance with career planning activities and 34% of all services rendered were career pathway related. Through CRI, we have made significant progress in delivering and refining direct services, building relationships,”

“STEP-UP Achieve Youth Employment Program: Each year, STEP-UP Achieve,directed by AchieveMpls and part of the City of Minneapolis STEP-UP program, places over 700 diverse and talented Minneapolis young people (ages 16-21) in paid professional internships with approximately 140 top Minneapolis-St. Paul employers, from Fortune 500 companies to small businesses, public agencies and nonprofits. One of the countrys leading youth employment programs, STEP-UP Achieve is preparing tomorrows workforce today through work readiness training certified by the Minneapolis Regional Chamber of Commerce, career-oriented internships, and industry-focused certifications. The program serves youth who face some of the greatest barriers to employment, particularly youth from low income families, youth of color, youth from immigrant families, and youth with disabilities. STEP-UP Achieve helps organizations identify and nurture young talent for their industries, provides youthful energy and tech savvy in the workplace, and offers opportunities for employees to gain valuable supervisory and mentoring experience. STEP-UP Achieve has provided over 8,700 internship opportunities since 2004, yielding tremendous benefits for young people, businesses and our regional economy. In 2016-2017: - STEP-UP Achieve partnered with over 130 Twin Cities companies, nonprofits and public agencies to provide 765 paid summer and school year internships in 15 industries. - Interns earned $1.7 million in wages at their work sites. - STEP-UP Achieve provided work-readiness training for 2,077 low-income youth from STEP-UP Achieve and STEP-UP Discover (a City of Minneapolis-led STEP-UP component for younger students). - 91% of STEP-UP Achieve interns came from low-income families; 91% were youth of color; 63% were potentially first-generation college students; 51% were first or second generation immigrants. - 94% of interns who participated in our survey said their internship was a valuable learning experience; 93% said STEP-UP Achieve prepared them to become valuable contributors to the future workforce. - 97% of STEP-UP Achieve supervisors surveyed said the program was a success at their organization; 90% said that that if they had a job opening they would consider hiring their intern as an employee; 88% said their intern had made a valuable contribution to the workplace. STEP-UP Achieve also collaborates with dozens of corporate, higher education and government partners across the Twin Cities for our STEP-UP Achieve Career Pipelines, which provide focused career exposure resources and opportunities for students. Employers and experts in STEM, healthcare, design, and financial services partner to develop sector-specific trainings, networking events and industry-recognized credentials for Minneapolis youth. In 2016-2017 our STEP-UP Achieve Career Pipeline activities included: - STEM Pipeline: Our annual Creative Crash Course event connected STEP-UP Achieve interns who are interested in technology careers with Twin Cities tech leaders and entrepreneurs. Hosted by CoCo Minneapolis, 42 interns joined 24 trainers from local technology companies and startups for a full day of design thinking exercises and product creation competitions. Our STEM Pipeline also coordinated an I.T. Training Credential for 19 interns, which required completion of a 21-hour class led by a community college IT instructor and featuring lectures and hands-on activities. This certification program introduced students to Scratch, Linux, Python, computer security and careers and education in IT. We also partnered with the Minnesota High Tech Association to provide these trainees with worksite tours to Minnesota State IT Services, Jamf Software, Century Link, and Best Buy. - Healthcare Pipeline: 151 STEP-UP Achieve interns participated in our day-long Pre-Employment Training for Healthcare (PETH) and Health Careers Fair, which prepared them for their summer healthcare jobs, connected them with local healthcare”

“Volunteer Program: In 2016-17, over 780 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 130 AchieveMpls Graduation Coaches provided personalized support to 232 MPS ninth and 74 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. 69% of seniors who participated in the program and started the year off track graduated on time. Ninth grade students who participated in the program had on average a GPA that was .17 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 students at 9 MPS high schools. 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. Of the 1,466 students who completed a career exposure event survey, 95% said that their speakers were engaging or very engaging, and 81% reported that they had learned about a new career. STEP-UP Mock-Interviews: AchieveMpls also provides opportunities for hundreds of community members to volunteer at our annual four-night STEP-UP Mock Interviews at the Minneapolis Convention Center, where they interview and coach hundreds of STEP-UP interns as part of their work readiness training. Other Volunteer Opportunities: 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 engage our local community by strengthening knowledge and support of public education and Minneapolis students. These events include: - EDTalks, a lively series of happy hour events held four times each year and featuring compelling short talks on cutting edge issues impacting education and our young people, as well as opportunities for participants to get engaged with students via AchieveMpls and partner organizations. - 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 30 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, features stories from our students and staff, and introduces participants to opportunities to become volunteers, STEP-UP Achieve employers and funders.”