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 danielle grant 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. 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 rallies community support to inspire and equip 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 our high schools prepare students academically, AchieveMpls helps ensure that each student graduates with the resources, support and confidence they need to achieve their career and postsecondary dreams and keep our city strong and vibrant. AchieveMpls recognizes the value in every path to personal and economic success and empowers each student to pursue the best options for their career and college dreams whether that means two or four-year college, apprenticeships, technical training, employment or other opportunities. AchieveMpls accomplishes this work through proven, interconnected career and college readiness programs that are available to students from their first day of ninth grade through high school graduation. These include AchieveMpls Career & College Centers in eleven MPS and four Saint Paul Public Schools (SPPS) high schools, Step Up paid internships and work readiness training, and volunteer programs that connect students with career exploration volunteers and mentors. AchieveMpls also strives to build stronger community support for students and schools through public education events, and serves as the foundation for Minneapolis Public Schools, securing major grants for key district priorities and administering school and department funds, student scholarships and mini-grants for staff.”

“Minneapolis Public Schools Partnership: AchieveMpls also serves as the foundation for Minneapolis Public Schools (MPS), assisting the district in raising millions in corporate and foundation grants for key MPS priorities such as STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math), AVID (Advancement via Individual Determination), college and career readiness programs and human capital development. AchieveMpls also processes over $1 million each year in private donations to MPS schools and departments and distributes funds to support various MPS activities, ranging from classroom supplies to artists and field trips. It also administers over 92 college scholarships for MPS graduates and awards mini-grants for classrooms, staff professional development and field trips.”

“Career and College Centers (CCCs): At the heart of AchieveMpls work are its Career & College Centers (CCCs), which are embedded in 11 MPS and four Saint Paul Public Schools high schools. Each year the CCCs provide personalized resources, connections and support to over 15,000 students. Staffed by college and career professionals from a variety of backgrounds, including licensed counselors, teachers and social workers, the CCCs work one-on-one with each student to help them chart their specific career and college course, and track individual student progress to ensure that every senior has a post-graduation plan they are invested in and excited about. The CCCs provide expert career exploration advising, career events with local professionals, college fairs and tours, college rep visits, assistance with college, financial aid and FAFSA applications, advice on resume writing and job interviewing, connections with internship and job opportunities, and links to other college access providers. Sixty-seven percent of graduating seniors at MPS schools with Career & College Centers completed the FAFSA or Dream Act a strong predictor of college enrollment compared with the state average of 49%. Students who utilize our CCCs also enroll in college at a 51% higher rate than those who do not. The AchieveMpls Career Readiness Initiative based in CCCs in four MPS high schools offers more robust career exploration programming in addition to postsecondary planning. CRI connects students with a wider variety of career and training opportunities so that they can access family-supporting, high-demand, high-growth careers more quickly after high school. Through this initiative, AchieveMpls also brings employers into MPS high schools to meet with students via career speed-networking, career rep visits, informational interviews, career pathway fairs and career speaker events, and takes students out into the community to participate in interactive worksite tours.”

“STEP-UP Achieve Youth Employment Program: Step Up prepares todays youth for tomorrows careers by recruiting, training and placing nearly 1,400 young people (ages 14-21) in paid internships each year with over 200 regional employers, from Fortune 500 companies and small businesses to public agencies and nonprofits. A partnership of the City of Minneapolis, AchieveMpls, CareerForce Minneapolis and Project for Pride in Living, Step Up is one of the nations leading youth employment programs and leverages a collective that spans 15 industries and multiple sectors. Step Up supports historically underrepresented youth in Minneapolis who are ready to navigate the professional world. The program helps organizations diversify their workforce and build a base of young, skilled workers for the entire region. Step Up has provided over 28,000 internships since 2003, yielding a competitive talent pipeline, a stronger economy and millions of dollars in wages for Step Up interns. Step Up also collaborates with corporate, government and higher education partners to provide sector-specific trainings, networking events and industry-recognized credentials through four career pipelines in STEM, healthcare, design and financial services. In 2018-19, Step Up interns earned a combined $3.2 million in wages. Following the completion of summer internships, 91% of Step Up supervisors reported that their Step Up intern made a valuable contribution to the worksite, and 89% said the program was a success at their organization. 70% of Step Up interns say their internship helped them decide which career to pursue.”

“Volunteer Program: Each year, 800 community members donate over 4,500 hours of volunteer time with high school students to provide caring support and help them plan for careers and college. Career Exploration volunteers from over 200 companies connect with MPS high school students annually to share their career journeys and information on a wide range of career and training opportunities. Through in-school career speaker events, speed-networking and informational interviews, and off-site work-site tours, students explore new career fields, meet local professionals, see workers in action at their companies and learn the steps they need to take toward specific fields and industries. Over 400 community volunteers participate in the annual four-night Step Up Mock Interviews, interviewing and coaching hundreds of Step Up interns one-on-one in preparation for their summer internship interviews. The mock interviews are part of Step Up work readiness training, which each intern must complete before they are matched with their summer employer. In addition to these volunteer opportunities, employees from several Step Up partner companies also volunteer their time with Step Up interns as work readiness trainers, career exposure event leaders, and financial literacy and career skills event facilitators. In 2019, AchieveMpls transitioned its Graduation Coaches mentorship program into the care of Big Brothers Big Sisters of the Twin Cities. Launched in 2012, hundreds of volunteer Graduation Coaches supported over 1,500 high school students in building academic confidence and study skills, strengthening self-advocacy skills and creating plans for careers and postsecondary education. AchieveMpls Public Education Events AchieveMpls sparks community conversations on a wide variety of cutting-edge education and student-related topics through several public events, which are designed to strengthen knowledge, support and advocacy for students and schools. Based on the TEDTalks model, EDTalks feature compelling short talks on a wide variety of issues impacting education and young people, and provide opportunities for networking, community conversation and engagement. Hosted four times each year, recent topics include disability as diversity, engaging youth to address racial disproportionality in school suspensions, building resilience in students who are facing homelessness, the power of mentorship, and creating healthy and vibrant school workplaces. EDTalks videos and podcasts can be found at https://www.achievempls.org/edtalks. In partnership with Minneapolis Public Schools (MPS), Principal Partner Day is an annual event that matches 30 Twin Cities business, philanthropy, media and civic leaders one-on-one with MPS principals for a half-day of job shadowing at their schools. Participants get a rare behind-the-scenes experience at a MPS school, see their principal in action and interact with staff and students. Following their school experience, participants gather to share insights and explore possible next steps in response to what theyve seen and heard that day. Achieve101 events provide opportunities for community members to get inside AchieveMpls Career & College Centers and see this work in action. Participants meet with professional staff, hear from students who utilize these career and college planning services, and learn how they can support students as volunteers, Step Up employers, donors and community partners.”

“During the year the organization made certain adjustments to restate the 2018 financial statements to properly record contributions receivable in the year the promise to give was received and to properly classify certain contributions with donor restrictions and related net assets released from restrictions, as well as, record the release in the year the donor restriction was satisfied. The adjustments resulted in a $127,336 change to net assets.”