College Possible Inc

“The form 990 will be reviewed by the finance manager and interim svp of finance and operations. The budget & oversight committee will receive the form 990 and review. The committee will vote to authorize management to sign it on the organization's behalf at the committee meeting.”

“Employees review and agree to our conflict of interest policy included in our employee handbook at the onset of their employment. All board members and officers are required to fill out an annual conflict of interest form. Board and officer forms are reviewed by the svp of finance and operations initially, then by the president and board of directors if potential conflicts are identified. Persons with identified conflicts of interest are recused from participation in decisions affected by the conflict of interest. Transactions with parties with whom a conflicting interest exist may be undertaken only if all of the following are observed: 1. The conflict of interest is fully disclosed, 2. The person with the conflict of interest is excluded from the discussion and approval of such transaction, 3. A competitive bid or comparable valuation exists, and 4. The board chair or a duly constituted committee thereof has determined that the transaction is in the best interest of the organization. Disclosure in the organization should be made to the president (or if she or he is the one with the conflict, then to the board chair), who shall bring the matter to the attention of the board chair or the budget and oversight committee. Disclosure involving directors should be made to the board chair (or if she or he is the one with the conflict, then to the board vice-chair), who shall bring these matters to the board or a duly constituted committee thereof. The board or a duly constituted committee thereof shall determine whether a conflict exists and in the case of an existing conflict, whether the contemplated transaction may be authorized as just, fair, and reasonable to college possible. The decision of the board, or the designated committee, on these matters will rest in their sole discretion, and their concern must be the welfare of college possible and the advancement of its purpose.”

“The ceo's compensation is determined annually by the organization's board of directors. An independent consultant is hired regularly (most recently in 2016) to determine the market rate for the ceo's compensation. Annually, the human resources (hr) committee of the board of directors reviews comparable compensation data for nonprofit ceo's/executive directors as well as pre-determined performance metrics for the organization's ceo. 1. Following the 2016 market rate study, the ceo's base salary increases for 2017-2019 were determined by assessing performance against annual goals that were set by mutual agreement between the ceo and the hr committee, comparing the salary against the market rate data ('aged' by 3% each year), and then the hr committee used discretion to choose an increase. 2. The board of directors approved a salary increase for the ceo taking effect at the end of november, 2019. 3. The documentation of the process included an outline of actions required by the hr committee, materials/spreadsheets used by the committee to make the decisions, and e-mail instruction from the chair of the hr committee to the coo conveying the results of the board vote. The president's compensation is recommended by an outside consulting firm and a board hiring committee, assessed against market rates, and then approved by the board of directors. The organization also uses an independent compensation consultant to determine market rate for the coo and cpo compensation packages.”

“The audit report and form 990 are available on college possible's website. All other documents are available upon request.”

“College possible's flagship high school programming starts at the beginning of students' junior year. Americorps service members, called coaches, serve full-time at the high school. Coaches serve as student mentors, resources and advocates, building a culture of high expectations in which students excel. Coaches lead multiple small group sessions per week, with 10-20 high school students at a time. Typically these coaches will support 35-40 students throughout the year. Over the course of two years, students commit to participating in after-school sessions, college fairs and college campus visits. These after-school sessions are two hours each, twice per week, giving students a consistent meeting schedule that allows them to build a supportive peer group, a key factor to student academic success. Each high school student has the opportunity to receive a total of 320 hours of direct instruction. In their senior year, students work with coaches to apply to "best-fit" schools that fit their academic, social and financial needs. Students also work with coaches to apply for financial aid through the free application for federal student aid (fafsa) and by completing scholarship applications. Once a senior selects the school they will attend for the fall, they receive continued coaching support to guide them through the complex enrollment process which includes accepting and managing financial aid packages, registering for classes and developing a housing and/or transportation plan. After high school graduation, americorps coaches help foster our students' successful transition to college by providing intensive summer bridge services. External data signals that, while many students intend to go to college, something happens to prevent them from enrolling in college on time and, often, at all. This phenomenon, called "summer melt", especially impacts students from low-income backgrounds. Summer melt can be caused by a number of barriers including: unexpected fees, lack of access to their parent's tax forms, uncertainty about courses, imposter syndrome and familial pressure to choose another path. College possible's summer bridge programing gives students one-on-one support as part of a four-hour workshop, as well as the opportunity for additional services as needed to ensure that they complete all necessary tasks for successful enrollment in and matriculation to college. By providing this critical transition programming, college possible helps students stay firmly on the path to college matriculation. After high school, college possible continues to serve our students throughout their college career as they work toward graduation and workforce entry. College coaches are highly trained to assist with the challenges students from low-income backgrounds face when navigating higher education. They provide targeted, proactive support to foster college enrollment, persistence and graduation by addressing common academic, financial and cultural barriers to students' college success. Coaches continue to work with students through college graduation. In order to fulfill our mission, college possible focuses on: * identifying low-income students with the potential for higher education. Nationally, 240,000 low-income high school students graduate from high school prepared for college, but don't go (georgetown university center on education and the workforce, 2013). College possible serves low-income students who have college potential but lack the tools to apply. * providing academic support for college access and success. In high school, intensive act/sat test preparation ensures that students' scores reflect their true aptitude for higher education in order to improve college admission opportunities while improving students' academic preparation. Once in college, we support students in identifying majors, courses and academic supports that will lead to college success. * increasing students' understanding of the admissions process and improvin”

“Catalyze: catalyze builds the capacity of colleges and universities to adopt and integrate college possible's proven college coaching model into their own infrastructure to better support every low-income and first-generation college student on campus, from matriculation through graduation. A catalyze partnership allows colleges and universities to tailor the college possible model to meet their unique needs. By partnering with college possible, campuses can enhance their support services for students from low-income backgrounds and close the opportunity gap. In 2016 we started pilot programs at three universities in minnesota. In our 2019-2020 program year we partnered with a total of nine institutions across seven states. Each of these institutions hosts on-campus coaches who support college students, from low-income backgrounds, with college possible's tried-and-true curriculum and coaching. Data from the first two years of catalyze have shown promising results: catalyze students at partner institutions have shown a 12% increase in annual retention rates compared to the overall pell-eligible population on the campus, and catalyze students have a fall-to-fall persistence rate of 76%.”

“Neither the oversight process for the audit or the selection process of the independent accountant changed during the tax year.”