Summer Search Boston General Information 3840 Washington Street Jamaica Plain, MA 02130 (617) 524-9911 Website www.summersearch.org/boston Organization Contact Alison Cunningham acunningham@summersearch.org Year of Incorporation 1996 1
Statements & Search Criteria Mission Statement Summer Search is a national youth development and college success organization with a mission to help low-income students develop the skills and character traits needed to become college graduates who give back to their families and communities. Background Statement Summer Search was originally founded in 1990 in San Francisco by Linda Mornell, an adolescent counselor, who sent fourteen low-income students on summer experiential education programs. After seeing the difficulties the students faced in reconciling their personal growth from their summer programs with the roadblocks and isolation of persistent poverty in their home communities, she expanded the program to include intensive your-round mentoring. Summer Search Boston was founded in 1996 as the first replication of the program and is now the largest of seven Summer Search sites across the country. In an effort to adapt to the changing needs of our students, over the past 25 years, we have added college advising, post-secondary education support, and an alumni network to our programming in order to support students into their college years, and as young professionals. As a result, Summer Search has evolved into a multi-faceted, long-term intervention from sophomore year in high school through college graduation. Nationally, Summer Search now serves more than 3,200 high school and college students annually and have touched over 2,000 alumni. Over the past decade, Summer Search Boston has more than tripled the number of high school students served. We have grown from serving 127 high school students in 2005 with an organizational budget of $1.5 million to serving approximately 400 high school students in 2015 with an organizational budget of $3.9 Million. The Summer Search model generates impressive, positive outcomes in Boston: Year over year, 99% students successfully graduate from high school, 90% matriculate to post-secondary education, and 77% of our high school graduates are on track to earn their BA within six years. This compares to a six-year college completion rate of 47.4% for the Boston Public School Class of 2005 according to a report published by The Boston Foundation (Getting Closer to the Finish Line: The College Enrollment and Completion Experiences of Graduates of the Boston Public Schools, January 2013). 2
Impact Statement Summer Search Boston's results from 2015 were consistent with our impressive track record of success: - 98% of our students graduated from high school - 93% of graduating seniors matriculated to post-secondary education - 71% of high school graduates of the past six years earned their bachelor's degree or remain on track to do so. As an organization, we make a commitment to serving students from some of the lowest-performing high schools in greater Boston. A key factor in successfully addressing this challenge is our Impact School Strategy. The strategy allows us to serve large numbers of student cohorts of specific high need schools, such as Brighton High and Chelsea High. Summer Search is also committed to finding innovative ways to improve and scale our program. As such, in July 2014, our national office was awarded a nearly $1 million grant from the Michael and Susan Dell Foundation to test a key innovation concept, group mentoring, to support efforts to scale our program and reach more deserving students. Due our long-term track record of student success and local innovation, Summer Search Boston was selected as one of two sites to pilot this project. One of Summer Search key strengths is developing and leveraging partnerships. We are proud of a long standing and highly impactful partnership with Bottom Line, a college access and success organization that also serves low-income high school students. This allows Summer Search Boston to deliver key college access services to our four-year college-bound students most effectively, and it also allows Bottom Line to recruit students more efficiently. Goals for 2016: 1. Continue to test innovations that will allow us to serve more students, and achieve gender parity in our high school program. 2. Achieve greater visibility for Summer Search Boston and gain recognition as experts in the field of mentoring. 3. Create continued momentum in our major gifts fundraising to support a three-year growth goal. Needs Statement 1. Summer Search s most pressing need is long-term financial support. We are a high-touch program that commits to serving students for seven-nine years from sophomore year in high school to college graduation. We recently launched a multiyear giving campaign to inspire donors to match the long-term commitment we make to our students. 2. Summer Search is also seeking increased visibility opportunities to showcase our strengths as a mentoring and college success program. We are looking to partner with policy makers and/or institutions that can help us leverage our successful model and grow our visibility and presence in Boston/Public Schools. 3. Our third, and equally critical need is to diversify and broaden our volunteer leadership base, and in particular our board committees and board of directors. These individuals bring a tremendous number of skills and resources to the table on behalf of the youth of Summer Search. We are always looking for dedicated individuals with a passion for educational opportunity. 3
CEO/Executive Director Statement Summer Search has the privilege of working alongside a group of uncommonly amazing young people young people who refuse to give up when faced with a myriad of obstacles to success. Daily I am re-energized by the growth I see demonstrated in numerous small and large ways. Boston Summer Searchers meet the following demographics: The average household income for our families is roughly $24,000 95% of our students are people of color 93% of our students qualify for free or reduced lunch. 91% of our students are first-generation college attendees. These numbers do little to sum up the true daily challenges confronted by these youth. Summer Searchers come from the highest poverty communities of greater-boston. These young people often grow up surrounded by low expectations and messages that discourage investing in their education, while many face even more acute obstacles, such as violence in their neighborhoods, cycles of abuse in their families, or highly unstable living situations. In addition, many are immigrants or firstgeneration Americans, so barriers of language and culture add a layer of challenge to pursuing higher education. Summer Search meets each individual student where they are by identifying and addressing the specific barriers both external and internal that could prevent that student from reaching their potential. Character-building is at the heart of our operational model. Prominent researcher Paul Tough argues in his new book How Children Succeed: Grit, Curiosity, and the Hidden Power of Character that character skills are perhaps a greater predictor of academic success than test scores or GPA. Furthermore, he argues that character-based interventions can help overcome deficits caused by early childhood exposure to poverty and trauma. That concept lies at the very core of what we do. Through mentoring and summer learning opportunities, we enable our students to build the character skills they need to succeed in the academic and professional world. 4
Board Chair Statement The delivery of the Summer Search program to deserving Boston high school students is not only the singular objective of our Board; it is also our greatest success. Each Board member has a very personal commitment to our staff and students. We share a strong belief in the power of Summer Search to alter life paths. My commitment is reflective of many others. I meet students, hear their stories, observe the challenges of their everyday lives and watch how they take advantage of the Summer Search opportunity. Summer Search happens on a personal level - one student with one mentor. The personal impact is not a gift success demands a student s commitment to alter their everyday lives. These students accept that challenge and have the audacity to change. Our results are often expressed in terms of high school and college graduations and those are excellent reflections of the power of the program. That said my commitment to Summer Search is grounded in the recognition that these students lives are forever altered. - high school, yes - college and ultimately yes to their full life potential. Program delivery requires excellent program leadership and staff, effective development and broad community support. Our vision for Summer Search in Boston is also one of growth. Every deserving Boston student should have the opportunity to consider Summer Search. Challenges exist in each of these areas. Summer Search demands a great deal of personal commitment from our mentors. They are the front lines of our program. Their constant direct student contact is critical and can be draining. We need to ensure they have the training, tools and support to succeed. We also need provide avenues for career development and program influence. Liz Marino, our Executive Director is focused on these issues. She has refined the organizational structure of the staff, increased delegation of responsibilities and is also working closely with our National organization to ensure that we employ the best practices in the management of our critical human resources. Effective development is necessary to deliver our program. Our Executive Director has led these efforts with significant support from our Board. Our primary fundraising event has been an annual Leadership Dinner. As we look at our student growth goals, we know that we will need to expand our financial support. Recently we have taken steps to expand the size of our Board, become a Boston Marathon charity, better leveraged an associated Young Professionals group and initiated an Investors Cocktail event. This year we have hired an experienced Development Director to lead our fundraising efforts and we are establishing a Board of Overseers. Through this Board of Overseers, we seek to broaden the community recognition of Summer Search and increase the size of our support family. I have the highest regard for the skills, passion and commitment of our staff and Board. I have every confidence that we will meet our challenges and ultimately bring Summer Search to each deserving Boston student. Service Categories Youth Development Programs Geographic Areas Served Summer Search serves high poverty communities throughout greater Boston, including the cities of Boston, Chelsea, Cambridge and Malden. Please review online profile for full list of selected areas served. 5
Programs Summer Search Description Each element of Summer Search is deliberately sequenced to be increasingly challenging and to cultivate specific socio-emotional skills, such as problem solving, persistence, and self-discipline. Our unique model is comprised of the following key elements: 1. Year-Round, Long-Term, Professional Mentoring: Upon enrolling in Summer Search, each student is paired with a paid, professionally-trained mentor who provides year-round support to build social and emotional learning. Budget 3800000 2. Summer Experiential Learning: Students receive full scholarships to attend two a wilderness expedition after their sophomore year and either an academic or community service program after their junior year. 3. College Access Support and Financial Aid Advising: Through our partnership with Bottom Line, college advising is integrated into our model. 4. College Success Support: Once they are high school graduates, students continue to receive support from Summer Search until they earn a bachelor s degree. Category Population Served Program Short Term Success Youth Development, General/Other Youth Leadership Adolescents Only (13-19 years), College Aged (18-26 years), Summer Search works with students to improve shortterm success in several areas including: Completion of experiential summer programs (our goal is 97%) 1. Application to post-secondary education (our goal is 100%) 2.High School graduation (our goal is 100%) 3.Post-secondary matriculation (our goal is 90%) 4. 6
Program Long term Success The long-term goal of Summer Search is for 75% of students to attain a bachelor's degree within six years of high school graduation. While BA attainment is our ultimate measure of success, an additional essential goal is for students to develop the non-cognitive skills that will help them continue driving towards educational and professional excellence. Our program focuses on building "socio-emotional or 21 st -century skills" such as problem solving, planning, self-awareness, persistence, and grit. Historically, cognitive skills, like I.Q. and academic preparation were considered the primary drivers of academic success. Research from experts including Paul Tough and Professor Angela Duckworth, however, indicates that these character strengths are significant drivers of success, particularly for low-income, first-generation students where having the skills and inclination to access a network of social and academic supports is crucial to completing high school and college. Program Success Monitored By Examples of Program Success Summer Search uses an Efforts to Outcomes database (ETO) which allows us to track all program related work, including interactions and assessments of the progress of our students. This data collection provides us with an individual snapshot to ensure each student is progressing towards our desired outcomes. In addition, our Director of Program Quality, reviews, analyzes and synthesizes data from ETO on the larger scale to ensure we are on track to achieve the results we desire. Program Managers receive bi-monthly reports which provide an overall picture of each site compared to the other sites. Weekly reports are also accessible to keep a closer eye on data tracking efforts and closely analyze any trends. In 2014, Summer Search achieved the following results: 100% of Summer Search seniors graduated high school 92% matriculated to post-secondary education 91% were first-generation college students 77% of our students were persisting towards a bachelor's degree. Program Comments CEO Comments InThe New York Times best-selling book, How Children Succeed: Grit, Curiosity and the Hidden Power of Character, author Paul Tough illustrates the link between positive character traits like tenacity and a child s future success. While this concept is just now receiving widespread attention, Summer Search has focused on exactly this type of character development in youth for over 20 years. Since our founding, we have sought out students with quiet potential, short on opportunity but long on inner spark. At Summer Search, we understand that if students particularly from low-income backgrounds are to reach their full potential and break the cycle of poverty, they must have opportunities to develop life skills that are essential to their capacity to succeed in school and 7
beyond. In 2012, we undertook a thorough and participatory strategic visioning process and developed a five-year plan which serves as a road map to help us maximize our impact, grow our presence and innovate to test our scalability. The growth we are planning over this period will bring us from our largest cohort of students ever more than 2,000 nationally last year to 3,500 annually. And, we plan to serve more of the students who need us the most-boys of color. In addition, we will be piloting innovations that could help us dramatically increase our reach. Summer Search continues to achieve stellar outcomes: 87 percent of students are on track to receive a four-year college degree whereas nationally just 11 percent of low-income students graduate from college. Our success demonstrates that when low-income high school students are provided individualized support when, where and how they need it it increases their likelihood of entering and completing college. Yet the numbers do not tell the complete story. The narratives of our students and alumni most of whom are the first in their families attend college are the heart of what makes Summer Search s work relevant. Thousands of students are thriving in the face of challenges because of the critical character and life skills they developed which has ensured their success in school, and in life. It is these inspiring stories that keep us steadfast in our commitment to expanding the path of opportunity for more students. 8
Management CEO/Executive Director Executive Director Term Start Jan 2012 Email Mrs. Elizabeth Marino emarino@summersearch.org Experience Liz graduated from Boston College with a BA in English and Women s Studies in 2005 and went on to receive her MA in Teaching from Pace University in 2007. She spent two years teaching English and ESL to eighth graders at a middle school in the South Bronx through the Teach For America program. Liz joined Summer Search as the Outreach Director in 2007 and grew the number of students Summer Search Boston serves annually from 231 in 2007 to 350 in 2010 while focusing the recruitment on the highest need schools in Boston. After great success in this role, Liz stepped into role of Associate Director in 2010 where she continued to manage the outreach efforts and mentor students, but also took a lead role in staff training, development, and management. She was appointed as Executive Director in January of 2012. Through her various roles at Summer Search, Liz emerged as a strong and capable leader, making her the best fit to lead Summer Search Boston into the next growth phase. Former CEOs Name Term Emily Edwards 2002-2007 Debbie Krause Oct 2007-0 Senior Staff Amy Schneider Title Experience/Biography Associate Director Amy graduated from Wesleyan University with a BA in Physics, received her MSW from Washington University in St Louis, her clinical social work license, and a Certificate in Nonprofit Management and Leadership from Boston University. After college, Amy received a Fulbright Fellowship for a year of research and study in Ireland. Amy worked as a teacher, coach, and advisor at The Dalton School in New York and Westtown School in Pennsylvania. Amy joined The Home for Little Wanderers where she provided community-based clinical services to youth and their families. She has worked at Horizons for Homeless Children and as a consultant. Amy is an avid masters swimmer and loves to spend time being active outdoors. Amy joined Summer Search as the Associate Director in 2014. 9
Liz Donnenfeld Title Director of Development Experience/Biography Liz Donnenfeld joined Summer Search Boston in February 2013 after spending 15 years working at the Jewish Federation of the North Shore. During her last eight years at the organization, Liz was the Executive Director. Nick Giammaria Title Experience/Biography Program Director NIck grew up in upstate New York and earned his undergraduate degree from Dartmouth College. After college, Nick served as a Peace Corp volunteer in both Haiti and Armenia. Upon returning to the United States, Nick pursued a master s degree in education from Smith College and subsequently taught in Western Massachusetts. Nick joined the Summer Search team as a Program Associate in October of 2008 and later assumed the role of Program Director. Ines Ariceta Title Experience/Biography Program Director Ines comes from Donostia (San Sebastian) in the Basque Region of Spain. She graduated from Deusto University with a degree in Psychology and continued her studies in Family Therapy. Ines spent a summer in Vallenar, Chile. Following this experience, she held positions and volunteered in local NGOs and community based organizations fighting for social justice. She taught at her former high school before she moved to the US to obtain a Master s degree in Social & Organizational Psychology. For the 3 years prior to joining the Summer Search team, Ines worked for the International Center for Cooperation & Conflict Resolution at Teachers College, providing locally informed and tailored conflict resolution and justice related services to institutions that specialize in developing new leaders and serving marginalized populations. Ines joined Summer Search as the Alumni Coordinator in September 2008 and has since assumed the role of Post Secondary Program Director. Casey Pettit Babcock Title Program Director Experience/Biography Dwayne Fontenette Title Director of School and Community Engagement Experience/Biography 10
Staff Information Full Time Staff Part Time Staff Volunteers Contractors Retention Rate 25 0 150 0 90% Staff Demographics - Ethnicity African American/Black 5 Asian American/Pacific Islander 1 Caucasian 15 Hispanic/Latino 4 Native American/American Indian 0 Other 0 0 Staff Demographics - Gender Male Female Unspecified 4 21 0 Formal Evaluations CEO Formal Evaluation CEO/Executive Formal Evaluation Frequency Senior Management Formal Evaluation Senior Management Formal Evaluation Frequency NonManagement Formal Evaluation Non Management Formal Evaluation Frequency Annually Annually Annually Plans & Policies Organization has a Fundraising Plan? Organization has a Strategic Plan? Years Strategic Plan Considers Does your organization have a Business Continuity of Operations Plan? Management Succession Plan? Organization Policy and Procedures 11 Under Development N/A No Under Development
Nondiscrimination Policy Whistleblower Policy Document Destruction Policy Directors and Officers Insurance Policy Is your organization licensed by the Government? Registration Permit? No Risk Management Provisions Commercial General Liability Collaborations Various collaborative partnerships are crucial to Summer Search s success. We work closely with referral partners at 40 high schools, including all of the Boston Public High Schools, Chelsea High School and Malden High School, as well as eight non-profit organizations, to recruit the highest need students throughout the Boston area. In addition, we collaborate with over 75 summer program partners to provide our students with life-changing summer experiential education programs. Our summer program partners provide over $400,000 of in-kind support to Summer Search Boston each year. Finally, Summer Search has a strong partnership with Bottom Line, who provides one-on-one college advising services for our students throughout the college application and selection process. Awards Awards Award/Recognition Organization Year Four Star Rating (Highest) Charity Navigator 2012 Best Nonprofits To Work For The Nonprofit Times 2013 Affiliations Affiliation Year Association of Fundraising Professionals - Member 0 National College Access Network 0 0 Comments CEO Comments We are currently working with our Board of Directors to review and revise our strategic and fundraising plans. Our ultimate goal is to serve 600 students annually. 12
Board & Governance Board Chair Board Chair Ms. Leslie Riedel Company Affiliation Community Volunteer Term June 2013 to June 2017 Email leslie.riedel@gmail.com Board CoChair Board CoChair Nick Rosenberg Company Affiliation GARDNER & ROSENBERG P.C. Term June 2013 to June 2017 Email nrosenberg@gardenerrosenberg.com Board Members Name Affiliation Status Tony Briney Semi-retired Voting Meg Clough Loomis Sayles Voting Timothy Connolly Credit Suisse Voting Jeff Dorigan State Street Global Advisors Voting Nisha Du Bois Community Volunteer Voting Susan Ehrlich Shawmut Design and Construction Voting Antonio Gutierrez SAGA Innovations Voting Matt Lapides ABRY Partners Voting Helene Lapman Community Volunteer Voting Terrie Leake Community Volunteer Voting Devon Mansell Laycox Community Volunteer Voting Elizabeth Munro Community Volunteer Voting David O'Connor ML Strategies, LLC Voting Alison Poorvu Jaffe Community Volunteer Voting Leslie Riedel Community Volunteer Voting Nick Rosenberg Jager Smith PC Voting Marjorie Stanzler Fredericka Stevenson The Schwartz Center for Compassionate Healthcare Founding Board Chair, Summer Search Boston Voting Exofficio Andy Stevenson Investment Partnership Voting Peter Tarr Retired Voting Deborah L. Thaxter Nixon Peabody LLP Voting Hermese Velasquez Grand Circle Corporation NonVoting 13
Board Demographics - Ethnicity African American/Black 1 Asian American/Pacific Islander 0 Caucasian 19 Hispanic/Latino 1 Native American/American Indian 0 Other 0 Indian, 1 Board Demographics - Gender Male Female Unspecified 9 13 0 Board Information Board Term Lengths Board Term Limits Number of Full Board Meetings Annually Written Board Selection Criteria? Written Conflict of Interest Policy? Percentage Making Monetary Contributions Percentage Making In-Kind Contributions Constituency Includes Client Representation 3 3 4 100% 60% Standing Committees Board Governance Development / Fund Development / Fund Raising / Grant Writing / Major Gifts Executive Finance Marketing Strategic Planning / Strategic Direction Program / Program Planning Special Events (Golf Tournament, Walk / Run, Silent Auction, Dinner / Gala) Young Professionals Additional Board Members and Affiliations Name Suzanne Carter Affiliation The Philanthropy Connection 14
Nina Coslov Scott Harshbarger Joe Jackson Joanna Jacobson Ralph James Michelle La Fleur Sarah Lapides Sharon McNally Dale Mnookin Troy Murray Pat Murray Carol Reiling Jeffrey Shames Judy Stephenson Bradley Svrluga Joanna Travis Stephen Wolfberg Six Monkey Press Proskauer Rose Boston Public Schools Strategic Grant Partners Harvard Business School Shawmut Design and Construction Community Volunteer Connors Family Office Community Volunteer Self Employed, Private Investments Community Volunteer Retired MIT Sloan School of Management Community Volunteer High Peaks Venture Partners Community Volunteer Independent Real Estate Professional 15
Financials Fiscal Year Fiscal Year Start Oct 01, 2017 Fiscal Year End Sept 30, 2018 Projected Revenue $4,161,200.00 Projected Expenses $4,041,200.00 Endowment? No Credit Line? Reserve Fund? Months Reserve Fund Covers 10 Detailed Financials Revenue and Expenses Fiscal Year 2017 2016 2015 Total Revenue $4,292,100 $4,236,462 $3,669,264 Total Expenses $4,491,266 $4,118,820 $3,948,212 Revenue Sources Fiscal Year 2017 2016 2015 Foundation and Corporation $1,904,683 $1,656,979 $2,083,472 Contributions Government Contributions $0 $0 $0 Federal -- -- -- State -- -- -- Local -- -- -- Unspecified -- -- -- Individual Contributions $762,108 $888,695 $701,138 Indirect Public Support -- -- -- Earned Revenue -- -- -- Investment Income, Net of Losses $194,495 $192,498 $311,323 Membership Dues -- -- -- Special Events $906,442 $951,600 -- Revenue In-Kind $524,361 $546,689 $573,331 Other $10 $1 -- 16
Expense Allocation Fiscal Year 2017 2016 2015 Program Expense $3,131,638 $2,927,648 $2,854,773 Administration Expense $643,290 $553,007 $544,229 Fundraising Expense $716,338 $638,165 $549,210 Payments to Affiliates -- -- -- Total Revenue/Total Expenses 0.96 1.03 0.93 Program Expense/Total Expenses 70% 71% 72% Fundraising Expense/Contributed Revenue 20% 18% 20% Assets and Liabilities Fiscal Year 2017 2016 2015 Total Assets $3,764,094 $3,541,032 $3,369,364 Current Assets $3,148,319 $3,292,004 $492,960 Long-Term Liabilities $49,489 $48,754 $43,063 Current Liabilities $298,098 $82,800 $12,539 Total Net Assets $3,416,507 $3,409,478 $3,313,762 Short Term Solvency Fiscal Year 2017 2016 2015 Current Ratio: Current Assets/Current Liabilities 10.56 39.76 39.31 Long Term Solvency Fiscal Year 2017 2016 2015 Long-Term Liabilities/Total Assets 1% 1% 1% Top Funding Sources Fiscal Year 2017 2016 2015 Top Funding Source & Dollar Amount -- -- -- Second Highest Funding Source & Dollar -- -- -- Amount Third Highest Funding Source & Dollar Amount -- -- -- Capital Campaign Currently in a Capital Campaign? Capital Campaign Anticipated in Next 5 Years? No No Comments CEO Comments The only challenge facing Summer Search is that faster expansion and growth of the Boston program will require more foundation and corporate funding. The organization's current infrastructure will support reaching approximately 600 students (up from 415 today) in the next few years only if Summer Search Boston is successful securing additional funding from institutional sources. Because of Summer Search Boston's strong reserve position of ten months (10) of cash operating expenses, the organization is able to use incremental dollars to directly support increasing the number of students we serve. The strength of the outreach efforts in Boston high schools will allow for an immediate jump in student enrollment if funds are available. 17
Foundation Staff Comments The financial summary data in the charts and graphs above is per Summer Search Boston, highlighting their local Boston-based work. The IRS Form 990s and audited financials posted above are that of Summer Search, the national organization. Created 12.17.2017. Copyright 2017 The Boston Foundation 18