PLATINUM2022

Assistance League of Minneapolis-St. Paul

Transforming Lives - Strengthening Community

Richfield, MN   |  msp.assistanceleague.org

Mission

OUR MISSION Assistance League® of Minneapolis/St. Paul is a nonprofit organization whose volunteers feed and clothe children, enhance and enrich education and support and serve our community OUR VISION Essential needs of children and adults are met in our communities OUR VALUES Values/DEI Assistance League of Minneapolis/St. Paul supports and serves our community by developing and utilizing the diverse talents and backgrounds of our dedicated member volunteers who are committed to our chapter values of Ethics, Leadership, Accountability, Respect and Teamwork. Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Statement Assistance League of Minneapolis/St. Paul is committed to cultural competence and humility and to developing practices that promote anti-racism, inclusion, and equity for all. We are active

Notes from the nonprofit

Assistance League is a member driven, volunteer, community nonprofit dedicated to meeting the basic needs of children and families in the Twin Cities. We are transforming lives and strengthening community through our programs in food, clothing and literacy.

Ruling year info

1994

President

Deb Hamilton

President Elect

Sheila Bjorklund

Main address

6416 Penn Avenue South

Richfield, MN 55423 USA

Show more contact info

EIN

41-1736323

NTEE code info

Children's and Youth Services (P30)

Human Service Organizations (P20)

Thrift Shops (P29)

IRS filing requirement

This organization is required to file an IRS Form 990 or 990-EZ.

Sign in or create an account to view Form(s) 990 for 2022, 2021 and 2020.
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Communication

Programs and results

What we aim to solve

SOURCE: Self-reported by organization

Many children and adults in our community lack the resources needed to achieve their full potential and to contribute to our society. Societal inequities result in children who cannot fully engage in learning and other developmental processes. Without essential support, students may become discouraged and may disengage in pursuing an education. Adults may feel unable to meet basic needs. Assistance League of Minneapolis/St. Paul is a nonprofit, nonsectarian, volunteer, member driven organization dedicated to transforming lives and strengthening community through philanthropic programs offering food, clothing, education, literacy support and grants to teachers for classroom enrichment projects. We provide clothing and toiletry kits to survivors of assault in hospitals throughout Minnesota so they may begin the healing process with dignity. With our community partners, we identify unmet needs and provide programs developed and administered by our members.

Our programs

SOURCE: Self-reported by organization

What are the organization's current programs, how do they measure success, and who do the programs serve?

Operation School Bell®/Clothes For Kids

Provides new school clothing each year to our uniform school partners as well as other items through supplemental clothing closets; ensures that every child arrives at school ready to learn. The Uniform Bag Delivery model continued in 2021-22, providing 684 students with uniforms. The Target Retail Program assisted 60 Richfield students in obtaining necessary school clothing at a fall shopping event. Clothes For Kids Plus provided our uniform and partner schools with ancillary clothing and hygiene needs. Nellie Stone Johnson students and staff received Spirit/logo wear. Pants and shirts (275) were donated to Charter School Prodeo Academy for students on their two campuses.

Population(s) Served
Children and youth
Economically disadvantaged people

Assault Survivor Kits®
Provides new clothing and hygiene items to hospital emergency rooms and clinics statewide for survivors of sexual assault. In 2021-22, members packed 690 kits for delivery by the Minnesota Hospital Association to hospital emergency rooms statewide. Kits are created for women, men and children. Additionally, 60 welcome packs were provided to Sojourner as well as requested items for women in their program. The Minneapolis Police Sex Crimes unit received linens for survivors of assault when their bedding must be taken as evidence.

Population(s) Served
Economically disadvantaged people

Provides one-on-one literacy mentoring, author visits, special events and books to take home at Bethune Elementary School. In 2021-22, 46 second grade students received 18 books throughout the year. They also received access to weekly print and online social studies. Additionally, all of Bethune’s 15 classrooms and teachers and their students (321) benefited from having access to Raz Kids, an interactive computerized reading program.

Population(s) Served
Children and youth
Economically disadvantaged people

Distributes weekend food to students and young adults experiencing food insecurity. In 2021-22, 4720 weekend food packs were delivered to 170 recipients at 2 Minneapolis schools. In May, through new partnerships with Every Meal and Oasis for Youth, we provided 2,000 summer meals for students in North Minneapolis and food to 80 youth at risk of homelessness in Bloomington, Edina and Richfield.

Population(s) Served
Children and youth
Economically disadvantaged people

Awards grants to teachers and staff for enrichment projects that improve student achievement, build community and enhance curriculum. In 2021- 22, we awarded 91 grants totaling $63,099 that positively affected over 13,000 students at 44 schools in Minneapolis, St. Paul and Richfield.

Population(s) Served
Children and youth
Economically disadvantaged people

Provides essential items to promote academic success and to support students and young adults. During 2021-22, over 1,000 students in Minneapolis, St. Paul and Richfield schools received needed items including winter wear, clothing, hygiene products, earphones and books, games and incentives to encourage learning.

Population(s) Served
Economically disadvantaged people

Ensures that all Thrift Shop donations make their way into the community through partner organizations.

Population(s) Served

Recognizes students for achievements as determined by school staff, because every child can achieve something. In 2021-22, 3 events were held during the fall/winter using the bag and delivery model; 3 additional events were held in person in May at the uniform schools. In grades PreK-5, 308 Minneapolis and St. Paul students were honored: they each received shirts, wristbands. and framed photos.

Population(s) Served
Economically disadvantaged people
Economically disadvantaged people

Encourages a love of reading and builds community by providing books to an entire school or community of students. In 2021-22, 1,945 books were distributed to 930 students, including 60 preschoolers at Mona Moede Early Learning Center (8 books each), 320 students at Riverview School, 275 students at Maxfield School and 275 students at Anishinabe Academy.

Population(s) Served
Infants and toddlers
Economically disadvantaged people

Awards postsecondary scholarships for 2- and 4-year colleges, technical schools and certificate programs. In 2021-22, the first year of this pilot program, 6 scholarships were awarded: 3 to Richfield High School students and 3 to students attending Minneapolis College.

Population(s) Served

Where we work

Affiliations & memberships

National Assistance League 1992

Videos

Our results

SOURCE: Self-reported by organization

How does this organization measure their results? It's a hard question but an important one.

Number of students receiving personal instruction and feedback about their performance

This metric is no longer tracked.
Totals By Year
Population(s) Served

Children and youth, Economically disadvantaged people, Students

Related Program

Operation School Bell®/Literacy Plus

Type of Metric

Output - describing our activities and reach

Direction of Success

Increasing

Context Notes

Our Literacy program send 20 volunteers every week to Bethune in North Minneapolis, to tutor reading skills on a one-to-one basis with second grade students.

Number of people within the organization's service area accessing food aid

This metric is no longer tracked.
Totals By Year
Population(s) Served

Children and youth, Economically disadvantaged people

Related Program

Food For Kids

Type of Metric

Output - describing our activities and reach

Direction of Success

Increasing

Context Notes

We changed from feeding families to feeding the kids. More kid friendly food containers were added to the bags. We distributed 26,042 pounds of food during the school year.

Number of volunteers

This metric is no longer tracked.
Totals By Year
Type of Metric

Output - describing our activities and reach

Direction of Success

Increasing

Context Notes

We are a member driven, volunteer organization. We make our money and spend our money on the community. Even during the covid pandemic, ALMSP had new members that wanted to join.

Number of books distributed

This metric is no longer tracked.
Totals By Year
Population(s) Served

Children and youth, Economically disadvantaged people

Related Program

Operation School Bell®/Literacy Plus

Type of Metric

Output - describing our activities and reach

Direction of Success

Increasing

Context Notes

We tutor reading skills to 2nd graders and also send books home with all children in K through 2nd grade at the school.

Goals & Strategy

SOURCE: Self-reported by organization

Learn about the organization's key goals, strategies, capabilities, and progress.

Charting impact

Four powerful questions that require reflection about what really matters - results.

Our Mission: Volunteers transforming the lives of children and adults through community programs.

Our Vision: Essential needs of children and adults are met in our communities.

Values: Assistance League of Minneapolis/St. Paul supports and serves our community by developing and utilizing the diverse talents and backgrounds of our dedicated member volunteers who are committed to our chapter values of Ethics, Leadership, Accountability, Respect and Teamwork.

Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Statement: Assistance League of Minneapolis/St. Paul is committed to cultural competence and humility and to developing practices that promote anti-racism, inclusion and equity for all. We are actively pursuing greater diversity and inclusion with our community partners, member volunteers and other stakeholder groups.

Membership:
Continue to reach 30,000 annual service hours, maintain 90% member retention and attain an average 2% annual growth in membership
Mentor and provide education, training and development support for leaders and all members
Broaden membership and evaluate membership requirements to add flexibility
Add additional opportunities for members to gather in support of our mission
Seek more diversity among our member volunteers and other stakeholders


Philanthropic Programs:
• Consult regularly with our community partners regarding needs that can be met through our established programs and opportunities for expansion.
• Utilize external assessments of all programs to gather measurable outcomes to determine if the programs are meeting established goals.
• Explore member support and financial resources for adding new programs and/or expanding current programs.

Fundraising:
• Continue to increase fundraising (Thrift Shop, direct mail, grants, planned giving and endowment fund) by an average annual growth of 5% over the next five years to maintain current programs and provide more services to the community.
The convenience of online shopping is another way we adapted to our community’s needs. Following the lead of National Assistance League, our online store went live in February. The online site is at https://assistance-league-minneapolis. myshopify.com/. Online purchases as well as purchases from our retail store support our philanthropic programs.


Marketing:
Develop and implement a comprehensive chapter marketing plan to increase awareness of the Assistance League brand and story in our community and, as a result, attract new members, donors, and community partners. 


Our chapter celebrated its 25th Anniversary in 2020. We have a consistent group of committed members who volunteered over 31,000 hours last year, a history of successful fundraising, and a return to the community above 88%.

Our three main revenue sources (Thrift Shop sales, both retail and on-line, grants, and a direct mail campaign) support our annual budget.

We have successful partnerships with Minneapolis Public Schools, St. Paul Public Schools, Richfield Public Schools. We continue to provide Assault Survivor Kits to Minnesota Hospitals upon request and have partnered with Sojourner, a women’s shelter. Our Advisory Council provides insights and supports our mission. Our Advisory Council provides insights and supports our mission.

Rising to the challenges of Covid restrictions, supply chain shortages and changing community needs in the past few years, is nothing new for our members. We listened to our trusted partners, were creative and flexible and succeeded in making a positive impact in the lives of over 20,000 children and adults in our community.

Record fundraising from our generous donors and sales from our award-winning thrift shop allowed us to add a new Scholarship program in which three Richfield high school students, and three Minneapolis Community College students were the first scholarship recipients of a post-secondary program piloted this past year. and In addition, we were able to expand our community reach through the addition of four new partner organizations. We returned over $375,000 to our community.


A new Strategic Plan will chart our course for the next four years promoting growth throughout our chapter. Special emphasis will be placed on implementing important diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) initiatives in all aspects of our organization.

As a chapter we are committed to continually evolving to meet the changing needs of our community and growing in our knowledge and awareness of social justice issues.

How we listen

SOURCE: Self-reported by organization

Seeking feedback from people served makes programs more responsive and effective. Here’s how this organization is listening.

done We shared information about our current feedback practices.

  • How is your organization using feedback from the people you serve?

  • Which of the following feedback practices does your organization routinely carry out?

  • What challenges does the organization face when collecting feedback?

Financials

Assistance League of Minneapolis-St. Paul
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Operations

The people, governance practices, and partners that make the organization tick.

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Connect with nonprofit leaders

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  • Analyze a variety of pre-calculated financial metrics
  • Access beautifully interactive analysis and comparison tools
  • Compare nonprofit financials to similar organizations

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Assistance League of Minneapolis-St. Paul

Board of directors
as of 10/30/2022
SOURCE: Self-reported by organization
Board co-chair

Deb Hamilton

Assistance League Minneapolis/St.Paul

Term: 2022 - 2023


Board co-chair

Sheila Bjorklund

Assistance League Minneapolis/St.Paul

Term: 2022 - 2021

Judy Cipolla

no affiliation

Doreen Robinson

no affiliation

Sheila Bjorklund

no affiliation

Linda Damman

no affiliation

Deb Hamilton

no affiliation

Janis Bates

no affiliation

Sandra Warner

no affiliation

Carolyn Azine

no affiliation

Pat Kurt

no affiliation

Board leadership practices

SOURCE: Self-reported by organization

GuideStar worked with BoardSource, the national leader in nonprofit board leadership and governance, to create this section.

  • Board orientation and education
    Does the board conduct a formal orientation for new board members and require all board members to sign a written agreement regarding their roles, responsibilities, and expectations? Yes
  • CEO oversight
    Has the board conducted a formal, written assessment of the chief executive within the past year ? Not applicable
  • Ethics and transparency
    Have the board and senior staff reviewed the conflict-of-interest policy and completed and signed disclosure statements in the past year? Yes
  • Board composition
    Does the board ensure an inclusive board member recruitment process that results in diversity of thought and leadership? Yes
  • Board performance
    Has the board conducted a formal, written self-assessment of its performance within the past three years? Yes

Organizational demographics

SOURCE: Self-reported; last updated 10/11/2022
info Candid has made improvements to the race and ethnicity options.

Who works and leads organizations that serve our diverse communities? Candid partnered with CHANGE Philanthropy on this demographic section.

Leadership

No data

The organization's co-leader identifies as:

No data

Race & ethnicity

No data

Gender identity

No data

 

No data

Sexual orientation

No data

Disability

No data

Equity strategies

Last updated: 01/21/2021

GuideStar partnered with Equity in the Center - an organization that works to shift mindsets, practices, and systems to increase racial equity - to create this section. Learn more

Policies and processes
  • We use a vetting process to identify vendors and partners that share our commitment to race equity.
  • We seek individuals from various race backgrounds for board and executive director/CEO positions within our organization.
  • We have community representation at the board level, either on the board itself or through a community advisory board.
  • We help senior leadership understand how to be inclusive leaders with learning approaches that emphasize reflection, iteration, and adaptability.
  • We engage everyone, from the board to staff levels of the organization, in race equity work and ensure that individuals understand their roles in creating culture such that one’s race identity has no influence on how they fare within the organization.