PLATINUM2023

Ampersand Families

Restoring belonging, dignity & hope

Roseville, MN   |  www.ampersandfamilies.org

Mission

The mission of Ampersand Families is to provide permanency and adoption services to older youth and families who face barriers to equity in child welfare, and to champion systemic changes that advance belonging, dignity and hope.

Ruling year info

2008

Executive Director

Christina Zeise

Main address

1751 Co. Rd. B. West Suite 300

Roseville, MN 55113 USA

Show more contact info

EIN

14-2004438

NTEE code info

Adoption (P31)

Human Service Organizations (P20)

Youth Development Programs (O50)

IRS filing requirement

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

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Communication

Programs and results

What we aim to solve

SOURCE: Self-reported by organization

Each year in Minnesota, 13,000 children and teens experience placement in the child welfare system. Placed into foster care as a strategy to 'protect' them from trauma, abuse, and neglect, these youth face a whole new set of challenges attempting to grow up while bouncing from placement to placement and being 'parented' by a revolving team of professionals. In Minnesota about 10% of the total number of youth in foster care are in the uniquely vulnerable position of having no legal relationship to any family. Their parents' legal rights have been terminated, and unless and until an adoptive family is identified these children and youth will remain 'legal orphans' until they reach the age of emancipation and begin adult life alone.

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?

Adoption Services for Older Youth

Each year in Minnesota about 1,000 children and youth become 'legal orphans' when their parents' rights are terminated due to abuse and neglect. Ampersand Families believes that when child protection permanently removes a child from his parents, that the community has made an inherent promise. That promise is that we, as a community, will do everything possible to restore the child to another family who will provide the love and stability every child needs as they grow into and through adulthood.

Population(s) Served
Adolescents

Where we work

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 youth in foster care who achieve permanency.

This metric is no longer tracked.
Totals By Year
Related Program

Adoption Services for Older Youth

Type of Metric

Outcome - describing the effects on people or issues

Direction of Success

Increasing

Context Notes

Ampersand Families finds permanent home/adoptive families for teenagers in foster care.

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 vision is that every young person whose life has been disrupted by trauma and subsequent child welfare intervention will be restored to a safe, permanent family with an urgency that honors the brevity of childhood.

Our programs feature:
• Individualized family recruitment with full engagement of youth at every step of the process.
• Proactive, effective training, matching, and placement services for adoptive families.
• Comprehensive transition and post-placement support as long as families need it.
• Community outreach and education about the critical need for families for teens and about the community's responsibility to help restore foster youth to family life.
• Leadership to improve the child welfare system, to promote best practices, advance equity and reduce the need for adoption services.

The accomplishments of Ampersand Families on behalf of vulnerable, yet high-potential, young people are possible because of our:
• Highly experienced, stable team of child welfare professionals. You can read about our exceptional staff at https://ampersandfamilies.org/who-we-are/staff/.
• Singular focus on connecting the most lonely and traumatized youth with adults who will help them heal.
• Tireless efforts to make sure that youth have help navigating their complex, but important, relationships with birth family and kin.
• Innovative post-placement supports that enhance the long-term success of youth and their adoptive families. These services are free to families and include access to comprehensive assessments and trauma-competent providers of physical, mental and behavioral health, education, and other integrative healing services.

Ampersand Families is recognized nationally for success with older youth adoption: 75 percent of our teens join permanent families. Since 2008, we have helped more than 200 youth begin to heal from trauma by giving them a relationship with a permanent, safe, well-supported family. Most youth we serve are 13 years and older, and we work tirelessly to secure a permanent family before they age out of foster care, knowing that if they do age out they are very likely to become lonely, struggling adults reliant on expensive public support.

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 demonstrated a willingness to learn more by reviewing resources about feedback practice.
done We shared information about our current feedback practices.

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

    To identify and remedy poor client service experiences, To identify bright spots and enhance positive service experiences, To inform the development of new programs/projects, To identify where we are less inclusive or equitable across demographic groups, To strengthen relationships with the people we serve

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

    We collect feedback from the people we serve at least annually, We take steps to get feedback from marginalized or under-represented people, We take steps to ensure people feel comfortable being honest with us, We look for patterns in feedback based on demographics (e.g., race, age, gender, etc.), We engage the people who provide feedback in looking for ways we can improve in response, We act on the feedback we receive, We tell the people who gave us feedback how we acted on their feedback

  • What challenges does the organization face when collecting feedback?

    It is difficult to get the people we serve to respond to requests for feedback

Financials

Ampersand Families
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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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lock

Connect with nonprofit leaders

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Build relationships with key people who manage and lead nonprofit organizations with GuideStar Pro. Try a low commitment monthly plan today.

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

Want to see how you can enhance your nonprofit research and unlock more insights? Learn More about GuideStar Pro.

Ampersand Families

Board of directors
as of 06/02/2023
SOURCE: Self-reported by organization
Board chair

John Kunelius

Norwich University Applied Research Institutes

Term: 2021 - 2023

Tamara Block

Attorney

Angela Gilchrist

Angela Gilchrist Consulting

Nila Gouldin

Health Equity Professional

Brooke Hein

Flaherty & Hood, P.A.

Steve Kenney

Retired

Angela King-Jones

Make-A-Wish Foundation

John Kunelius

Norwich University Applied Research Institutes

Lucius Luther

Phyllis Wheatley Community Center

Rachel Martinez

Hope Community, Inc.

Tamara Pieschke

Le Sueur County

Jenny Pringle

Hennepin County

Aliya White

Frey Foundation

Katee Wutt

Woodbury Preschool at the Grove

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 ? Yes
  • 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 5/18/2023
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

The organization's leader identifies as:

Race & ethnicity
White/Caucasian/European
Gender identity
Female, Not transgender (cisgender)
Sexual orientation
Heterosexual or straight
Disability status
Person without a disability

Race & ethnicity

Gender identity

 

Sexual orientation

Disability

Equity strategies

Last updated: 12/13/2022

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

Data
  • We review compensation data across the organization (and by staff levels) to identify disparities by race.
  • We ask team members to identify racial disparities in their programs and / or portfolios.
  • We analyze disaggregated data and root causes of race disparities that impact the organization's programs, portfolios, and the populations served.
  • We disaggregate data to adjust programming goals to keep pace with changing needs of the communities we support.
  • We employ non-traditional ways of gathering feedback on programs and trainings, which may include interviews, roundtables, and external reviews with/by community stakeholders.
  • We disaggregate data by demographics, including race, in every policy and program measured.
  • We have long-term strategic plans and measurable goals for creating a culture such that one’s race identity has no influence on how they fare within the organization.
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 help senior leadership understand how to be inclusive leaders with learning approaches that emphasize reflection, iteration, and adaptability.
  • We measure and then disaggregate job satisfaction and retention data by race, function, level, and/or team.
  • 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.