LaAmistad, Inc.

aka LaAmistad   |   Atlanta, GA   |  www.laamistadinc.org

Mission

LaAmistad's Mission is to prepare Latino students and families for success through academic and life enrichment programs.

LaAmistad's Vision is that Latino students and families achieve lifelong self-sufficiency.

Notes from the nonprofit

LaAmistad, Inc. is a volunteer-driven organization with the ability to host individuals and groups of volunteers Saturday through Thursday at multiple locations across the greater Atlanta area. To volunteer with us in any capacity, please contact us at [email protected] If you are interested in funding any of our programs, please contact Cat McAfee at [email protected] Thanks for choosing LaAmistad!

Ruling year info

2006

Executive Director

Mrs. Cat DaCosta McAfee

Associate Director

Mrs. Nina Soler Reid

Main address

3434 Roswell Rd NW

Atlanta, GA 30305 USA

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Formerly known as

The Bill Maness Outreach Center

EIN

20-5359559

NTEE code info

Elementary, Secondary Ed (B20)

Youth Development Programs (O50)

Adult, Continuing Education (B60)

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

The most pressing issue that LaAmistad confronts is the dropout rate among Latino high school students in Atlanta Public Schools. Historically, as Latino children enter the US school system, they typically fall behind their peers. This occurs largely because parents have difficulty providing their children with needed support and assistance due to language barriers or a lack of formal education on their part. There exists a pressing need for supplemental educational services for the Latino demographic and LaAmistad programs are built to combat this dropout trend by providing students with the resources and the instruction they need not just to get by in school, but to excel. Since numerous studies show that students are more likely to slip through the cracks with regard to educational goals and milestones if their reading skills are not honed by the third grade, our strategy is to engage these students long before they get to high school.

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?

LaAmistad Afterschool

LaAmistad Afterschool meets at eight different locations in the greater Atlanta area to serve underprivileged Latino youth through volunteer-driven after school programming.

Population(s) Served
Children and youth
People of Latin American descent

English for Successful Living (ESL) is an English as a Second Language program that meets the needs of immigrants who seek to make a better life for themselves, their families, and their communities. ESL offers adult students the opportunity to acquire the English language in a comfortable setting, using a life skills based curriculum that promotes self-sufficiency and strengthens their ability to meet their personal, academic, and employment goals. We recruit highly engaged volunteer teachers and provide them with training in ESL teaching approaches and methodology. We also give volunteers first-rate resources and ongoing guidance, so that we are able to ensure that our students receive superior English instruction. ESL is one of the largest community-based adult English as a Second Language program in Georgia, with excellent test results across all levels and a pool of new and returning volunteers that keep the program active and vibrant.

Population(s) Served
Immigrants and migrants
Adults

LaAmistad's Anímate Summer Academy is a four-week academic, social, and physical enrichment program for elementary-aged Latino students at The Westminster Schools and St. Martin's Episcopal School campuses in Atlanta, Georgia.

Population(s) Served
Children and youth
People of Latin American descent

LaAmistad offers its own parent workshops for the parents of LaAmistad Afterschool students, and partners with other organizations in Georgia to provide further education for these families.

Population(s) Served
Parents
People of Latin American descent

Estrellitas is a joint effort with Junior League of Atlanta that provides mentoring and leadership development services to adolescent Latina women.

Population(s) Served
Women and girls
Adolescents

Interns serve with LaAmistad, Inc. to assist in the provision of services for the immigrant and Latino communities around the state of Georgia. Internships are available throughout the year.

Population(s) Served
Adults

Where we work

Awards

Mentoring Award 2009

Atlanta Public School

Community Achievement Award 2004

Atlanta Public Schools

State Farm Go to Bat Award 2012

Atlanta Braves and State Farm

Community Partner Award 2012

Renovación Conyugal

Community Service Award to LaAmistad Volunteer Mike Joiner 2013

Atlanta Hawks

25th Annual Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Community Service Award 2017

Emory University

Grant Award 2016

Atlanta Braves Foundation

Grant Award 2015

Atlanta Braves Foundation

Grant Award 2017

Atlanta Braves Foundation

Grant Award 2018

Atlanta Braves Foundation

Personajes Destacados del Ano 2017

Mundo Hispanico

Videos

Our results

SOURCE: Self-reported by organization

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

Total number of volunteer hours contributed to the organization

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

Outcome - describing the effects on people or issues

Direction of Success

Increasing

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

Number of clients served

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

Output - describing our activities and reach

Direction of Success

Increasing

Number of program sites

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

Output - describing our activities and reach

Direction of Success

Increasing

Number of students enrolled

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

LaAmistad Afterschool

Type of Metric

Output - describing our activities and reach

Direction of Success

Increasing

Our Sustainable Development Goals

SOURCE: Self-reported by organization

Learn more about Sustainable Development Goals.

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.

LaAmistad's goal is to provide well structured, educational and self-improvement opportunities for Latino students and families across the metro Atlanta area. The ultimate goal for our programming is to put students on track to literacy and reading on grade level so that they may graduate high school.

LaAmistad plans to increase funding through increasing total commitments with current partners, individual giving revenue, and foundation support. LaAmistad plans to strengthen its operations infrastructure through its new Advisory Board and by increasing our organizational staff in order to promote programmatic and financial growth. LaAmistad will develop new partner locations and maintain existing locations to reach a greater number of students and enhance their educational performance. Furthermore, a continual improvement of program documentation and director training will aid the program replication process.

LaAmistad staff and Board of Directors believe they have the capability to execute all strategies mentioned previously. LaAmistad adds every year to its list of partners, numbers of individuals who give, and supporting foundations as well. As for strengthening infrastructure of the organization, LaAmistad's full-time and part-time staff has expanded to include 28 employees.

With enhanced documentation and director training alongside capable staff, LaAmistad has the capacity to sustain existing locations and develop new partner locations for programming. Some schools in Georgia have student bodies that are as much as 99% Latino. With numbers like this, the demand for LaAmistad Afterschool programming will continue to be robust, setting the stage for more programs like the eight after school programs that LaAmistad currently hosts.

Both funding from foundations and volunteers from the community are vital to our sustainability. The support of school systems and facilities that house our programs are also important pieces for the organizational health of LaAmistad.

The current number of LaAmistad Afterschool sites is up to eight; the current number of ESL sites has reached six; and LaAmistad currently has a staff of 28 full-time and part-time employees, up from just three employees in 2012. Growth has been a constant theme over the last few years. We currently reach nearly 300 students through LaAmistad Afterschool programs, almost 500 adults at English for Successful Living locations, over 100 students through summer programming, and over 550 parents and family members of LaAmistad Afterschool students through Parent Partnership Programs.

We also manage nearly 1400 volunteers throughout the year who provide over 17,000 hours through one of our after school programs, English for Successful Living programs, summer academies, our summer internship program, or at one of our signature events. Much time and effort is required to train these volunteers with the skills they need to carry out programs and events successfully. This is something on which we pride ourselves and it is reflected in the quality of programming we provide.

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.

  • Who are the people you serve with your mission?

    People of Latin-American Descent. People who are economically-disadvantaged.

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

    SMS text surveys, Electronic surveys (by email, tablet, etc.), Paper surveys, Focus groups or interviews (by phone or in person), Case management notes, Community meetings/Town halls, Constituent (client or resident, etc.) advisory committees, Suggestion box/email,

  • 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 make fundamental changes to our programs and/or operations, 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, To understand people's needs and how we can help them achieve their goals,

  • What significant change resulted from feedback?

    LaAmistad is currently working to alter the shheduling of its ESL program to better accommodate its students lives; since most among them work many hours and are parents, it has come to our attention that we need to better accommodate their schedules when planning ESL classes for students.

  • With whom is the organization sharing feedback?

    The people we serve, Our staff, Our board, Our funders, Our community partners,

  • How has asking for feedback from the people you serve changed your relationship?

    LaAmistad is working to address the needs of its community by always creating programming that address the needs that are unique to the community. Every program created through LaAmistad is designed to address a need felt by many members of the Latino community in Atlanta. For example, following the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, LaAmistad staged a listening committee consisting of program staff and community school district leaders to understand the most pressing concerns and issues faced by Latino parents at the outset of the pandemic.

  • 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 aim to collect feedback from as many people we serve as possible, 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 look for patterns in feedback based on people’s interactions with us (e.g., site, frequency of service, 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, We ask the people who gave us feedback how well they think we responded,

  • What challenges does the organization face when collecting feedback?

    We don't have any major challenges to collecting feedback,

Financials

LaAmistad, Inc.
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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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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.

LaAmistad, Inc.

Board of directors
as of 06/06/2022
SOURCE: Self-reported by organization
Board co-chair

Ms. Julianna Rue Cagle

Goizueta Foundation

Term: 2012 -


Board co-chair

Mr. Wilheem Perez

Citibank

Term: 2020 -

Rachel Bartlett

Cauley and Associates

Brad Mauldin

Trinity Anglican Church

DeShea Brooks

The Spanish Academy

Brendalee Cranman

Accenture

Ed Easterlin

Cresa

Nicolás García

UPS

Lisa Limoncelli

Hawthorne Elementary

Lillian Rodríguez López

CC1 Companies

Nicholas Smith

Dame Law P.C.

Johanna Sullivan

Serta Simmons Bedding

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 4/22/2021

Who works and leads organizations that serve our diverse communities? GuideStar partnered on this section with CHANGE Philanthropy and Equity in the Center.

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

The organization's co-leader identifies as:

Race & ethnicity
Hispanic/Latino/Latina/Latinx
Gender identity
Female, Not transgender (cisgender)
Sexual orientation
Heterosexual or Straight
Disability status
Person without a disability

Race & ethnicity

Gender identity

 

Sexual orientation

No data

Disability

No data

Equity strategies

Last updated: 04/02/2021

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.