BEYOND DIFFERENCES
Inspiring Youth to End Social Isolation
Programs and results
What we aim to solve
Our programs
What are the organization's current programs, how do they measure success, and who do the programs serve?
No One Eats Alone®
No One Eats Alone®, Beyond Differences' most popular program, is a stand-alone event that takes place during lunch at school, including curriculum that can be used before or after the day. During your event, students make a difference on their own middle school campus by making sure that everyone is included at lunch and students sit with new friends and classmates. Schools in all 50 states participate in this program.
Know Your Classmates™
Know Your Classmates™ is designed to explore youth identity and belonging + help students embrace diversity, and help students speak honestly about their feelings. Now includes teen- created lessons on How to be An Ally, Diverse Expression of Gender, Recognizing Bias, and Anti Racism + National Stand Up for Asian American Youth Campaign materials. (FALL)
Know Your Classmates™ occurs in schools in all 50 states.
Be Kind Online™
Be Kind Online™ (BKO) is focused on creating inclusive communities online and ending social isolation in digital spaces. Students learn how to stand up to hateful behaviors, positive and negative aspects of screen time, social media’s effect on emotions and how to regulate those feelings, how to build self-confidence online and how to build your future online. (SPRING)
Adult Professional Development for Educators
Beyond Differences has created National Innovative Educator Cohorts, a professional development program supporting educators in NYC & FL (70 total). In partnership with a team of mental health practitioners, experts in DEI, LGBTQ educators (co-facilitators & guest speakers) + our Social Emotional Learning (SEL) trained staff provides training and tools that can be used immediately. Workshops provide adolescent mental health & SEL skill-based knowledge, tools & resources (SEL curriculum) to promote the well-being of teachers and their students. PD series are implemented as 6 workshops throughout the school year with brown bag sessions interspersed to allow educators to bond, exchange best practices & receive support.
Where we work
Photos
Videos
Our results
How does this organization measure their results? It's a hard question but an important one.
Number of backpacks filled with school supplies distributed
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Population(s) Served
Adolescents, Children
Related Program
No One Eats Alone®
Type of Metric
Output - describing our activities and reach
Direction of Success
Increasing
Context Notes
We send out free school supplies to educators nationwide each year to promote our transformative social-emotional learning (SEL) curriculum and lesson plans. 2020 and 2021 were anomalies.
Number of teachers recruited
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Related Program
Adult Professional Development for Educators
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
Be Kind Online™
Type of Metric
Output - describing our activities and reach
Direction of Success
Increasing
Context Notes
The Be Kind Online program is an initiative aimed at cultivating social inclusion in virtual spaces. When students enter middle school, they become more plugged into the digital world. How do we make
Our Sustainable Development Goals
Learn more about Sustainable Development Goals.
Goals & Strategy
Reports and documents
Download strategic planLearn about the organization's key goals, strategies, capabilities, and progress.
Charting impact
Four powerful questions that require reflection about what really matters - results.
What is the organization aiming to accomplish?
Our ultimate goal is to eliminate social isolation and replace with cultures of belonging where middle and high school youth are included, valued, respected and accepted by their peers. Investment in youth voices is widely regarded as the key to realizing this dream.
What are the organization's key strategies for making this happen?
-Increase national awareness of social isolation as a threat to public health among the public, parents and educators -- emphasizing the benefits of the youth voice in addressing the threat.
-Invest in data collection and evaluation of those school communities using Beyond Differences programs in order to leverage the diversity of resources and leadership needed to disrupt social isolation.
- Invest in the professional development of teachers, counselors and education administrators to become fluent in Social Emotional Learning (SEL).
-Invest in professional development for educators to support increased adoption of annual and multiyear Beyond Differences programs for youth in grades 5-6-7-8.
-Invest in teen leadership in innovating the Beyond Differences curriculum and giving middle and high schoolers the rare opportunity to be taught and inspired by teen activists, and to grow into teen leaders.
-Continue informing state and national policy via speaking, serving on committees and panels, research, campaigns, press, collaborations and partnerships.
What are the organization's capabilities for doing this?
-Broaden national reach into new diverse communities, with a teen board that mirrors the diversity of our communities.
-Integrate cultural competencies in the design and delivery of programs and campaigns to reflect the diversity of our communities.
-Recruit diverse talent for our Board and staff, to be reflective of whom we serve.
-Invest in DEIB (Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, & Belonging) training for our Board, staff and students.
Donations and other funding support help ensure our capability to meet the broad set of needs for hundreds of thousands of participants at thousands of schools across the country.
What have they accomplished so far and what's next?
Beyond Differences is the nation’s leading expert on social isolation among middle school youth and our mission is the driving force behind our student-led social justice movement. Since it’s founding in 2010, more than 8,500 schools across the country have used Beyond Differences programs, impacting more than 3.77 million students in all 50 states.
The Beyond Differences model is predicated on the notion that students influencing other students is not only an effective means of changing school culture, but also a natural and profoundly life-changing opportunity for youth to take control of this issue that causes so many children to feel helpless. Beyond Differences has three high school teen boards in the San Francisco Bay Area and one in Portland, OR. These high school teen leaders model that connection and sense of belonging which has a powerful ripple effect and inspires middle school youth to believe in it, too.
To address emerging student and educator needs to address social isolation exacerbated by the pandemic, Beyond Differences is proud to have created a National Innovative Educators Cohort, a year-round professional development program supporting teachers, administrators, resource counselors and Social and Emotional Learning (SEL) influencers in school districts across the country. Its purpose is to provide awareness, skills, training, and resources to promote the well-being of teachers and the students they serve.
How we listen
Seeking feedback from people served makes programs more responsive and effective. Here’s how this organization is listening.
-
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
-
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?
It is difficult to get the people we serve to respond to requests for feedback, The people we serve tell us they find data collection burdensome, It is difficult to find the ongoing funding to support feedback collection, Staff find it hard to prioritize feedback collection and review due to lack of time
Financials
Unlock nonprofit financial insights that will help you make more informed decisions. Try our 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.
Operations
The people, governance practices, and partners that make the organization tick.
Connect with nonprofit leaders
SubscribeBuild 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.
Connect with nonprofit leaders
SubscribeBuild 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.
BEYOND DIFFERENCES
Board of directorsas of 02/02/2024
Mr. Wade Rakes
Centene Corporation
Term: 2021 - 2024
Ace Smith
Bearstar Strategies
Kerri Catalano
Bloomberg LP
Rahul Chandhok
Forty Niners Football Company, LLC
Larry Krause
Tessara Financial Advisors, Inc.
Karen Kwetey
PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP
Ed Lehrman
Vine Connections
Alan Loving
The Boldt Company
Carly O'Connor Kawaja
Athleta
Sheila Peluso
Cerberus Capital Management, LP
Michaela Simpson
NeuroLeadership Institute
Jen Traeger
United Skates of America
Marla Wiacek
Dearborn Public Schools
Jacqueline Neuwirth Swire
Founding Board Member
Allison Cohen
Reading Partners
Alexander Heckler
Partner, LSN Law Partners
Nancy Howe
Artist
Alexander Rivera
Achieve Program
Kristian Stiles
President, Stiles Partners
Board leadership practices
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 ? No -
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
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
Gender identity
No data
Transgender Identity
No data
Sexual orientation
No data
Disability
No data
Equity strategies
Last updated: 01/31/2023GuideStar 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
- 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 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.