GOLD2023

Read to Succeed Asheville

Community-powered literacy programming that engages children, their families, and community partners!

aka Read to Succeed Asheville/Buncombe   |   Asheville, NC   |  www.r2sasheville.org

Mission

Read To Succeed Asheville /Buncombe is on a mission to help close the race-based opportunity gap through community-powered literacy programming that engages children, their families, and community partners.

Ruling year info

2011

Co-Executive Director

Mrs. Ashley Allen

Co-Executive Director

Mrs. Jessica McLean

Main address

PO Box 18652

Asheville, NC 28814 USA

Show more contact info

EIN

27-2581580

NTEE code info

Remedial Reading, Reading Encouragement (B92)

IRS filing requirement

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

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Communication

Blog

Programs and results

What we aim to solve

SOURCE: Self-reported by organization

Read to Succeed is on a mission to help close the race-based opportunity gap that disproportionately affects Black community members in Asheville and Buncombe County. It is not an achievement gap, but an opportunity gap, because when given the opportunity, all students can achieve. Prior to COVID, less than 25% of Black 3rd - 8th grade students in Asheville City Schools were reading on grade level compared to 80%+ of white students. We know that the effects of COVID and ongoing consequences of systemic racism have only exacerbated the issues which push Black children and their families to the margins.

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?

Community-Powered Literacy Programming

Highly-trained volunteer reading tutors support elementary students in local Asheville City Schools and Buncombe County Schools as well as after-school programs in learning to read proficiently. R2S also trains community partners and family members in how children learn to read and best practices for supporting struggling readers. In addition, R2S partners with early childhood organizations serving children 0-5, conducts and participates in community and family reading events, and distributes literacy materials and culturally-relevant books to families in our WNC community.

Population(s) Served
Children and youth
Students

Where we work

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.

R2S is on a mission to help close the race-based opportunity gap through community-powered literacy programming that engages children, families, and community partners.

We aim to support children birth thru elementary school in making gains in core phonological awareness and phonics skills that strengthen their ability to learn to read.

We aim to engage families and community partners in equity-driven literacy events, activities, and programs to advocate for literacy in all aspects of a child's life.

We aim to equip local community members with the knowledge and skills about how best to support young readers so they can apply what they know in every interaction they have with a child and strengthen their ability to learn to read.

Through recruiting, training, and matching volunteer reading tutors with local K-3 students, we aim to support those students in making gains in core phonological awareness and phonics skills that strengthen their ability to learn to read.

We aim to support early childhood organizations, after-school and summer programs, and community centers through literacy training, sharing learning supplies and literacy curriculum, modeling instruction, and tutoring students.

We aim to support families in our community through hosting and/or participating in family reading events and distributing more culturally-responsive children's books and reading materials to build their home libraries.

The R2S team brings together education expertise, reading specialties, and classroom teaching backgrounds to design equity-centered literacy programming that makes an impact. Co-Executive Director, Jaimee Stanley, M.Ed., oversees early childhood and elementary literacy programming while her partner, Co-Executive Director Jess McLean, oversees communications, marketing, fundraising, and day-to-day business operations. A fulltime AmeriCorps member supports capacity-building among the organization and a part-time literacy consultant provides ongoing training, support, modeling, and continuing education for volunteer reading tutors and community partners.

Since 2009, over 425 volunteer reading tutors have supported 650+ students in learning to read at grade level.

Since the summer of 2021, R2S has also engaged 250+ local families in family reading events and activities, distributed hundreds of culturally-responsive books featuring Black main characters, and trained over 100 community members (who work in early childhood and elementary programs) in literacy fundamentals and how best to support young readers.

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?

    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 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 share the feedback we received with the people we serve

  • What challenges does the organization face when collecting feedback?

    It is difficult to get the people we serve to respond to requests for feedback, Staff find it hard to prioritize feedback collection and review due to lack of time

Financials

Read to Succeed Asheville
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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

Subscribe

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.

Read to Succeed Asheville

Board of directors
as of 08/24/2023
SOURCE: Self-reported by organization
Board co-chair

Mrs. Victoria Roberts

United Way of Asheville and Buncombe County

Term: 2023 - 2026


Board co-chair

Mrs. Julie Adkins

Borg Warner Turbo Systems

Term: 2020 - 2026

Robert Butler

Housing Authority of the City of Asheville

Rebecca Strimer

OnTrack

Katherine Baggs

BorgWarner

Thomas Priester

Housing Authority of the City of Asheville

Janet Reilly

Betty Young

Simply Salads & Charcuterie by Betty

Elizabeth Kickert

Claxton Elementary School

Heidi Clark

Modera Wealth Management

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 8/24/2023
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
Black/African American
Gender identity
Female, Not transgender (cisgender)

The organization's co-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

No data

Disability

No data

Equity strategies

Last updated: 12/27/2022

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 have a promotion process that anticipates and mitigates implicit and explicit biases about people of color serving in leadership positions.
  • 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 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.