Programs and results
What we aim to solve
MEGA— Mentors Expecting Greater Achievement— Mentors began in 2009 when the Chesterfield County Superintendent called for African American community leaders to serve as role models for students. MEGA Mentors’ mission is to teach life skills, provide meaningful learning experiences and build leadership skills in African American and other underrepresented Chesterfield County Public School students through mentoring, tutoring, experiential field trips and recognition. Chesterfield County is both economically and ethnically diverse. In a school district of more than 63,000 students, 38% qualified for Free and Reduced Meals; 54% of our students identify as people of color. With a dropout rate of 6.3% (higher than the state average of 5.1%), nearly 4,000 students are not graduating; youth of color and economically disadvantaged youth are disproportionally represented in these numbers.
Our programs
What are the organization's current programs, how do they measure success, and who do the programs serve?
MEGA Mentors
Rooted in our core values of “respect, responsibility, effort and achievement,” the MEGA Mentors program
provides 20,000+ hours nurturing students each year. Our volunteer mentors meet with students in small groups (representing a 4:1 ratio in middle and high school and 2:1 ratio in elementary school) twice monthly. Through 75 carefully crafted lessons, our age-relevant curriculum meets key developmental needs along the path from elementary to middle to high school. With a focus on foundational literacy in the early years, character development and life skills during the middle years, and career/college exposure and preparation in high school, we work to broaden students’ perspectives and bolster achievement personally, academically and socially. Through relationship building (with both adults and peers), group mentoring addresses the need for safe places (mental and physical) that many of our mentees would not otherwise receive and allows them to see success in diverse pathways. Further we bring in speakers on everything from architecture to oncology, sponsor field trips including college campus visits, and acknowledge effort and achievement with recognition awards. As an advisor, role model, confidant, and guide, our mentors lead students toward goals that many before found unfathomable. And like the youth we serve, over 90% of our mentors are minorities. They represent a diverse group of corporate and community leaders who reverse negative trajectories and inspire hope, building skills that empower students to excel in the classroom and beyond.
Where we work
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Our results
How does this organization measure their results? It's a hard question but an important one.
Number of students who demonstrate the desire to succeed in the academic setting
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Related Program
MEGA Mentors
Type of Metric
Outcome - describing the effects on people or issues
Direction of Success
Increasing
Context Notes
100% of our students passed to the next grade level and there were no out-of-school suspensions
Number of opportunities teachers have to provide and receive mentoring
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Related Program
MEGA Mentors
Type of Metric
Output - describing our activities and reach
Direction of Success
Holding steady
Context Notes
81 volunteer mentors— nearly 90% people of color—provided invaluable support amounting to more than 11,000 hours of caring that reversed negative trajectories and inspired hope, empowering students to
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?
Consistent, quality mentoring improves lives and closes education gaps. Mentoring makes a real difference: influencing academic attitudes and grades, inspiring college pursuit and leadership ambitions, and fostering hope and inclusivity (National Mentoring Partnership). Mentors support young people on their academic journey and help empower students to become autonomous learners and agents of their own change. Moreover, mentors fuel self-awareness and self-efficacy and open doors for future academic and career possibilities. Yet 1 in 3 young people will grow up without a mentor. MEGA Mentors aims to change that.
Our consistent, quality mentoring works. Mentees are challenged, engaged, and enriched by the experiences we provide. By strengthening social-emotional and life skills, we set young people on a path to success both in school and in life. Our program results in:
• improved self-efficacy, self-initiation, and self-regulation
• improved academic achievement, attendance, and behavior.
What are the organization's key strategies for making this happen?
Rooted in our core values of “respect, responsibility, effort and achievement,” MEGA Mentors’ uplifts underserved elementary, middle, and high school students with a curriculum geared toward prevention using research-based, culturally relevant best practices. MEGA has created a continuum of learning that consists of age-appropriate academic engagement and life skills activities. With a focus on foundational literacy in the early years, character development and life skills during the middle years, and career/college exposure and preparation in high school, we work to broaden students’ perspectives and bolster achievement personally, academically, and socially:
• Elementary Reading Program - Focusing on foundational literacy in the early years, MEGA combines reading and relationships to give students a solid basis from which to grow. Activities designed to build early reading skills are combined with opportunities to engage socially by having a lunch buddy, building early social and interpersonal skills.
• Middle School Mentorship - Embodying our core values of “respect, responsibility, effort and achievement,” the MEGA Mentors Middle School program develops critical social-emotional life, and leadership skills, preparing students with the skills they need in an ever-changing world.
• High School Mentorship- MEGA supports students on their academic journey while empowering them to become autonomous learners and agents of their own change. As mentees move to the high school level, career building is incorporated in mentoring activities as well the introduction of external resources such as guest speakers, site visits, SAT and financial aid workshops, and college tours.
What are the organization's capabilities for doing this?
“I can’t think of another program in the region that provides such a positive climate for children to be successful.” Dr. Mervin B. Daugherty, CCPS Superintendent
Over the last decade we have reached more than 3,000 students with more than 550 volunteers. MEGA Mentors was recognized in 2015 by former President Barack Obama with The President’s Volunteer Service Award and is continually heralded by the students, families and faculty we impact.
MEGA Mentors directly addresses racial equity by inspiring and bolstering BIPOC youth. Our focus on reaching African American and other underserved youth is matched both with mentors of color our young people can relate to and a primarily African American volunteer board of trustees. As advisors, role models, confidants, and guides, our volunteers lead students toward goals that many before found unfathomable. Last year, 81 volunteer mentors—90% being people of color—provided invaluable support amounting to more than 11,000 hours of caring. 89% of the Board and 100% of the Executive Leadership Committee are African American.By strengthening social-emotional and life skills, we set young people on a path to success both in school and in life.
What have they accomplished so far and what's next?
As the pandemic continued, the 2021-2022 school year proved another critical time for the power of mentorship to inspire students and bolster their resilience. We offered a hybrid delivery model (in person and virtual), allowing for scheduling and training flexibility and granting access to a larger pool of mentors and guest speakers. We had hoped to add 5 schools to our program this year. Instead, we ballooned to nearly double our reach by engaging students from 29 schools. Even with pandemic limitations, we served 286 students; 90% identified as youth of color and we estimate 70% are economically disadvantaged. We also introduced the Information Technology program in partnership with the Moore Legacy Foundation, serving 4 students in the fall and 16 in the spring, in which hardware and software concepts were taught by IT professionals and students earned refurbished laptops provided by Dominion Energy. 100% of our students passed to the next grade level and there were no out-of-school suspensions. 81 volunteer mentors— nearly 90% people of color—provided invaluable support amounting to more than 11,000 hours of caring that reversed negative trajectories and inspired hope, empowering students to excel in the classroom and beyond.
Financials
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Operations
The people, governance practices, and partners that make the organization tick.
Connect with nonprofit leaders
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- Analyze a variety of pre-calculated financial metrics
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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.
MEGA Mentors
Board of directorsas of 02/07/2023
Ed Baine
Dominion Energy
Term: 2024 - 2022
Greg Cummings
Retired, Philip Morris
Verna Bradby
S&P Global
McKinley Moore
Retired, Altria Group
Misha King
Defense Contract Management Agency
C. Dalesa Mack-Grisby
Altria
Jean Cauble
Retired, Interior Design Business Owner
Howard Corey
MA Turnpike Authority
Cortez Dial, Ed.D.
Retired
Charles Owens
Owens Financial Services
Deborah Hillman
Retired
Lisa High, Ed.D.
Chesterfield Public Schools
Shiri H. Leverett, Ph.D.
S.H. Leverett Educational Consulting
Thomas Mandley, Jr.
Retired, Dupont
Rodney Mullins
McGuire Woods LLP
Tanya Ross
Dominion Energy
Tabatha M.W. Spurlock, Ed.D.
Richmond City Public Schools
Laura Taylor, Ed.D.
Accent Group and Family Services
Amanda Voelker, Ed.D.
Chesterfield County Public Schools
Board leadership practices
GuideStar worked with BoardSource, the national leader in nonprofit board leadership and governance, to create this section.
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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
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
No data
Sexual orientation
No data
Disability
No data