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?
Family Events And Adult Programs
Family Events and Adult Programs provide opportunities to reach both the families of children involved in our programs and the people living in our neighborhood, allowing City on a Hill to build relationships that put the gospel into action.
Health & Social Programs
Health & Social Programs meet medical, nutritional, social, emotional, and spiritual needs of more than 300 residents of the central city each month by mobilizing large groups of medical professionals and other volunteers.
Neighborhood Transformation
Neighborhood Transformation has resulted in the creation of 150 units of affordable housing on our campus.
Mission Trips
Mission Trips bring transformation to people serving and learning together in Milwaukee’s central city who then return home to do compassionate work in their communities and churches.
Compassion Events
Compassion Events are biblically based, interactive training programs designed to open eyes, touch hearts and motivate action to address poverty and injustice. These events spur compassion and generosity.
Justice/Diversity Training
Our original "Removing Racial Residue" workshop combines a visual object lesson, a presentation of the racial residue concept and levels, and personal stories told by black, white, Latino and/or Asian trainers about the impact of racism and its residue in their lives. Participants gain understanding and skills that make them bridge builders and leaders in the area of diversity.
Children & Youth Programs
Children & Youth Programs are central to the mission of City on a Hill. We provide a safe place for hundreds of children to develop academic, social and life skills while reducing high risk behavior.
Where we work
External reviews

How we listen
Seeking feedback from people served makes programs more responsive and effective. Here’s how this organization is listening.
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Who are the people you serve with your mission?
Children, youth, and families we serve live in Milwaukee's central city, primarily in Zip Codes 53233 and 53208. Here, 66.2% of residents live below the poverty line – nearly three times the 24.9% of residents living in poverty city-wide. When we look at child poverty in these Zip Codes, the differences are even greater. Whereas in the city 36% of children live in poverty; in Zip Code 53208, 39% of children live in poverty; and in 53233, an astounding 76% of children live below the poverty line. (census data, 2018 update).
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How is your organization collecting feedback from the people you serve?
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,
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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,
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What significant change resulted from feedback?
We redesigned our youth center operation to create a Remote Learning Center that expanded our service hours to meet the needs of families related to learning support for students during the pandemic. Parents and caregivers shared direct feedback on what was most important for them at the onset of distance learning shifts across all schools for the 2019-2020 school year and beyond. We used the feedback to adapt our delivery systems, hours, support structures, and staffing to meet the emergent needs of our constituents.
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With whom is the organization sharing feedback?
The people we serve, Our staff, Our board, Our funders, Our community partners,
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How has asking for feedback from the people you serve changed your relationship?
Our Neighborhood Council was created in 2013 to: 1) To identify and articulate needs of the community, 2) to advise the board on Ends Policies to meet the needs of people being served by City on a Hill, and 3) to contribute to the evaluation of programs and services of the organization. Since that time, the Council has been instrumental to guide the evolution of our program initiatives and transformed the culture of how we go about designing or scaling programs. Once new additional, for example, was deciding to incorporate COVID-19 education efforts, including the provision of the COVID-19 vaccine, as a result of stated client needs.
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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,
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What challenges does the organization face when collecting feedback?
We don’t have the right technology to collect and aggregate feedback efficiently, It is difficult to find the ongoing funding to support feedback collection,
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.
CITY ON A HILL INC
Board of directorsas of 02/22/2022
John Davis
Wisconsin Northern Michigan Ministries Network
Term: 2019 - 2022
Melanie Gray
Aurora Sinai Medical Center
Robert O’Keefe
Mount Mary University
John Davis
Wisconsin Northern Michigan Ministries Network
Terry (T.J.) Bernander, Jr.
BMO Harris Bank National Association
Robert Young
Ascend Talent Strategies
Keith Stanley
Near West Side Partners/Avenues West Association/BID #10
Gayland Hendrickson
Wisconsin Northern Michigan Ministries Network
Diane De La Santos
City on a Hill
Organizational demographics
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
No data
Gender identity
No data
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Sexual orientation
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Disability
No data