PLATINUM2023

MOVE THE MOUNTAIN LEADERSHIP CENTER INC

Building Community To End Poverty

aka Circles USA   |   Rapid City, SD   |  www.circlesusa.org

Mission

Circles® provides opportunities that inspire and equip families and communities to resolve poverty and thrive. Our mission has always been to inspire and equip families and communities to thrive and resolve poverty. We believe strongly that responsibility for both poverty and prosperity rests not only in the hands of individuals, but also with societies, institutions, and communities. In the US, our presence spans 23 states and There are 16 Circles locations in Ontario, Canada. We're inspired by the work that occurs at each location and by the passion and commitment of both our volunteers and participants. Their stories of success demonstrate what we've believed all along – when communities come together and the right techniques are utilized, great change can occur.

Ruling year info

2014

Executive Director

Mrs. Kamatara Johnson

Main address

2621 Arrowhead Drive

Rapid City, SD 57702 USA

Show more contact info

EIN

42-1474973

NTEE code info

Leadership Development (W70)

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

Ending Poverty in our lifetime! Mitigate the benefits cliff that keeps people in poverty. MISSION: Circles provides opportunities that inspire and equip families and communities to resolve poverty and thrive. VISION: Our vision is that everyone has enough money, meaning, and friends to thrive. We must engage with the business community and together insist that government activates the phantom workforce. The first obstacle is to eliminate the Cliff Effect disincentives that prevent people who are otherwise willing and able to work from advancing in their current jobs or seeking better-paying jobs (the phantom workforce).

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?

Circles

Circles Campaign is approximately $7M invested by more than 175 foundations, United Ways, individuals, and government agencies for the purpose of learning how to help families out of poverty using middle and upper income volunteers known as Allies.

Population(s) Served
Adults
Parents

Where we work

Awards

Breaking the Cycle Award 2019

Tsuha Foundation

Our results

SOURCE: Self-reported by organization

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

Earned Income

This metric is no longer tracked.
Totals By Year
Population(s) Served

Economically disadvantaged people

Related Program

Circles

Type of Metric

Context - describing the issue we work on

Direction of Success

Increasing

Context Notes

In 2022, the primary indicator of progress in Circles is an increase in earned income. On average, Circle Leaders earned 30% more income after 6 mos, 47% more after 1 year, & 76% more in 18 months.

Education

This metric is no longer tracked.
Totals By Year
Population(s) Served

Economically disadvantaged people

Related Program

Circles

Type of Metric

Other - describing something else

Direction of Success

Increasing

Context Notes

Circle Leaders often pursue education and training to earn more income. In 2022 Circle Leaders gained increases in certifications (35%), four-year degrees (8%), and graduate degrees (21%)

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.

Support the mitigation of the Cliff Effect;

Cross-Generational Circles Programming, expanding curriculum for 12–18-year-olds and engaging with Educational Testing Services to establish assessment and progress tools for youth;

Circles as a Workforce Solution: developing partnerships, materials, and processes with workforce and economic development agencies, governors, and mayors to use Circles as an overall strategy to address poverty;

CHANGE LEADER: Be positively known and recognized for poverty alleviation and systemic change;

EQUITY: Evaluate Circles USA programming, organization, and model for strengths and weaknesses related to equity to create a more intentional expression of equity all we do;

LEARN AND GROW: Promote continuous learning for all Circles USA staff, chapter staff, volunteers, and participants to foster the evolution of ourselves and our model;

EXPANSION: Expand to more states, more partnerships, and more funding diversification through strengthened staff, processes, and support.

Circle Leaders move out of poverty by surrounding them with a support network of dedicated peers and community volunteers known as Allies who support their economic stability plan.

What is unique about Circles is that it partners people from all socioeconomic backgrounds together to help increase the prosperity of individuals, families and the community.

In the process, Circle Leaders, gain a greater awareness and understanding of issues related to poverty, empowering the community as a whole with the knowledge necessary to end poverty.

Circles works with existing organizations and is part of the national Circles® movement to end poverty. Circles® works to build community resources, relationships, and understanding to bridge the gap between poverty and overall well-being. At Circles, we envision a community where everyone has enough resources, relationships, and hope to thrive.

CHANGE LEADER: Be positively known and recognized for poverty alleviation and systemic change;

EQUITY: Evaluate Circles USA programming, organization, and model for strengths and weaknesses related to equity to create a more intentional expression of equity all we do;

LEARN AND GROW: Promote continuous learning for all Circles USA staff, chapter staff, volunteers, and participants to foster the evolution of ourselves and our model;

EXPANSION: Expand to more states, more partnerships, and more funding diversification through strengthened staff, processes, and support.

Enhance Online Presence and Storytelling: Circles is all about changing the narrative and amplifying the voices of the most marginalized. Telling the story of our people, which most commonly happens online, is essential not only to represent and celebrate what we do, but also to attract the next generation of leaders and partners. With an upgraded, more intentional marketing strategy, we could increase our coherence, visibility, and advocacy power. This may attract new chapters and funding sources.


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 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 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

  • What challenges does the organization face when collecting feedback?

    We don't have any major challenges to collecting feedback

Financials

MOVE THE MOUNTAIN LEADERSHIP CENTER 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

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.

MOVE THE MOUNTAIN LEADERSHIP CENTER INC

Board of directors
as of 02/24/2023
SOURCE: Self-reported by organization
Board chair

Ms. Joan Kuriansky

Joan Kuriansky

James Masters

Jennifer Pelling

Christy Vines

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? Not applicable

Organizational demographics

SOURCE: Self-reported; last updated 2/24/2023

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
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

Disability

We do not display disability information for organizations with fewer than 15 staff.

Equity strategies

Last updated: 02/25/2022

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.
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 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.