Programs and results
What we aim to solve
Positive Paths serves low-income women that live in the East Valley of Phoenix, Arizona, who have faced challenges that inhibit their success, including poverty, violence, substance abuse, and economic dependency, among others. Women are poorer than men in all racial and ethnic groups, and the gap is higher in the United States than in any other Western country in the world. In Arizona, more women are living in poverty than the national average and women of color are far more likely to live in poverty. Additionally, women are over-represented in low-wage jobs and occupations. Positive Paths provides scholarships and mentoring to East Valley women to ensure they become economically independent, enjoy increased job prospects and stability, and increase resiliency through educational attainment and mentoring relationships. We believe that when you help women you support entire families and strengthen our community.
Our programs
What are the organization's current programs, how do they measure success, and who do the programs serve?
Scholarship and Mentoring Program
Positive Paths assists women who are returning to school to improve their lives and enhance their career opportunities by way of appropriate education, training and mentorship. Many of our women have overcome major obstacles including poverty, domestic violence, death of a spouse, loss of a job, illness of family members, issues with children, or other challenges. Recipients use the scholarship to offset costs associated with attainment of a post-secondary credential that leads to stable employment opportunities. Mentors are career professionals who serve as coaches and role-models.
Where we work
External reviews

Videos
Our results
How does this organization measure their results? It's a hard question but an important one.
Percentage of participants who complete their post-secondary program
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Population(s) Served
Women, Economically disadvantaged people, Single parents
Related Program
Scholarship and Mentoring Program
Type of Metric
Outcome - describing the effects on people or issues
Direction of Success
Holding steady
Context Notes
These numbers are a percentage of completers, 78 percent. So in 2018, for example, 38 of 53 of the women graduated with their degrees, which is an incredible success rate for this population.
Percentage of participants self-report that the combination of education and mentoring made a difference in their success
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Population(s) Served
Women, Economically disadvantaged people, Single parents
Related Program
Scholarship and Mentoring Program
Type of Metric
Outcome - describing the effects on people or issues
Direction of Success
Holding steady
Context Notes
100% of participants reported the program increased their likelihood of being retained in college, their opportunities for professional development, and their confidence in reaching their goals
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?
Goal 1: Positive Paths women will receive financial support to finish post-secondary training or education.
Objective 1.1: By June 2022, at least 100 low-income East Valley women who have experienced challenges will enroll at a public Arizona community college or university with financial scholarship support from Positive Paths.
Objective 1.2: At least 75% of Positive Paths scholars-mentees will complete their post-secondary program (a certificate, an associate’s degree, or a bachelor’s degree).
Goal 2: Positive Paths women will benefit from mentoring relationships with professionals in our community.
Objective 2.1: All Positive Paths scholars-mentees will participate in a mentoring relationship that provides professional guidance and social support.
Objective 2.2: At least 75% of Positive Paths' mentors will report monthly contact with their mentees.
Objective 2.3: At least 75% of scholar-mentees will report that their mentoring relationship increased their likelihood of retention from semester-to-semester and enhanced their opportunities for career success.
Goal 3: Positive Paths women will obtain employment and become economically independent.
Objective 3.1: At least 75% of Positive Paths scholars-mentees will have a secured stable employment or secure a job promotion within 6 months of completing the program.
Objective 3.2: At least 75% of scholar-mentees will report greater access to professional development opportunities and career prospects as a result of their education and mentoring.
Goal 4: Positive Paths will implement best practices for accountability and transparency in a non-profit organization.
Objective 4.1: At least 75% of revenues will be spent directly on scholarship and mentoring programs to benefit our women.
Objective 4.2: Board of directors and employee names will be visible on the website.
Objective 4.3: Bylaws, conflict of interest policies, and financial statements will demonstrate compliance with laws for tax-exempt organizations and commitment to public accountability and transparency.
Objective 4.5: Multiple sources of revenue will ensure financial sustainability over time.
What are the organization's key strategies for making this happen?
Strategy #1: Increase and diversify funding. We will continue to exercise wise and accountable stewardship of the financial resources while devoting more effort to fundraising, donor programs, and grants to ensure the long-term stability of the organization.
Strategy #2: Expand partnerships within the educational, business and non-profit community to directly support our women, market our programs and services to organizations that serve similar populations, and enhance our ability to leverage our strength.
Strategy #3: Expand the number of volunteers available on our board, as well as support our scholarship and mentoring programs, our committees, and our events. Promote community involvement in attending to the needs of women and children in the East Valley.
Strategy #4: Implement appropriate administrative systems to track outcomes and to measure and evaluate impact.
Strategy #5: Increase public awareness of Positive Paths and its impact on the community. Develop marketing and communications about the organization, including consistent social media and other forms of messaging to donors, volunteers and the community at large.
Strategy #6: Monitor best practices for non-profit organizations, including recruiting and retaining a diverse board of directors with broad expertise to ensure we are practicing accountability and transparency in our operations and that we are complying with all legal and financial requirements.
What are the organization's capabilities for doing this?
Positive Paths is in the early stages of development as a non-profit organization. As of summer 2021, the organization consists of a committed board of directors, volunteers, and one part-time employee. Foundational administrative and financial management systems are in place. We have, for example, developed bylaws, committee structures, and operating procedures; secured an office location; launched a website; created a budget and secured sources of revenue; filed appropriate legal and financial documents; and implemented a well-regarded annual fundraising and recognition event.
Our focus has been on being able to serve more women through our scholarship and mentoring programs. In 2014, we were able to support 5 scholar-mentees, and in 2021, we are supporting 39 scholar-mentees. Non-profit and educational partners help us make women aware of the program. There is a process for applying, interviewing and being selected, and subsequently for tracking progress. These women receive financial support for the fall and spring semesters and they receive assistance navigating the educational environment. Each woman has a one-to-one mentoring relationship with a professional in the community. Annual events such as a mentoring breakfast and imaging workshops are shared experiences that bond our women with one another, their mentors, and the board.
We are fortunate to have (a) collaboration with other non-profit organizations such as Assistance League of the East Valley, East Valley Women, A New Leaf, Homeward Bound's Destination Diploma program, College Bound AZ, and Sunshine Acres; (b) involvement from our public educational institutions such as the Maricopa Community Colleges, Central Arizona College, East Valley Institute of Technology, Northern Arizona University, and Arizona State University; (c) support from key businesses such as Dignity Health, TrustBank, Intel, SRP, TTG Advisors, and others, and (d) commitment from an energetic and devoted board of directors. We believe that with these alliances, we can achieve collective impact that will meaningfully change the life trajectory of the women we serve, while supporting their families and improving the community at large.
What have they accomplished so far and what's next?
Positive Paths has grown from a concept to a structured non-profit organization with appropriate policies, procedures, and systems. Accomplishments in the first six years of operation include:
• Forming a board of directors that includes representatives from many of the significant businesses and organizations in the East Valley.
• Writing the Articles of Incorporation and initial Bylaws.
• Establishing bank accounts and financial processes.
• Creating an annual fundraising event, called the East Valley Night of Heroes, that raises a significant amount of the annual operating revenue.
• Diversifying funding sources including programs related to Benevity, SmileAmazon, United Way, SRP Dollars for Doers, Network for Good, Kendra Scott, Savers, and Arizona Gives Day.
• Receiving grants from General Motors and PayPal to support career development and imaging events.
• Securing a physical office in Mesa, monthly rent payments for which are partially donated by TrustBank.
• Hiring a part-time staff member, who supports administrative functions.
• Developing a website, social media accounts (FaceBook, Instagram, Twitter), and mailing list.
• Developing and implementing a scholarship application and selection process, and subsequent monitoring and tracking of progress.
• Developing and implementing a mentor recruitment system, mentor-matching process, orientation program with a handbook, and monitoring process.
• Holding an annual Mentoring Breakfast to have our scholars-mentees meet their mentors, meet each other and exchange contact information, and be recognized for their courage and resilience in creating a better life for themselves and their families.
• Establishing a private FaceBook site where the women can converse with one another.
• Recruiting dozens of volunteers to serve as mentors, and assist on committees and at events.
• Producing multiple videos that tell the story of some of our women, their challenges and successes.
Within the coming 12-24 months, the following strategic priorities have been identified:
• Creating mentoring events that will allow many more women to interact and receive guidance and advice from women leaders in our community.
• Establishing an auxiliary group to assist with fundraising and community awareness.
• Initiating a Marketing and Communications Committee, comprised of board members and other volunteers, to help develop a more concerted marketing plan for the organization, and to increase community awareness and understanding of the issues our women are facing.
• Restating the Bylaws to include significant revisions to board terms of service, a new emeritus status designation, committee descriptions, changes to the conflict of interest policy, and more.
• Expanding membership on the board of directors with at least four more experienced individuals to fill gaps identified on the board attributes matrix.
• Use the new data tracking system to create standardized reports on demographics and success.
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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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 inform the development of new programs/projects, To strengthen relationships with the people we serve
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What significant change resulted from feedback?
Recently we have worked to improve communications between our Scholarship Committee and our Mentoring Committee to ensure that issues for the women we serve are communicated to the right individuals. For example, sometimes the Scholarship Committee becomes aware of a challenge that a woman has faced in her college program-of-study and previously that information was not always reaching that woman's mentor. Conversely, sometimes a mentor becomes aware of an issue one of the women is having and they don't necessarily know to contact the professional educators who are helping the woman through her college program. So we have talked and begun to institute practices to communicate more regularly among the various volunteers to ensure our women are more fully supported.
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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 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 act on the feedback we receive
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What challenges does the organization face when collecting feedback?
It is difficult to get the people we serve to respond to requests for 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
- 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.
Positive Paths
Board of directorsas of 07/13/2022
Sandra Hudson
TrustBank
Term: 2022 - 2023
Cherri Marrese
Corporate Air Mechanical Services
Term: 2022 - 2023
Imelda Castro
Retired Intel
Rhonda Curtis
First International Bank & Trust
Kathleen Dowler
Dignity Health
Caryn Gose
Retired Salt River Project (SRP)
Maria Hesse
Arizona State University
Sandra Hudson
TrustBank
Joyce McKinney
retired IBM
Andrea Johnson
Charles Schwab, Inc.
Bettina Celis
Maricopa Community Colleges
Denise Hayes
Salt River Project (SRP)
Doreen Cott
Town of Queen Creek
Kim Moyers
City of Chandler
Donna Golub
The Boeing Company
Jenna Kahl
Chandler-Gilbert Community College
Cherri Marrese
Corporate Air Mechanical Services
Jackie Orcutt
CBRE
Janice Parker
Workforce Development Consultant
Julia Marreel
Retired Hotel Management
LaCinda Smoot Lewis
EFY Enterprises LLC
Jenni Kilpatrick
Flexion Therapeutics
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 ? Not applicable -
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:
The organization's co-leader identifies as:
Race & ethnicity
Gender identity
Sexual orientation
Disability
No data
Equity strategies
Last updated: 08/07/2020GuideStar 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 ask team members to identify racial disparities in their programs and / or portfolios.
- 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 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.