PLATINUM2021

Girls on the Run of Atlanta

We envision a world where every girl knows and activates her limitless potential and is free to boldly pursue her dreams.

Atlanta, GA   |  www.girlsontherunatlanta.org

Mission

Girls on the Run is a physical activity-based positive youth development program for girls in 3rd through 8th grade. Our mission is to inspire girls to be joyful, healthy and confident using a fun, experience-based curriculum which creatively integrates running. We are proud to serve girls in Georgia's Cherokee, Clarke, Cobb, DeKalb, Forsyth, Fulton, Gwinnett, Hall and Oconee Counties.

Notes from the nonprofit

Thank you for viewing our profile and considering supporting our amazing girls! We welcome you to reach out to us anytime.

Ruling year info

2001

Executive Director

Lea Rolfes

Main address

1904 Monroe Dr. NE, Ste. 135

Atlanta, GA 30324 USA

Show more contact info

EIN

58-2568271

NTEE code info

Youth Development Programs (O50)

IRS filing requirement

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

Sign in or create an account to view Form(s) 990 for 2020, 2019 and 2018.
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Communication

Programs and results

What we aim to solve

SOURCE: Self-reported by organization

Self-esteem armors against high-risk behaviors, depression and aggression and is essential for psychological well-being but girls’ self-confidence begins dropping by age 9. It doesn't help that 50% of girls ages 10 to 13 experience bullying such as name calling and exclusion at a time when peer relationships become more central to girls’ lives. Physical activity levels decline starting at age 10 and continue to decrease over time. In Georgia, P.E. is not required in most of our middle schools and daily recess is not required in our elementary schools. Our state ranks last in the country for sport gender equity. Girls are also in need of life/soft skills (communication, cooperation, conflict resolution, helping others and asking for help, stress management). In fact, social emotional skills outweigh other variables like social class and early academic achievement when predicting whether kids will graduate, go to college or have full-time employment.

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?

Girls on the Run

For 3rd through 5th grade girls, combining training for a 5K running event with a social and emotional learning curriculum.

Population(s) Served
Children and youth
Women and girls

Curriculum for 6th through 8th grade, combines training for a 5K running event with a healthy living education applicable for the middle school years.

Population(s) Served
Children and youth
Women and girls

Week-long day camp for 3rd through 5th grade girls. Builds friendships in a fun and inclusive setting that includes interactive games, being physically active, and expressing creativity through art and crafts and storytelling. Develops girls' self-confidence and teaches life skills they can use now and as they grow.

Population(s) Served
Children and youth
Women and girls

Where we work

Awards

Martin Luther King Jr. Community Service Award for exemplary work in the community 2010

Martin Luther King Jr. Community Service Award

National Youth Sports Strategy Champion 2020

health.gov

Videos

Our results

SOURCE: Self-reported by organization

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

Number of volunteers

This metric is no longer tracked.
Totals By Year
Type of Metric

Output - describing our activities and reach

Direction of Success

Increasing

Context Notes

Include our volunteer coaches as well as volunteers at our office and 5k within the calendar year. Volunteers are related to one or more of our programs. 2020 number is low due to effects of COVID-19.

Number of youth mentored

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

Women and girls, Children and youth, Economically disadvantaged people

Type of Metric

Output - describing our activities and reach

Direction of Success

Increasing

Context Notes

These numbers include all girls participating in any of our three youth development programs within the indicated calendar year. Please note that drop in participants in 2020 was due to COVID-19.

Number of teams

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

Women and girls, Children and youth, Economically disadvantaged people

Type of Metric

Output - describing our activities and reach

Direction of Success

Increasing

Context Notes

These numbers include all teams of girls participating in one of our three youth development programs within the indicated calendar year. Please note that drop in teams in 2020 was due to COVID-19.

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.

Our empowering physical activity-based youth development programs are uniquely and intentionally designed for a girl’s holistic health: social, emotional, and physical skills and behaviors that she can use forever. The purpose is to grow girls’ confidence, competence, connection, character, caring and contribution through caring coach mentors. Our vision is a world where every girl knows and activates her limitless potential and is free to boldly pursue her dreams.

Our research-based, fun curricula; rigorous coach training; and continuous eye on program quality are the keys to the success of our programs.

With a highly skilled staff, a dedicated Board of Directors, a motivated Young Professionals Board, and a volunteer team 1,500 individuals strong, we are well positioned to effectively implement our programs for girls in our nine-county area. Though we are an independent 501(c)3 organization, we are fortunate to be a part of the national Girls on the Run movement, with access to a network of thought leaders in youth development, social and emotional learning and girls in sport throughout the country.

To date we have served more than 31,000 girls. We are perhaps most proud that we have not only grown so much in such a short time but that we have been able to radically change the makeup of the group of girls we serve. Whereas only eight years ago our rate of girls receiving scholarships to participate in Girls on the Run hovered in the 25th percentile, today we offer our Girls on the Run and Heart & Sole programs on a sliding scale to all girls and provide about 70% of our girls with financial assistance in a typical season. Our girls are truly mirroring our community, and we are grateful to our community for the support they have provided that has made this possible.

In 2019, we began offering Camp GOTR for the first time. Though 2020 brought a necessary hiatus to this new programming, we were excited to bring camp back to more locations in summer 2021. Looking ahead, we will continue to explore the growth of this program.

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 demonstrated a willingness to learn more by reviewing resources about feedback practice.
done We shared information about our current feedback practices.

  • Who are the people you serve with your mission?

    Girls in grades 3-8 residing in Cherokee, Clarke, Cobb, DeKalb, Forsyth, Fulton, Gwinnett, Hall and Oconee Counties.

  • How is your organization collecting feedback from the people you serve?

    Electronic surveys (by email, tablet, etc.), Conversations with girls when staff are conducting site visits,

  • 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,

  • What significant change resulted from feedback?

    We heard from our girls that they missed in-person opportunities to connect with teammates. Though we haven't been able to host our big end-of-season in-person 5ks through the pandemic, to address this we did support sites in holding small in-person site-based 5ks. The call for in-person options also led us to create many more city park sites, whereas in the past the majority of our teams had taken place at schools.

  • With whom is the organization sharing feedback?

    Our staff, Our board, Our funders, Our community partners,

  • 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 act on the feedback we receive,

  • 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, The people we serve tell us they find data collection burdensome, It is difficult to find the ongoing funding to support feedback collection, Staff find it hard to prioritize feedback collection and review due to lack of time,

Financials

Girls on the Run of Atlanta
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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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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.

Girls on the Run of Atlanta

Board of directors
as of 02/08/2022
SOURCE: Self-reported by organization
Board chair

Kristin Chapman

Andrew Waters

Acuity Brands

Lynn Castle

Normandy Capital LLC

Adam Sheinkopf

Slalom Consulting

Carrie Magee

Marlin Hawk

Elizabeth Spence

Assurant, Inc.

Kristin Chapman

Riverbend Group

Robin Rinker

Center for Disease Control and Prevention

Kathryn Gilbert

Jamestown, LP

Jenny Dowdy

The Coca-Cola Company

Margul Woolfolk

Atlanta Public Schools

Tiffany Ntanos

Mercedes-Benz USA

David Walker

Ampersand Education

DeAngela Pitts

The Coca-Cola Company

Katie Logan

Piedmont Healthcare

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 9/8/2021
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
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

Equity strategies

Last updated: 08/12/2021

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 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 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 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.