PLATINUM2023

More Than Bootstraps

Because It Takes More Than Bootstraps to Succeed

aka More Than Bootstraps   |   Westfield, NJ   |  http://www.morethanbootstraps.org

Mission

More Than Bootstraps builds a community of first-generation, underrepresented students who empower each other to access and succeed in higher education.

Ruling year info

2019

President

Audrey A Fisch PhD

Main address

421 Highland Ave

Westfield, NJ 07090 USA

Show more contact info

Formerly known as

Audrey Fisch

EIN

83-2245008

NTEE code info

Undergraduate College (4-year) (B42)

Secondary/High School (B25)

Youth Development Programs (O50)

IRS filing requirement

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

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Communication

Programs and results

What we aim to solve

SOURCE: Self-reported by organization

The college matriculation rate for first-generation, low-income students, is far lower than for students whose parents had some postsecondary education. When first-generation students are able to secure much-needed financial aid, they often matriculate at local public Pell-serving institutions, where resources are limited and the average six-year graduation rate of 39% means that more than half of these students will find themselves in debt and without a degree at the end of six years. Many college access programs focus on sending high-achieving high school students to elite institutions. MTB serves all students with a passion for higher education and offers support to help them achieve success at a broad range of institutions. We empower students to make informed decisions about the institution that is the best initial fit from an academic, financial, and cultural perspective.

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?

MTB Near-Peer Mentoring for College Access and Success

College students from the community return to guide their younger peers through the college search, application, and assimilation process. These leaders, working as a cohort, in turn strengthen their own college-going identities and improve their own chances of success in higher education.

Population(s) Served
Economically disadvantaged people
People of Latin American descent

Where we work

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 seniors who pursue Post-secondary Educational opportunities

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

Adolescents, Immigrants, Undocumented immigrants, Low-income people, Working poor

Related Program

MTB Near-Peer Mentoring for College Access and Success

Type of Metric

Outcome - describing the effects on people or issues

Direction of Success

Increasing

Context Notes

More Than Bootstraps college success and access program in Passaic, NJ, launched in 2020.

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.

More Than Bootstraps (MTB) is a non-profit organization founded by educators who understand the challenges first-generation college students face on their journey to and through higher education.

Our mission: To build a community of first-generation, underrepresented students who empower each other to access and succeed in higher education. The MTB strategy for creating a scalable community of success is based on three components: near-peer mentorship, stipend support for program participants, and parent engagement.

MTB employs the power of near-peer mentoring. We train our college student Leader, who are uniquely qualified to understand and motivate their younger peers, to mentor high school juniors and seniors from their community. Our Leaders are not only role models and mentors; they also benefit from being part of a leadership community of college-going peers

The MTB strategy for creating a scalable community of success is based on three components: 1) near-peer mentorship, 2) stipend support for program participants, and 3) parent engagement.

NEAR-PEER MENTORING. College students from within the community return to their high school to guide their younger peers through the college search, application, and assimilation process. These leaders, working as a mentoring cohort, in turn strengthen their own college-going identities and improve their own chances of success in higher education.

FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE. First-generation high school and college students often have limited resources and significant family responsibilities. We provide financial assistance to allow students to commit the time needed to come together and succeed as a community. All students in the MTB program received monthly stipends, the use of laptop computers, and access to emergency funding.

OUTREACH TO FAMILIES. MTB is a resource for family members and guardians. We help families, particularly immigrant and non-English speaking families, understand the demands and benefits of higher education so that they understand how best to support the college-going success of their children in higher education.

More Than Bootstraps has partnered with the Passaic Public Schools, located in an urban, low-income, Latinx-serving community. Passaic’s student body is made up of groups underrepresented in higher education: low-income, Latinx, and first-generation. Our goal is to serve all students with the drive to succeed in higher education and the commitment to participate in MTB, regardless of prior academic achievement. We serve high school juniors and seniors in the Passaic Public Schools and college students from the Passaic Public Schools. We also strive to support the families of these students because we know that family support is critical to first-generation success.

More Than Bootstraps has published an impact report that covers our initial years of operation (2020 to 2022): https://www.morethanbootstraps.org/mtb-impact-report. The report describes the pathways students have followed since the beginning of our program and provides numerous testimonials highlighting the power of near-peer mentoring, the importance of stipend support, and the benefits of our family outreach efforts.

Significant accomplishments include:

Expanded our mentoring program from eleven students from the Passaic Public Schools in the 2020-2021 academic year to 28 students (14 high school juniors, 5 high school seniors and 9 college student Leaders) in the current 2022-2023 academic year.

Conducted three intensive summer training programs for the new and returning MTB College Student Leaders. The Summer 2022 program included sessions led by outside experts and returning Leaders on imposter syndrome, financial aid, under-matching, networking, and wellness.

Expanded the MTB Advisory Board to eleven members (including nine women) who provide a broad range of expertise and support: https://www.morethanbootstraps.org/board

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 inform the development of new programs/projects, 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 ensure people feel comfortable being honest with us, We engage the people who provide feedback in looking for ways we can improve in response, We act on the feedback we receive

  • What challenges does the organization face when collecting feedback?

    We don't have any major challenges to collecting feedback

Financials

More Than Bootstraps
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Operations

The people, governance practices, and partners that make the organization tick.

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lock

Connect with nonprofit leaders

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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.

More Than Bootstraps

Board of directors
as of 01/24/2023
SOURCE: Self-reported by organization
Board chair

Audrey Fisch

Audrey A Fisch

New Jersey City University

Jim Taylor

Mercator Advisors LLC

Claudia Severino

Passaic County Technical Institute

Atiya Kai Stokes-Brown

Coastal Carolina University

Claire Strom

Rollins College

Matt Jackson

Tower Hill School, DE

Carl Salisbury

Bramnick, Rodriguez, Grabas, Arnold and Mangan

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? Not applicable
  • 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? Not applicable
  • 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 9/12/2022

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

Race & ethnicity

Gender identity

 

Sexual orientation

No data

Disability

No data

Equity strategies

Last updated: 10/05/2021

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

Policies and processes
  • We seek individuals from various race backgrounds for board and executive director/CEO positions within our organization.