PLATINUM2023

Be Org Inc

Be. the dream

aka The Be. Org   |   Baltimore, MD   |  https://www.thebeorg.com

Mission

At The Be. Org, our mission is to encourage and nurture youth to live above their socially imposed limitations; to develop their character, talents, and leadership skills allowing them to go beyond a dream and achieve remarkable excellence.

Ruling year info

2022

Executive Director

Tonee Lawson

Main address

145 W. Ostend St Suite 600

Baltimore, MD 21230 USA

Show more contact info

EIN

87-1105149

NTEE code info

Other Youth Development N.E.C. (O99)

IRS filing requirement

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

Communication

Blog

Programs and results

What we aim to solve

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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?

Be. Virtual

Be. Virtual is a youth-built virtual reality and social emotional learning (SEL) curriculum, providing both workforce development credentials as well as life and leadership skills for high school aged youth. Be. Virtual takes place during the school year and summer and provides youth with 100+ hours of C# coding instruction plus 4 hours per week of professional development. Completion of this program will provide high school students with the knowledge to get an entry-level certification in Unity software that will allow them to get a job with family-supporting wages. Topics include basics of coding and coding languages, game development, prototype development and testing, STEM Career exploration, interviewing techniques and resume writing. Each student also develops an individual career plan and receives a chromebook to keep for their personal use at the culmination of the program. Be. Virtual cohorts include 15 students per cohort.

Population(s) Served
Economically disadvantaged people
At-risk youth
People of African descent

Where we work

Videos

Our results

SOURCE: Self-reported by organization

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

% of Youth who feel confident in STEM areas.

This metric is no longer tracked.
Totals By Year
Related Program

Be. Virtual

Type of Metric

Outcome - describing the effects on people or issues

Direction of Success

Holding steady

Number of youth who demonstrate leadership skills (e.g., organizing others, taking initiative, team-building)

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

Output - describing our activities and reach

Direction of Success

Increasing

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.

For the past eight years, The Be. Org has been dedicated to providing resources to our community’s youth to support their personal and professional growth.

Our theory of change is grounded in our belief in the Youth we serve. We believe that by increasing exposure to various career opportunities, promoting secondary education at earlier ages, and engaging in leadership skills development, youth will set and aspire to achieve their dream career goals, focus on long-term planning, and be better equipped to withstand negative societal influences that would otherwise inhibit their progress.

This year, our goals are to:

- Serve more than 300 students through our five signature programs and two annual students conferences
- Increase visibility of The Be. Org in the Baltimore community through increased marketing and communications efforts, including through tv and radio interviews.
- Improve our evaluation mechanisms, including investing in a new database for data collection.

Our signature curriculum supports students' social emotional learning (SEL) and leadership skills, connects youth to STEM career pathways and industry mentors, and provides ongoing College and Career readiness opportunities.

We consider one of our greatest accomplishments to be our impact to date. To date, we have implemented programs for 2,000+ youth and collaborated with 50+ community partners.

2018 - The Be. Org was accepted to the Johns Hopkins Social Innovation Lab.
2019 - Executive Director named Successful by 40 VIP Professionals by the Daily Record.
2020- The Be. Org participates in the Baltimore Corps Elevation Award Fellowship
2021 - The Be. Org Featured in Baltimore Business Journal with iamMentality and B-360.
2022 - Executive Director was recognized as a Baltimore Magazine Gamechanger and featured in their April issue for the work The Be. Org is doing to promote STEM with Baltimore youth.

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.

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

    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 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 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 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, 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

Be Org 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

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lock

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.

Be Org Inc

Board of directors
as of 06/15/2023
SOURCE: Self-reported by organization
Board chair

Tracey Barbour-Gillett

Lateri McFadden

CSU-Global

Andrea Ross

CareFirst

Dominic McAlily

InstaCart

Roodinz Vital

ToTowson University

Jamar Creech

Diversified Law

Stephanie Jerger

Organic Trade Association

Christy Murray

Georgetown University

Severn Miller

Pessin Katz Law, P.A. (PK Law)

Idesha Hardcastle

Allegis

Tracey Barbour-Gillett

The Abell Foundation

Taylor Scott

Kramon & Graham, PA

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? Not applicable
  • 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 11/14/2022
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
Black/African American
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: 04/20/2023

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 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 have long-term strategic plans and measurable goals for creating a culture such that one’s race identity has no influence on how they fare within the organization.
Policies and processes
  • We have a promotion process that anticipates and mitigates implicit and explicit biases about people of color serving in leadership positions.
  • 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.