PLATINUM2023

Academy for Grassroots Organizations

Stronger Nonprofits = Stronger Communities

aka AcademyGO   |   Oak Hills, CA   |  www.AcademyGO.com

Mission

To Convene, Equip and Guide community leaders

Notes from the nonprofit

Building strong nonprofits, builds strong communities where leadership is strong, collaboration and innovation are the standard, communities thrive, and opportunity abounds for all. Thank you for your support!!

Ruling year info

2001

President & CEO

Ms Debbie Ann Cannon

Main address

13312 Ranchero Rd PMB 202

Oak Hills, CA 92344 USA

Show more contact info

Formerly known as

High Desert Community Coalitions

High Desert Resource Network

AcademyGO

EIN

91-2088232

NTEE code info

Management & Technical Assistance (S02)

Management & Technical Assistance (T02)

Leadership Development (W70)

IRS filing requirement

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

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Communication

Programs and results

What we aim to solve

SOURCE: Self-reported by organization

The issue our organization works to address is that of a region (the California Inland Empire) that continues to have a high level of human needs coupled with a lack of capacity and resources to meet those needs. Where people live and work impacts their health, self-sufficiency, safety, and quality of life. Nowhere is this more obvious than in our region, where health and economic outcomes are poor and are created or exacerbated by numerous social determinants. Contributing to these local disparities is the lack of capacity of the local nonprofit/community-benefit sector to help residents improve their situations. According to the region’s Funders Alliance, “The Inland Empire has a struggling nonprofit sector and significantly low rates of philanthropic investment. Nonprofits in the region not only face greater needs, but their caring and creativity have also been stifled by inadequate resources.”

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?

The Fundraising Academy for Grassroots Organizations™

Comprehensive, 9-day curriculum that prepares nonprofits for funding success.  CFRE CEUs certified.

Population(s) Served
Adults

Training in Board Development, Fundraising, Nonprofit Management, Budgeting, Strategic Planning and numerous other topics

Population(s) Served
Adults

Monthly convening of nonprofit professionals and volunteers to learn about nonprofit best practices and resources, connect and develop collaborations, meet funders and elected officials, and share resources

Population(s) Served
Adults

Comprehensive, 4-day curriculum that prepares nonprofits for grantwriting success. CFRE CEUs certified.

Population(s) Served
Adults

Public library and access to the Foundation Center, Foundation Directory Online

Population(s) Served
Adults

One-stop Resource Directory - building stronger nonprofits through the power of information. Resources are FREE and include Funding Opportunities, Job Openings, Regional Data, Regional Trainings Calendar, Consultants Directory

Population(s) Served
Adults
Academics

Where we work

Awards

Neighborhood Excellence Initiative - Neighborhood Builder 2008

Bank of America Foundation

Affiliations & memberships

Association of Fundraising Professionals - Member

Chamber of Commerce

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 people trained

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

Women and girls, Men and boys, At-risk youth, Economically disadvantaged people, Adults

Related Program

The Grantwriting Academy for Grassroots Organizations™

Type of Metric

Context - describing the issue we work on

Direction of Success

Increasing

Context Notes

We served 463 Individuals representing 320 nonprofit organizations in 2021.

Number of clients reporting increased knowledge after educational programs

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

Ethnic and racial groups, Religious groups

Related Program

Customized Nonprofit Training

Type of Metric

Outcome - describing the effects on people or issues

Direction of Success

Increasing

Number of participants who would recommend program to others

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

Outcome - describing the effects on people or issues

Direction of Success

Increasing

Context Notes

We served 430 nonprofit leaders in 2021.

Number of clients served

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

Inland Empire Resource Network™

Type of Metric

Outcome - describing the effects on people or issues

Direction of Success

Increasing

Percentage who increased collaboration

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

Outcome - describing the effects on people or issues

Direction of Success

Increasing

Percentage who increased funding or resources

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

Adults, Economically disadvantaged people, Veterans, Retired people, Artists and performers

Related Program

Customized Nonprofit Training

Type of Metric

Outcome - describing the effects on people or issues

Direction of Success

Increasing

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.

1 - Strengthen nonprofit leaders (seasoned and emerging)
2 - Strengthen individual nonprofits
3 - Strengthen the nonprofit sector

1 - Training in Nonprofit Best Practices
2 - Collaboration Building
3 - Information & Resources Exchange
4 - Funding Research Resources
5 - Networking Opportunities
6 - Regular Convenings
7 - Introductions to Funders & Elected Officials
8 - Fundraising and Grantwriting Academies

Our staff and board of directors possess extensive (more than 30 years) experience with nonprofit management, fund development, funder relations, and design and implementation of training programs. We have been serving Nonprofit leaders for 21 years.

Today, AcademyGO’s “Inland Empire Resource Network" includes 3,000+ community leaders from nonprofits, funders, schools, ministries, public agencies, clubs and associations, and businesses from throughout the Inland Empire and surrounding areas. During its tenure, AcademyGO has had significant success in delivering its mission, including the following examples:

• Resource Network convenings regularly attract an average of 50 participants from throughout the region

• More than 2,500 regional leaders have been trained in nonprofit best practices

• In 2021, 90+ percent of overall program survey respondents reported that AcademyGO has helped them identify funding and resources, increase funding, increase collaboration, learn new skills, and increase their knowledge, productivity and organizational effectiveness.

• Overall our programs have a demonstrated multiplier effect of at least two to one; for every $1,000 invested in our capacity-building programs, at least $2,000 is raised by participants to fund services for Inland Empire residents. One of our signature programs, The Fundraising Academy for Grassroots Organizations™ currently has an eight-to-one return on investment; participants of the past nine classes attribute to what they learned, raising at least $7.5 million for services to improve quality of life in the region.

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?

    Today, with a mission to Convene, Equip, and Guide Community Leaders, “AcademyGO” provides a variety of resources and learning opportunities throughout the region and serves a network of more than 3,000.

  • 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?

    AcademyGO surveys all attendees of The Grantwriting Academy for Grassroots Organizations and The Fundraising Academy for Grassroots Organizations at 6 months from attendance and then again at 12 months. This gives us information about their educational assessments and the financial impact of the training for the nonprofits we serve. Based on this feedback AcademyGO updates the individual sessions to adapt to changes in the community's needs. For example, in 2020 due to the Covid-19, the majority of the training was done via Zoom. This results in higher attendance and a further reach into the Inland Empire for AcademyGO.

  • 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 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

  • What challenges does the organization face when collecting feedback?

    We don't have any major challenges to collecting feedback

Financials

Academy for Grassroots Organizations
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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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  • Analyze a variety of pre-calculated financial metrics
  • Access beautifully interactive analysis and comparison tools
  • Compare nonprofit financials to similar organizations

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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.

Academy for Grassroots Organizations

Board of directors
as of 01/25/2023
SOURCE: Self-reported by organization
Board chair

Mr. Matthew Coughlin

Moses House Ministries

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 1/25/2023
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
Sexual orientation
Decline to state
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: 03/09/2021

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 review compensation data across the organization (and by staff levels) to identify disparities by race.
  • 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.