Our Impact
Making Waves in Memphis
After more than 25 years of serving Memphis, we have come to believe that nothing has a greater impact on the community than infusing the city with more and better leaders. The results are seen across the board – better schools, stronger economic empowerment and more harmonious diversity.
Rooted in our core belief that individuals are responsible for community change, a drop of water released into a larger body of water is the perfect symbol for the Academy. An individual, fully infused with world class leadership training, is represented by a drop of water. This drop is released into the community, represented by a pool of water. The drop hitting the water causes a ripple effect, symbolic of the individual’s impact on the community.
We send out hundreds of these infused droplets every year. Their ripples form an enormous wave of positive change in all areas of the community.
Academy Alumni volunteer their time and talents to make Memphis great! For example, over the next 3 years, Academy Fellows will give more than $1.5 million in volunteer service to Memphis. Currently, more than 100 serve on non-profit boards and more than 50 are mentoring at-risk youth in our community. More than 75 Community Action Projects are creating positive community changes thanks to the Academy Fellows.
Measuring Our Success
The Academy is dedicated to measuring our program results. Specifically with the Fellows Program, we use a multi-layer evaluation approach to ensure program participants get the most out of the program. But even more importantly, we ensure the community is benefiting from the efforts of our Fellows.
The Fellows evaluation includes surveys, focus groups and one-on-one interviews with program participants and non-profit leaders/CAP hosts. See results from recent evaluations here. Also see the Fellows Alumni Survey here.
Invest in More and Better Leaders
You can be part of the impact we are making in Memphis by investing in this wave of empowered community leaders taking Memphis by storm! The Academy raises nearly $1 million every year to support leadership development in Memphis. For example, the 60 Fellows who complete our program each year are able to participate through the generosity of Memphis’ funding community - corporations, foundations and individuals. The return on this investment is great - their work in the community brings new solutions to longstanding challenges.
Contact Nancy Coffee to find out how you can invest in more and better leaders for Memphis.