OneGoal

Serving Metro Atlanta

By Katrina McDowell on Aug 23, 2023 in Giving

Yardi is committed to supporting the community in every city where our offices are housed. Each year, the company distributes philanthropic aid to organizations selected by its employees.

Introducing OneGoal Metro Atlanta, a nonprofit organization founded in 2016 with its headquarters in Chicago, founded in 2007. OneGoal transforms post-secondary advising and support so that every student can define their future. Alongside OneGoal’s partners, they are building a movement to close the opportunity gap. OneGoal Metro Atlanta works with regional partner schools to develop their knowledge and capacity resulting in more equitable and practical support for all students. Over the years, OneGoal has delivered real student impact.

An independent study by the University of Chicago found that OneGoal students are about 40 percent more likely to earn their postsecondary degrees than students of similar backgrounds. In 2021, new data from the National Student Clearinghouse found that the national six-year college completion rate reached 62 percent.

“Compared to their white peers, students identifying as Black or LatinX experienced an 18-25 percentage point college completion gap. This is not for lack of ambition or talent but for lack of opportunity and support,” said Tiffany Scott, senior director of development at OneGoal Metro Atlanta.

These declines come just as postsecondary degrees or credentials are increasingly necessary for improving economic mobility. Unfortunately, Metro Atlanta youth are not immune to this national crisis and require an intervention that makes postsecondary degree attainment accessible for all.

“Over the few years of our strategic plan, OneGoal-Metro Atlanta will focus on closing the gaps in degree attainment by delivering a solution that meets the diverse needs of Metro Atlanta students,” says Scott. She continues, “Our goal is to improve degree attainment for 2,000 OneGoal students by 2025. Our work over the next year is to strengthen the design and implementation guidance of our Year-1 and Year-2 programming to ensure that our students earn their postsecondary degree or credential at 2X the rate of their peers.”

Funding from Yardi has made it possible to ensure all OneGoal students have a plan post-high school in a postsecondary program to completion. This funding will directly invest in help for OneGoal to reach nearly 900 students during the upcoming school year with the support of the following initiatives:

• Increase the number of OneGoal students that enroll in high-quality postsecondary programs or Progressive Pathways as defined by its quality enrollment framework.
• Build the capacity of OneGoal teachers as postsecondary advisors within the school through year-round coaching and sessions and quarterly Program Director Conferences focusing on best practices and advising.
• Create curated in-person student exposure experiences to quality enrollment institutions and credential programming. These experiences include college visit trips, workforce partnerships, and targeted summer outreach/enrollment-supporting events.

Atlanta Student Summit Conference

Hosted at Clayton State University, OneGoal brought 500 high school juniors and seniors for a college and career exploration day in March 2023. The event was full of energy and excitement as students began to envision what a path to high education could look like for them—the day included planning for the future, using tools to define the way to higher education and personal connections with the OneGoal community.

“We enjoyed hosting Elisabeth Daniels and Adrian Paul as Yardi volunteers from the Atlanta team. These ladies embodied the true Yardi spirit of service and community care by ensuring our students received what they needed for a memorable day. We appreciate Yardi’s commitment to changing the trajectory of the many students we serve,” shared Scott.

Jasmine Terrell’s Story

Navigating the path to college can be nerve-wracking for many students. Jasmine Terrell always had the goal of going to college, and with the help of OneGoal, her dream became a reality. Jasmine is now a freshman at Clayton State University, working on her business and social work degree to support people experiencing homelessness, those in the foster care system and those in the LGBTQIA community to ensure they have access to the services needed to live a quality life. She also has joined the dance team and credits her public speaking class that encouraged her to step out of her comfort zone and connect with other students more. She frequently works with her OneGoal coach to ensure she has access to academic and financial resources. They work together to continue to build community in a way that supports a smooth college transition.

“We look forward to celebrating Jasmine’s milestones and success at Clayton State and as a OneGoal Class of 2022 Fellow,” Scott exclaimed!

Volunteer Opportunities

OneGoal has various programs and opportunities for Yardi employees and the community. College Visit Days for Fall 2023, Student Summit Volunteers for Spring 2024, and College Supply drives are some programs volunteers can pursue. If any of these sparks an interest and you want more information, please contact Tiffany Scott at [email protected].

Find future non-profit profiles at https://www.yardi.com/blog/category/giving.