She Built This City

What it reported doing in 2024

At She Built This City (SBTC), Fiscal Year 2025 has been a transformative year filled with programmatic innovation, increased reach, and deeper community impact. Through both Pre-Apprenticeship-specific improvements and bold, organization-wide initiatives, SBTC has furthered its mission of creating equitable access to construction careers while fostering leadership, empowerment, and workforce readiness. Fall 2024 Innovations Pre-Apprenticeship Program Highlights: Heavy Equipment Training Exposure: Pre-Apprenticeship participants visited Carolina CAT, where they operated heavy machinery under supervision. This hands-on training was resume-building and enhanced exposure to specialized trade equipment often overlooked in traditional workforce prep. Community Impact Build Day: Students contributed to a community project by building and donating tables to a local church and community center, providing a tangible impact while practicing real-world carpentry skills. Bilingual Financial Literacy Access: SBTC expanded its reach through culturally relevant financial educationhosting Spanish-language sessions with Truist Bank and English-language sessions with Truliant Bank. This ensured all participants had equitable access to critical personal finance knowledge. Holistic Support for Spanish Speakers: Spanish-speaking students also received presentations about community resource navigation, including access to legal services and support for tax preparationensuring that workforce training is embedded within a full wraparound support system. Org-Wide Innovations: Launched "A Seat at the Table" (ASAT) Program: SBTC piloted this week-long, immersive leadership and construction experience for middle and high school girls. Inspired by Shirley Chisholms words, "If they dont give you a seat at the table, bring a folding chair," each participant literally built a chair while metaphorically building their voice and leadership in male-dominated spaces. The program combined carpentry, entrepreneurship (via Stiletto Boss University), and self-expression through art (in collaboration with UNC Charlotte). With only 4% of construction jobs in NC held by women, and 94% of youth reporting no interest in trades due to lack of exposure, ASAT tackled the problem at its rootproviding access, inspiration, and tangible skills. Winter 2025 Innovations Pre-Apprenticeship Program Highlights: Curriculum Modernization: SBTC realigned its curriculum sequence to follow the actual building process more closely, allowing for a better understanding of construction flow. New modules like installing electrical outlets into drywall were also introduced, providing in-demand, practical skills. Expanded Build Simulations: The carpentry build day was revamped to serve multiple organizations and conducted across two simulation sitesmaximizing outreach and student application of skills. Improved Recruitment and Tracking: New candidate acceptance rubrics and integration of CMR Monkeypod streamlined the application process and strengthened data tracking. Enhanced Barrier Removal: SBTC refined its approach to support services to ensure alignment with key outcomes: enrollment, graduation, and employment. Worksite Immersion Shifted to Weekdays: To increase value and engagement, site visits were moved to weekdays to ensure students could observe active job sitesa challenge previously encountered with weekend tours. Career and Leadership Enrichment: Students earned class credit for attending the Mecklenburg County Career Fair, built leadership skills through Outward Bounds team-building programs, and gained inspiration at the 2025 Changemakers Conference, where they heard from Pre-Apprenticeship alumni now enrolled in apprenticeships. Alumni Engagement: A dedicated Alumni Cookout and Resource Fair helped SBTC maintain community, build mentorship, and offer continued support for graduates. Org-Wide Innovations: YITT Club Expansion: Year two of the Young In The Trades (YITT) club at Albe

Financial Efficiency

• Mission deployment rate: 100%; rating input score 100
• Program expense ratio: 87.2%; rating input score 87
• Fundraising efficiency: $7.83 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 30; 30th percentile among comparable filings

Transparency & Controls

• Consistency checks: 93.8%; rating input score 94; 24th percentile among comparable filings
• Pay-setting controls: Limited
• Foreign activity oversight: Limited
• Grant itemization coverage: Limited
• Major donor itemization: Yes; rating input score 100
• Related-party transparency: Limited

Accountability

• Independent voting board: 100%; rating input score 100; 63rd percentile among comparable filings
• Governance controls: 6 of 8 controls in place; rating input score 75
  • Conflict-of-interest policy: Pass
  • Whistleblower policy: Pass
  • Document-retention policy: Fail
  • CEO compensation review process: Pass
  • Other executive compensation review process: NotApplicable
  • Form 990 shared with the board: Pass
  • Board meeting minutes documented: Pass
  • Audit committee oversight: Missing
  • Independent financial-statement audit: Pass

Sustainability

• Operating margin: -38.7%; rating input score 4; 4th percentile among comparable filings
• Total-asset coverage ratio: 0.59; rating input score 27; 27th percentile among comparable filings
• Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.23; rating input score 29; 29th percentile among comparable filings
• Officer compensation ratio: 5.1%; rating input score 53; 53rd percentile among comparable filings

Growth

• Program expense growth: 60.2% per year; rating input score 100; 97th percentile among comparable filings
• Revenue growth: 32.1% per year; rating input score 100; 93rd percentile among comparable filings
• Asset growth: 32.9% per year; rating input score 100; 92nd percentile among comparable filings