Mission: MAIA (formerly Starfish) is committed to unlocking and maximizing the potential of young women to lead transformational change. We believe the world needs empowered ... (More)
MAIA is a 501(c)(3) organization, with an IRS ruling year of 2007, and donations are tax-deductible.
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Contact Information
1031 33rd Street
Denver CO 80205
Mail donations to:
734087 Network Place
Chicago IL 60673
You are viewing this organization's new Charity Navigator profile page. To view the legacy version, click here.
Star Rating System by Charity Navigator
Charity Navigator evaluates a nonprofit organization’s financial health including measures of stability, efficiency and sustainability. We also track accountability and transparency policies to ensure the good governance and integrity of the organization.
Exceptional
This charity's score is 96.66, earning it a 4-Star rating. Donors can "Give with Confidence" to this charity.
This score is calculated from two sub-scores:
Finance: 97.50 View details
Accountability & Transparency: 96.00 View details
This score represents Form 990 data from 2019. More recent filing data is available, but it has not been factored into this score, due to COVID-19's effect on this organization.
View this organization’s historical ratings.
Rating update postponed due to COVID-19's impact on this organization. View MAIA's response.
Star Rated Report
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Program Expense Ratio
89.2%
The Program Expense Ratio is determined by Program Expenses divided by Total Expense (average of most recent three 990s).
This measure reflects the percent of its total expenses a charity spends on the programs and services it exists to deliver. Dividing a charity's average program expenses by its average total functional expenses yields this percentage. We calculate the charity's average expenses over its three most recent fiscal years.
Source: IRS Form 990
Administrative Expenses
2.6%
As reported by charities on their IRS Form 990, this measure reflects what percent of its total budget a charity spends on overhead, administrative staff and associated costs, and organizational meetings. Dividing a charity's average administrative expenses by its average total functional expenses yields this percentage. We calculate the charity's average expenses over its three most recent fiscal years.
Source: IRS Form 990
Fundraising Expenses
8.0%
This measure reflects what a charity spends to raise money. Fundraising expenses can include campaign printing, publicity, mailing, and staffing and costs incurred in soliciting donations, memberships, and grants. Dividing a charity's average fundraising expenses by its average total functional expenses yields this percentage. We calculate the charity's average expenses over its three most recent fiscal years.
Source: IRS Form 990
Liabilities to Assets Ratio
1.9%
The Liabilities to Assets Ratio is determined by Total Liabilities divided by Total Assets (most recent 990).
Part of our goal in rating the financial performance of charities is to help donors assess the financial capacity and sustainability of a charity. As do organizations in other sectors, charities must be mindful of their management of total liabilites in relation to their total assets. This ratio is an indicator of an organization’s solvency and or long term sustainability. Dividing a charity's total liabilities by its total assets yields this percentage.
Source: IRS Form 990
Fundraising Efficiency
$0.07
The amount spent to raise $1 in charitable contributions. To calculate a charity's fundraising efficiency, we divide its average fundraising expenses by the average total contributions it receives. We calculate the charity's average expenses and average contributions over its three most recent fiscal years.
Source: IRS Form 990
Working Capital Ratio
0.67 years
Determines how long a charity could sustain its level of spending using its net available assets, or working capital, as reported on its most recently filed Form 990. We include in a charity's working capital unrestricted and temporarily restricted net assets, and exclude permanently restricted net assets. Dividing these net available assets in the most recent year by a charity's average total expenses, yields the working capital ratio. We calculate the charity's average total expenses over its three most recent fiscal years.
Source: IRS Form 990
Program Expense Growth
11.21%
We compute the average annual growth of program expenses using the following formula: [(Yn/Y0)(1/n)]-1, where Y0 is a charity's program expenses in the first year of the interval analyzed, Yn is the charity's program expenses in the most recent year, and n is the interval of years passed between Y0 and Yn.
Source: IRS Form 990
Governance
Charity Navigator looks to confirm on the Form 990 that the organization has these governance practices in place.
Sources Include: IRS Form 990
| Governance: | |
|---|---|
| Independent Voting Board Members ... (More) | |
| No Material Diversion of Assets ... (More) A diversion of assets – any unauthorized conversion or use of the organization's assets other than for the organization's authorized purposes, including but not limited to embezzlement or theft – can seriously call into question a charity's financial integrity. We check the charity's last two Forms 990 to see if the charity has reported any diversion of assets. If the charity does report a diversion, then we check to see if it complied with the Form 990 instructions by describing what happened and its corrective action. This metric will be assigned to one of the following categories:
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| Audited Financials Prepared by Independent Accountant ... (More) Audited financial statements provide important information about financial accountability and accuracy. They should be prepared by an independent accountant with oversight from an audit committee. (It is not necessary that the audit committee be a separate committee. Often at smaller charities, it falls within the responsibilities of the finance committee or the executive committee.) The committee provides an important oversight layer between the management of the organization, which is responsible for the financial information reported, and the independent accountant, who reviews the financials and issues an opinion based on its findings. We check the charity's Form 990 reporting to see if it meets this criteria.
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| Does Not Provide Loan(s) to or Receive Loan(s) From Related Parties ... (More) | |
| Documents Board Meeting Minutes ... (More) | |
| Distributes 990 to Board Before Filing ... (More) | |
| Compensates Board ... (More) |
Policies
Charity Navigator looks to confirm on the Form 990, or for some metrics on the charity's website, that the organization has these policies in place.
Sources Include: IRS Form 990 and organization's website
| Policies: | |
|---|---|
| Conflict of Interest ... (More) | |
| Whistleblower ... (More) | |
| Records Retention and Destruction ... (More) | |
| CEO Compensation Process ... (More) | |
| Donor Privacy ... (More) Donors can be reluctant to contribute to a charity when their name, address, or other basic information may become part of donor lists that are exchanged or sold, resulting in an influx of charitable solicitations from other organizations. Our analysts check the charity's website to see if the organization has a donor privacy policy in place and what it does and does not cover. Privacy policies are assigned to one of the following categories:
The privacy policy must be specific to donor information. A general website policy which references "visitor" or "user" personal information will not suffice. A policy that refers to donor information collected on the website is also not sufficient as the policy must be comprehensive and applicable to both online and offline donors. The existence of a privacy policy of any type does not prohibit the charity itself from contacting the donor for informational, educational, or solicitation purposes. (Less) |
Transparency
Charity Navigator looks to confirm on the Form 990, or for some metrics on the charity's website, that the organization makes this information easily accessible.
Sources Include: IRS Form 990 and organization's website
| Transparency: | |
|---|---|
| CEO Salary Listed on 990 ... (More) | |
| Board of Directors Listed on Website ... (More) | |
| Key Staff Listed on Website ... (More) | |
| Audited Financial Statements on Website ... (More) | |
| Form 990 Available on Website ... (More) |
Additional Information
Unscored
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Total Revenue and Expenses
This chart displays the trend of revenue and expenses over the past several years for this organization, as reported on their IRS Form 990.
Salary of Key Persons
Presented here are this organizations key compensated staff members as identified by our analysts. This compensation data includes salary, cash bonuses and expense accounts and is displayed exactly how it is reported to the IRS. The amounts do not include nontaxable benefits, deferred compensation, or other amounts not reported on Form W-2. In some cases, these amounts may include compensation from related organizations. Read the IRS policies for compensation reporting
Travis Ning, Executive Director
$74,900 (4.54% of Total Expenses)
Current CEO and Board Chair can be found in the Leadership & Adaptability report below.
Source: IRS Form 990 (page 7), filing year 2020
Business Master File Data
Below are some key data points from the Exempt Organization IRS Business Master File (BMF) for this organization. Learn more about the BMF on the IRS website
Activities:
Activity data not reported from the IRS
Foundation Status:
Organization which receives a substantial part of its support from a governmental unit or the general public 170(b)(1)(A)(vi) (BMF foundation code: 15)
Affiliation:
Independent - the organization is an independent organization or an independent auxiliary (i.e., not affiliated with a National, Regional, or Geographic grouping of organizations). (BMF affiliation code: 3)
Data Sources: IRS Forms 990
The Form 990 is a document that nonprofit organizations file with the IRS annually. We leverage finance and accountability data from it to form Encompass ratings. Click here to view this organization's Forms 990 on the IRS website (if any are available).
Pandemic Response
This organization was impacted by COVID-19 in a way that effected their financial health in 2020. This normally would have reduced their star rating. Due to the unprecedented nature of the pandemic, we give charities such as this one the opportunity to share the story of COVID's impact on them, and doing this pauses our revision of their rating. Charities may submit their own pandemic responses through their nonprofit portal.
MAIA reported being impacted by COVID-19 in the following ways:
Program Delivery
Administrative Capacity
How COVID-19 impacted the organization's operations financially:
In 2020, MAIA faced unprecedented challenges. With each new response to COVID, MAIA aimed to keep an eye on our mission and long-term solutions. Thanks to an incredible network of support, we leveraged technology, partnerships, and above all our local team to ensure that Girl Pioneers, their families, and the communities they live in had access to critical information, emergency food relief, and learning opportunities. This work was made possible by our generous and committed community. As we continue to navigate the challenges that COVID presents in 2022, our goal remains the same: keep Girl Pioneers healthy and moving forward on their bold new trajectories.
How COVID-19 impacted the organization's delivery of programs:
As MAIA has responded to the COVID-19 global pandemic we aim to keep an eye on our mission and long-term solutions. We have leveraged technology, partnerships, and above all, our local team. This work was made possible by our generous and committed community of support. We all knew Girl Pioneers would grow into transformational leaders. This pandemic simply moved the timeline forward. But the MAIA team and Girl Pioneers at the Impact School are resilient and innovative and adapted the programs to the new context. In 2021 MAIA implemented a successful hybrid learning program to continue to provide Girl Pioneers and their families with holistic education, mentorship, and family engagement. MAIA worked with local and national government agencies to implement strict COVID-19 protocols and ensure the health and safety of Girl Pioneers and their families. In 2022 MAIA is proud to have opened the Impact School at 100% capacity.
How this organization adapted to changing conditions caused by COVID-19:
Technology has been a cornerstone of MAIA’s innovative response to learning and empowerment during the COVID-19 pandemic. Girl Pioneers, educators and mentors accelerated their digital skills and literacy to maintain academic momentum while also connecting to donors and allies around the globe through virtual events and activities. MAIA always dreamt that technology would be integrated into all aspects of the curriculum and the new reality of the pandemic propelled this forward. One of the most exciting aspects of how technology has impacted the broader community is through the Tzijonem Facebook Live conversations. Girl Pioneers and their families gather around their tablets and tune into the virtual events where indigenous girls are confidently conversing with world leaders such as Alex Honnold and Rigoberta Menchu. The power of girls education and leadership is being broadcasted into thousands of homes.
Innovations the organization intends to continue permanently after the pandemic:
The COVID crisis has revealed unique opportunities to reimagine what education for indigenous girls in Guatemala can look like moving forward. Defying the notion that perceives Maya girls in poverty as “the problem” and instead casts them as “the solution.” Now is a crucial time for Girl Pioneers to exercise their resilience and leadership to take the lead the pathway forward. Prior to the pandemic only 3 percent of Girl Pioneers had access to internet at school thus virtual classes were not initially an option. In 2021, 100 percent of students were receiving classes online. In addition, MAIA educators received additional training and professional development to adapt to the new remote learning model. As we enter 2022, the use of technology continues to play a critical role in every aspect of the MAIA Impact School, from technology integration into program curriculums, vocational orientation for recent graduates, and digital literacy education for new generations of Girl Pioneers.
Historical Ratings
| Date Published | Form 990 FYE | Overall Score | Overall Rating |
| Rating Version: 2.1 | |||
| 4/1/2022 | 2019 | 96.66 | |
| 12/1/2019 | 2018 | 96.66 | |
| 11/1/2019 | 2017 | 96.44 | |
Previous: Finance & Accountability / Next: Leadership & Adaptability
Impact & Results
This score estimates the actual impact a nonprofit has on the lives of those it serves, and determines whether it is making good use of donor resources to achieve that impact.
Impact & Results Score
Not Currently Scored
MAIA cannot currently be evaluated by our Encompass Rating Impact & Results methodology because either (A) it is eligible, but we have not yet received data; (B) we have not yet developed an algorithm to estimate its programmatic impact; (C) its programs are not direct services; or (D) it is not heavily reliant on contributions from individual donors.
Note: The absence of a score does not indicate a positive or negative assessment, it only indicates that we have not yet evaluated the organization.
Do you work at MAIA? Join the waitlist for an updated Impact & Results score.
Additional Information
Unscored
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Largest Programs
MAIA reported its largest program on its FY 2020 Form 990 as:
$923,126
Spent in most recent FY
100%
Percent of program expenses
MAIA'S MISSION IS TO EMPOWER YOUNG GUATEMALAN WOMEN THROUGH EDUCATION AND MENTORSHIP TO BECOME LEADERS IN THEIR COMMUNITY. MAIA FURTHERS ITS PROGRAM MISSION BY PROVIDING ASSISTANCE TO ESTRELLA DE MAR, ... (More)
Previous: Impact & Results / Next: Culture & Community
Leadership & Adaptability
This score provides an assessment of the organization's leadership capacity, strategic thinking and planning, and ability to innovate or respond to changes in constituent demand/need or other relevant social and economic conditions to achieve the organization's mission.
Leadership & Adaptability Score
100
out of 100
The score earned by MAIA is a passing score. This score has no effect on the organization's Star Rating.
Encompass Rating V4 provides an evaluation of the organization's Leadership & Adaptability through the nonprofit organization submitting a survey response directly to Charity Navigator.
Leadership & Adaptability Report
100
of 100 points
Mission
The nonprofit organization presents evidence of strategic thinking through articulating the organization’s mission
Unlocking and maximizing the potential of young women to lead transformational change.
Source: Nonprofit submitted responses
Vision
The nonprofit organization presents evidence of strategic thinking through articulating the organization’s vision.
MAIA believes the world needs empowered women with the knowledge and resources to live choice-filled lives, so they can in turn lead their families and communities out of poverty. Together, they can create a more equitable society.
Source: Nonprofit submitted responses
Strategic Goals
The nonprofit organization presents evidence of strategic thinking and goal setting through sharing their most important strategic goals.
Goal One: Complete the build-out of the MAIA Impact School through 2022. MAIA’s primary focus is to continue to scale out its secondary school to maximum capacity.
Goal Type: Grow, expand, scale or increase access to the existing programs and services.
Goal Two: The pandemia significantly disrupted–but did not stop–the implementation of MAIA’s programs. As a program designed to respond, the pandemia highlighted the critical importance of local leadership.
Goal Type: Invest in the capacity of our organization (financial, management, technical, etc.).
Goal Three: Scale the impact through coordinating (not competing) with other organizations and companies operating in the ecosystem of girls’ education.
Goal Type: This goal reflects our commitment to further our advocacy work for our organization and or cause area.
Source: Nonprofit submitted responses
Leadership Development
The nonprofit provides evidence of investment in leadership development
Describe an investment in leadership
MAIA’s most valuable asset is the local human resources. Every educator and mentor participates in a weekly professional development sessions that covers themes like classroom management, how to ensure all students are actively learning, and teaching to different levels of understanding. Additionally, each educator has a one-on-one session with their content coach, an expert in the subject area who helps MAIA educators master new material, develop creative lesson plans for different learning styles, and brainstorm ideas to reinforce challenging topics. Most recently, MAIA educators received additional training and professional development workshops to adapt and improve new learning models and instruction techniques.
Source: Nonprofit submitted responses
Mobilizing for Mission
The nonprofit provides evidence of leadership through focusing externally and mobilizing resources for the mission.
This organization mobilizes for mission in the following ways:
Strategic Partnerships
Networks of Collective Impact Efforts
Thought Leadership
What are this organization’s external mobilizaton efforts?
The profound disruptions of COVID-19 galvanized MAIA’s commitment to achieving success through partnerships with like-minded organizations. The Impact School is designed to be an innovation platform where other actors in youth development can access contextualized best practices. Instead of expanding our own Impact School into unfamiliar regions, cultures, and language groups around Guatemala, we partner with organizations already immersed in these communities and connect them with external innovators to create a community of learning.
Source: Nonprofit submitted responses
Story of Adaptability
The nonprofit has an opportunity to tell the story of how the organization adapted to tremendous external changes in the last year.
As MAIA has responded to the COVID-19 global pandemic we aim to keep an eye on our mission and long-term solutions. We have leveraged technology, partnerships, and above all, our local team. This work was made possible by our generous and committed community of support. We all knew Girl Pioneers would grow into transformational leaders. This pandemic simply moved the timeline forward. When schools closed in mid-March 2020 due to the pandemic only 3 percent of Girl Pioneers had access to internet at school thus virtual classes were not initially an option. Students continued their studies through printed take-home learning packets. By the end of 2020, 100 percent of students were receiving classes online. In addition, MAIA educators received additional training and professional development to adapt to the new remote learning model. In 2021, MAIA celebrated our first high school graduation of 40 Girl Pioneers, becoming for many the first in their family to do so.
Source: Nonprofit submitted responses
Additional Information
Unscored
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Organization Leadership
Travis Ning
US Executive Director
Bill Ernstrom
President
Previous: Leadership & Adaptability
Culture & Community
This score provides an assessment of the organization's culture and connectedness to the community it serves. Learn more about how and why we rate Culture & Community.
Culture & Community Score
Not Currently Scored
MAIA is currently not eligible for a Culture & Community score because we have not received its Constituent Feedback or Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion data. Nonprofit organizations are encouraged to fill out the How We Listen and Equity Practices sections of their Candid profile.
Note: The absence of a score does not indicate a positive or negative assessment, it only indicates that we have not yet evaluated the organization.
Culture & Community Report
Unscored
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Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion
This organization has not provided information regarding the diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) practices it is presently implementing. As such, the organization has not earned a score on this metric. Charity Navigator believes nonprofit organizations implementing effective DEI policies and practices can enhance a nonprofit's decision-making, staff motivation, innovation, and effectiveness.
Methodology
We are utilizing data collected by Candid to document and assess the DEI practices implemented by the organization. Nonprofit organizations are encouraged to fill out the Equity Strategies section of their Candid profiles to receive a rating.
Learn more about the methodology.
Constituent Feedback
Constituent Feedback and Listening Practice data are not available for this organization. Charity Navigator believes nonprofit organizations that engage in inclusive practices, such as collecting feedback from the people and communities they serve, may be more effective.
Methodology
We've partnered with Candid to survey organizations about their feedback practices. Nonprofit organizations can fill out the How We Listen section of their Candid profile to receive a rating.
Learn more about the methodology.
Analysis and Research
Like the overall Encompass Rating System, the Culture & Community Beacon is designed to evolve as metrics are developed and ready for integration. Below you can find more information about the metrics we currently evaluate in this beacon and their relevance to nonprofit performance.
Constituent Feedback
Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion
