St. Cloud Area School District 742 is certified by Points of Light as a nationally recognized Service Enterprise. A Service Enterprise is an organization that fundamentally leverages volunteers and their skills throughout their organization to successfully deliver on its social mission. District 742 is the first school district in Minnesota to receive certification and one of two districts nationally to achieve Service Enterprise Certification.

Research conducted by the TCC Group, a national program and evaluation firm, found that organizations operating as Service Enterprises outperform peer organizations on all aspects of organizational effectiveness, and are more adaptable, sustainable and capable of scaling their work.

District 742 completed an extensive assessment, over 20 hours of training and consulting, and extensive internal planning and change to better integrate volunteers in its day-to-day operations. By achieving this level of excellence and certification, District 742 is now better equipped to leverage the time and talent of volunteers to better meet its mission. This certification recognizes the best practices already in place in the District and allows a framework for the District to build on that success through Service Enterprise.

Some current examples of Service Enterprise initiatives underway are:

• Encouraging best practices in volunteer engagement by offering staff development and training
• Securing internal funding to cover costs of criminal background checks for volunteers and community partners serving in our schools
• Increasing collaboration with internal and external volunteer programs and community partners to ensure consistency and program growth
• Providing a welcoming experience to new and existing volunteers

Superintendent Willie Jett remarked on the certification,

“Our school district depends upon the partnership, goodwill, support and engagement of individuals and organizations throughout our community in order to fulfill its educational mission. This recognition illustrates that we maintain, but also build upon, the success of our volunteer programs.”