YWCA Metropolitan Phoenix is one of Public Allies Arizona’s newest Partner Organizations. They came to us in 2018 looking for assistance in expanding the reach of their Own It Financial Education Program to 675 participants and 50 partnering agencies, while also assisting in developing and executing related financial education series.

The YWCA was matched with an Ally for the 2018-2019 program year. Over the course of the program year, their Ally helped the YWCA offer their Own It Financial Education Program in collaboration with over 40 community organizations and reach approximately 800 individuals, of which more than 85% of the participants reported achieving their goals set in the program.

After their first time hosting an Ally, Supervisor Natasha Lopez Rodriguez commented that: “She was an amazing Public Ally. I was very fortunate to have clicked personally with her the moment we met in the speed interview process. I feel honored to have been her supervisor and mentor through this process. She is definitely going places and I feel honored again for being part of her professional journey."

In 2019, Tucson Mayor Jonathan Rothschild helped bring Public Allies Arizona to Tucson after reading about the program in Michelle Obama's book, "Becoming." (She was the founding executive director of Public Allies Chicago.) At the launch event, he said, "You're putting an ethic in a group of young people that gets them to see that to be community-minded is a way to live and a way to grow."

The Arizona Commission for Postsecondary Education (ACPE) has worked with Public Allies Arizona (PAAZ) for the past two years.  Through their hard work and willingness to take on any project that was asked of them, the Allies have helped the ACPE to show a steady increase in the number of high schools participating in the College and Career Goal Arizona programs over the past two years. These programs help students at Title I schools complete the two most important applications of their lives: 1) an application for a postsecondary education experience and 2) the Free Application for Student Financial Assistance (FAFSA).

Allies working with the Commission have been put in charge of various projects that once the outcomes were explained required little supervision. Through the training offered through PAAZ, the Allies have grown in their abilities and have been an asset to the agency. The Commission looks forward to continuing its relationship with Public Allies of Arizona.

Boys and Girls Clubs of Metro Phoenix has been a proud Public Allies partner for several years. Supervisor Samantha Hansen said, "I have had the opportunity to work alongside [our Ally] for the last 10 months, where she assisted me with the beginning stages of the AZ Youthforce program. She provided quality work and innovative ideas that allowed us to grow our program to what it is now. Public Allies has provided us with exceptional team members that have contributed tremendously not only to our company but to our community. This program is an incredible program that helps you build capacity and growth new leaders. I am happy to say that we gain a new leader that will continue to do amazing things."

SEED SPOT was a first-time Partner Organization in 2018-19 and had no idea what to expect from Public Allies. As a rapidly growing startup and globally-ranked social impact incubator, the team knew that they needed capacity-building help from some talented professionals. SEED SPOT was matched with two incredible Allies who positively impacted their ability to empower impact-driven entrepreneurs across Arizona. Supervisor Bianca Buliga said the organization was blown away by the Allies: "They exceeded our expectations in every way. Their adaptability, dedication to serving entrepreneurs, and quality of work were extremely admirable and we couldn't have been assigned a better match. We are thankful for the opportunity to advance our mission with them and can't wait for the next time we get the opportunity to work with Public Allies Arizona and the incredible Allies they place!"