City Leadership

What City Leadership does

City Leadership is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization headquartered in Memphis, Tennessee, founded in 2010 with a staff of 11-50. Its stated mission is to recruit, develop, and catalyze leaders for a growing, improving, and more loving Memphis. The organization operationalizes that mission through five interconnected community campaigns: Choose901 (a city-pride and recruitment brand and content platform), Teach901 (recruiting and retaining educators for 270+ partner schools), Serve901 (curating volunteer service trips for college groups at a 114-bed Midtown bunkhouse), Choose901 Alumni (mentorship, career, and scholarship support for high school graduates from seven partner schools, with a 3,000+ member cohort), and Give901 (a workplace and individual giving program).

Underlying technology is intentionally lightweight. Operational components include a Squarespace website stack, a Kindful-powered donation portal, a Double the Donation matching-gifts integration, an e-commerce storefront at shop.choose901.com, and a planned Salesforce Data Hub for alumni relationship management. The only named proprietary framework is the Return on Generosity (ROG) methodology, a donor-impact tracking construct rather than a technical product.

City Leadership's economics are those of a multi-channel community nonprofit. Revenue streams comprise individual and corporate donations (one-time, recurring at an ~$85/month Give901 cadence, employer-matched gifts, stock and crypto gifts via DAFs), grants (including a 2023 NBA Foundation grant), limited merchandise sales (T-shirts, the 901 Blanket, seasonal markets — 100% of proceeds directed to programs), and Shainberg Foundation scholarship funding. Go-to-market is community-led, executed through grassroots engagement, seasonal markets at Crosstown Concourse, podcast appearances, employer partnerships, and direct donor cultivation rather than paid acquisition. The primary "customers" are a heterogeneous mix: residents and prospective Memphis movers, K-12 educators, partner schools, college-student service volunteers, partner nonprofits (Neighborhood Christian Center, Junior Achievement Memphis, Mid-South Food Bank, and others), alumni, and corporate partners such as Bank3, Chick-fil-A Union Ave, and Ramblin' Joe's Coffee.

Name

City Leadership

Legal name

City Leadership

Website

https://cityleadership.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2010

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

City Leadership is a Memphis-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit running five interconnected campaigns — Choose901, Teach901, Serve901, Choose901 Alumni, and Give901 — that recruit, develop, and retain civic leaders, educators, and graduates in the Memphis metro area.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Community Leadership Development Services

NAICS

Civic and Social Organizations (81341)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300)

akta.pro primary industry

Youth Leadership, Civic Education & Service-Learning Nonprofits (BPAGADAI)

akta.pro secondary industries

Youth Mentoring & Positive Youth Development Nonprofits (BPAGADAD), Community Centers & Neighborhood Support Services (BPAGAEAL), Civic Participation & Leadership Development (Voting, Advocacy, Community Leadership) (EDAAADAL)

Keywords

• Community leadership development
• Teacher recruitment services
• Volunteer service programs
• Charitable giving programs
• Nonprofit community campaigns

Headquarters

HQ city

Memphis

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Donations and Charitable Giving: Individual and corporate donations through online giving, mail-in checks, employer matching gifts, and recurring monthly giving programs through Give901.
2. Choose901 Merchandise Sales: Sale of Memphis-themed merchandise including apparel, accessories, and limited-edition items. 100% of proceeds fund City Leadership campaigns including Teach901, Choose901 Alumni, Serve901, and Give901.
3. Shainberg Scholarship: Scholarship program funded by the Shainberg Foundation for Choose901 Alumni students pursuing postsecondary education.
4. Grants and Foundation Funding: Grant funding including NBA Foundation grant for Memphis youth programs.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels6 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

City Leadership is a Memphis-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit that recruits, develops, and catalyzes leaders through five interconnected community campaigns: Choose901 (city guide/brand and engagement hub), Choose901 Alumni (graduate mentorship and career pipeline), Teach901 (teacher recruitment and retention partnering with 270+ schools), Serve901 (volunteer service trips for college groups), and Give901 (monthly workplace giving program). The campaigns are supported by Memphis-themed merchandise sales whose proceeds fund mission programs.

Product overview

City Leadership is a nonprofit organization offering a portfolio of interconnected community campaigns focused on recruiting, developing, and catalyzing leaders for Memphis. The core offerings include: Choose901 (city guide and brand), Choose901 Alumni (next-gen leadership development), Teach901 (teacher recruitment/retention), Serve901 (volunteer service trips), and Give901 (monthly giving program). Supporting these campaigns is Choose901 Merch, a merchandise line featuring Memphis-themed products like the 901 Blanket. All campaigns operate as expressions of the mission to build a growing, improving, and more loving Memphis.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Choose901

Quantifiable outcome

• 270+ schools partnered with Teach901
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers12 records

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Partnerships

18 partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Grizzlies PrepcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerGrizzlies Prep is the only NBA franchise-run school in the country, ranked Level 5 (highest performance rating) every year since COVID. The organization is highlighted as a model school that City Leadership celebrates for its educational impact.
• Crosstown HighcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCrosstown High is a partner school located within Crosstown Concourse, doing innovative work in Memphis education. City Leadership has featured the school in events and storytelling.
• Stax Music AcademycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerStax Music Academy, celebrating 25 years, shapes talent and raises voices that shift how the world sees Memphis. Students perform at Choose901 events including Memphis birthday celebrations.
• Soulsville Charter SchoolcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSoulsville Charter School is a Choose901 partner school with a consistent 100% college acceptance rate. The school has deep connections to Memphis music heritage.
• Memphis Teacher ResidencycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMemphis Teacher Residency is a partner of Teach901 and Give901, training teachers to work in underserved Memphis communities. Alumni Ava Conley leads Isaiah 117 House and Foster Village Memphis.
• Isaiah 117 HouseminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerOrganization led by former Serve901 trip participant Ava Conley, providing foster care support in Memphis.
• Foster Village MemphisminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerOrganization led by former Serve901 trip participant Ava Conley, supporting Memphis foster families.
• Bank3coreGTM or Marketing PartnerBank3 is a Give901 workplace giving partner whose employees give monthly and volunteer together. Organized a coffee delivery event with Ramblin' Joe's for 415 Memphis teachers during TCAP week.
• Ramblin' Joe's CoffeecoreGTM or Marketing PartnerMemphis-based coffee roaster that donated hot and cold brew for teacher appreciation events. Organized coffee delivery to 12 campuses reaching 415 Memphis educators.
• Crosstown ConcoursecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMixed-use development in Memphis that hosts City Leadership's headquarters on the 4th floor and serves as the venue for Choose901 markets and events. Brings together business, education, culture, and healthcare.
• FedExminorOthersFedEx is highlighted as one of Memphis's hometown corporate giants, mentioned alongside AutoZone as contributing to the city's corporate strength.
• AutoZoneminorOthersAutoZone is highlighted as one of Memphis's hometown corporate giants, mentioned alongside FedEx as contributing to the city's corporate strength.
• Downtown Memphis CommissionminorGTM or Marketing PartnerCo-sponsored Memphis birthday celebration event with City Leadership and other partners.
• New MemphisminorGTM or Marketing PartnerCo-sponsored Memphis birthday celebration event with City Leadership.
• Wiseacre BrewingminorGTM or Marketing PartnerMemphis brewery that sponsored the Choose901 Memphis birthday party and donated free beer for the celebration.
• Memphis GrizzliesminorGTM or Marketing PartnerNBA team sponsoring Memphis birthday celebration with Claw Crew mascot appearance and event support.
• Mempho SmokeslamminorGTM or Marketing PartnerBBQ festival partnering with City Leadership for 15th anniversary celebrations, with special Teach901 Night and Choose901 Alumni Night events.
• Chick-fil-A Union AvecoreGTM or Marketing PartnerMidtown Chick-fil-A partnering with Teach901 for Teacher Appreciation events, donating a portion of all-day sales to teacher appreciation initiatives.

Scale indicators9 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Leadership Memphis: Local nonprofit developing civic and community leaders in Memphis. Closest direct peer to City Leadership's 'Recruit, Develop, Catalyze' mission, focused on leadership pipelines within the same metro.
• National Civic League: Nonprofit advancing civic engagement, community building, and democratic participation. Comparable to City Leadership's civic leadership and community development focus at a national scale.
• City Year: National nonprofit placing young adults in schools for a year of service and student support. Highly comparable to City Leadership's combination of in-school service (Serve901) and educator retention (Teach901) targeting Memphis youth.
• Teach For America: National teacher recruitment and development organization. Direct functional peer of Teach901 in placing and retaining educators in underserved schools; operates in Memphis-Shelby County Schools.

Emerging players

• Relay Graduate School of Education: Teacher preparation and development graduate school serving under-resourced schools. Comparable to Teach901's teacher pipeline mission with a focus on educator training and retention outcomes.

Regional players

• Memphis Grizzlies Foundation: NBA franchise charitable arm running Memphis youth programs (including Grizzlies Prep). Comparable as a Memphis-focused youth-education funder that has partnered with City Leadership.
• Hope Enterprise Corporation: Community development financial institution serving the Mid-South including Memphis. Comparable mission of place-based economic and community uplift in the same regional geography.

Broad incumbents

• New Profit: National venture philanthropy fund backing social-impact nonprofits. Relevant peer because of its role as an institutional intermediary funder in the same ecosystem City Leadership operates within.
• Boys & Girls Clubs of America: Largest U.S. youth development nonprofit with Memphis-area clubs. Comparable in youth mentoring and community-based programming, though much broader in geographic and programmatic scope.

Others

• Crosstown High: Memphis charter high school located inside Crosstown Concourse and a documented City Leadership partner. Included as a programmatic neighbor and ecosystem participant rather than a direct competitor.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xinstagram.com/cityleadership
• YouTubeinstagram.com/johncarroll77
• Facebookinstagram.com/choose901
• Instagraminstagram.com/choose901

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles6 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about City Leadership