Second Mile Development Inc

What Second Mile Development Inc does

Second Mile Development Inc is a Huntsville, Alabama-based nonprofit community development organization founded in 1986 to revitalize the Terry Heights and Hillendale neighborhood, which at founding was characterized by high poverty, single-parent household concentration, elevated crime, and the city's lowest-performing elementary school. The organization operates an integrated portfolio of programs organized around three pillars: Community (Terry Heights and Hillendale Organization neighborhood association), Education (Second Mile Preschool, Parent Initiative, and the nationally distributed Parent Parties® curriculum), and Family (The Neighborhood Thrift Store, Baby Care, Kid Kits, Pride for Parents, Santa's Secret Toy Shop, and The 29:11 Story women's jewelry ministry).

The operating model is intentionally dignity-preserving rather than charity-based: families pay reduced prices or earn store credit through volunteer labor at the thrift store (705 documented work-for-credit hours per program reporting; 15,000+ cumulative volunteer hours cited), and proceeds cross-subsidize the Preschool and Baby Care programs. The Parent Parties curriculum—an 18-topic interactive parent engagement training—represents the only nationally scaled asset, currently licensed to 1,300+ schools in 49 states via the parentpartiesengage.com storefront and originally co-developed with Teledyne/Brown around 2007.

Revenue mixes donated funds ($500k from 800 donors in 2019), thrift and baby-store transaction sales, Parent Parties curriculum licensing, preschool tuition, and modest specialty-program revenue (e.g., $11k paid to 29:11 beaders). The organization has no proprietary technology platform, runs on relational service delivery rather than software, is governed by an 11-member Board of Directors plus program director Sharon Olshefski, and has documented only one historical strategic partnership. Geographic footprint is local for most programs and national only for Parent Parties.

Name

Second Mile Development Inc

Legal name

Second Mile Development Inc

Website

https://secondmile.net

Company type

Private

Founded year

1986

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Second Mile Development Inc is a Huntsville, Alabama nonprofit founded in 1986 that runs integrated faith-based community programs—neighborhood revitalization, an affordable preschool, and the nationally licensed Parent Parties parent-engagement curriculum used in 1,300+ schools across 49 states—financed through donations, thrift-store sales, and curriculum licensing.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Community Development Services

NAICS

Religious, Grantmaking, Civic, Professional, and Similar Organizations (813)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300)

akta.pro primary industry

After-School, Tutoring & Academic Enrichment Nonprofits (BPAGADAC)

akta.pro secondary industries

Dropout Prevention, Alternative Education & Re-Engagement Nonprofits (BPAGADAL), Community Health, Prevention & Health Education (BPAGACAC)

Keywords

• Community development programs
• Faith-based nonprofit services
• Early childhood education
• Parent engagement training
• Thrift retail operations

Headquarters

HQ city

Huntsville

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Supply Chain, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Thrift Store Sales: The Neighborhood Thrift Store sells new and gently used clothing and household items at affordable prices. Parents can purchase items or work to earn store credit. The majority of employees live in surrounding neighborhoods.
2. Donations and Contributions: Individual donors contribute funds to support programs. In 2019, $500k was donated from 800 donors. Donations support the preschool, baby care program, and other ministries.
3. Parent Parties Curriculum Sales: The Parent Parties training curriculum is sold to schools and organizations around the country. The curriculum covers 18 topics on parenting skills and is used in over 1,300 schools in 49 states. Proceeds support education programs.
4. Donated Inventory Sales: Donated items are sold at the thrift stores and baby care store. Donations are the sole source of inventory for the Baby Thrift Store. Proceeds support the Second Mile Preschool and Baby Care Program.

Pricing tiers

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Second Mile Development Inc. operates a portfolio of faith-based community programs serving families in Huntsville, Alabama, including the Neighborhood Thrift Store, a licensed preschool, baby care assistance for mothers, the Parent Parties parent-engagement curriculum (sold B2B to schools), and community organizing through the THHO initiative. Programs are funded by approximately 800 active donors and supported by volunteer labor, with the thrift store and curriculum sales providing earned revenue alongside donations.

Product overview

Second Mile Development Inc is a faith-based community development organization offering a portfolio of community programs organized around three pillars: Community (neighborhood-level services), Education (school-level programs), and Family (home-level support). The organization operates multiple programs including the Pride for Parents initiative with its Neighborhood Thrift Store and Kid Kits; the Second Mile Preschool providing affordable early childhood education; the Parent Parties parent engagement curriculum; Baby Care for young families; Terry Heights and Hillendale Organization neighborhood association; The 29:11 Story women's jewelry ministry; and Santa's Secret Toy Shop seasonal program. These programs share a unified philosophy of preserving dignity through work-for-credit models rather than free handouts.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Parent Parties: Monthly parent training sessions using interactive games and activities to teach parenting skills and increase parent engagement at schools.
• Baby Care
• Kid Kits
• Pride for Parents
• THHO (Terry Heights and Hillendale Organization)
• The 29:11 Story
• Santa's Secret Toy Shop
• The Neighborhood Thrift Store

Products and services

• Neighborhood Thrift Store

Quantifiable outcome

• Used in over 1,300 schools across 49 states
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers2 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Teledyne/BrownminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2006Teledyne/Brown helped Second Mile develop and market the Parent Parties training curriculum approximately four years after the program's inception. This was a past collaboration to create and commercialize the curriculum kit in 2007.

Scale indicators10 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• The Salvation Army: Faith-based nonprofit operating thrift stores alongside family services, early childhood education, and community support programs. Direct overlap with Second Mile's integrated faith-based community model.
• Habitat for Humanity International: Faith-affiliated community development nonprofit that has replicated neighborhood-level revitalization programs across hundreds of U.S. cities, analogous to Second Mile's 39-year community development approach in Huntsville.
• Parents as Teachers: National nonprofit that provides evidence-based parent-engagement curriculum and training to schools and early-childhood programs. Closest direct competitor to Second Mile's Parent Parties® curriculum product.
• Goodwill Industries International: Operates thrift retail stores funded by donations that fund job-training and community programs. Highly comparable to Second Mile's thrift-store-as-program-funding model and its dignity-preserving work philosophy.

Broad incumbents

• YMCA of the USA: Large community-services nonprofit offering early childhood education, parent programs, and youth services nationwide. Comparable breadth of community-based program portfolio serving families similar to Second Mile's segments.
• Boys & Girls Clubs of America: National youth development nonprofit offering after-school and family programs in underserved communities. Comparable in mission, target population, and school-based parent engagement to Second Mile's education pillar.
• National PTA: National parent-engagement organization that delivers training and curriculum to school PTAs. Overlaps with Second Mile's Parent Parties mission of increasing parent involvement in schools.

Regional players

• United Way of Madison County: Local community fundraising and grantmaking organization serving Huntsville/Madison County. Comparable donor-base and geography, and a natural local coordination counterpart for Second Mile's programs.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/second-mile-development-inc.

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles12 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 Second Mile Development Inc