BUILT FROM WITHIN THE SYSTEM. DESIGNED TO TRANSFORM IT.
I. THE THRESHOLD: BUILT FROM WITHIN
The RISE Way™ Lab is our community-rooted engine—a 501(c)(3) corporation organized to empower underserved communities. We provide the tools, resources, and forensic training that support at-risk youth and their advocates, fostering equity and emotional well-being where the system has historically failed.
II. THE INFRASTRUCTURE: THE FIVE ARMS OF IMPACT
THE RISE COLLECTIVE ECOSYSTEM
A Dual-Engine Infrastructure for Systemic Liberation
The RISE Collective is a hybrid ecosystem designed to bridge institutional strategy (LLC) with radical community access (501c3). We move from "Survival Architecture" to Sovereign Design by providing the blueprints leaders and youth need to rebuild what they were never meant to merely survive.
1. RISE EXCHANGE™
Tagline: Where ideas meet oxygen.
Function: Public engagement and visibility hub.
Purpose: To host pop-up intensives, roundtables, and podcasts that bridge street-level experience with doctoral-level strategy.
Includes: The RISE Exchange Podcast, Roundtable Pop-Ups, and signature events like The Unwritten Room™.
Audience: School leaders, nonprofit directors, and community stakeholders seeking real-time strategic insight.
2. RISE LIVING™
Tagline: Wellness. Housing. Liberation.
Function: Future-facing arm for real estate and whole-life design.
Purpose: To address root-level systemic barriers by building physical spaces and wraparound systems that allow youth and families to live, not just survive.
Includes: Transitional housing for youth aging out of foster care, wellness partnerships (therapy, nutrition, doula networks), and trust-funded homeownership models.
Audience: Marginalized families, foster youth navigating independence, and impact-driven funders.
3. RISE LABS™ (Youth Empowerment Division)
Tagline: Youth development reimagined.
Function: Research-informed learning labs for young people.
Purpose: To provide creative, identity-affirming experiences that build leadership and emotional infrastructure in youth.
Includes: CTRL+Me™ Resilience Card Game, youth-led design challenges, and story telling incubators.
Audience: Middle and high school youth, foster care advocacy partners, and schools.
4. RISE LEADERSHIP ACADEMY™
Tagline: Strategy without soul is still misaligned.
Function: Adult leadership development and certification hub.
Purpose: To equip high-capacity leaders with the systems and self-governance needed to lead without burnout.
Includes: The Unwritten Blueprint™ Flagship Course, The RISE Way™ Certification, and executive retreats.
Audience: Educators, founders, nonprofit leaders, and women of color in systems-thinking roles.
5. RISE PATHWAYS PROGRAM
Tagline: From Possibility to Plan.
Function: Career, college, and legacy design navigation.
Purpose: To provide culturally responsive, life-centered coaching for young adults navigating education and identity
Includes: Purpose Discovery, college planning intensives, and mentorship pairings with RISE-trained professionals.
Audience: Opportunity youth (16–25), young adults aging out of the foster care system, and first-gen college entrants.
STRATEGIC PIVOT: THE RISE CONNECT SUNSET
We have intentionally sunsetted RISE Connect™ (formerly our automated mental health referral software). Our focus has evolved from backend district infrastructure to Direct Systems Consulting and Leadership Architecture, ensuring the human element is prioritized over rigid platforms.
III. EVIDENCE OF STRUCTURAL INTEGRITY
We do not provide inspiration. We provide results rooted in behavioral strategy and architectural discipline.
DOSSIER NO.
2025-01: Individual Sovereignty
2025-02: Institutional Equity
2025-03: Systemic Youth Impact
CONTEXT
Executive operating within "Survival Architecture" facing burnout.
A non-profit failing to scale performative equity models.
System-impacted youth requiring life-architecture blueprints.
OUTCOME
40% increase in operational agency; successful authorship of legacy infrastructure.
Shift from checklists to behavioral systems; secured $500k in funding.
65% increase in youth-led entrepreneurial initiatives.
IV. GOVERNANCE: THE STEWARDSHIP COUNCIL
Governance and voting rights are vested solely in our Board of Directors.
Zaneta Schaffer: Founder, Visionary Lead, & Executive Director .
Julia Schaffer: Co-Founder, Board Chair, & Executive Director of Operations .
Kayla Schaffer: Board Secretary .
Leatrice Syphax: Treasurer .
Tunisia Syphax: Board Member.
Leodas Casimir: Board Member.
Aysha Lavandier: Board Member.
V. INSTITUTIONAL TRANSPARENCY
We maintain the highest standard of procedural integrity.
Non-Profit Entity: THE RISE COLLECTIVE CORPORATION.
Federal Tax Status: 501(c)(3) (EIN: 33-2133427).
Operating Logic: Our work is fueled by RISE Collective Consulting (LLC) dividends and strategic grants to ensure world-class leadership architecture is never gatekept.
Governing Documents: Bylaws adopted to ensure staggered board terms and quarterly oversight .