How City Leadership’s 5 Campaigns Are Building a Better Memphis

Established in 2010, City Leadership exists to maximize the leadership capital and potential of Memphis, built on the belief that better leaders make a better city. Based right here at Crosstown Concourse, that mission shows up in tangible ways across Memphis every day: talented individuals recruited to the city, leaders and organizations developed and strengthened, and collaborative projects catalyzed for the benefit of the community. Working with businesses, nonprofits, government entities, schools, teachers, artists, and social entrepreneurs, City Leadership brings its expertise in strategic planning, research, multimedia, branding, and talent acquisition directly into the fabric of the city. Five campaigns carry that mission forward, each addressing a different need Memphis has, and together, they’re changing what’s possible here.

Choose901

At the heart of it all is Choose901, which helps grow Memphis by keeping talented, engaged people here and drawing new ones in. By making the case that Memphis isn’t becoming a great city, it already is one, Choose901 connects people to careers, volunteer opportunities, and the city’s best-kept secrets, turning newcomers and longtime residents alike into people who actively invest their time, money, and energy back into Memphis. That investment ripples outward: a stronger local economy, a more engaged citizenry, and a city that retains the very people who could make the biggest difference here.

Choose901: Alumni

That investment compounds through Choose901 Alumni, which keeps Memphis’ own talent right here in Memphis. By supporting more than 2,600 graduates and soon-to-be graduates from underserved communities across six partner charter schools, the program directly counters the loss of local talent to other cities. Focused on persistence in post-secondary education and connection to Memphis career networks, Choose901 Alumni ensures the students who grow up here have real pathways to invest in, lead in, and serve their own communities, building a Memphis where homegrown talent stays home and leads.

 

Teach901

Because a city is only as strong as its schools, Teach901 works to make sure Memphis classrooms have the teachers they need. High-needs schools across the city often struggle to attract and retain great educators, and Teach901 closes that gap through job fairs, college visits, and targeted recruitment, bringing skilled, passionate teachers into the classrooms that need them most. Ongoing professional development, appreciation events, and an up-to-date job board help those teachers stay and thrive in Memphis long-term, which means more stability, better outcomes, and stronger schools for the entire city.

Serve901

While Teach901 strengthens the city from within, Serve901 brings outside hands and hearts directly into Memphis’ work. The campaign organizes custom alternative spring break and summer service trips for colleges, universities, church groups, fraternities and sororities, and other organizations, connecting them to real needs across the city: homelessness, education equity, food insecurity, and civil rights, among others. By handling project coordination, lodging, and logistics, Serve901 removes the barriers that might otherwise keep visiting groups from getting involved. The result shows up in the numbers Memphis feels directly: 75-plus local nonprofits served, and more than 7,500 volunteer hours completed every year, real labor and support flowing straight into the city’s most pressing causes.

Give901

Rounding out City Leadership’s campaigns, Give901 turns everyday generosity into direct support for Memphis youth. By channeling members’ time and donations into excellent teachers, innovative schools, and empowering mentors, Give901 fuels programs that are already changing outcomes across the city: 600-plus trained and supported teachers placed in under-funded schools each year, a 100% high school graduation rate among partner schools, and more than 4,000 students receiving daily after-school tutoring, coaching, and mentoring. Every hour volunteered or dollar donated becomes measurable progress for Memphis’ next generation.

 

Taken together, City Leadership’s five campaigns touch nearly every part of what makes a city thrive: the people who choose to invest here, the students who grow up to lead here, the teachers shaping the next generation, the volunteers showing up to serve, and the everyday donors fueling it all. It’s not abstract work. It’s classrooms with better teachers, students staying in Memphis instead of leaving, nonprofits with more hands on deck, and thousands of kids getting the mentorship they need. Better leaders make a better city, and right here at Crosstown Concourse, that belief is already showing up in the results.