Big Brothers Big Sisters of Canada

About Big Brothers Big Sisters of Canada:

Big Brothers Big Sisters Canada (BBBSC) connects volunteer mentors with Canadian youth. Many children face challenges including poor living situations, family violence, risk factors for mental health, school issues, and identity challenges. Unaddressed, these conditions can lead to a life of poverty, crime, and mental illness. A mentor provides support and advice, working to improve a child’s chance of success.

BBBSC operates 108 local Big Brothers Big Sisters agencies, serving 1,100 Canadian communities. BBBSC collects fees from the agencies and provides them with assistance in running programs. BBBSC also distributes grants to the agencies, awarding $3.0 million in F2017. Volunteers with local agencies spent over 2.2 million hours mentoring 41,800 youth in F2017.

Through the local agencies, Big Brothers Big Sisters Canada operates Big Brothers and Big Sisters one-on-one mentoring programs. Case-workers match kids with volunteer mentors based on common interests. The mentor and mentee meet at least twice a month for one year. One-on-one mentoring is also offered in schools where volunteers spend an hour each week reading, playing board games, or doing crafts with a student.

BBBSC organizes group mentoring for teens aged 12-14, with 7-10 weekly sessions. Go Girls! and Game On teach participants about healthy lifestyles. The groups promote physical activity, balanced eating, self-esteem, positive communication, and emotional health. Teens who are newcomers to Canada can participate in the Conversation Club group mentoring program. With volunteers, they practice English, receive homework help, and share stories about their immigration experiences.

For high school students in remote communities, BBBSC offers the online DreamCatcher mentoring program. Youth are paired with adult mentors based on the student’s career aspirations. The online mentors work to help students succeed in their education and career.

Results and Impact: Boston Consulting Group (BCG) completed a study on the economic impact of BBBS’s one-to-one mentorship, comparing the future success of participants to adults who had not been a mentee. Past mentees had better outcomes with respect to work, where 63% have post-secondary education, they are 17% more likely to be employed, and earn an additional $315,000 over their lifetime. In everyday life, 81% report financial literacy, 80% pursue healthy lifestyles, 92% feel confident, and 96% say they’re happy. 87% of past mentees have strong social networks. They have higher community involvement, being 50% more likely to volunteer and donating 20% more money to charity.

BCG reports that for every $1 used in BBBS programming, $18-$23 is returned to society. As the mentee ages, their increased income means they spend more money and pay more through taxes. They also make larger donations to charity.

Charity Intelligence has evaluated Big Brothers Big Sisters Canada and found the charity to have good impact per dollar (see image in lower right). 

Financial Review:

Big Brothers Big Sisters Canada is a medium-sized charity with donations of $1.1m in F2017. BBBSC collected $1.0m in fees for service from local Big Brothers Big Sisters agencies, representing 21% of total revenues.

Administrative costs are 13% of revenues, and fundraising costs are 1% of donations. For every $1 donated, 86 cents go to the cause, falling well within Ci’s reasonable range. The charity has $1.2m in funding reserves, which could cover program costs for almost three months. This indicates a need for funding.

This charity report is an update that has been sent to Big Brothers Big Sisters Canada for review. Changes and edits may be forthcoming.

Updated on July 17, 2018 by Madison Kerr.