Founded in 2011, Boys and Girls Clubs Big Brothers Big Sisters of Edmonton and Area (BGCBigs) supports children in the Edmonton area through mentoring and after-school programs. By combining the Boys and Girls Clubs model with that of Big Brothers Big Sisters, the charity states that its programs encourage physical, emotional, and academic success. It offers community or in-school mentoring, as well as a variety of after-school programs.

BGCBigs’ community mentoring program pairs each child with an adult mentor based on common interests. Each pair meets weekly for activities such as bike riding, skating, reading, cooking, and playing games. Mentors serve as positive role models and help to provide personal and academic support. BGCBigs also offers in-school mentoring programs, which pair students with volunteer mentors to help with homework and build friendships.  

BGCBigs runs 19 after-school club locations with drop-in programs for kids aged 6 to 18. Each club also offers nutritious meals and snacks, providing a safe place for kids to go after school.  BGCBigs focuses on programs relating to arts and culture, physical activity, academic support, life skills, and leadership. Through its All In For Youth program, BGCBigs has expanded its mentorship, after-school activities, and services to five low-income schools. The All In For Youth program has now served 218,414 meals and mentored 247 students across the five pilot schools.

In F2020, BGCBigs reports that it reached 2,770 children through mentoring programs and 2,501 children through after-school programs. With a total of 5,271 clients during the year, BGCBigs spent around $1,381 in operating costs per client (up from $1,338 per client for around 5,300 clients in F2019).

Boys and Girls Clubs Big Brothers Big Sisters of Edmonton and Area is a medium-sized charity, with donations and special events revenue of $3.5m in F2020. It received $2.9m in government funding, representing 39% of total revenues. Administrative costs are 10% of revenues (less investment income) and fundraising costs are 2% of donations and special events revenue. This results in total overhead spending of 12%. For every dollar donated to the charity, 88 cents go to the cause. This falls within Ci’s reasonable range for overhead spending. Ci reported BGCBigs’ full administrative and fundraising costs from its T3010 filings with the CRA. However, the charity’s F2020 filing was not posted at the time of this report. Based on data only from audited financial statements, BGCBigs’ overhead spending is likely understated for F2020.

BGCBigs has $9.7m in funding reserves, of which $32k is donor-endowed. Excluding donor-endowed funds, the charity could cover around 1.5 years of program costs with its existing reserves.

This charity report is an update that has been sent to Boys and Girls Clubs Big Brothers Big Sisters of Edmonton and Area for review. Changes and edits may be forthcoming.

Updated on August 25, 2020 by Eric Zhao.