Big Brothers of Greater Vancouver

About Big Brothers of Greater Vancouver:

Founded in 1978, Big Brothers of Greater Vancouver’s (BBGV) mission is to “put a mentor into the life of every child who needs one.” BBGV’s mentoring programs serve 15 communities and include: Big Brothers, In-School Mentoring, Teen Mentoring, Game On!, Go Girls!, Between Generations Mentoring, Mentoring with Math, Quest Club, Sports Mentoring, and Aboriginal Mentoring.

In F2016, Big Brothers of Greater Vancouver served 1,062 boys and girls through its programming, a decrease of 11% from F2015. However, BBGV’s 2015-2020 strategic plan outlines its objective to increase the number of children served by 3-5% annually each year until 2020. Also in F2016, BBGV placed 87 clothing donations bins and had 273,652 clothing donation pick-ups.

In July 2013, Boston Consulting Group (BCG) independently evaluated Big Brothers Big Sisters Canada’s programs. The report found that for every $1 invested in mentoring, there is an $18 return to society. BCG reports that the average investment required for a mentee over 3 years is $3,500. The report found that mentees generate $32,154 in additional tax revenue, $49,189 in increased consumption, $5,856 in additional charitable volunteering, and $890 in greater charitable giving. It also reports that mentees earn $315,000 more over their lifetime.

Financial Review:

Ci has consolidated the financial statements of Big Brothers of Greater Vancouver and Big Brothers of Greater Vancouver Foundation.

Big Brothers of Greater Vancouver is a medium-sized charity with donations and special events revenues of $2.8m in F2016. Its administrative costs are 14% of revenues and its fundraising costs are 24% of donations. For every dollar donated, 62 cents go towards BBGV’s programs, falling outside of Ci’s reasonable range. The charity has funding reserves of $1.3m, resulting in a program cost coverage ratio of 66%. This means that BBGV can cover 8 months of its annual program costs using its existing reserves, indicating a need for funding.

This charity report is an update that is being reviewed by Big Brothers of Greater Vancouver. Changes and edits may be forthcoming.

Updated August 4, 2017 by Kevin Silberberg.