Founded in 1923, Boys and Girls Club of Ottawa (BGCO) runs after-school and summer camps for youth aged six to 18 in seven at-risk neighborhoods across Ottawa. The charity reports that 38% of youth in these neighborhoods live in low-income households, and 25% live in single-family households. For context, the Ottawa average for both statistics is 16%. BGCO also reports that after-school hours are critical because they can be a time of risk to youth’s health and safety.  

Membership is free for all of BGCO’s youth programs, which it divides into four pillars: education, physical activity and healthy lifestyle, leadership and social skills, and creative arts. Pillar programs are offered at Clubhouses in each of the seven at-risk neighborhoods identified by the charity. In F2018, there were 251,153 pillar program visits: 168,600 for physical education and healthy lifestyle programs, 43,150 for education programs, 27,260 for creative arts programs, and 12,143 for leadership programs.  

BGCO also runs Camp Smitty, an overnight summer camp that provides four 10-day overnight sessions for kids. The camp accommodated 360 campers in F2018.  

BGCO’s renovation on the Tomlinson Family Foundation Clubhouse, which started in October 2017, finished in December 2018. The clubhouse has re-opened with twice the footprint it had before, including a full-sized gym, dance studio, and new program space.  

Boys and Girls Club of Ottawa also receives government funding to run two community support programs: the Ottawa Community Youth Diversion Program (OCYDP) and the Provincial Youth Outreach Worker program (PYOW). The purpose of OCYDP is to divert youth from the formal justice system whenever possible. Youth are referred by police or the crown attorney and after a detailed assessment they receive a case management plan outlining goals they are expected to complete (volunteer work, counselling, workshops, etc.).  When youth complete the program successfully, the police/crown attorney's office takes no further action. PYOW helps marginalized youth in priority neighborhoods access social, recreational and legal services in the city.  

News: In F2018, Boys and Girls Club of Ottawa amalgamated with Ottawa Boys Club Foundation. BGCO’s auditor restated F2017 figures in the F2018 audited financials as if the two organizations had been combined since inception. Ci’s financial analysis uses restated figures.  

Boys and Girls Club of Ottawa is a large charity that received $5.5m in donations and special events fundraising in F2018. Administrative costs are 6% of revenue (excluding investment income) and fundraising costs are 6% of donations and special events fundraising. Per dollar donated to the charity, 88 cents go to the cause, which is within Ci’s reasonable range for overhead spending.

BGCO receives annual grants from the Ministry of Children, Community and Social Services to fund the Ottawa Community Youth Diversion Program and the Provincial Youth Outreach Worker program. The amounts received for these programs flow straight through the charity and cannot be used for general Club programs. Funding for F2018 was $837k ($834k in F2017, $701k in F2016), which is included in revenues within government funding and expenses within program costs. 

Boys and Girls Club of Ottawa’s funding reserves of $886k in F2018 are composed of $2.3m in cash and investments net of $1.5m in loans to finance the Tomlinson Clubhouse renovation. Net reserves also include $10k that is restricted for renovating the Ron Kolbus Clubhouse. Excluding restricted funds, the charity’s reserves can cover program costs for under three months.  

This profile reports F2017 compensation information because the charity’s F2018 T3010 filing does not report a total full-time staff number. 

This report is an update that has been sent to Boys and Girls Club of Ottawa for review. Comments and edits may be forthcoming. 

Updated on July 11, 2019 by Katie Khodawandi.