Information Technology Solutions www.bbbswr.org When it comes to hard dollar returns, few investments equal a donation to Big Brothers Big Sisters, according to a new study from The Boston Consulting Group (BCG). Every dollar invested in Big Brothers Big Sisters mentoring generates $18 in social return on investment. The research compared the life outcomes of 500 former Little Brothers and Little Sisters with a control group of individu- als from similar family and economic backgrounds who did not have a Big Brother or Big Sister to mentor them as children. The study found that, over their working lives, the former "Littles" will earn on average $315,000 more than those in the control… continued on page 3
Transcript
Information Technology Solutions
www.bbbswr.org
When it comes to
hard dollar returns,
few investments equal a
donation to Big Brothers Big
Sisters, according to a new
study from The Boston
Consulting Group (BCG).
Every dollar invested in
Big Brothers Big Sisters
mentoring generates
$18 in social return
on investment. The
research compared
the life outcomes of
500 former Little Brothers
and Little Sisters with a
control group of individu-
als from similar family and
economic backgrounds
who did not have a Big Brother
or Big Sister to mentor them as
children.
The study found that, over their
working lives, the former "Littles"
will earn on average $315,000
more than those in the control…
continued on page 3
Children are our most precious resource and as such they deserve every opportunity to live their potential. In 2012 we
impacted the lives of over 1700 individuals – children and volunteer mentors.
As the demand for our programs increased we experienced a substantial
decline of fundraising revenues. While we have much to celebrate, we face
some significant challenges and are working hard to ensure continued success.
This year Big Brothers Big Sisters Nationally celebrates its 100th Anniversary. We
are proud to be a member agency serving the Waterloo Region for the past 49
years. Although this has been a time to reflect on the lives we have touched
over the years, we focus on those still to be impacted.
Our program has evolved well beyond the traditional one to one Big and Little
match. The composition and needs of families continues to change and
volunteers are now spending less time volunteering. Today our school initiated
programs, both individual and group account for the majority of our program
growth. It is evident that support for our children and youth are needed as
much today, perhaps even more than when the movement first began.
Research continues to provide us with measurable outcomes on the
effectiveness of our programs. Big Brothers Big Sisters of Canada and The
Centre for Addiction and Mental Health have partnered to conduct a five
year study on the effects of mentoring on children and youth. Preliminary
findings show that girls with a Big Sister are two and a half times more likely
than girls without a mentor to be confident in their ability to be successful at
school and boys with a Big Brother are three times less likely than boys
without a mentor to suffer peer pressure related anxiety.
These outcomes are only possible because of your support. You impact the
lives of the children in our Community through your work, the countless hours
you volunteer and with your generous financial donations.
Please continue on this journey with us so that every child can live their potential.
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group. Four categories of differential life outcomes were examined: employment,
philanthropy, life skills and general well-being.
Participants in Big Brothers Big Sisters (BBBS) mentoring programs were also significantly
more likely to give generously to charitable causes and volunteer their time to community
work. They also achieved more positive life outcomes in the categories of life skills and
personal well-being.
"The BBBS Social Return on Investment Study was designed to audit the financial return to
society from Big Brothers Big Sisters," said James Tucker, a partner in Toronto at BCG, who
led the research project. "We found tremendous financial value generated through higher
taxes and higher spending due to increased income and increased charitable donations
in time and money. Big Brothers Big Sisters mentoring programs generate an average
social return on investment or SROI of $18 for every dollar invested."
For the most economically disadvantaged participants in BBBS mentoring programs the
impact is even higher with an average, SROI of $23 for each dollar invested. Each former
Little Brother and Little Sister involved in the research project is on track to generate an
average of $32,154 in additional tax revenue; $49,819 in increased consumption; $5,856 in
additional charitable volunteering and $890 in greater charitable giving.
The national average investment required to mentor a Little Brother or Little Sister over the
average duration of a Big/Little match is $5,059.
Your investment in our programs is a wise investment in the children of Waterloo Region.
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Message posted on Suddaby Public School’s website. Suddaby
PS is one of our partner schools for In School Mentoring and Go Girls!
“We have been very fortunate to have
many wonderful caring volunteer mentors
here every week since October working
and sharing their time and talents with
some of our Suddaby Stars. The kids have
worked on reading and math, built with
lego, learned new card games, and done
crafts with a special volunteer chosen
especially for them by the fabulous staff of
the Big Brothers Big Sisters of Waterloo
Region. We look forward to having you
work with our kids again in the fall. “
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“When my son first started Big Bunch he was
very withdrawn, shy and introverted when it
came to being around people he didn’t
know very well. Now he is able to start and
maintain short conversations with people. I
am very proud of my son and how far he has
come, as well, I am extremely grateful to Big
Brothers Big Sisters of Waterloo Region and
the Big Bunch program for allowing my son to
identify his own potential and overcome a
major hurdle in his social development.”
Volunteer Screening: It takes 7.5 hours to screen one volunteer
mentor. Last year our caseworkers spent 295,200 minutes screening
656 volunteer mentors, at an approximate cost of $300 per volunteer.
In 2012 over 1,100 Little Brothers and Little Sisters were matched.
One to One Match Program: Annual cost per child is $1,200.
Currently there are close to 90 children waiting to be matched
with their own Big Brother or Big Sister. On average it can take up
to 2 years for a child to be matched with their mentor.
In-School Mentoring Program: Annual cost per child is $960. In 2012-
2013 the program supported 187 children in our community. Currently
there are 41 active school partnerships and 20 schools waiting for
service. Countless children do not receive the help they need.
Go Girls! and Game On! Group Mentoring Programs: Annual cost
per child is $710. The goals of the programs are to positively shape
the lives of young women by helping build a positive self-image and
for young men, encouraging healthy living by promoting self-esteem
and confidence. In 2012-2013 the programs supported 154 girls in
12 schools, plus 1 community centre and 15 boys in 2 schools.
Big Bunch Group Program: Annual cost per child is $780. Program
activities are for children waiting to be matched, as well as children
who have different needs than those in the one-to-one program. To
date, Big Brothers Big Sisters served 110 children. Currently there are
60 children waiting to be matched with a Big Bunch Mentor.
Parent of a Little Brother in our Big Bunch Group Program.
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Dumfries Mutual Insurance
Company has an ongoing
commitment to its
community and what
better way to show their
deep roots to the community
than holding its first ever
Charity Golf Tournament at
Savannah Links Golf Course
in support of our agency.
“Big Brothers and Big
Sisters is such an important
charity for Dumfries Mutual
Insurance Company to support
because they help facilitate life-changing
relationships that empower children to reach their full potential, not only as
individuals but also as citizens in our community.” Shelley Sutton, GM
June 20th was a great day that raised over $16,000 for our mentoring programs!
We can’t thank Dumfries Mutual Insurance enough for choosing our agency as
recipients. They believe as we believe that by changing the course of young
lives we can in turn be changing the course of a community’s future.
Turn it into a fundraising event for Big Brothers Big Sisters of Waterloo Region. No event
is too big or too small—the sky is the limit when you’re coming up with creative event
ideas. You could organize a walk/run, golf tournament, bake sale, or a BBQ.
Limitless Performance donated $1 for every
pound lost during a 21 Day “Fit Life”
challenge, raising over $2,400.
Waterloo Running Series hosted their
first ever In Running Colour 4km Run.
They collected $2,600 in pledges .
To learn how you can bring your community fundraising initiative to life, please
