Our mission is to help young people, especially those who need us most, build strong character and realize their full potential as responsible citizens and leaders. We do this by providing: a safe haven filled with hope and opportunity, ongoing relationships with caring adults, and life-enhancing programs. BOYS & GIRLS CLUBS OF BOSTON 2017 ANNUAL REPORT 1 Dear Friends, This year – and for the last three years – under the remarkable leadership of outgoing Board Chair Dana Smith, Boys & Girls Clubs of Boston has worked diligently to develop an incredible breadth and depth of thoughtfully designed programs to help our members succeed academically, live healthy lifestyles, practice good citizenship and be prepared for life after the Club. In this report, I invite you to read about just a few of the opportunities we provided to more than 17,000 young people at our Clubs. While BGCB invests $3,100 to serve each member – many of whom come from households with incomes of less than $33,000 per year – we only charge $25 per school year for 6-12 year olds and just $5 a year for teens – and no child is turned away because of an inability to pay. Each one of the generous contributions made by the individuals, corporations, foundations and community partners listed in this report played an important role in making this possible. In order to stay affordable and continue to offer even more enriching programs to the kids who need us most, I am excited to share that we successfully completed our five-year Opening Doors Campaign for Our Children, Our City, Our Future and surpassed our goal of $125 million – raising $131 million! We have also exceeded our planned giving goal of securing over 75 members of the Frederic C. Church Sr. Legacy Society. On behalf of the entire organization, thank you for your relentless advocacy for the children and teens we serve. In the history of Boys & Girls Clubs of Boston, this is an enormous accomplishment. The incredible momentum you have created will maintain the strength of the organization well into the future. I hope that you will continue to support us along the way. On behalf of all the young people who benefit from the opportunities you help us provide to them, thank you. With gratitude, Josh Kraft Nicholas President and CEO+ +The senior professional position at Boys & Girls Clubs of Boston was named in 2006 in recognition of Pete and Ginny Nicholas to honor their deep commitment to the organization and to further their dedication to ensuring excellence in organizational leadership. 2 Dear Friends, It was my honor to lead so many incredibly talented board members and work alongside Josh Kraft for the last four years. The commitment of BGCB’s Board and staff to continuous improvement and innovation is what makes Boys & Girls Clubs of Boston so effective. I am proud of what we accomplished and excited for the future. One program that I am especially pleased to see grow is BGCB’s Youth Jobs Initiative, established in 2013 in partnership with Greater Boston’s corporate community. The Youth Jobs Initiative connects our members and Club Alumni to paid summer internships that are increasingly hard for many teenagers from low-income communities to attain. These opportunities help to develop the skills, habits and developmental experiences necessary to be successful in the workforce. The initiative also works to educate employers and workplaces about the talent and drive that exists in communities they may not traditionally tap for talent. While I am no longer the Chair, I will continue to work on this initiative and invite you to contact me directly if you would like to get involved. I could not be more delighted that Bruce Jacobs is my successor. Bruce's breadth of knowledge of BGCB over 15 years, his thoughtful leadership as Chair of the Trustees, his many strategic contributions and his leadership abilities ensure that he is extremely well positioned to lead BGCB through this next phase as Chair. Bruce will wrestle with the important strategic questions in front of all of us and lead our ongoing discussions around depth and growth. Lastly, I would like to express my deep appreciation to you. Your support and engagement enable us to nurture the potential of all of the children we serve and has a powerful impact on the future of our great city. With gratitude, Dana Smith Chair of the Board of Directors BOYS & GIRLS CLUBS OF BOSTON 2017 ANNUAL REPORT 3 Your Support At Work In 2013, Boys & Girls Clubs of Boston embarked on a comprehensive campaign to raise $125 million in three crucial funding areas: capital improvements, endowment, and five years of operating costs and strategic investments. With your help, we surpassed our goal, raising an incredible $131 million. The investments made in staffing, programs and facilities as a result of this campaign already have had a major impact on BGCB’s work, helping us to serve more youth, deepen the impact on each member, and strengthen the communities we serve. $131 mil. raised in 5 years 14 DEDICATED CAMPAIGN CO-CHAIRS Jonathan & Margot Davis Paul & Sandy Edgerley Darlene & Jerry Jordan Michael A. Krupka & Chris McKown & Robert & Dana Smith Stephen G. Woodsum Anne C. Kubik Abby Johnson & Anne R. Lovett 4 8% Endowment income now generates over $2 million, or approximately 8% of our annual operating budget $59 mil. The value of BGCB’s endowment reached $59 million in FY17, an increase of more than $20 million from the beginning of the campaign. This growth gives us the stability we need to create a brighter future for Boston for generations to come. 71% of members attending regularly: $94.7 Research shows that youth who regularly attend MILLION IN and participate in Club programs once a week OPERATING SUPPORT or more will be on track to achieve success in our priority outcome areas of academic success, healthy lifestyles, and good character and citizenship. Because of investments in our 17,000 innovative staff and programs, the number YOUNG PEOPLE SERVED: of members attending once a week or more Your support opens doors of increased by more than 20% between FY12 opportunity to 17,000 and FY17. In each of the last three years, young people each year. more than 70% of members attended at this important frequency. BOYS & GIRLS CLUBS OF BOSTON 2017 ANNUAL REPORT 5 Enhanced Programming The largest portion of the Opening Doors Campaign supported our ongoing efforts to enable our talented and compassionate staff to deliver high quality programs in a safe, supportive environment to the youth we serve across Boston and Chelsea every day. Unrestricted operating funds allowed for the following investments and successes: 92% of BGCB seniors who graduated in 2017 began college in the fall. BGCB has placed an increased 310,000 emphasis on members’ graduating HEALTHY MEALS AND SNACKS SERVED: high school ready for the future. Campaign support allowed for enhanced We enhanced pre-teen staffing and capacity in our healthy lifestyles programming transition programming, and added with the addition of a Director of Healthy the Director of Academic Success Lifestyles, nurses, kitchen staff, culinary position to oversee education directors, and healthier food options. BGCB programming at every Club. served more than 310,000 healthy meals and snacks in 2017 alone. 8 COMMUNITY GARDENS: Members at eight of BGCB’s Clubs participate in community garden programs, through which they learn to harvest their own food. Vegetables grown at Club gardens are eaten for snacks and incorporated into lessons in healthy eating and cooking. $129,000 IN SCHOLARSHIP SUPPORT: Scholarships increased 52% from $85,000 in FY12 to $129,000 in FY17. 6 An added position, the Myra H. Kraft Director of Volunteer Services, supports Clubs in securing and managing volunteers. In 2017, 1,400 BGCB benefitted from more than 1,400 Volunteers volunteers who provided invaluable support to Club staff and members. 311 Staff Members BGCB’s total number of program year staff members has increased 21% over the course of the campaign. All five of BGCB’s freestanding Clubs have invested in senior 81 program leadership positions to better support JUNIOR STAFF MEMBERS: staff, provide more member outreach and better serve our youth. Junior Staff positions at the Clubs help teens receive employment experience, professional development, job skills training, and leadership opportunities. The number of junior staff increased 93% from 42 in FY12 to 81 in FY17. 513 $15.5 mil. ADDITIONAL MEMBERS SERVED: BGCB opened two new Clubs: The Hennigan in Capital Support Club in Jamaica Plain, and the Mattapan Teen Center. In FY17, we served an additional 513 The Capital component of the members through these Clubs. Opening Doors Campaign allowed us to fully renovate two facilities. The former Mattapan Library was transformed into the state-of-the- art Mattapan Teen Center, which opened in 2014. The Edgerley Family South Boston Club was renovated in 2015 to include safe, accessible, and thoughtfully designed program spaces, which are a necessary component of the experience we create for members. BOYS & GIRLS CLUBS OF BOSTON 2017 ANNUAL REPORT 7 William, a 13-year-old member of for the play, I thought it would the Club’s production of Annie, the Edgerley Family South Boston be a more amateur production,” and plans to audition and get Club, has been coming to the William says, “but instead it was involved backstage for the next Club since he was six years old, like a HUGE BROADWAY HIT! The show, Grease. “It’s a great way to but recently has found a new thing that was so great about it let off steam at the end of the day,” favorite place on the stage.