Big Brothers Big Sisters of Greater Los Angeles

Nonprofit profile at a glance

EIN
951904857
IRS 990 coverage
2010–2024
Forms available
Form 990 2024
Location
Los Angeles, CA, USA
Phone
2132132400
Rating
80
Verdict
STRONG
Rating confidence
Moderate
Sector
Boys and Girls Clubs

Official website

Reported finances

Revenue
$2,982,900
Expenses
$6,523,729
Assets
$11,290,329
Liabilities
$609,448

Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2024. Amounts in USD.

Leadership & pay

30 people listed

Executive titles in this filing

  • LAUREN PLICHTA (CEO)

Highest reported compensation

  • LAUREN PLICHTA (CEO): $220,550 total reported compensation
  • GREGORY BURTON (CHIEF OPERATING OFFICER): $185,518 total reported compensation
  • LIZZETTE VILLEGAS (SENIOR DIRECTOR OF PROGRAMS): $126,151 total reported compensation

Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2024. Names and roles reflect this filing, not necessarily current officeholders.

Overview

Mission

To help at-promise children and youth in los angeles reach their fullest potential through professionally supported, one-to-one mentoring relationships that strengthen their social, emotional, cognitive and behavioral competencies. Youth served by bbbsla demonstrate improvement in their commitment to school and academic achievement, increased understanding of healthy standards of behavior; enhancement of resilience, self-efficacy and sense of the future; and a great sense of self-worth. From july 1, 2024 - june 30, 2025, bbblsa served 1,228 children and youth (ages 6-22) across los angeles county through six evidence-based mentoring programs that prepare children and youth to be college, career and life ready.

What it reported doing in 2024

School based mentoring: from july 2024 to june 2025, bbbsla served an estimated 186 children and youth in the school based mentoring program. Through this program, and in partnership with schools across los angeles county, bbbsla provided weekly one-hour mentoring sessions to elementary students in grades 2-5 by pairing them with professionally screened adult mentors in the school setting. An additional component of our school-based mentoring program is the high school bigs program, a unique initiative where high school students volunteer as mentors for elementary students. These one-hour weekly sessions run throughout the school year, with all mentoring activities guided by on-site bbbsla staff using a staff-curated, evidence-based curriculum. This year, we operated four active high school bigs programs at mckinley, la verne heights, grace miller, and tracy elementary schools. Further expanding our impact, bbbsla partnered with the city of long beach to introduce mentorship programming for middle school students. In this initiative, middle school students are matched with city employees who serve as mentors. We operated three active middle school programs at lindbergh, franklin, and stephens middle schools.

Operating model

Revenue model
Donor-supported. 96% of the money available for current operations came from contributions and gifts.
Distribution model
Direct operator. The filing allocates 94% of reported program-service expenses outside its grant, affiliate-payment, and member-benefit lines. This expense classification does not rule out separately announced grant awards.
  • Includes noncash contributions: Reported contributions include donated property or goods.

The verdict

STRONG - A large share of available resources goes toward mission work and the filed numbers largely add up. A relatively small share of total spending goes to programs and fundraising costs are high for each dollar raised.

Rating breakdown

  • Financial Efficiency: 73
  • Transparency & Controls: 83
  • Accountability: 95
  • Sustainability: 30
  • Growth: 100

Detailed rating inputs

Financial Efficiency

  • Mission deployment rate: 100%; rating input score 100
  • Program expense ratio: 49%; rating input score 49
  • Fundraising efficiency: $4.43 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 14; 14th percentile among comparable filings

Transparency & Controls

  • Consistency checks: 100%; rating input score 100; 63rd percentile among comparable filings
  • Pay-setting controls: 3 of 6 controls in place; rating input score 50
    • Compensation committee: Pass
    • Independent consultant: Missing
    • Other Form 990s reviewed: Pass
    • Written employment contract: Missing
    • Compensation survey or study: Missing
    • Board or committee approval: Pass
  • Foreign activity oversight: Limited
  • Grant itemization coverage: 100%; rating input score 100; 72nd percentile among comparable filings
  • Major donor itemization: Yes; rating input score 100
  • Related-party transparency: Limited

Accountability

  • Independent voting board: 100%; rating input score 100; 63rd percentile among comparable filings
  • Governance controls: 8 of 9 controls in place; rating input score 89
    • Conflict-of-interest policy: Pass
    • Whistleblower policy: Pass
    • Document-retention policy: Pass
    • CEO compensation review process: Pass
    • Other executive compensation review process: Fail
    • Form 990 shared with the board: Pass
    • Board meeting minutes documented: Pass
    • Audit committee oversight: Pass
    • Independent financial-statement audit: Pass

Sustainability

  • Operating margin: -118.7%; rating input score 1; 1st percentile among comparable filings
  • Total-asset coverage ratio: 1.73; rating input score 57; 57th percentile among comparable filings
  • Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.05; rating input score 69; 69th percentile among comparable filings
  • Officer compensation ratio: 8.2%; rating input score 36; 36th percentile among comparable filings

Growth

  • Program expense growth: 2.2% per year; rating input score 100; 23rd percentile among comparable filings
  • Revenue growth: 5.3% per year; rating input score 100; 43rd percentile among comparable filings
  • Asset growth: 13.5% per year; rating input score 100; 70th percentile among comparable filings

Details

  • Where the money goes: 100% of revenue deployed · 49% of spending went to programs
  • Governance: 27 of 27 board members independent · 8 of 9 filing controls reported
  • Programs: 4 filed program accomplishments · $3.2M in reported program spending
  • Leadership: top reported pay $221K · 30 people listed · 3 of 6 pay-setting controls reported
  • Highest-paid contractors: 2 contractors listed · $364K reported
  • Consistency: 36 of 36 current checks pass
  • Schedules: 8 filed schedules · includes major donors, grants, and executive pay
  • Filing history: 15 filing years from 2010 to 2024
  • Contacts: How to reach this organization
  • Money network: 3 filed money-flow records
  • Related organizations: Filed and resolved organization relationships.
  • Grant readiness: Federal tax and exclusion status, award history, and grant-maker relationships.
  • People: Everyone the filings name, and which of them the filings identify by more than a name.

Key Signals

Signals prioritize questions for review. They are not findings of misconduct.

  • Moderate — Financial Efficiency: Program expense ratio scored 49/100.
  • High — Financial Efficiency: Fundraising efficiency scored 14/100.
  • High — Sustainability: Operating margin scored 1/100.
  • Review — Accountability: Governance controls: Other executive compensation review process not reported.
  • Review — Sustainability: Total-asset coverage ratio scored 57/100.
  • Moderate — Sustainability: Officer compensation ratio scored 36/100.