Big Brothers Big Sisters of Metro Atlanta Inc

What it reported doing in 2024

1:1 Mentoring with Volunteers: In our traditional 1:1 mentoring program we match children and youth (Littles) with caring adult volunteers (Bigs). The program is individualized for each child to meet their social, emotional and academic needs. Parents/guardians enroll their children in our program and work with program staff to identify issues their child may be dealing with, areas of concern and goals for the mentoring relationship. Our staff then create a personalized match plan for each youth outlining specific goals that can be monitored and supported for the duration of the match. Volunteers and youth are matched based on a range of criteria including geographic proximity, personality, life experiences and shared interests. The Big Brother/Sister and Little Brother/Sister spend quality time together engaged in enrichment activities at times that are most convenient for them and their families. In some cases, Bigs and Littles meet at the Little's school during the school day. A one-year commitment of two meetings/month on average is required. Each mentoring match is supported by a dedicated Program Specialist who provides ongoing resources and support to the Big, the Little and parents/guardians. Young people can remain in our program until they graduate from high school. In 2024, we served 962 children and youth ages 8-18 in our 1:1 Mentoring with Volunteers program.An enhancement to our core mentoring programs, Big Futures programming is designed to ensure that all High School youth are highly engaged and supported with tailored programming, resources and support. Our goal is that our high school Littles graduate both high school and our program with a concrete plan for their future, a sense of confidence as they enter adult life and a support system to help them navigate the transitions to and through high school. We offer a suite of resources and connections to other community partners who support high school youth. Through consistent and tailored communications to our High School matches and families, we provide ongoing opportunities such as college application and preparation support, college tours, and corporate behind-the-scenes visits. We continuously solicit feedback from high school Littles and their Bigs and families as part of our ongoing evaluation and assessment of Big Futures to ensure our programming is meeting the needs of the high school students in our program. In 2024, we served more than 554 high school students with our Big Futures activities and resources. We are very proud of the outcomes the young people we served in 2024 were able to achieve, at school and in the community: 98% of high school seniors in our program graduated on time 98% of our Littles avoided involvement in the juvenile justice system 99% of our Littles were promoted to the next grade level on time 88% of our Littles maintained or improved academic performance/school grades 86% of our Littles reported decreased or no depressive symptoms 90% of our Littles maintained or improved emotional regulation 94% of our Littles avoided risky behaviors and school discipline events 94% of graduating seniors reported post-graduation plans that align with the Four Es outcome measures: Enrollment Employment Entrepreneurship Enlistment

Financial Efficiency

• Mission deployment rate: 100%; rating input score 100
• Program expense ratio: 75.3%; rating input score 75
• Fundraising efficiency: $4.69 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 16; 16th percentile among comparable filings

Transparency & Controls

• Consistency checks: 100%; rating input score 100; 63rd percentile among comparable filings
• Pay-setting controls: 4 of 6 controls in place; rating input score 67
  • Compensation committee: Missing
  • Independent consultant: Pass
  • Other Form 990s reviewed: Pass
  • Written employment contract: Missing
  • Compensation survey or study: Pass
  • 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: 9 of 9 controls in place; rating input score 100
  • Conflict-of-interest policy: Pass
  • Whistleblower policy: Pass
  • Document-retention policy: Pass
  • CEO compensation review process: Pass
  • Other executive compensation review process: Pass
  • Form 990 shared with the board: Pass
  • Board meeting minutes documented: Pass
  • Audit committee oversight: Pass
  • Independent financial-statement audit: Pass

Sustainability

• Operating margin: -28.2%; rating input score 4; 4th percentile among comparable filings
• Total-asset coverage ratio: 1.36; rating input score 48; 48th percentile among comparable filings
• Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.18; rating input score 46; 46th percentile among comparable filings
• Officer compensation ratio: 11.4%; rating input score 26; 26th percentile among comparable filings

Growth

• Program expense growth: 25.3% per year; rating input score 100; 90th percentile among comparable filings
• Revenue growth: 12.1% per year; rating input score 100; 75th percentile among comparable filings
• Asset growth: 11.8% per year; rating input score 100; 65th percentile among comparable filings