Big Brothers Big Sisters of the Great Lakes Bay Region

Nonprofit profile at a glance

EIN
381553323
IRS 990 coverage
2010–2025
Forms available
Form 990 2025
Location
Midland, MI, USA
Phone
9896315360
Rating
81
Verdict
STRONG
Rating confidence
Moderate

Official website

Reported finances

Revenue
$735,739
Expenses
$737,690
Assets
$2,036,662
Liabilities
$115,760

Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2025. Amounts in USD.

Leadership & pay

13 people listed

Executive titles in this filing

  • Rudy Barron (President)
  • Tiffany Wardynski (Vice President)
  • Scott Litle (Executive Director)

Highest reported compensation

  • Scott Litle (Executive Director): $105,258 total reported compensation

Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2025. Names and roles reflect this filing, not necessarily current officeholders.

Overview

Mission

To provide children facing adversity with strong and enduring, professionally supported one-to-one relationships that change their lives for the better, forever.

What it reported doing in 2025

See Schedule O.Big Brothers Big Sisters of the Great Lakes Bay Region creates and supports one-to-one mentoring relationships that help youth reach their full potential. In 2025, the organization served 200 youth across Midland, Bay, Saginaw, and Isabella Counties through Community-Based Mentoring and Site-Based mentoring programs. Community-Based matches connect youth with caring adult mentors who meet regularly and are professionally supported by agency staff, while Site-Based programs provide structured mentoring opportunities in local schools, including a focus on academic and literacy development. The organization provides screening, enrollment, matching, training, and ongoing professional support to youth, families, and volunteer mentors to promote safe, strong, and lasting relationships. These mentoring relationships are designed to strengthen educational success, social and emotional well-being, positive relationships, and the ability of youth to avoid risky behaviors.

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 96% 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 - The filed numbers largely add up and a large share of available resources goes toward mission work. Fundraising costs are high for each dollar raised and program spending has declined or grown slowly.

Rating breakdown

  • Financial Efficiency: 68
  • Transparency & Controls: 94
  • Accountability: 100
  • Sustainability: 43
  • Growth: 60

Detailed rating inputs

Financial Efficiency

  • Mission deployment rate: 74.4%; rating input score 74
  • Program expense ratio: 73.4%; rating input score 73
  • Fundraising efficiency: $5.9 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 20; 20th percentile among comparable filings

Transparency & Controls

  • Consistency checks: 100%; rating input score 100; 63rd percentile among comparable filings
  • Pay-setting controls: Limited
  • Foreign activity oversight: Limited
  • Grant itemization coverage: 100%; rating input score 100; 78th 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; 64th percentile among comparable filings
  • Governance controls: 8 of 8 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: NotApplicable
    • Form 990 shared with the board: Pass
    • Board meeting minutes documented: Pass
    • Audit committee oversight: Pass
    • Independent financial-statement audit: Pass

Sustainability

  • Operating margin: -0.3%; rating input score 29; 29th percentile among comparable filings
  • Total-asset coverage ratio: 2.76; rating input score 73; 73rd percentile among comparable filings
  • Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.06; rating input score 42; 42nd percentile among comparable filings
  • Officer compensation ratio: 14.3%; rating input score 26; 26th percentile among comparable filings

Growth

  • Program expense growth: -2.8% per year; rating input score 0; 9th percentile among comparable filings
  • Revenue growth: 1.1% per year; rating input score 100; 15th percentile among comparable filings
  • Asset growth: 8.2% per year; rating input score 100; 49th percentile among comparable filings

Details

  • Where the money goes: 74.4% of revenue deployed · 73.4% of spending went to programs
  • Governance: 12 of 12 board members independent · 8 of 8 filing controls reported
  • Programs: 1 filed program accomplishment · $541K in reported program spending
  • Leadership: top reported pay $105K · 13 people listed
  • Consistency: 39 of 39 current checks pass
  • Schedules: 7 filed schedules · includes major donors and grants
  • Filing history: 15 filing years from 2010 to 2025
  • Contacts: How to reach this organization
  • Money network: 1 filed money-flow record
  • 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.
  • Staff and benefit plans: Retirement and health plans the organization files with the Department of Labor, and the people in them.

Key Signals

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

  • High — Financial Efficiency: Fundraising efficiency scored 20/100.
  • High — Growth: Program expense growth scored 0/100.
  • High — Sustainability: Operating margin scored 29/100.
  • High — Sustainability: Officer compensation ratio scored 26/100.
  • Moderate — Sustainability: Liabilities to assets ratio scored 42/100.