Big Brothers Big Sisters of Middle Tennessee

CEO Update December 2011

CEO REPORT FOR DECEMBER 2011

By Lowell Perry – Chief Executive Officer

FINISH TO A CHALLENGING YEAR

After making 25 new matches in December, the agency finished the year with 2,536 children served. A noble effort considering the tremendous adversity we faced with the significant loss of federal funding for our successful statewide Mentoring Children of Prisoners (MCP) program, Amachi. Our original goal for the year was to crack the 3,000 barrier for kids served - and we could have very well accomplished that feat without the loss of staff that could not be replaced due to cuts in federal funding. This is not a phenomenon that only Big Brothers Big Sisters is experiencing, as many of our colleagues locally and nationally are fighting the same alligators. Many are worse off than we are. We continue to make long and strong matches and to present our case for investment of time, talent, and treasure. As you have heard me say often - the children we serve don’t care about what is going on with the economy, they just want their Big. Our charge is to “keep on keepin’ on” and make it happen. With your continued support, we will.

This reminds me of an old Lexus axiom I learned when I first moved here in 2002: “If you think you can you will. If you think you can’t, you won’t. We can, we will!”

The agency ended the year with $2.5 million in revenue, net of MCP Amachi pass-thru. This is a 4.5% decrease from last year, and 12% less than projections. The decrease in revenue is a result of a myriad of factors including several delayed, expected agency investments (in the combined, projected amount of $130,000) until 2012. This was a direct hit to revenue for 2011, as we have historically received these funds in the fourth quarter of the year. The aforementioned loss of the Amachi funds has also negatively impacted revenue in a huge way. Thankfully, the organization received a Tennessee State Amachi Grant in the net amount of $130,750, which helped to offset the some of the loss of federal funds. Thank you for our legislators and the Governor for recognizing the value of the outcomes being achieved in this program. Contributions, grants and fundraising income ended the year flat when compared to the previous fiscal year and were considerably less than projections.

Although the agency ended the year with operating expenses being less than budget projections by approximately $100,000 and less than the previous year by $67,000, it was not enough to offset the reduced revenue amount, thus creating an operating deficit of $224,000.

The agency ended the year with $42,000 in cash compared to $96,000 at the end of last fiscal year. The negative impact on cash for the fiscal year was a result of the operating deficit discussed above.

The receivable amount from the Breakfast event held in November, net of allowance for bad debts, is $175,000. The bad debt primarily consists of unfulfilled 2009 and 2010 pledges. Hopefully at least a portion of those funds will still be honored. For 2011, the pledges for the Breakfast were limited to those individuals who provided credit card or ACH draft opportunities. The collection on Breakfast pledges is currently averaging about $4,200 per month, which we anticipate will increase with the 2011 pledges.

Maintaining a sufficient cash balance, as well as building a cash reserve will be of critical importance as we go into the new fiscal year. Our primary focus will be getting off of the nonprofit hamster wheel of “doing more with less.” This antiquated philosophy does a disservice to the children and families we serve, and we will continue to make the business case for increased unrestricted investment to allow us to have the capacity to not only build cash reserves, but also the requisite funding required for sustainability and growth capital.

We are making the appropriate plans for increasing revenue, especially from individual and corporate donors, and weaning ourselves off of being dependent upon federal government funding. These new practices will protect us from similar cuts to funding for children like the ones we experienced in 2011. The agency and board have put together a plan to make an already lean organization even more efficient in 2012 through cost reductions. We will continue to focus on match retention and quality - areas that stayed steady during the year, and areas where we continue to be one of the best agencies in the country.

UPCOMING EVENTS THAT YOU NEED TO CHECK OUT

Team Rio: Recruitment is in full swing for runners and walkers, and sponsor investment opportunities are available right now. Call (615) 329-9191 ext. 217 or email [email protected] or visit www.teamrio.org for more details. Join Jimmy Olander and Marty Roe of Diamond Rio as they train with a purpose for the Country Music Marathon on April 28, 2012.

Bowl for Kids Sake: The committee for 2012 is forming now to help plan this year’s Bowl for Kids’ Sake season as we remember it’s not about the bowling, it’s about the kids! Contact [email protected] or (615) 329-9191 ext. 263 to get your company involved as a sponsor, bowlers, or both! Board member and bowling event guru extraordinaire Cynthia Whitfield with AllState has agreed to be this coming season’s chair of the event.

The Ambassadors Circle: Are you someone who has a desire to positively impact the youth in our community and you believe in and support the mission of Big Brothers Big Sisters? The Ambassadors Circle can provide you with an opportunity to make a significant impact. The Ambassadors Circle is a diverse group of dedicated men and women throughout the city who volunteer their time, talents and energy to support Big Brothers Big Sisters of Middle Tennessee’s programs through fundraisers and volunteer initiatives. If you are looking for a way to become an Ambassador of Big Brothers Big Sisters contact Chris Suitter at 615-329-9191 ext. 229 or [email protected]

Mentoring Brothers In Action: Big Brothers Big Sisters, the economy notwithstanding, must continue to position itself to serve more kids, even if economic realities are forcing us to temporarily move at a slower pace. Men are, of course, in great demand. One very exciting development out of the national office is the launch of Mentoring Brothers in Action, the next phase of the historic national partnership between Alpha Phi Alpha, Kappa Alpha Psi, and Omega Psi Phi, Fraternities, Incorporated powered by Big Brothers Big Sisters. Check out the website at www.mentoringbrothers.org.

Now some of you reading this who are Sigmas and Iotas and in sororities may be saying, where are we? We would love to have all Divine Nine organizations join the fight officially. Please contact your regional and national leadership to join expeditiously as we need all hands on deck. In fact, there is a national Mentoring Brothers in Action Summit & Website Launch in Atlanta on February 10, 2012 and we would love to see you there.

Obviously we are calling on all members of the Pan Hellenic Council, male and female, here in Middle Tennessee to get involved even if you aren’t officially part of the alliance yet. Let’s make sure that Nashville is a leader in this movement! Contact Tiffany Patton at [email protected].

2012 will be a no less challenging year to navigate, but as I said above, we don’t have any choice but to respond as hundreds of children are depending on us to “find a way out of no way.” I trust that ya’ll are with me on this in an unprecedented manner this year.

WAITING LIST STATUS – Where are the kids who are ready to be matched today?

A couple of months ago we started publishing a list of where the children are located who have already raised their hands and asked to be matched with a Big Brother or Big Sister. A number of people responded to this information as it identified children in close proximity to their communities or area nearby their work. Our most up-to-date waiting list information is below:

In the eight counties that we serve, we have 206 approved children waiting to be matched and 52 volunteers. The waiting list is constantly changing as we make matches weekly. In our largest service area, Davidson County, we have 21 volunteers approved and waiting and 124 children, with 49 of those children living in North Nashville/Whites Creek or Joelton. The children waiting in all counties are as follows:

Age                                Gender                              Race

6 to 8 years                 169 Boys                             153 Black (125 boys/28 girls)

9 to 12 years                 37 Girls                                31 White (25 boys/6 girls)

13 to 16 years                                                           19 Multi/Other (18 boys/1 girl)

                                                                                 3 Hispanic (1 boy/2 girls)

TOP LEVEL BBBSMT PERFORMANCE METRICS

CATEGORY	GOAL FOR 2011	STATUS AS OF 12/31/2011
Unrestricted Revenue	$2.85 million	$2.49 million
Children Served	3,000	2,536
Total "open" matches - all	2,020	1,543
Total "new" matches made	1,155	691
Community-Based Matches
- Six month retention	89%	86%
- Twelve month retention	73%	70%
- Average match length	24 months	21.9 months
- Closure rate	43%	29%
- Match contact rate	94%	94%
- SOR* completion rate (Total)	85%	78%
- YOS** completion rate (Baseline)	85%	82%
Site-Based Matches
- Six month retention	86%	84%
- Twelve month retention	43%	41%
- Average match length	15 months	14.3 months
- Closure rate	38%	51%
- Match contact rate	95%	97%
- SOR* completion rate (Total)	85%	94%
- YOS** completion rate (Baseline)	90%	98%

*SOR – Strength of Relationship Survey

**YOS – Youth Outcomes Survey

 THOUGHT FOR THE MONTH

January is National Mentoring Month and you will be hearing a lot of calls to action on radio and in print. Many of you are already in the fight for the hearts and minds of our young as Bigs, in a board or advisory capacity, or in helping to fund the work we do. My feeling has been that all children currently have mentors, but often not the right ones. Big Brothers Big Sisters is in many respects in the “mentor replacement” business as much as just making matches. Gangs and drug dealers are working overtime to recruit our children. All that stands between the kids and the wrong mentor is a big brother or big sister who helps ensure that young people facing adversity don’t have to search for acceptance with people who would lead them astray.

Now is the perfect time to spread the word to your friends and colleagues about why Big Brothers Big Sisters is so important to you. Forward them a copy of this report, recruit them for Team Rio or Bowl for Kids’ Sake, or just send them to our website www.mentorakid.org to whet their appetite for getting involved themselves.

Make sure that you follow the agency and me on Twitter at @BigBroBigSisMT and @lowellperryjr to keep up with the latest and greatest.

Ya’ll rock!

Cheers,

LP

 

THIS WEEKEND BUY A HILLWOOD STRIKE AND SPARE SHARING SPREE & SUPPORT BBBS!

TVA Invests in Big Brothers Big Sisters

Big Brothers Big Sisters of Middle Tennessee has received a $1,500 gift from the Tennessee Valley Authority to help provide mentoring and other support services for youth in Cheatham County.

TVA officials, State Rep. Phillip Johnson and County Mayor David McCullough presented a check on Friday to Diane Frey, RSVP program director for Big Brothers Big Sisters of Middle Tennessee in a small ceremony at the Big Brothers Big Sisters’ Cheatham County office.

Frey said the funds will be used to interview, screen, and conduct background checks on the program’s increasing number of volunteer mentors.  “This gift will help us provide mentors who encourage children to overcome low self esteem, lack of confidence, poor school performance, and other problems,” Frey said. ”We are grateful for TVA’s continued investment.”   

Big Brothers Big Sisters works with children, mentors, parents and teachers to ensure a quality mentoring relationship. The school-based program also works closely with guidance counselors and teachers to identify children most in need and to establish goals for the child.

“TVA’s community support will help Big Brothers Big Sisters of Middle Tennessee improve the lives of Cheatham County youths,” said Johnson, whose district includes Cheatham and part of Montgomery and Williamson counties.  “The services provided by Big Brothers Big Sisters of Middle Tennessee are invaluable to our community and I am appreciative for TVA’s support to Cheatham County,” said McCullough.

Corporate contributions are part of TVA’s service mission and include special emphasis on education, economic development, and human services activities that improve quality of life for people of the TVA region.

“Big Brothers Big Sisters of Middle Tennessee is a great organization, and TVA supports their commitment to help youths in their local communities,” said Amy Arnold-Martin, TVA Valley Relations Manager for Middle Tennessee.

To learn more about supporting the work of Big Brothers Big Sisters, visit www.mentorakid.org or call (615) 329-9191.

Gathering for the TVA check presentation to Big Brothers Big Sisters of Middle Tennessee, from left: Rep. Phillip Johnson; Diane Treadway, Big Brothers Big Sisters; Amy Arnold-Martin, TVA; Cheatham County Mayor David McCullough; Rochelle Fuller, Big Brothers Big Sisters; Lowell Perry, Jr. – CEO of Big Brothers Big Sisters of Middle Tennessee; Diane Frey and Elke McLeroy, Big Brothers Big Sisters.

BIG BROTHERS BIG SISTERS ANNOUNCES 2012 BOARD MEMBERS

Big Brothers Big Sisters of Middle Tennessee has announced its Executive Committee and Board of Directors for 2012.  Serving as officers are:  President, Sandy Draper, Wirtgen America; President-Elect, Stan Snipes, XMI Commercial Real Estate; Past President, Carolyn Loudenslager, Dell; Vice President, Renee Behrman-Greiman, Modern Management; Secretary, Sally Holland, Caterpillar Financial Services; Treasurer, Tom Price, Price CPAs; and Community Liaison, Tom Shumate, Kay, Griffin, Enkema & Brothers, PLLC.

Other Board members serving for 2012 are:  Karen Ahern, Fifth Third Bank; Will Clark, Brookdale Senior Living; Laurie Coggins, Regions Bank; Brian Collins, CCA; James Crumlin, Bone McAllester Norton, PLLC; Brian Donnelly, Brown & Brown of Tennessee; Greg Greenwell, TotalPrint; Ann Hatcher, HCA Healthcare; Sara Jo Houghland, Comcast; Lauren Lane, Nashville Area Habitat for Humanity; Thomas McDaniel, Boyle; Michael Moore, Synergy Business Environments; Matt Nicholson, Turner Universal; Lucius Outlaw, Vanderbilt University; Milton Price, Wells Fargo Bank; Sara Rosson; Benson Sloan, Bank of America Merrill Lynch; Charles Story, ECS Group, Inc.; and Cynthia Whitfield, Allstate Insurance.

Big Brothers Big Sisters of Middle Tennessee served 2,600 Middle Tennessee children in 2011 with a one-to-one mentor in their lives.  The primary administrative offices are located at 1704 Charlotte Avenue, Suite 130 in Nashville.  To better serve children, the agency also has satellite offices in Murfreesboro and Springfield.  To learn more, visit www.mentorakid.org or call (615) 329-9191.

For more info and to see photos of our Board members, click here.

The Non-Holiday Gift for the Holidays

In December, many Middle Tennesseans are struggling to find the perfect holiday gift to wrap in pretty paper and present to friends and family.  Sometimes the ideal gift is a fuzzy sweater or blinking toy, other times it might be a simple batch of homemade cookies or a card delivered with a smile.  In either case, the most relevant gifts that anyone can receive are those that continue to bring joy and positive impact to the recipient all year long.

Volunteering with Big Brothers Big Sisters is, quite simply, a gift.  Mentors give of their time to work with children who have good parents at home, but are missing an additional positive adult role model that can help them realize their full potential.  While the value of this one-to-one time is priceless, studies have shown that children who are part of a structured mentoring program such as Big Brothers Big Sisters do better in school, are more likely to avoid drugs and violence, and their self-confidence is improved.  These children also positively impact their peers – as their fellow students see another classmate enjoying assignments and actively taking part in classroom instruction - the other children follow suit.  Teachers have praised the mentoring program, and children and volunteers have their own lives improved as a result.

One parent in the Big Brothers Big Sisters of Middle Tennessee program, Bridgette, recently wrote in to share her thoughts.  She shared, “I know that the relationship my son's Big has built with him is going to have an impact on him for years to come.”  She continued, “He is more excited about his future now because he has such an awesome example.”

Bridgette shared that when she first learned of the Big Brothers Big Sisters program, she initially did not apply for her son to have a mentor because she was such a strong, independent woman – she proclaimed she could “do it all.”  Indeed many parents fill multiple roles with their children, but it was as her son grew older and she was asked to tie a necktie on the way to church that Bridgette realized her more masculine skills were perhaps a bit rusty than she previously considered.  After consulting google and you tube to have her son arrive at church with his tie secured, she returned home to search Big Brothers Big Sisters’ website and apply for a Big Brother and avoid such hassles in the future.

Hundreds more children are being positively impacted by their Big Brothers and Big Sisters right now in Middle Tennessee, yet there is much more work to be done.  As you are evaluating your end of year financial investments and considering New Year’s resolutions to better yourself and your community – perhaps the holiday gift that keeps on giving, mentoring a child through Big Brothers Big Sisters, should be at the top of that list.

For more information, visit www.mentorakid.org or call (615) 329-9191.

CEO UPDATE, NOVEMBER 2011

NOBLE NOVEMBER

Another noble effort on the part of our still short-handed program staff resulted in 82 new matches for the month, bringing the total number of children served this year to 2,511.   62 were site-based and 20 were community-based matches.  Of the total, 21 were Amachi kids.  The fact that we have made the number of matches we have to date under the current economic conditions, and with 25% less volunteers coming into the agency makes this an even more remarkable month.

Thank you to those of you who are one of those 82 new volunteers… and to those who may have been responsible for inspiring a friend or colleague to get involved.  Keep spreading the word to everyone in your network as personal relationships are still the most effective method of getting people to invest their time, talent and/or treasure in our mission to change the lives of children facing adversity for the better, forever.

From a revenue standpoint we brought in over $256,000 largely due to the best and most successful Breakfast event to date at which nearly 1,000 people contributed in excess of $200,000 - including a very generous $25,000 gift given by former Big Brother, board member and one of the first ever matches from the Buddies of Nashville days, Jim Hunt, who attended the breakfast with his now 50 year old “Little Brother” Bruce.   Jim, who is also a member of our Resource Council, has been a long time supporter of this agency throughout its over 40 year history.  Jim’s generosity inspired an anonymous donor to also invest $25,000 in Big Brothers Big Sisters of Middle Tennessee.  We certainly hope others will be moved to follow their lead.

Projected revenues for November were $402,000, so we again ended up significantly short which puts a lot of stress on the organization.  Some of the shortfall is due to timing issues associated with expected investments.  The loss of our federal MCP/Amachi funding also continues to be a factor.  For the year, government grants are off by about $290,000 and corporate foundations by over $60,000 as compared to the same time last year.

We hope to finish with a very strong year-end push to make up some of the deficit.  If you haven’t yet made an investment in 2011, there is still time to help us reach more kids.  The good news is we continue to perform better than projections from an expenses standpoint.  At roughly $129,000 below projections on expenses that leaves about a $200,000 gap to fill.

Stay tuned for an exciting 2012 kickoff during National Mentoring Month in January to help get off to a dynamic start in 2012.   The groundbreaking marketing activities will be in coordination with our Home Office and feature the launch of Mentoring Brothers in Action, the next step in the historic partnership between Big Brothers Big Sisters, Alpha Phi Alpha, Kappa Alpha Psi, and Omega Psi Phi.

CURRENT EVENTS

Team Rio: Recruitment is in full swing for runners and walkers as well as sponsor investment opportunities right now. Call 615-522-5665 or email [email protected] or visit www.teamrio.org for more details. Join Jimmy Olander of country music’s Diamond Rio as we train with a purpose for the Country Music Marathon on April 28, 2012.

Bowl for Kids Sake: The committee for 2012 is forming now to help plan this year’s Bowl for Kids’ Sake season as we remember “It’s not about the bowling, It’s about the kids!” Contact [email protected]  or visit www.tnbowling.org to get your company involved as a sponsor, bowlers, or both!  Board member and bowling event guru extraordinaire Cynthia Whitfield, with AllState, has agreed to be this coming season’s co-chair of the event.

OJJDP Recruitment:   If you have been contemplating becoming a Big, now is the time to act!  We are excited to be a recipient of a new grant from the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention to serve children in some of our underserved communities. However, to optimize the funding provided, we need to make 100 new matches during the first four months of 2012 in specific communities, including Murfreesboro, Antioch and parts of Davidson County, in the Community and Site-Based programs. We need your help… and you can make a difference by investing as little as an hour a week. If you would like more information about getting you or your company involved, contact [email protected] or call (615) 329-9191 ext. 229.

2012 Calendars:  A group of elementary students from our University School of Nashville High School Bigs program have created 2012 calendars that can help start your New Year off right.  To order, stop by our office or visit www.bbbscalendar.kintera.org – they make terrific hostess gifts!

Sole Mio Benefit:  On Wednesday, December 21, all day, grab some friends and head over to Sole Mio Italian Restaurant if you’re in Nashville.  50% of all purchases that day will be donated to Big Brothers Big Sisters! The restaurant is located at 311 3^rd Avenue, South and their phone number is (615) 256-4013.  Check out menus, at www.solemionash.com.  See you there!

 Uncle Bud’s Day: Many thanks to104.5 The Zone’s 3 Hour Lunch who broadcasted live on Thursday Dec 15 to help raise money for the Big Brothers Big Sisters of Middle Tennessee.  Folks including me went to the Uncle Bud’s location closest to them yesterday and dined on some of the best catfish in the area while 10% of the proceeds went to Big Brothers Big Sisters to help serve children.  Both Blaine Bishop and Clay Travis with the 3 Hour Lunch are Bigs for our organization. Thank you also to Uncle Bud's and their delightful staff!

As an aside, all of these events are great ways for you to help the agency help the community by continuing to serve the kids that we have on our current roster, and providing the resources to reach more kids facing adversity.  We are helping to change kids' lives for the better, forever with your support and investment of time, talent, and/or treasure.

THOUGHT FOR THE MONTH

My dad was well known for his mantra “you make a living by what you earn, but you make a life by what you give.”  He was a man who was the epitome of service above self.  Lowell Perry Sr. helped many people during his time on earth and he never bragged about it nor kept score with the multitude of favors he did for others.  I watched in awe as he mentored not only me and my siblings, but also our friends who came from families without a strong male figure. 

As the season of giving is upon us it is appropriate for us to ask ourselves whether we are just making a living or are we making a life?  If you are in search of a way to better define the latter, visit www.mentorakid.org and give a youngster on our waiting list the best Christmas gift they could ever receive – a Big Brother or Big Sister. 

Regardless of your individual religious beliefs, Christmas is the story of the ultimate sacrifice.  The quintessential example of making a life by what you give.   I wish you and your families, health, happiness, and love during this wonderful time.  Count every blessing and be a blessing to others less fortunate. 

Thank you for standing by us in 2011 and we look forward to a great year in 2012 with your help.

Cheers,

LP

Dine at Sole Mio on December 21st to Support Big Brothers Big Sisters!

2012 CALENDARS OFFERED FOR SALE

Volunteer mentors from Big Brothers Big Sisters’ High School Bigs’ program at University School of Nashville spend time weekly with elementary students from Carter Lawrence Elementary and Robert Churchwell Museum Magnet Elementary all year long.  They work on assignments together, eat lunch, play games – and talk about each other’s school day and interactions with peers and teachers.

This positive time together is priceless for both the high school student developing traits and habits for their adult lives and the elementary school student who has a friend they can talk to about social interactions, academic subjects where they are struggling, and increase their self-confidence and ambitions for their own futures.

 During one of these visits, a group of these students decided they wanted to create a project together that could support the mentoring program that helped create the friendships they find so valuable.  The younger students took pen to paper and created illustrations about their favorite aspects of each month, and the older students helped put the structure in place to create a 2012 calendar that the high school students would sell to friends and family for a small fund-raising effort.

Calendars are available while supplies last through Big Brothers Big Sisters website, www.mentorakid.org or www.bbbscalendar.kintera.org  for $10 each, or you may call (615) 329-9191 for more information.

BIG BROTHERS BIG SISTERS NAMES NEW VICE PRESIDENT OF MARKETING

Big Brothers Big Sisters of Middle Tennessee has named Tiffany Dobson as Vice President of Marketing.

Dobson joins the mentoring agency from the corporate sector having previously worked with Sprint PCS as a Corporate Sales Executive and is a graduate of Tennessee State University where she also worked as a development officer.  She also previously served as a board member for the agency and is a current volunteer Big Sister.

To learn more about getting involved with Big Brothers Big Sisters, visit www.mentorakid.org or call (615) 329-9191.

Tiffany Dobson

Fun with a Purpose: December Match Spotlight

Dallas Owen has been matched with his Little Brother Emerald for almost a year in our Community Based Program. Dallas and Emerald have a fun-loving friendship and can have a great time doing just about anything.

Whether it’s feeding the ducks at the park, eating ice cream, attending Big Brothers Big Sisters events, or going to a Sounds game - these guys make the most of their time together. Dallas recently became a father and, while adjusting to life with a new baby, still makes time for his Little Brother. Emerald is very appreciative of the time Dallas spends with him, as evidenced by a recent happening.

He recently won a pair of Predators tickets at school and his response was, “I want to take Mr. Dallas because Mr. Dallas always takes me fun places.” Mom has noticed Emerald listens to her better and is more easy-going since being matched with Dallas. She recently told me that seeing Dallas always brightens Emerald’s day – we’re sure the feeling is mutual!