Representatives from Cool Springs Wines & Spirits and the participating wine distributors for the Franklin Wine Festival recently presented a check for $135,000, the proceeds from the annual Franklin Wine Festival benefiting Big Brothers Big Sisters of Middle Tennessee and supported by Nissan.
Pictured are, from left: Penny Floyd – Cool Springs Wines & Spirits; Denise Decuir – Horizon Wine & Spirits; Lowell Perry – CEO of Big Brothers Big Sisters of Middle Tennessee; Ben Payne – Athens Distributing; Loren Murphy – Horizon Wine & Spirits; and James Woodard – Owner, Cool Springs Wines & Spirits. 2011 marked the seventh year for the food and wine tasting to be held at The Factory at Franklin in support of mentoring children throughout Middle Tennessee. To date the event has raised more than $629,000 for Big Brothers Big Sisters.
11/28/2011
11/16/2011
October CEO Update
Please pass this on to your network of friends and associates.
CEO REPORT FOR OCTOBER 2011
By Lowell Perry, Chief Executive Officer
ODD OCTOBER
The best way to characterize the month of October is to quote Charles Dickens – “It was the best of times, it was the worst of times.” The agency made an impressive 125 new matches (104 site/school based and 21 community based) to bring the total number of children served in 2011 to 2,429. Thirty of these matches were part of our Amachi effort to mentor children of incarcerated parents. This is quite an accomplishment in that our program staff still remains shorthanded.
Mary Walker, VP of Programs notes that “our site-based team exceeded their goal for average match length by reaching 17.2 months for closed matches in October and 14.2 for the year, a full 2% improvement over 2010. The community team had an amazing 89% three month SOR completion rate (exceeded the goal of 85%) with 70% completion on the annual SOR survey. The YOS completion rate was 75% toward the 85% goal. Both teams continue to meet our goals on match support contacts – 95% for SB and 95% for community.”
Congratulations for an outstanding service delivery month. I cannot stress how important that this kind of stellar quality performance is in the grand scheme of things. Long and strong matches yield outstanding outcomes for the children in our program, and consequently positively impact the communities we serve providing better student performance and decreased chance of engagement in the juvenile justice system. This commitment to excellence is an example of the return on investment of time, talent, and treasure being realized by our stakeholders.
WAITING LIST
I have heard from a number of people that they might be more inclined to volunteer if they knew where the kids are who need a volunteer mentor. Well, this following wonderful report put together by Carly Southworth shows you exactly where the kids are. If one of the listed zip codes coincides with where you reside and you are thinking about becoming a Big Brother or Big Sister, now is the time to be a “Holiday gift” to a child.
Waiting List Snapshot as of November 11, 2011
ALL COUNTIES
198 Children Waiting (Avg. Wait of 243 days: 193 days girls/252 boys)
57 Volunteers
Davidson
20 Volunteers
6 – 37013 (Antioch)
4 – 37211/37204/37212/37220/37210 (South Nashville)
3 – 37076/37214/37217 (Hermitage, Donelson, Airport area)
2 – 37072/37138/37189/37080 (Goodlettsville/Old Hickory/Whites Creek/Joelton)
2 – 37203/37219 (Downtown/Central)
1 – 37215/37205 (Green Hills/Belle Meade)
1 – 37209/37221 (West Nashville/Bellevue)
1 – 37208 (North Nashville)
0 – 37216/37206 (East Nashville)
118 Children
46 – 37207/37208/37189.37080 (North Nashville/Whites Creek/Joelton)
18 - 37115/37072/37138 (Madison/Goodlettsville/Old Hickory)
14 – 37209/37221 (West Nashville/Bellevue)
10 – 37206/37216 (East Nashville)
8 – 37211/37210/37204 (South Nashville)
8 – 37076/37214/37217 (Hermitage, Donelson, Airport area)
7 – 37218 (Bordeaux)
6 – 37013 (Antioch)
1 – 37203 (Downtown/Edgehill Area)
Rutherford
11 Volunteers 37 Children
8 Murfreesboro 29 Murfreesboro
0 LaVergne 5 LaVergne
2 Smyrna 2 Smyrna
0 Lascassas 1 Christiana
1 Christiana
Other Counties
Sumner – 18 children/2 volunteers Cheatham – 6 child/0 volunteers
Wilson – 4 children/4 volunteers Maury – 0 children/2 volunteers
Williamson – 3 children/7 volunteers Robertson - 5 children/4 volunteers
Hickman – 1 child/0 volunteers Dickson – 6 children/6 volunteers
Children (Including all counties)
Age Gender Race
47 – 6 to 8 years 170 Boys 142 Black (129 boys/17 girls)
92 - 9 to 12 years 28 Girls 31 White (24 boys/7 girls)
59 – 13 to 16 years 21 Multi/Other (20 boys/1 girls)
4 Hispanic (1 boy/3 girls)
0 Asian
0 Native American
Volunteers (Including all counties)
Age Gender Race
18 – 20’s 7 Men 12 Black (2 men/10 women)
14 – 30’s 50 Women 42 White (5 men/37 women)
12 – 40’s 1 Multi/Other (woman)
8 – 50’s 2 Hispanic (both women)
5 – 60’s/70’s 0 Asian
0 Native American
Other Stats
47 Children waiting over a year (5 girls/42 boys; 6 white)
81 Amachi children
6 Children in public housing
8 Volunteers waiting over a year
(4 Rutherford and 1 in Williamson, Wilson, Dickson, and Davidson)
75% waiting volunteers have attended orientation
(43 of 57; those that have not attended are in outlying counties.)
DOLLARS AND CENTS
Another comment I have heard from many of you is that you appreciate the fact that I shoot straight with you in these reports. That will always be the case my friends. October was, to say the least, challenging, as we brought in only $150,163 in revenue versus a projection of $388,185. Contributions, grants and fundraising were off quite a bit with the latter showing the largest discrepancy. After inching a little ahead of schedule year-to-date because of a great revenue month in September, we are now off track by $155,629 to reach our revenue goal for 2011.
While the economy is certainly a factor, much of this weak showing in October can be attributed to timing of when we receive funding from some of our strongest long-term annual investors. The fourth quarter is when we have typically had our largest months. We are working diligently on plans to better spread out revenue more evenly throughout the year which will help strengthen our cash position which suffers at various times of the year.
Two key things will help to rectify this going forward: building a minimum three months of cash reserve and an even finer focus on individual giving. This latter piece can be a tremendous insurance policy for us if we have a large number of monthly givers. As you may recall, I did an op-ed piece that was published in The Tennessean at the beginning of this year where I proposed a new approach to how we should invest in social profit businesses like Big Brothers Big Sisters and how that would have the residual effect of helping to reduce the nation’s $14.3 trillion dollar debt over time. I proposed that this positive outcome would happen through cost savings to taxpayers resulting from diverting children facing adversity away from the juvenile justice system and making sure they stay in school and hopefully matriculate to college or a viable trade.
You all are well aware that the evidence supports those facts. To review that editorial, if 10,000 gave an average of $10 that is $1 million. That helps us serve 1000 kids. So for every million, that’s a thousand young people who are being positioned to achieve the American Dream through a professionally supported one-to-one mentoring relationship. When you couple that with the much larger investments that our larger investors and corporations are able to make to ensure that our service area has a well educated, productive, taxpaying workforce, we are all then a part of driving true positive transformational change for all of us.
We did still have a lot of fun however in October with the success of the ever popular Franklin Wine Festival presented by Cool Springs Wine & Spirits and supported by Nissan. A great time was had by all and we were able to bring in over $135,000. The festival has become one of the premier social events of the Middle Tennessee calendar and it will be even bigger in 2012!
We enjoyed great Vintner’s Dinners and educational seminars as part of this event. One of the most creative pre-events conceived by Big Sister and “Queen of the Vines” Olivia Billingsley was a Men’s High Heel Race that turned out to be an absolute hoot! Rumor has it that this will be included again next year and feature a special celebrity guest.
October also marked the launch of our Beyond School Walls program with Comcast. The launch coordinated by new board member Sara Jo Houghland with the help of Big Brothers Big Sisters staff, was dynamic and extremely well done. To see those children run out of a make shift tunnel at the YOC as if running onto a football field was so uplifting. And Mary Walker informs me that our Comcast Bigs are some of our very best! You will be hearing more about this in the near term.
CURRENT EVENTS
Team Rio: Recruitment has already begun for runners and sponsor investment opportunities are available right now. Call 615-329-9191 ext. 217 or email [email protected] or visit www.teamrio.kintera.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! Visit www.tnbowling.org contact [email protected] to get your company involved as a sponsor, bowlers, or both!
Breakfast with Big Brothers Big Sisters: Our annual breakfast event which attracted nearly 1,200 people last year is on November 29, 2011 at 7:30am in the beautiful grand ballroom at the Renaissance Hotel. Who can forget the poignant oratory skills of Little Brother Sebastian Jones at last year’s event, or former Big Brother and Nashville Mayor Karl Dean talking about his experience as an undergraduate at Columbia University? You won’t want to miss this year’s breakfast, so call 615-329-9191 ext. 227 or email [email protected].
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 well whom we have on our current roster, and provide 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.
TOP LEVEL BBBSMT PERFORMANCE METRICS
|
CATEGORY |
GOAL FOR 2011 |
STATUS AS OF 9/30/2011 |
|
Unrestricted Revenue |
$2.85 million |
$1.89 million |
|
Children Served |
3,000 |
2,429 |
|
Total "open" matches - all |
2,020 |
1,527 |
|
Total "new" matches made |
1,155 |
584 |
|
Community-Based Matches |
|
|
|
- Six month retention |
89% |
85% |
|
- Twelve month retention |
73% |
69% |
|
- Average match length |
24 months |
21.8 months |
|
- Closure rate |
43% |
26% |
|
- Match contact rate |
94% |
94% |
|
- SOR* completion rate (Total) |
85% |
77% |
|
- YOS** completion rate (Baseline) |
85% |
81% |
|
Site-Based Matches |
|
|
|
- Six month retention |
86% |
84% |
|
- Twelve month retention |
42% |
41% |
|
- Average match length |
15 months |
14.2 months |
|
- Closure rate |
38% |
51% |
|
- Match contact rate |
95% |
97% |
|
- SOR* completion rate (Total) |
85% |
93% |
|
- YOS** completion rate (Baseline) |
90% |
98% |
*SOR – Strength of Relationship Survey
**YOS – Youth Outcomes Survey
THOUGHT FOR THE MONTH
As we come to the end of 2011, many of us begin to think in earnest about year- end charitable investments. There are many great organizations worthy of your support, and we certainly hope that Big Brothers Big Sisters is on your short list. The positive outcomes and statistics generated by our evidence-based one-to-one mentoring programs are verifiable if not well documented already.
Our statistics are the crimes that don’t happen. Many of you know first-hand that a Big Brothers Big Sisters volunteer mentor has a huge influence on a kid when it comes to making decisions about whether or not to get involved with drugs, crime and gangs. Littles are less likely to cheat, skip school, do drugs, and to drop out than their peers.
What they see is what they’ll be – there is no such thing as an inherently bad child. It all boils down to life choices. With a positive mentor on their team, most kids make better decisions for themselves and ultimately for all of us. Big Brothers Big Sisters participants are more likely to get a college degree and make healthy contributions to our community and our economy. In a world that is too often led by what is politically expedient, prevention is a bargain. An investment in Big Brothers Big Sisters changes lives for the better, forever.
“The one-on-one time that my son's Big has spent with him has been priceless.
It has encouraged him to work hard to reach his goals because he sees the type of person he wants to be when he grows up in his Big.”
Brigette, Parent to Little Brother Christopher
That is the essence of the Movement you are a part of!
So as you wrestle with the important decision as to with whom you plan to make an investment of time, talent, and in this case, treasure, give Big Brothers Big Sisters some serious consideration. No gift is too small, because when we add them all up it means we are able to serve more kids – well.
· Think about your discretionary spending and find an “extra” that you can instead invest in this proven evidence-based mission. For instance, skip the fancy cappuccino or extra snack just once a month and help fuel a movement that is a catalyst for positive transformational change. $10 a month would make a huge difference when multiplied throughout our individual networks. You can make this contribution online at www.mentorakid.org.
· If you are already a current supporter of Big Brothers Big Sisters, make sure you “like” Big Brothers Big Sisters of Middle Tennessee on Facebook and encourage your Facebook friends to likewise visit www.mentorakid.org and invest their time, talent, and/or treasure. Follow us on Twitter as well.
Everything we achieve as a business depends on community investment. Without you, these crucial one-to-one relationships simply couldn’t exist. We rely on you to help fund the resources that make our matches long and strong, including training, background checks and other elements of our rigorous screening process. You also help fund the staff and programs that provide support for these vital and ongoing relationships. Thank you for helping us continue to meet the increasing need for mentors right here in Middle Tennessee.
Y’all rock!!!
LP
615-329-9191
11/07/2011
Sign-ups for Bowl for Kids' Sake are Now Available
Big Brothers Big Sisters of Middle Tennessee will host the annual Bowl for Kids’ Sake event at Hillwood Strike & Spare in March 2012. Last year’s Bowl for Kids’ Sake raised over $145,000 to help mentor children in the Middle Tennessee area.
The website for Bowl for Kids' Sake was recently launched and you can now sign up to participate, donate or volunteer.
For more information or to request a sponsorship information packet, please contact Ingrid Ransom at: [email protected].
What is Bowl for Kids’ Sake?
Bowl for Kids’ Sake is Big Brothers Big Sisters signature fundraiser. It’s about having fun to help kids. 100% of the funds raised go directly toward pairing young people with a team of caring adults to help them succeed, starting with their own Big Brother or Big Sister.
You can be a sponsor, a bowler, or both!
If you are a donor, know that your support is helping put Big Brothers and Big Sisters in the lives of children right here in our community. If you are a bowler, celebrate your fundraising efforts with us at a bowling party in your honor – and receive the satisfaction of knowing you’re making a big difference in a child’s
life!
About Bowl for Kids’ Sake
Bowl for Kids’ Sake event has two different ways you can participate:
Large corporate groups or teams: Examples of corporate groups include individual stores of a restaurant chain bowling together or affiliated organizations, such as a group of attorney’s offices all bowling at the same time.
Individual teams: groups of five bowlers; they could be friends, co-workers, or neighbors who get together and form a team. Each person is asked to strive for a goal of raising $125 and $625 per team. Think of it as a math challenge – each team gets 25 people to donate $25! Your team will bowl with lots of other teams for a great night out for the kids!
Big Brothers Big Sisters of Middle Tennessee has been conducting a Bowl for Kids' Sake event for over 30 years. Bowl for Kids’ Sake investors have raised important revenue key to serving children in Middle Tennessee.
About Big Brothers Big Sisters
Big Brothers Big Sisters of Middle Tennessee helps children in our program overcome adversity and better positions them to reach their full potential. The agency is a volunteer and donor driven organization that matches children in need with a positive adult role model.
Revenue generated by this event is used to conduct background checks on volunteers to ensure child safety, and provide ongoing support for children, families and volunteers to build and sustain long-lasting relationships. In essence, the positive outcomes as a result of these relationships and the impact they have in the community is your return on investment. The average annual cost per match is $1,000.
Big Brothers Big Sisters improves children’s chances for succeeding in school, behaving nonviolently, avoiding drugs and alcohol, and breaking negative cycles. Located in Nashville and providing services to Davidson County and the contiguous counties, Big Brothers Big Sisters of Middle Tennessee served 2,812 children in 2010.
You can change how children grow up in Middle Tennessee by going to www.mentorakid.org or calling (615)329-9191.
11/02/2011
Just Hanging Out:
November Match Spotlight
Hana Crume has been matched with her Little Sister Sheena for almost four years. Hana first started seeing Sheena at school through the Site Based Program and then moved to the Community Based Program in 2009. Even though Hana lives in Nashville and the family lives in Franklin, Hana maintains consistent outings with Sheena. They do a variety of things for outings but mostly they just like to hang out with each other. Sometimes they just go the Factory in Franklin and hang out, playing checkers and drinking hot chocolate.
Hana says Sheena is sassy, sweet and smart. She frequently refers to her as a “Little Diva” and then laughs and says “she’s a little version of me”. Sheena used to think that school was “not cool” until Hana helped her understand its importance. At that time Hana was in graduate school so they would sometimes do their homework together. Sheena says that Hana is “kind, sweet and helps me bring my grades up.” Hana has also formed a great partnership with Sheena’s mom. Mom says Hana is just like part of the family and really helps her with Sheena. A couple of years ago the family experienced a fire and lost all they had. Hana organized a fundraiser to help them get back on their feet. According to Sheena’s mom, on a scale of 1 to 10 she would rate Hana and Sheena’s match a 10+.
Franklin Wine Festival Raises $135,000 for Big Brothers Big Sisters
Nashville, Tenn. (October 28, 2011) – For the seventh year in a row, the Franklin Wine Festival at the Factory in Franklin generated thousands in revenue for Big Brothers Big Sisters of Middle Tennessee. The month-long Festival event, which this year included a unique series of Vintner’s Dinners and wine tasting seminars, concluded with a Grand Tasting event on Oct. 21 that attracted wine aficionados of all backgrounds from the Middle Tennessee area and beyond. This year, the Festival accrued a grand total of $135,000 in support of Big Brothers Big Sister of Middle Tennessee.
Hosted by Cool Springs Wines & Spirits and supported by Nissan, the Grand Tasting event on Oct.21 offered more than 350 wines and culinary tastings from the area’s finest restaurants and caterers. The wine experts with Cool Springs Wines & Spirits really outdid themselves this year - festival goers enjoyed delicious vintages rarely found at similar functions, such as Constellation's Estancia, Domaine Serene's Saintsbury Carneros, Rutherford Ranch, Ravenswood Sonoma County Old Vine, Francis Ford Coppola Director's Cut, and Armand di Brignac Champagne. They also enjoyed samplings from several Middle Tennessee area dining staples and caterers, including Stoveworks, Jimmy Buffett’s Margaritaville, The Melting Pot, Saffire, Chef’s Market & Take Away, and The Cocoa Tree.
The Franklin Wine Festival Grand Tasting event also offered guests the opportunity to participate in both a live and a silent auction and vote for their favorite “King and Queen of the Vines” ruling over the Grand Tasting event. This competition was a philanthropic effort with contestants vying for the crown and tiara by having the highest fund-raising total at the conclusion of the evening. The 2011 King of the Vines is Gary Wynn, a local Realtor and supporter of Big Brothers Big Sisters; and the 2011 Queen of the Vines is Olivia Billingsley, membership director for the Nashville Area Chamber of Commerce and a volunteer Big Sister with Big Brothers Big Sisters of Middle Tennessee. Wynn and Billingsley raised more than $3,500 in their royal quest.
“Events like the Franklin Wine Festival are both a marketing outlet and fund-raising vehicle for Big Brothers Big Sisters,” commented Lowell Perry, Jr. – CEO of Big Brothers Big Sisters of Middle Tennessee. “This is the premiere social event of the season for folks in Middle Tennessee to enjoy some amazing wines hand selected by our partners at Cool Springs Wines & Spirits, food from many generous restaurants and caterers, and other opportunities for guests to invest in mentoring children in Middle Tennessee by joining Nissan in supporting this effort. We applaud everyone who contributed to our being able to serve 135 children waiting for a Big Brother or Big Sister right now because of this event’s success.”
Prior to the grand tasting event, Festival participants in the Middle Tennessee area were indulged by a series of preparatory wine and culinary tasting opportunities. The Franklin Wine Festival Vintner’s Dinner series returned this year with all new chef-selected wine dinners from Sperry’s, Stoney River Legendary Steaks, and Fleming’s Prime Steakhouse. Also, as a complement to the vintner’s dinner series, the Festival introduced a variety of wine tasting seminars, including a Wine Tasting 101 seminar at Cool Springs Wines & Spirits, cigar and scotch appreciation seminars at Woody’s Smokes & Brews, and cooking demonstrations at Whole Foods Market in Franklin and Viking Cooking School in The Factory at Franklin.
The funds raised by the Franklin Wine Festival will be used to serve more children with a mentor throughout Middle Tennessee through Big Brothers Big Sisters programs. Funding is used to conduct background checks on volunteers to ensure child safety, and provide ongoing support for children, families and volunteers to build and sustain long-lasting relationships. Big Brothers Big Sisters of Middle Tennessee served 2,812 children in 2010 with a mentor.
“This event continues to grow every year, which reinforces what we already know—our neighbors here in Middle Tennessee will generously spend their time and money to support programs like Big Brothers Big Sisters—programs that help people overcome adversity and change their lives for the better,” said event chair Andrea Stilwell. “We’re grateful for the support of our event sponsors, including Nissan and Cool Springs Wines & Spirits, and for the support of the community, which is how Big Brothers Big Sisters is able to recruit volunteers and reach more children. In addition, many thanks go out to all those who worked so hard to make the Festival a success.”
For more information about Big Brothers Big Sisters, visit www.mentorakid.org or call (615) 329-9191.
About Big Brothers Big Sisters
Big Brothers Big Sisters is providing children facing adversity with strong and enduring, professionally supported one-to-one relationships that change their lives for the better, forever. These improvements help children create better schools, safer neighborhoods, and make healthier choices.
The organization depends on investors to help recruit volunteers and reach more children. Funding is used to conduct background checks on volunteers to ensure child safety, and provide ongoing support for children, families and volunteers to build and sustain long-lasting relationships.
Big Brothers Big Sisters of Middle Tennessee serves children all across Middle Tennessee in Metro Nashville/Davidson county as well as Williamson, Rutherford, Cheatham, Hickman, Dickson, Robertson, Sumner, and Wilson counties. To better serve children, the agency also has satellite offices in Murfreesboro and Springfield.
For more info, visit www.mentorakid.org or call (615) 329-9191.
2011 Franklin Wine Festival Queen of the Vines Olivia Billingsley and King of the Vines Gary Wynn.
The Queen and King of this event were donated by the participant’s fund-raising totals on behalf of Big Brothers Big Sisters of Middle Tennessee, beneficiary of the Franklin Wine Festival.
Hundreds gathered at The Factory in Franklin to raise a glass for Big Brothers Big Sisters during the Franklin Wine Festival last weekend. The event raised $135,000 to support mentoring children throughout Middle Tennessee.
Photo credits:
Nashville Photography Club, with permission
10/20/2011
CEO Report September 2011
CEO REPORT FOR SEPTEMBER 2011
By Lowell Perry, Chief Executive Officer
SIZZLIN’ SEPTEMBER
The agency had a banner month for new matches with 159 (135 school/site based & 24 community-based), bringing our total children served through the end of September to 2,304! 32 of the children matched were Amachi. While we may be off pace to reach our goal of 3,000 children served for 2011 through no fault of our own, it is a testament to the tenacity and passion of our program staff. Extra kudos to our school/site-based team led by Anne Gallo who also are making 97% of their required match support contacts for the year.
Our annual picnic was a rousing success! Held for the first time at Lipscomb University, we had over 500 participants including nearly 100 of our parents who were very excited that we included them this year along with Bigs and Littles. The Lipscomb baseball team helped run the games and sports activities while members of our Belmont and Vanderbilt Bigs chapters helped out with arts and crafts for the kids. A grand time was had by all and there is nearly unanimous support for returning to this same venue in 2012. Special thanks to Chris Suitter and the AET team who along with the help of many staff and volunteers made this arguably the best picnic the agency has ever had in this their maiden voyage as event coordinators.
Congratulations to Darlene Lawson who heads up our parent advisory group for the innovative approach we have taken in engaging our parents in a more meaningful way! The work of this group was recognized at the annual CNM Salute to Excellence Awards with the Frist Foundation’s Innovation award. The win garnered the agency $20,000.
Total operating revenues for the month were $265,495 versus projections of $206,185, a positive variance of $59,310 or 29%. Year-to-date, revenues are now 5% ahead of budget as well as 5% ahead of where we were at this juncture in 2010.
We received a very generous investment of $100,000 from the Joe C. Davis Foundation, $15,000 from HCA Foundation, and the aforementioned $20,000 from the Salute to Excellence. Additionally a number of individuals have stepped forward to invest, which you will hear more about in next month’s report. Please note that we still have to finish strong in the fourth quarter to meet our goal, improve cash flow position, and be able to start 2012 off with a running start.
As has been the trend this year, our expenses were 5% below budget for September and are 4% to the good year-to-date.
I had the honor of representing Big Brothers Big Sisters on a national brain trust panel convened by U. S. Congressman Bobby Rush at this year’s Congressional Black Caucus Annual Legislative Conference in Washington, D. C. where I joined luminaries such as NBA legend Isaiah Thomas and former Essence Magazine editor and activist Susan Taylor to discuss methods of reducing violence in African American communities through mentoring, coaching and other prevention/intervention methods. It was a great event with over 250 attendees at our session and tremendous exposure for our agency as well as the national organization.
EVENT ALERT!
Franklin Wine Festival: The social event of the Middle Tennessee calendar is this Friday, October 21, 2011 from 7pm – 10pm at the Factory in Franklin, TN. Tickets are still available online at www.FranklinWineFestival.com for $75, but will be $85 at the door. Over 300 wines from all over the world, nearly 30 restaurants from around town including Stoney River, Saffire, and Whole Foods Markets, outstanding live entertainment, live and silent auctions with awesome entries such as a Ludwig drum set, Napa getaway, amazing wine dinners, Disney tickets, spa outings, and of course wine! Be there or be square as they used to say.
Team Rio: Recruitment has already begun for runners and sponsor investment opportunities are available right now. Call 615-329-9191 ext. 263 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] to get your company involved as a sponsor, bowlers, or both!
Breakfast with Big Brothers Big Sisters: Our annual breakfast event which attracted nearly 1,200 people last year is on November 29, 2011 at 7:30am in the beautiful grand ballroom at the Renaissance Hotel. Who can forget the poignant oratory skills of Little Brother Sebastian Jones at last year’s event, or former Big Brother and Nashville Mayor Karl Dean talking about his experience as an undergraduate at Columbia University? You won’t want to miss this year’s breakfast, so call 615-329-9191 ext. 227 or email Doug Halleen at [email protected].
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 well whom we have on our current roster, and provide the resources to reach more kids facing adversity. We are helping to change kid's lives for the better, forever with your support and investment of time, talent, and/or treasure.
|
CATEGORY |
GOAL FOR 2011 |
STATUS AS OF 9/30/2011 |
|
Unrestricted Revenue |
$2.85 million |
$1.74 million |
|
Children Served |
3,000 |
2,304 |
|
Total "open" matches - all |
2,020 |
1,450 |
|
Total "new" matches made |
1,155 |
459 |
|
Community-Based Matches |
|
|
|
- Six month retention |
89% |
85% |
|
- Twelve month retention |
73% |
70% |
|
- Average match length |
24 months |
22.2 months |
|
- Closure rate |
43% |
25% |
|
- Match contact rate |
94% |
94% |
|
- SOR* completion rate (Total) |
85% |
74% |
|
- YOS** completion rate (Baseline) |
100% |
100% |
|
Site-Based Matches |
|
|
|
- Six month retention |
86% |
84% |
|
- Twelve month retention |
42% |
44% |
|
- Average match length |
15 months |
14.1 months |
|
- Closure rate |
38% |
53% |
|
- Match contact rate |
95% |
97% |
|
- SOR* completion rate (Total) |
85% |
92% |
|
- YOS** completion rate (Baseline) |
100% |
100% |
THOUGHT FOR THE MONTH
Too often we stop ourselves from taking action and getting involved in a challenging project or situation because we sometimes doubt our ability to make a difference as just one individual. We have a tendency to think small rather than let our light shine. You and I can do so much more than we ever thought possible, especially when our cause is just and the outcomes we help generate through our actions inspire others to follow.
Are you ready to be a “stone of hope” today? www.mentorakid.org
Our children and next generation of taxpayers are waiting for you to make a move.
Cheers,
LP
615-329-9191
10/10/2011
Thank You Development Management Group
Huge praise and thanks goes out to the Developement Management Group who raised $25,458 in Bowl for Kids' Sake 2011.
Currently, Bowl for Kids' Sake is forming a committee for the 2012 Bowl for Kids' Sake event; contact Ingrid Ransom at [email protected] for more information or any questions that you may have.
09/27/2011
Big Brothers Big Sisters of Middle Tennessee CEO Report August 2011
Please pass this on to your network of friends and associates.
CEO REPORT FOR AUGUST 2011
By Lowell Perry – Chief Executive Officer
AUGUST ANNOUNCEMENTS
The enrollment and matching team made 27 (23 Community Based and 4 Site Based) new matches during the month of August. When you consider this group has been understaffed for awhile, and has to deal with an ongoing shortage of ready to be matched (RTBM) volunteers, not a bad month. That brings our total number of children served through August to 2,145.
We have 350 kids (203 CB and 146 SB) on the waiting list. 109 are Amachi children and 167 are boys. There are 221 RTBM volunteers (51 CB and 170 SB), so we still have some work cut out for us to get these kids matched. Out of the 221 RTBM mentors, there are a paltry 43 men (6 CB and 37 SB). Come on fellas! I’m again giving a shout out to my fraters in Alpha Phi Alpha, Kappa Alpha Psi, and Omega Psi Phi in particular, to step up and help mold the future of a young man.
Our school and site based team is hoping to make 350 new matches in the coming months at 24 schools and 6 after-school sites. This is a great way for business folks to engage with the program. An hour a week at lunch time is all it takes to be a hero to a kid - we waste that much time in line for that caramel macchiato and fiddling on our Blackberries and I-Phones. Contact Anne Gallo at [email protected] to sign up.
Had the opportunity to travel to Bolivar to visit with our friend, Representative Johnny Shaw, to present him with a Champion for Kids plaque. We could use more politicians like Representative Shaw who is a true gentleman and exemplifies the qualities of what a real public servant should be. He was also present at our offices when Tennessee Department of Correction Commissioner Derrick Schofield came to do the official check presentation of $250,000 from the state to support our statewide Amachi program. Commissioner Schofield believes in the impact of Amachi and we look forward to working with him over the coming months with this important work.
EVENT HIGHLIGHTS
Big Brothers Big Sisters Golf Classic
We kicked off fall in style with several great golfers joining us at Gaylord Springs Golf Links for the Big Brothers Big Sisters Golf Classic on September 15. We raised more than $28,000 for the kids – and everyone enjoyed a beautiful morning on the course networking and making some great connections.
Franklin Wine Festival
One of the premier events of the Middle Tennessee social calendar is almost upon us. You do not want to miss this event which is an absolute blast and is attracting attendees from as far away as Washington State!
Tickets are on sale now at www.FranklinWineFestival.com – but better yet, maybe your company would like to take advantage of a corporate marketing sponsorship of the event and receive several key marketing benefits putting your name and message in front of hundreds of discriminating consumers. Contact Sarah Beatty at [email protected] for details.
Big Brothers Big Sisters Breakfast
Mark your calendars for Tuesday, November 29 to join Big Brothers Big Sisters at the Renaissance Hotel for our Annual Breakfast. If you’d like more info on hosting a table, contact Doug Halleen at [email protected].
Bowl for Kids’ Sake
We are gearing up for the 2012 Bowl for Kids’ Sake campaign – and looking for folks to join the committee. If you’d like to help recruit bowlers or secure some corporate sponsorships for this year’s event, contact [email protected] to get involved. Remember, it’s not about the bowling – it’s about the kids!
TOP LEVEL BBBSMT PERFORMANCE METRICS
|
CATEGORY |
GOAL FOR 2011 |
STATUS AS OF 8/31/2011 |
|
|
Unrestricted Revenue |
$2.85 million |
$1.8 million |
|
|
Children Served |
3,000 |
2,145 |
|
|
Total "open" matches - all |
2,020 |
1,379 |
|
|
Total "new" matches made |
1,155 |
300 |
|
|
Community-Based Matches |
|||
|
- Six month retention |
89% |
86% |
|
|
- Twelve month retention |
73% |
71% |
|
|
- Average match length |
24 months |
22.1 months |
|
|
- Closure rate |
43% |
23% |
|
|
- Match contact rate |
94% |
94% |
|
|
- SOR* completion rate (Total) |
85% |
76% |
|
|
- YOS** completion rate (Baseline) |
100% |
100% |
|
|
Site-Based Matches |
|||
|
- Six month retention |
86% |
84% |
|
|
- Twelve month retention |
42% |
53% |
|
|
- Average match length |
15 months |
13.7 months |
|
|
- Closure rate |
38% |
55% |
|
|
- Match contact rate |
95% |
97% |
|
|
- SOR* completion rate (Total) |
85% |
93% |
|
|
- YOS** completion rate (Baseline) |
100% |
100% |
|
**YOS – Youth Outcomes Survey
Thought for the Month: “Going Above and Beyond”
We all are familiar with the term going above and beyond - meaning we go the extra mile even when it is not asked of us. We typically do it when we are passionate about something and most importantly, because it is simply a part of character.
Here’s a story that Nicole, one of our dedicated matched support specialists shared about a Big Brother that brings new meaning to going above and beyond:
"I was speaking with William (Big Brother) and he told me he had wrecked his car a couple months back. During the first several weeks after the accident he had a rental car, but the last three weeks he’s been without a car completely. However, he didn’t let that deter him from seeing his Little. For the last three weeks he rode his bike all the way to his Little’s house to spend time playing games and hanging out with him (Google maps says it’s about 5 miles each way!). He said his match is going well (they’ve been matched for just under 5 months!) and I think it’s awesome that he took such initiative to ride his bike (in some warm weather) to see his Little each week. “
It is no secret that the agency, and consequently the children and families we serve, face tremendous challenges over the coming months due to the unexpected loss of funding for Amachi, our mentoring children of prisoners program. We are trying to make up a projected shortfall of $750,000 over the next 16 months.
Here is another opportunity to go above and beyond that we all can do immediately. Many companies, Dell and HCA for example, offer an employer match when you give your treasure and/or time to a social profit business such as Big Brothers Big Sisters as a way to encourage employees to be engaged in the community. When an employer matches dollar for dollar, your $100 investment becomes $200!
Many of us may not be aware that the companies we work for do this. So here is your task:
Go to your CEO or HR head and find out whether or not they match charitable investment. (Notice I said investment, not giving.) If they do, think about making a financial investment in Big Brothers Big Sisters yourself if you haven’t done so already, and ask about the process one needs to follow to ensure that your company matches your generosity. Encourage your colleagues to do likewise.
If your company doesn’t currently have a matching policy, ask why, and suggest that they should strongly consider doing so as a way of assisting an organization you care passionately about change the lives of children facing adversity for the better, forever. They would in essence be helping to create a new generation of taxpayers not tax takers. It would be a great way for your company to better establish itself as an active corporate citizen.
Here is a link you can share or download some “talking points.”
**YOS – Youth Outcomes Survey
Thought for the Month: “Going Above and Beyond”
We all are familiar with the term going above and beyond - meaning we go the extra mile even when it is not asked of us. We typically do it when we are passionate about something and most importantly, because it is simply a part of character.
Here’s a story that Nicole, one of our dedicated matched support specialists shared about a Big Brother that brings new meaning to going above and beyond:
"I was speaking with William (Big Brother) and he told me he had wrecked his car a couple months back. During the first several weeks after the accident he had a rental car, but the last three weeks he’s been without a car completely. However, he didn’t let that deter him from seeing his Little. For the last three weeks he rode his bike all the way to his Little’s house to spend time playing games and hanging out with him (Google maps says it’s about 5 miles each way!). He said his match is going well (they’ve been matched for just under 5 months!) and I think it’s awesome that he took such initiative to ride his bike (in some warm weather) to see his Little each week. “
It is no secret that the agency, and consequently the children and families we serve, face tremendous challenges over the coming months due to the unexpected loss of funding for Amachi, our mentoring children of prisoners program. We are trying to make up a projected shortfall of $750,000 over the next 16 months.
Here is another opportunity to go above and beyond that we all can do immediately. Many companies, Dell and HCA for example, offer an employer match when you give your treasure and/or time to a social profit business such as Big Brothers Big Sisters as a way to encourage employees to be engaged in the community. When an employer matches dollar for dollar, your $100 investment becomes $200!
Many of us may not be aware that the companies we work for do this. So here is your task:
Go to your CEO or HR head and find out whether or not they match charitable investment. (Notice I said investment, not giving.) If they do, think about making a financial investment in Big Brothers Big Sisters yourself if you haven’t done so already, and ask about the process one needs to follow to ensure that your company matches your generosity. Encourage your colleagues to do likewise.
If your company doesn’t currently have a matching policy, ask why, and suggest that they should strongly consider doing so as a way of assisting an organization you care passionately about change the lives of children facing adversity for the better, forever. They would in essence be helping to create a new generation of taxpayers not tax takers. It would be a great way for your company to better establish itself as an active corporate citizen.
Here is a link you can share or download some “talking points.”
|
CATEGORY |
GOAL FOR 2011 |
STATUS AS OF 8/31/2011 |
|
|
Unrestricted Revenue |
$2.85 million |
$1.8 million |
|
|
Children Served |
3,000 |
2,145 |
|
|
Total "open" matches - all |
2,020 |
1,379 |
|
|
Total "new" matches made |
1,155 |
300 |
|
|
Community-Based Matches |
|||
|
- Six month retention |
89% |
86% |
|
|
- Twelve month retention |
73% |
71% |
|
|
- Average match length |
24 months |
22.1 months |
|
|
- Closure rate |
43% |
23% |
|
|
- Match contact rate |
94% |
94% |
|
|
- SOR* completion rate (Total) |
85% |
76% |
|
|
- YOS** completion rate (Baseline) |
100% |
100% |
|
|
Site-Based Matches |
|||
|
- Six month retention |
86% |
84% |
|
|
- Twelve month retention |
42% |
53% |
|
|
- Average match length |
15 months |
13.7 months |
|
|
- Closure rate |
38% |
55% |
|
|
- Match contact rate |
95% |
97% |
|
|
- SOR* completion rate (Total) |
85% |
93% |
|
|
- YOS** completion rate (Baseline) |
100% |
100% |
|
09/21/2011
Shop, Save & Support BBBSMT with Sharing Spree!
Supporting Big Brothers Big Sisters of Middle Tennessee has never been easier. We have teamed up with Sharing Spree, an online coupon website like Groupon, that donates 5% of your purchase to BBBS.
Here is how it works: you buy a $20 gift certificate to a local restaurant for $10 and 5% percent of that purchase goes to BBBS. So in this case, BBBS would receive $0.50 for your purchase. While it may not seem like a lot of money, if a lot of people start to purchase these gift certificates, then every 50 cents starts to add up. Every day is a new deal, and a great chance to save money and give back to children in Middle Tennessee.
To start earning money for Big Brothers Big Sisters of Middle Tennessee, all you have to do is go to www.sharingspree.com, create an account, go to your profile and choose Big Brothers Big Sisters as your selected nonprofit. From that point on every time you make a purchase 5% will go to BBBS!
Make sure to check our Facebook as we often update as to what the deal of the day is. Happy sharing!
MATCH SPOTLIGHT
Ryan and Erin Holt have been matched with their Little Brother Markell since April, 2010. They were immediately great friends with their Little Brother and the relationship remained consistent from the very beginning. Earlier this year, Big Brother Ryan recognized a need and began to tutor Markell one night a week in math. Due to this, Markell has really improved in his math scores and he has loved the extra time he got to spend with Ryan.
Even though Markell had this special time with Ryan he also got a fun day with Ryan and Erin on the weekends. Even though our program only calls for an outing to occur once a week, Ryan and Erin went above the expectations while maintaining a balance with their Little Brother. Some of their favorite outings are swimming, going to the dog park, and playing the Wii. Better look out for some creative Wii score-keeping now that they have a math wiz in the mix!
Big Brothers Big Sisters of Middle Tennessee
The comings and goings of Big Brothers Big Sisters of Middle Tennessee
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