John MacDonald
Principal, Helena

Helena Independent Record
By Alana Listoe
August 9, 2009

Helena Big Brothers Big Sisters program feeling effects of nation's down economy

Sherry Partlow says the best thing she’s ever done for her 13-year-old son, Andrew, is sign him up for the Big Brothers Big Sisters program.

The change she noticed most about Andrew after he started the program was the boost in confidence.

“How he feels now about himself and how he sees the world around him is amazing,” Partlow said.

Since 2002, Big Brothers Big Sisters of Helena has doubled the number of young people living in single-parent homes it serves, a testament to substantial federal grants, devoted staff and a community that supports its cause.

The steady increase in funding enabled the agency to serve more youths, but the progress is now in jeopardy with the loss of two nonrenewable grants totaling $90,000.

This loss dipped the budget $61,000 in the red until Executive Director Greg King identified areas to cut costs.

“We tightened the belt in many areas,” King said.

This fiscal year’s budget, which began last month, allocated less for newsletters, mailings and fundraising expenses.

But the biggest and most drastic cost-saving measure is in staffing. Two positions — the director of development and a case manager — were left vacated, saving $65,000. The remaining six staff members took pay cuts by agreeing to work three-quarter time — to the tune of $6,277 in savings a month.

Yet it’s still not enough.

A plea for help

Recently a letter went out to potential donors expressing the immediate need as Big Brothers Big Sisters faces a temporary financial dilemma. The letter also said the nonprofit organization will “be forced to freeze and then downsize services by Sept. 1” unless it receives financial assistance.

Cathy Huntley, special events coordinator, firmly asserts that the agency will not close its doors.

She says they are working on contingency plans, but there is some concern about maintaining the current service level.

Income at Big Brothers Big Sisters comes from donations, fundraising events and grants, which have all withered in this ongoing recession. The organization’s annual budget is more than $300,000, and with nearly a third lost from expired grants, staff is working to lock in additional funding by applying for six grants.

That’s no sure bet.

As philanthropists across Montana have also been affected by the recession, general donations to nonprofits are down, too. King recognizes that’s just a sign of the times.

“We are trying to get a point to not rely so much on grants, but it’s hard to get to that point,” Huntley said.

Grants are becoming more and more competitive and no one on staff excels in the application process.

Employees are fluent in fundraising, however, and they’re rallying their efforts around this mechanism.

Fundraising is significant when it comes to budgeting since nearly all the money (85 percent) comes from local dollars, with the exception of about $3,760 a month from the state Department of Public Health and Human Services and the United Way.

“One of the biggest myths is that we receive money from our national organization,” Huntley said.

Big Brother Big Sisters runs a tight ship. They have yet to file their 2008 taxes, but in 2007, their total revenue was $314,932, with a total of $348,634 in expenses. Luckily they had money in the bank to help carry over their budget shortfall.

The situation was better back in 2005 when the total revenue was $281,980 and expenses totaled $216,923.

“I knew there was a challenge financially, but not in full detail until I took the executive director position (this year),” King said. “I then became more alerted to the seriousness of the situation.”

One beacon of hope throughout this time of economic uncertainty is a new grant given to a number of agencies. Big Brothers Big Sisters found out last week it’s getting some new funding through the Safe Schools Healthy Student grant administered through Helena School District to the tune of $30,000.

That pipeline hasn’t started flowing yet, and it’s earmarked to help with additional mentoring at the middle school level, King said.

In a perfect world, the letter signaling for help would generate $100,000 in donations, King said.

But for now, services are frozen, meaning they are making no new matches and there’s a waiting list for children in need of a mentor and adults willing to volunteer.

In order for the program to maintain high-quality services, adults must not only participate in training, but the agency conducts a thorough series of background and reference checks. That’s not cheap.

It costs Big Brothers Big Sisters $1,000 in total, or $84 per month, to match one child with a mentor and support that relationship professionally.

It’s currently serving 396 children.

Need is apparent

Big Brothers Big Sisters claims there are 4,000 children at risk in Helena and someday the organization would like to increase the number of the children it reaches.

About 25 years ago, Zac White was one of those young people.

White was 7 when he became a “little” and lived with his mother. His parents divorced and there was a distance between him and his father.

“At the time I didn’t comprehend it, (my “big”) was just someone to take me to do fun things,” White said. “It turned into so much more.”

White’s “big” was Missoula native John McDonald, who at the time was a freshman at the University of Montana.

The pair would have snowball fights, go sledding, fishing or just hang out and talk.

“He was someone I would talk to about the struggles of being a kid,” White said.

That relationship has sustained, and through the years, and they’ve become adult friends. McDonald, now 42, and White, 32, have gone on wilderness backpacking trips, road trips and even went skydiving together.

“It started as a friendship, and now he’s my family,” White said, noting the many pictures of McDonald hanging in his home. White’s daughters call him “Uncle John.”

“He turned into the brother I never had without all the fighting at the dinner table.”

‘Community-owned asset’

White lives in Colorado with his wife and daughters. He works as a manager at Costco. He describes himself happy and successful.

“I feel I’m happy and successful in my career and as a father, and I owe a lot of that to John,” he said. “He had a significant impact on who I became.”

McDonald is now on his fifth match and keeps in touch with all of his previous “littles.”

He received one of the letters recently from Big Brothers Big Sister asking for support.

“It’s scary for me,” McDonald said. “It’s something that’s a result of the economy and grants that have dried up or are much more competitive, and (it has) created a situation where the program doesn’t have the level of funding they need in the short term.”

King says the agency is a “community-owned asset” since it’s almost completely funded by local money.

“Helena can’t afford to lose us,” Huntley said.

McDonald agrees.

“Everything I’ve seen, they are one of the best-run programs of its kind in Montana,” he said. “If they are in a tough situation, it’s a sign there’s a lot of folks in that similar situation.”

Alana Listoe: 447-4081 or alana.listoe@helenair.com