Boys & Girls Clubs of Scottsdale, Inc.

Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Scottsdale (BGCS) empowers youth of all ages and backgrounds to develop the qualities needed to reach their full potential as productive, responsible citizens. Branch locations and outreach sites provide a safe place, caring adult mentors, fun, friendship and athletics, and high-impact youth development programs during critical non-school hours. Located in cities and on Native American lands in the greater Scottsdale area and Hualapai Nation. Our vision is to provide a world-class Club Experience that assures success is within reach of every young person who enters our doors with all members on track to graduate from high school with a plan for the future, demonstrating good character and citizenship, and living a healthy lifestyle.

There is no silver bullet. There is no magic wand. You can’t snap your fingers or wiggle your nose to make it happen. If you want to help kids succeed, it takes a base of operations, and trained professionals, and innovative teaching strategies, and career counseling, and help with math, and fun, and games, and tech, and science, and exercise, and college prep, and mentoring, and hopes, and dreams, and on, and on, and on.

It does not take one of these things. It takes all of them. Because when it comes to building great futures for our children, good enough is never enough. We are the Boys & Girls & Tech & Tutoring & STEM & Arts & Music & So Much More Clubs of Greater Scottsdale. We don’t just do one thing. We do whatever it takes.

BGCS strategies for achieving organizational goals align with the national Boys & Girls Clubs of America's strategic direction to ensure we have the strongest Clubs possible creating the best possible Club Experiences for our kids. Within this framework BGCS creates approaches to address the unique challenges of the local communities we serve.  

To enhance ongoing efforts to effectively carry out our mission and commitment to build great futures for youth in our community, BGCS recently adopted strategies to strengthen our Club's organizational and operational capacity. Through a grant awarded by the Virginia G. Piper Charitable Trust's Good Governance Fund, BGCS was able to evaluate, update, reorganize and strengthen our governance practices and organizational structure. Recognizing the significant role that boards play in the success, growth, and sustainability of nonprofits—and that through the intentional development of board leadership, nonprofits can reach new levels of excellence, the Piper Trust offers this special resource to help nonprofits build strong and engaged boards. The grant provided access to expertise and resources for BGCS to enlist the services of a consultant to lead the Board through a process that resulted in: the complete rewrite of the organization's by-laws to adequately express the mission and vision of the organization, specifically related to the function of the Board; overhaul the structure and composition of the Board; outline a new strategy to improve efficiencies within the Board along the lines of accountability and oversight for the organization.

Through the consultancy, BGCS also developed a strategic plan that includes 5 pillars to ensure we are able to fulfill our commitment to developing the next generation of great leaders.
- World-Class Engaged Board
- Financial Stability/Robust Donor Base
- World-Class Experience for Kids & Infrastructure
- World-Class Relevant Programming
- Community Engagement & Marketing

In addition to ensuring we have the strongest Club structure possible, the strategic plan includes initiatives and outcomes within our pillars of focus to inspire and empower Club youth to achieve success. Our research confirms that a positive Club Experience leads to life-changing outcomes for youth. Our outcome-based programming assures success is within reach for all who enter our doors. Statistics tell us that regular attendance at a Club puts youth at an advantage. Club kids have a higher interest in STEM careers, volunteer more often and are more physically active than their peers.

Outcomes will be measured and reviewed annually with adjustments made as needed. The BGCS strategic plan represents a call to action to focus on quality, advocacy, and ultimately growth, and continuing to customize services to meet the needs of the diverse communities   we serve.

BGCS has nine diverse Clubs located within the communities of Scottsdale, North Phoenix, Fountain Hills, the Salt River Pima-Maricopa Indian Community and the Hualapai Nation in Peach Springs. Our kids come to us from many different backgrounds and for many different reasons. No matter the level of financial assistance or emotional support needed, in our doors, youth become Club kids ... an honor to carry throughout life.

Our professional caring staff mentor and inspire kids and teens while helping them avoid risky behaviors during non-school hours. Averaged throughout the school year and summer, we employ more than 200 (full-time and part-time) employees to serve the 2,000 youth who attend one of our nine branch locations every day. Staffing levels spike during the summer when we offer full day summer camp.

In addition to investing in our infrastructure and professional staff, BGCS has successfully adapted innovative, model programming, designed to empower youth to excel in school, become good citizens and lead healthy, productive lives - designed to meet the needs of the local communities we serve. With programs like: Fine Arts; STEM; America Reads, Summer Brain Gain (a summer learning loss prevention program); Power Hour (homework help and tutoring program ); Triple Play (comprehensive health and wellness program); CareerLaunch (prepares teens for the world of careers and work); Keystone Club (leadership development); Leaders in Training (character and leadership); and Youth of the Year (our signature effort to foster a new generation of leaders), we prepare our members for Great Futures.

Commitment from the community is key. BGCS partners closely with local and regional corporations, governmental organizations, schools and other nonprofit organizations so we can bring the very best programming to the youth we serve. Over the past 60 years, BGCS has built a strong history of community support and investment from corporations, foundations, governmental entities and individuals. The BGCS Foundation is dedicated to growing the Club's endowment through planned giving and other gift options to ensure the Club's life-changing impact will continue for generations to come.

The Operations & Outcomes Trends Report from Boys & Girls Clubs of America (BGCA) is an analysis of a survey that was taken by Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Scottsdale (BGCS) youth and teens in early 2019 to evaluate overall Club experiences. Accomplishing an Optimal Club Experience rating is a goal shared by both the national BGCA, as emphasized in its 2025 plan and ongoing BGCS strategic planning.

We set our BGCS goal of improving our Club youth and teen experience at a 5% increase annually. The 2019 survey results show that this year we have increased that rating by 12%. Further, in Optimal Overall Club Experience and nearly every other category of measurement, we scored higher than the Boys & Girls Clubs national average. What makes these results even more impactful is that these scores come solely from the youth we serve. There was no staff involvement in the surveys.

An important takeaway: Our youth development professionals are doing a great job of providing our kids with a safe, fun, and engaging experience where they are indeed making gains in academics, developing good character and leadership skills, and making healthy choices.
This report also confirms that our Teen Centers are making a huge impact in the lives of the teens we serve. More than 90% of our Club teens abstained from risky behaviors including drinking, marijuana, and sexual activity. And 99% of our teens said no to cigarette smoking!
We are very proud of these results and look forward to continuing this positive trajectory.

We are constantly evaluating and updating our programming to better serve our community. We strive to remain relevant and resilient. We look at trends and solicit feedback and do whatever it takes to build great futures for our children. What's next? An increased interest in the arts is trending, so we have hired a dedicated Art Director to develop high-quality arts programming at all of our Clubs. We are committed to inspiring creativity and innovation with skills to succeed in the 21st century. Another important initiative in our future is our Makerspace Studio program. We intend to install leading-edge Makerspace Studios in our eight Greater Scottsdale branches and provide a curriculum focused on building critical thinking, problem-solving, communication and collaborative skills while inspiring interest in STEAM learning and careers. We understand the health of our economy and communities depends on a well-educated workforce. We look to the future and we are ready to tailor our programming and efforts to address the different ways our kids need us most.