What is a Program Partner to Boys & Girls Clubs?
A program partner is typically an organization, business or educational institution that provides a product or service to members of Boys & Girls Clubs of Metro Atlanta. Program partners greatly enhance the work we do in our Clubs everyday by providing experiences and subject matter experts that empower our kids to learn and grow in new and exciting ways. As part of our youth development theory of change, we seek to expose our members to a breadth of experiences as well as opportunities for our members to dive deep into their passions and interests—program partners help make this possible. Program Partner FAQs
Why partner your program with Boys & Girls Clubs?
Boys & Girls Clubs of Metro Atlanta serves over 10,000 kids and teens across 25 Club sites in Atlanta each year. We are committed to serving each of our members with the highest quality Club experience and we recognize that, in order to achieve this, we need to utilize the incredible resources and opportunities available through partnerships with other organizations, businesses and institutions. Together, we will empower Atlanta’s youth to reach their full potential as productive, caring and responsible citizens.
What does Boys & Girls Clubs of Metro Atlanta look for when vetting a potential Program Partner?
The first question we always ask: Is it good for kids? If the answer is yes, we take a look at our program strategy to see if the program or product meets an identified need and/or strengthens our program strategy. If the answer is yes, we then examine the feasibility of the partnership, which is generally a question of logistics and capacity. At this point, we’ll connect with the prospective partner for deeper conversation on program or product implementation.
What is the difference between a Program Partner and a Volunteer?
A Program Partner is typically an organization, business or educational institution that provides a product or service to members of Boys & Girls Clubs of Metro Atlanta. A Program Partner offers a program or a product to enhance the youth development work of our Clubs with clearly defined programmatic outcome(s) or output(s) and, most often, has a pre-determined start and finish date. The services of a Program Partner often extend beyond a single Club and reaches a clusters of Clubs, a region or the entire organization. A volunteer is typically an individual who donates his/her time to assist with an existing Club program and/or provide expertise to support one of our youth development outcomes, not typically inclusive of an external program or product. Both volunteers and Program Partners who have direct interactions with Club members are required to undergo the volunteer screening and training process.
Once we submit our Program Partner Application, when can we expect to hear from Boys & Girls Clubs of Metro Atlanta?
The program strategy team at BGCMA reviews all submissions twice monthly. All prospective Program Partners can expect to hear from BGCMA within two weeks of submitting an application.
Knowing that Boys & Girls Clubs of Metro Atlanta consists of multiple sites in and outside of Atlanta, is it possible to only partner with a specific site, certain number of sites, or a specific region?
Yes. On the Program Partner application, you have the option to select specific Club site(s) and/or region(s).
We have an established program for kids/teens, but would like to use space within a Boys & Girls Club site. Is Boys & Girls Clubs of Metro Atlanta open to this type of partnership?
Yes, however, any program run within our hours of operation must be made available to Club members. Additionally, any kids/teens who come to the Club to participate in the program must become members of Boys & Girls Clubs of Metro Atlanta.
A partnership with BGCMA includes our staff/volunteers. What is required for our staff/volunteers to work in a Club and/or with Club members?
Once approved as a Program Partner, all personnel who will interact with Club members beyond a one-time engagement must go through BGCMA’s volunteer screening process. The volunteer screening process is a 4-step online process, which includes:
- Volunteer Self Pre-screening Questionnaire
- Volunteer Application/background check
- Volunteer Placement Questionnaire
- Mandated Reporter Training/Certification
The team at BGCMA will ensure that all personnel have the information necessary to complete these requirements.
Our program requires Club members to be transported to our location. Is Boys & Girls Clubs of Metro Atlanta able to transport members? Is our organization allowed to provide transportation?
The Program Partner vetting process includes consideration of programmatic logistics; we will not commit to a partnership that is not operationally feasible. While BGCMA-provided transportation is possible, transportation is often a barrier to participation in certain partnerships or programmatic opportunities. Partners are prohibited from providing transportation to Club members. However, BGCMA is willing to find solutions to transportation barriers with an approved Program Partner. If the partner is able to provide funds to charter a bus, for example, BGCMA will coordinate the transportation logistics.
We are launching our program and aim to use a Boys & Girls Club site to pilot the program. Is BGCMA open to program pilots?
Boys & Girls Clubs of Metro Atlanta is open to the possibility of program pilots. Please complete the Program Partner application and BGCMA will vet the partnership opportunity.
There are costs associated with running our program within or providing our product to Boys & Girls Clubs of Metro Atlanta. How much does BGCMA typically spend to bring programs or products into its Clubs?
As a non-profit, BGCMA strives to identify mutually-beneficial partnerships that do not require expenses to the organization. We are open to exploring partnerships that require expenses, but are limited in our ability to enter into these types of partnership agreements. NOTE: BGCMA finalizes its annual program and partnership budget in the fall of each year, for the following year. Therefore, if BGCMA will incur expenses through an approved partnership, the partnership may not be possible until the following year.
If selected as a Program Partner, are we allowed to take pictures while working with BGCMA’s Club members? Can pictures of Club members be used in our public materials?
This can only be answered with specific information on the Club members involved in the program. Once a Program Partner is established in a Club, the Program Partner must consult with the Club’s Executive Director to determine if it is appropriate to take and share photos. Photos may be taken and shared only with written consent on Boys & Girls Clubs of Metro Atlanta letterhead, signed by the Club’s Executive Director.
As part of our program, we need to collect and provide specific data related to the program implementation. Can we collect data on Boys & Girls Club members and/or do you have data that you can provide as part of a partnership?
This can only be answered with specific information on the method of collection, type and frequency of data collected and the age of members involved in the data collection. If this is a requirement for partnership, the prospective Program Partner and BGCMA will discuss the data requirements in advance of approving the partnership in order to determine if the data already exists and/or if new data can be collected.
I’m interested in being a speaker at one or more of your Clubs. How does Boys & Girls Clubs of Metro Atlanta select speakers for its events?
Please fill out the Program Partner application with specific information on your desired subject, audience and experience. If the subject and audience meet a need within our Clubs, we will require credible references as part of the review process. If approved, we will work with you to identify a Club and/or event appropriate for your message.
We would like to pursue a funding opportunity in partnership with Boys & Girls Clubs of Metro Atlanta. Is BGCMA open to this type of partnership?
While this is not an approach we commonly pursue, Boys & Girls Clubs of Metro Atlanta is open to discussing joint-funding opportunities. If joint-funding is the purpose of, or requirement for, a Program Partnership, the Program Partnership application is not the best place to start. Please contact BGCMA’s Resource Development team at news@bgcma.org.
We’d like to use the Boys & Girls Club logo to help market and/or fundraise for our program; what are the guidelines for use of the Boys & Girls Club brand, logo and/or marketing materials?
External use of the Boys & Girls Club brand, logo and/or marketing materials is not commonly approved, however, we are willing to discuss on a case-by-case basis. Approvals must be received on Boys & Girls Clubs of Metro Atlanta letterhead and signed by the BGCMA’s Chief Development Officer.