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DEL.ICIO.USBoys & Girls Clubs of America blossoms in its new home in Atlanta
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
The Boys & Girls Clubs of America made a smart business move in 1994 when it decided to call Atlanta home.
In the 14 years since it moved its headquarters from Manhattan to Midtown Atlanta, the Boys & Girls Clubs has experienced phenomenal growth fueled in part by its business strategy to relocate its base of operations.
Not only did the move from New York save the nation’s top youth charity millions of dollars. Two years ago, the Boys & Girls Clubs of America moved a block west —- from West Peachtree Street to Peachtree Street —- another strategic financial move.
Roxanne Spillett, CEO of the Boys & Girls Clubs of America, remembers when the organization first moved to 1230 W. Peachtree St.
“When we walked into that building, we thought we would have enough space forever,” Spillett said. “What we didn’t know was that our movement would expand so much.”
As it grew, the organization had to convert its conference rooms and closets to offices and lease more space in buildings nearby, so its leaders began to review options to consolidate operations in one building.
“We wanted to be in one space and operate more efficiently. We wanted visibility. We wanted the ability to expand and contract,” Spillett said. “But we also wanted to stay in Atlanta. We feel like we are citizens of this city.”
Through a series of events, the Carter real estate building on Peachtree Street across from the Woodruff Arts Center became available. That building now houses the national organization, as well as the Southeast regional offices. As an added bonus, the organization leases out some space so the building is a revenue generator.
“The economics of the move illustrate our entrepreneurial thinking,” Spillett said.
In just two years, the move has saved the Boys & Girls Clubs $1.2 million in operations.
The timing of the move also was fortuitous. Because the national organization was founded in 1906, it celebrated its centennial the same year as its physical move to Peachtree Street.
The Boys & Girls Clubs launched a centennial capital campaign with a $200 million goal to expand the impact of the organization. (It actually ended up raising $227.6 million.) The building project was folded into that campaign.
And friends of the organization responded. Hays Clark, the one-time CEO of Avon who served on the board before his death, and his wife, Ros, gave $15 million toward the $23 million building project.
Another close friend is the Robert W. Woodruff Foundation, which initially gave the Boys & Girls Clubs $2.5 million to buy its first Atlanta home in 1994.
“We wanted to make sure the welcome was warm in Atlanta,” said Pete McTier, who was president of the Woodruff Foundation at the time. “And when they ran out of space and had an interest in the Carter building, we gave $5 million to make sure they stayed in Atlanta.”
The Woodruff Foundation has been instrumental in helping other major national nonprofits relocate their headquarters to Atlanta. Similar gifts were given to CARE and the American Cancer Society.
Spillett says Atlanta has been an easy sell for the organization. The quality of life and lower cost of living have helped in recruiting top employees.
The organization has prospered since the move. Today it is the 15th-largest charity in the United States, according to the Chronicle of Philanthropy.
“It’s one of our nation’s more successful organizations,” said McTier, who added that Coca-Cola mogul Robert Woodruff used to serve on the Boys & Girls Clubs board. “It is an organization that’s always had some of the top captains of business on its board.”
McTier says business leaders endorse the organization’s mission to provide safe and educational places for young people in underserved communities to go rather than learning “the rules of the street.”
The move to Atlanta also enabled the organization to “cultivate some very good relationships,” Spillett said. “Coca-Cola, the Woodruff Foundation, Turner Broadcasting, Macy’s South, Cox Communications and Cingular/AT&T. I’ve learned from the smartest people.”
Spillett, 59, who has been CEO since 1996, moved to Atlanta with the organization. Last year, her salary plus incentives totaled $521,274; and her compensation package also included benefits and a deferred retirement plan worth $424,936.
Spokeswoman Jan-Still Lindeman says Spillett’s compensation is set by the board and is based on a peer comparison with other nonprofits.
“Roxanne is one of the most outstanding nonprofit leaders in the country,” McTier said. “She knows her organization, she has strong management skills, and she has an extraordinarily good rapport with her staff. She has passion and compassion.”
If the past 14 years were about growth, Spillett wants the rest of her tenure as CEO to be about impact. The organization has installed about 2,000 technology centers in its clubs to close the gap between the haves and the have-nots. The organization also is expanding its reach beyond children to entire families.
Internally, the organization is training its future leaders through its new School of Executive Leadership. Part of the organization’s task will be training a successor for Spillett.
“When I leave here, I want to make sure our national organization is strong and our local organizations are strong. I want financial security for our movement,” Spillett said. “We do operate like a business, but we have a different bottom line. Our bottom line is how many lives did we save.”
A personal note: Toward the end of my interview with Roxanne Spillett, I asked about her life in Atlanta. She shared with me how happy she is that her son, her daughter-in-law and her baby grandson are living with her in her home. So I asked her what her son does. She told me he is a teacher at the Howard School. Only then did I realize that her son is coach Keith Spillett, who has been a mentor to my son for the past several years. I shared stories about how kind her son has been to my son and other students at Howard. Through tears, we mothers bonded over the bonding between our sons. It just shows that in the Spillett household, compassion is a family trait.
Boys & Girls Clubs of America Timeline
1860: Several women in Hartford, Conn., believe that boys should have a positive alternative to roaming the streets. This marks the beginning of Boys & Girls Clubs.
1906: Several Boys Clubs decide to affiliate, starting the nationwide movement with the Federated Boys Clubs of Boston.
1990: The national organization’s name is changed to Boys & Girls Clubs of America.
1994: National headquarters moves from New York City to Atlanta.
1996: Roxanne Spillett becomes president of the BGCA. She is the first woman to head the organization.
2006: Marks the centennial year of Boys & Girls Clubs of America. The headquarters also moves from West Peachtree Street to its new home on Peachtree Street.
—- Compiled by Nisa Asokan
Impact of Boys & Girls Clubs
Movement-wide (national plus local affiliates)
| 1994 (national headquarters moved to Atlanta) | 2008 |
| 2.2 million youths served | 4.8 million youths served* |
| 1,692 clubs | 4,314 clubs |
| 22,800 staff | 50,200 staff |
| 77,000 volunteers | 147,000 volunteers |
| $340 million revenues | $1.5 billion revenues |
Source: Boys & Girls Club of America
National nonprofits headquartered in Georgia
American Cancer Society, Atlanta
Boys & Girls Clubs of America, Atlanta
Habitat for Humanity International, Atlanta
National Christian Foundation, Atlanta
MAP International, Brunswick
CARE, Atlanta
Carter Center, Atlanta
Arthritis Foundation, Atlanta
Points of Light Institute, Atlanta
Source: Chronicle of Philanthropy, 2007
list: Prepared by Nisa Asokan, staff
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By pat shannon
June 25, 2008 9:54 AM | Link to this
I am delighted to see such a positive article. I worked with Roxanne for 10 years as the CEO of a large Boys & Girls Club operation. She is an extraordinary and visionary leader who made BGCA a formidable and highly respected national organization that trully exists to serve the field who serve the children. I could not have doubled the size of our organization without Roxanne and her very talented and committed team.
Pat Shannon
By Pam
September 29, 2008 4:38 PM | Link to this
I would like to know how I could get in touch with Nancy Frost (lives in the Atlanta area)who works with Roxanne Spillett.