Corporate Partnership

An A Club for Life (ACFL) partner is an exclusive recognition reserved for organizations that advance Boys & Girls Clubs of Chicago’s strategic priorities and demonstrate a significant investment of philanthropic, in-kind or youth experiences valued at >25K annually that positively impacts and enhances Club programs and activities.

ACFL partners benefits can include preferred access to:

• Invitations to BGCC signature Club events such as talent shows, dance performances and more
• Recognition on BGCC social media channels (Facebook, Instagram or LinkedIn)
• Spotlights in BGCC newsletters and on website
• Employee engagements such as volunteer opportunities
• Lunch and Learn guest speaking engagements

A Club For Life partners advance BGCC’s Strategic Priorities. The Strategic Priorities are listed below:

Priority 1: Improve the quality of experiences and outcomes for kids
Priority 2: Expand BGCC's reach to more of Chicago's communities
Priority 3: Strengthen Resource Development
Priority 4: Raise the organizational profile and visibility

Absolutely! If your organization is not a designated A Club for Life partner, there are limited opportunities available for your organization to support the Clubs throughout the year. A Club for Life partners receive preferred access to review and meet needs at the Clubs but after an initial review period all engagement and volunteer opportunities can be reviewed by non-ACFL partners.

BGCC will list opportunities to meet Club needs that could benefit from the support of partners throughout the year in the links above. If you would like to express interest in an opportunity and learn more information, complete the Interest Form at the bottom of the page. 

BGCC will release and update Club needs, including volunteer, sponsorship or in-kind donation opportunities three times a year on the following timeline.

1. Opportunities available from January-May
   December: ACFL partner preferred access window to review Club needs for Jan-May
   Jan-May: Additional partner window to review Club needs.
   
2. Opportunities available from June-August
   May: ACFL partner preferred access window to review Club needs.
   June-Aug: Additional partner window to review Club needs.
3. Opportunities available from September-December
   August: ACFL partner preferred access window to review Club needs for Sept-Dec.
   Sept-Dec: Additional partner access window to review Club needs.

BGCC graciously requests A Club for Life partners make a donation to offset the cost of program supplies associated with the volunteer engagement. Annually, BGCC will cover the cost of the first 15 volunteer background checks for ACFL partners. BGCC graciousy requests ACFL partners assist with covering the cost of additional background checks beyond the first 15 volunteers within a calendar year.

Non-ACFL partners are asked to consider making a donation up to $2,500 to support the Club (or a mutually agreed upon amount commensurate with the volunteer engagement) in addition to offsetting the cost of program supplies associated with the volunteer engagement and covering the cost of volunteer background checks.

Volunteer background checks cost $100 per volunteer. To facilitate a volunteer engagement at a Club that involves serving youth, BGCC requests non-ACFL partners absorb this cost to ensure the Club's resources directly serve and benefit the Club members.  

The donation to offset the cost of program supplies would support with obtaining materials like Valentine’s Day card craft materials or food costs for a meal distribution.

Your organization's investment contributes not only to activation, supplies, and staff time but also powers the Club's ability to serve youth throughout the year. Our primary focus is to enhance the capacity of local Clubs to serve youth and the community. To align with the local mission of a Boys & Girls Club, we ensure that all Club activations include a donation aimed at equipping the Club with additional capacity for future impact beyond the engagement.

All volunteers engaging with youth at the Club, even if it is just one time is required to complete a background check. BGCC cannot accept 3^rd party background checks and needs to facilitate background checks on all volunteers. The background check is completed online through our partner, Kentech Consulting, and takes no more than a few minutes to complete.

Annually, BGCC will cover the cost of the first 15 volunteer background checks for ACFL partners. BGCC graciousy requests ACFL partners assist with covering the cost of additional background checks beyond the first 15 volunteers within a calendar year.

The background check cost per volunteer is $100.

The number of volunteers suitable for an engagement depends on the activity. Volunteer groups of 3-10 are the most common. Any volunteer group of 10+ or more will take additional time, planning and resources to ensure the engagement is supporting Club needs and both the youth and volunteers are having a positive experience.