A newly commissioned study found that Georgia’s Boys & Girls Clubs are a sound investment, providing more than $7 in benefits to the community for every dollar invested. The study, conducted by the Institute for Social Research and the School of Public Health at the University of Michigan, found that every dollar invested in Boys & Girls Clubs in Georgia returns $7.20 in current and future earnings, as well as cost-savings, to communities. The biggest benefits are from Club members’ improved grades and reduced alcohol use, and their parents’ earnings. Collectively, Georgia Boys & Girls Clubs spend $41 million annually in operating costs, resulting in $292 million in lifetime benefits for youth, families and society.

The study is the first return on investment estimate for Georgia’s Boys & Girls Clubs. Researchers made use of newly available youth outcomes data, collected through surveys of Club members, to examine how the costs required to provide Club programming compare to the long-term benefits for youth and families in economic terms.

The study indicates that Boys & Girls Club services and programs produce tremendous value for youth, families and their communities. Clubs help increase the earning power of parents, as well as of youth when they become adults. They also contribute to major savings for society by helping to prevent costly expenditures for health care, public assistance programs, and criminal justice system involvement and incarceration.

“We were thrilled, but not surprised, to receive the results of this study. We have long known how valuable Clubs are to our community, but it’s great to have independent confirmation of the benefits Clubs provide, not only to young people, but to their parents and the community as well,” said Rodney Close, CEO, Boys & Girls Clubs of the Chattahoochee Valley.

The Boys & Girls Clubs of the Chattahoochee Valley have been serving the youth who need us most for 79 years. By providing programs that focus on Academic Success, Good Character and Citizenship, and Healthy Lifestyles, Clubs have helped generations of young people achieve the great futures they deserve. Every year the Boys & Girls Clubs of the Chattahoochee Valley spends $2.3 million on operating costs, creating over $16 million in economic benefits to youth, families and the community.