Impact & Accountability
The case for investing in our youth.
You’ve just learned about BEP and you want to know if your investment will pay off. Fair question. Here are the model, the numbers, the methodology, and the receipts.
At a glance
The organization
March 8, 2014
501(c)(3) nonprofit
700+ youth · 30+ chapters
Eastern Suffolk County
A theory of change with a name: the ripple effect.
BEP’s model is built on a simple, testable claim: invest in one child deeply enough and the return spreads to their family, their school, and their community. Three integrated layers make that happen:
1. Core chapters. Biweekly evening meetings and weekly school sessions, ages 6–18 mixed by design, running a curriculum aligned with New York State learning standards and built on four pillars: Confidence Building, Self & Community Care, Healthy Relationship Development, and Critical Thinking.
2. The Arches. Supplemental programs such as college access and retention, entrepreneurship, arts, environment, social justice, tutoring, all created in response to participant need and interest, all free to members.
3. Family support. Food, clothing, hygiene products, school supplies, and holiday support for the whole household, because a child’s stability is inseparable from their family’s.
Two structural features distinguish the model: earned progression (participants advance through shirt tiers via attendance, participation, service, and values – nothing is given) and youth governance (a Head Butterfly, elected by participants every other year, joins paid staff as their official voice).
Outcomes
What the investment returns
How we know it’s working.
Numbers only matter if the measurement behind them holds up. BEP evaluates every program year with quantitative and qualitative instruments, pre and post:
Academic: grades tracked through Gradetracker and direct teacher conversations · graduation rates · post-secondary acceptance and retention, not just admission.
Engagement: attendance and participation logged in a proprietary database · participation in school activities, extracurriculars, and community events tallied per participant.
Wellbeing: pre- and post-year participant surveys on confidence, emotional wellbeing, and critical thinking · individual case notes maintained across the year.
Family & school relationships: structured meetings with school officials assessing parent participation in conferences, events, and communications – because the ripple to the family is a stated outcome, so it gets measured like one.
Yearly targets the organization holds itself to: 80% of participants report feeling better about themselves · 75% report improved relationships with peers and adults · 80% increase participation in school and extracurricular activities · 100% increase engagement in community service.
Trajectory
Growth with discipline
Five-year growth
Chapters up 100%. Enrollment up 57%. School-chapter attendance up 28%. Enrollment opened to boys – the Dragonflies – in response to community demand. Six college scholarships awarded; every BEP graduate has continued to higher education.
Institutional milestones
Purchased a permanent headquarters at 1146 Main Road, Riverhead. An owned asset, secured with board leadership. Approved as an Eastern Suffolk BOCES Enrichment Program, opening a durable public-funding channel for school partnerships.
Strategic plan, next 3–5 years
Launch a capital campaign for expanded operations. Formalize a donor development strategy to diversify funding. Expand the board across Suffolk County. Add key staff including full-time office manager, program director, and school liaison. Double the number of chapters across Long Island.
The economics
Unit cost, honestly stated
BEP publishes what a child’s year actually costs — and what families actually pay.
True cost per child, per year
What a family pays, per year
Institutional units
Governance & safeguards
Legitimacy you can verify
Chaired by Craig Hasday, President of the National Employee Benefits Practice at EPIC Insurance Brokers & Consultants, whose tenure includes securing BEP’s permanent home.
Every Ambassador and volunteer working directly with youth is fingerprinted and background-checked. Volunteer placement is discretionary and safety-gated by policy.
A formal, published anti-discrimination statement governs all programs.
The elected Head Butterfly serves as paid staff and official participant spokesperson creating accountability to the people served, built into the structure.
Candid Platinum Transparency certified — the highest level of nonprofit transparency recognition. Form 990s and full organizational details are published on BEP’s Candid profile.
Approved Eastern Suffolk BOCES Enrichment Program · school partnerships across Riverhead, Center Moriches, East Hampton, Bridgehampton, and more · program partners include WHBPAC, Peconic Baykeeper, and the Riverhead Nike team.
Due diligence done? Let’s talk.
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