Boys & Girls Clubs of Boston

Since 1893, the Boys & Girls Clubs of Boston (BGCB) has provided young people with accessible and affordable after-school programming. Today, through 10 Clubs located throughout Boston and Chelsea, BGCB helps more than 8,000 young people between 6 and 18 years of age annually—including those from historically excluded communities—to succeed academically, live healthy lifestyles, and practice good citizenship.

Looking to help to expand opportunities for youth in the Boston area, the Davis family first began supporting BGCB in 1999, and have continued their giving through the Foundation since 2013.

In the mid- to late-1990s, BGCB had made substantial investments in expanding its facilities, staffing, and programs but relied largely on year-to-year giving to support its operations. Through his tenure, first as board chair and later as chair of BGCB’s first-ever planned giving initiative, Jon Davis helped to transform the organization’s balance sheet and program reach, in partnership with other forward-thinking volunteer leaders—all with the goal of strengthening BGCB’s sustainability and maximizing its services for youth.

“The whole planned giving conversation was about strategy and planning for the future.”

Bailey Snyder

“The whole planned giving conversation was about strategy and planning for the future,” says Bailey Snyder, BGCB’s Associate Vice President of Marketing & Communication. As a result of the two successive capital campaigns co-chaired by Jon and Margot Davis, the organization’s endowment grew from $3 million in 1999 to $90 million today. Through the planned giving initiative which Jon chaired, the number of individuals committing planned gifts to BGCB increased from 14 to over 100 today, with declared gifts topping $30 million.

The success of such fundraising initiatives helped to create a safety net, enabling BGCB to achieve the security it needed “not only to be sustainable, but to be more venturesome and creative” in its approach to meeting the needs of local youth, says Jon. In October 2021, Molly Davis Macleod joined BGCB’s Board of Trustees, opening a new chapter in the family’s leadership and engagement.