Our Mission Statement:

Big Sisters is committed to enhancing the confidence, self-esteem and well-being of girls through supportive friendships with caring women.

• Children need acceptance, understanding and respect as individuals.
• Any child can benefit from a supportive relationship with a caring adult.
• Offering girls a broad range of experiences and perspectives helps them to deal with social discrimination and to realize their individual potential.
• In the value of non-threatening, non-competitive group experiences for women and children.
• In the value of diversity among mentors and mentees.
• Children can benefit from the life experiences of female role models.
• Mentors' lives are enriched by their relationships with their mentees.
• Our services can have a preventative impact on children and their families.
• Volunteers deserve recognition and support for their contributions to the community.

Our Core Values:

• We value friendship and support.
• We value relationships based on acceptance, respect, understanding, fun and love.
• We value equality, dignity and respect within the mentor/mentee relationship and the organization.
• Our program provides positive role models.
• We believe in offering children a range of experiences and perspectives.
• We value diversity.
• We value non-competitiveness within the agency
• We value a process of communication and consultation that involves our mentees. Mentees are entitled to have input into programs and services.
• We seek to maintain and promote the integrity of mentees within their families. However, our mentees' safety and well-being is primary.
• We respect the confidentiality of mentees and their families.
• We will advocate for the physical and emotional well-being of the mentee.
• We challenge all stereotypes.

The Donor Bill of Rights:

Philanthropy is based on voluntary action for the common good. It is a tradition of giving and sharing that is primary to the quality of life of everyone in the community. To ensure that philanthropy merits the respect and trust of the general public, and that donors and prospective donors can have full confidence in the nonprofit organizations and causes they are asked to support, Big Sisters of BC Lower Mainland declares that all of our donors have the following rights:

• To be informed of the organization's mission, of the way the organization intends to use donated resources, and of its capacity to use donations effectively for their intended purposes.
• To be informed of the identity of those serving on the organization's governing board, and to expect the board to exercise prudent judgment in its stewardship responsibilities.
• To have access to the organization's most recent financial statements.
• To be assured their gifts will be used for the purposes for which they were given.
• To receive appropriate acknowledgement and recognition.
• To be assured that information about their donation is handled with respect and with confidentiality to the extent provided by law.
• To expect that all relationships with individuals representing organizations of interest to the donor will be professional in nature.
• To be informed whether those seeking donations are volunteers, employees of the organization or hired solicitors.
• To have the opportunity for their names to be deleted from mailing lists that an organization may intend to share.
• To feel free to ask questions when making a donation and to receive prompt, truthful and forthright answers.

The Donor Bill of Rights was created by the American Association of Fund Raising Counsel (AAFRC), Association for Healthcare Philanthropy (AHP), the Association of Fundraising Professionals (AFP), and the Council for Advancement and Support of Education (CASE). It has been endorsed by numerous organizations.