Big Brothers Big Sisters of America

What Big Brothers Big Sisters of America does

Big Brothers Big Sisters of America (BBBSA) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit charitable organization founded in 1904 and headquartered in Tampa, Florida. It operates the largest and oldest one-to-one youth mentoring network in the United States, delivering its core service through a federated system of 243 local affiliate agencies spanning all 50 states and nearly 5,000 communities. The organization's primary product matches adult volunteers ("Bigs") with young people ages 6 to 25 ("Littles") in professionally supported mentoring relationships, supplemented by the Big Futures college and career readiness program, an Alumni Network, a National Youth Council, and recognition programs including the Bigs and Littles of the Year awards and the Alumni Hall of Fame.

The underlying technology stack consists of nonprofit donor and volunteer management systems with cloud-based database hosting in the United States; BBBSA's Information Security Policy is aligned to the NIST Cybersecurity Framework. No proprietary technology products or AI/ML capabilities are central to service delivery, which is fundamentally relationship-based human matching. Documented longitudinal outcomes include 20% higher college enrollment rates, 15% higher lifetime earnings, and closure of two-thirds of the economic gap for Littles compared to non-mentored peers; nearly 2 million children have been served in the past decade.

The business model is donation- and partnership-funded, with all mentoring services provided at no cost to youth participants. Revenue streams include individual donations through bbbs.org, multi-year corporate partnerships and sponsorships (Macy's, UPS, Hilton, Gillette, Ulta Beauty, Porsche, Dove), corporate grants tied to specific programs such as Big Futures, and annual holiday campaigns through retail partners. The go-to-market approach combines a community-led model via the 243 local agencies with event-driven activations (the annual National Conference, the Big Draft mentor recruitment campaign, Gillette flag football events) and corporate partnership co-marketing. The organization employs 251-500 staff at the national level and is governed by a National Board of Directors, with Artis Stevens serving as President and CEO.

Name

Big Brothers Big Sisters of America

Legal name

Big Brothers Big Sisters of America

Website

https://bbbs.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1904

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

251–500 employees

Short description

Big Brothers Big Sisters of America is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit operating the largest U.S. one-to-one youth mentoring network through 243 local affiliates in all 50 states, matching adult volunteers with youth ages 6-25 and funded by individual donations, corporate partnerships, and grants.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Youth Mentoring Services

NAICS

Child and Youth Services (62411), Other Individual and Family Services (624190), Educational Support Services (611710)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300)

akta.pro primary industry

Youth Mentoring & Positive Youth Development Nonprofits (BPAGADAD)

akta.pro secondary industries

Student Mentoring & Peer Support Programs (EDAJALAL), Family & Parent Support Services (Parent Coaching, Advocacy) (EDAJALAK), College Access, Scholarships & Student Success Nonprofits (BPAGADAE)

Keywords

• Youth mentoring services
• Nonprofit volunteer programs
• One-to-one mentoring
• College career readiness
• Community youth development

Headquarters

HQ city

Irving

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Individual Donations: General donations from individual supporters, including one-time and recurring gifts through the organization's website and donation platform
2. Corporate Partnerships and Sponsorships: Strategic partnerships with corporations like Hilton, UPS, Macy's, Gillette, Ulta Beauty providing both funding and programmatic support for mentorship programs
3. Corporate Grants: Multi-year grants from corporations like UPS supporting Big Futures initiative and career readiness programs
4. Holiday Campaigns: Annual holiday fundraising campaigns through retail partners like Macy's round-up and online donations, raising millions annually

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Big Brothers Big Sisters of America is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that creates and supports professionally matched one-to-one mentoring relationships between adult volunteers (Bigs) and young people ages 6 to 25 (Littles). Services are delivered through a national network of 243 local affiliate agencies across all 50 states and are provided free of charge to youth participants. Programs address educational success, avoidance of risky behaviors, college and career readiness (via Big Futures), confidence building, and improved relationships, funded by individual donations, corporate sponsorships, and grants.

Product overview

Big Brothers Big Sisters of America is a nonprofit youth mentoring organization operating a single integrated program of one-to-one mentoring relationships. The core offering connects adult volunteers (Bigs) with young people (Littles) ages 6-25 through professionally supported matches. The organization supplements this with specialized programs including the Big Futures career readiness initiative, Alumni Network for former participants, National Youth Council for youth advocacy, Little Reporters media program, and annual recognition programs (Bigs and Littles of the Year, Alumni Hall of Fame). Services are delivered through a network of 243+ local agencies across all 50 states, with funding from individual donations, corporate partnerships, and events.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Quantifiable outcome

• 20% more likely to enroll in college
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers6 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered flagship, minor and core.

• HiltonflagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 18 June 2026BBBSA and Hilton partnership delivers immersive hospitality career exploration and mentorship. In first year, provides structured mentoring experiences at Hilton properties in Miami, Atlanta, Dallas, Anaheim, Columbus, and Washington D.C. for participants ages 16-25. Includes 250 million Hilton Honors Points donation for travel experiences for Littles and families. Advances BBBSA's Big Futures initiative for career exposure and skills building.
• UPSflagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 16 June 2026Expanded multi-year UPS partnership creates 25,000 mentoring moments for youth through direct UPS workplace experiences and career exposure events. Builds on initial three-year engagement that created mentoring relationships and career readiness programs. Supports BBBSA's Big Futures initiative connecting youth with logistics, operations, technology and entrepreneurship through facility visits, employee-led mentoring sessions and entrepreneurship circles.
• PorscheminorGTM or Marketing Partner · 9 June 2026Porsche Toy Story 5 charitable initiative benefiting BBBSA. Three one-of-one 911 models inspired by Woody, Buzz Lightyear, and Jessie will be sold with proceeds supporting BBBSA, American Red Cross, and Starlight Children's Foundation.
• Realize the DreamcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 June 2026BBBSA commitment to generate 10 million hours of service over three years across network of agencies in all 50 states. Supports Realize the Dream's goal of 100 million hours of service by 2029, honoring 100th anniversary of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s birth. Announced at 2026 BBBSA National Conference with Martin Luther King III and Arndrea Waters King.
• Macy'sflagshipGTM or Marketing Partner · 28 January 2026Multi-year partnership through Macy's Mission Every One platform. 2025 holiday campaign raised over $3.1 million through in-store round-up, online donations, and collectible holiday items. Since 2022, partnership has raised over $16 million. Includes BBBS matches in holiday campaign, participation in 99th Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade, Macy's Santa Tour experiences, and holiday window displays featuring BBBS ornaments.
• GillettecoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 October 2025National partnership to engage more men as mentors through community flag football events. Ten flag football experiences across Boston, San Francisco, Kansas City, Dallas, Tampa, Cincinnati, Detroit, Seattle, New Orleans, and Phoenix connect prospective Bigs with boys on waitlists. Beyond events, partnership amplifies resources across BBBSA network to help agencies recruit male mentors.
• Ulta BeautycoreGTM or Marketing Partner · 22 July 2025Month-long in-store donation program raised over $2.4 million across 1,400 stores and online from May 18 to June 14, 2025. Additional match of up to $75,000 by Bread Financial. Funds support BBBS youth wellness initiatives, training, and resources across nearly 5,000 communities. Partnership has helped raise nearly $5 million in recent years.
• DoveminorGTM or Marketing PartnerCorporate partner image shown on BBBSA website partnerships page.

Scale indicators9 records

Recent moves4 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• City Year: National youth-development nonprofit deploying near-peer mentors in schools, with comparable target demographic, mentoring-as-intervention model, and major corporate sponsorship base (corporate "featured" partners including Deloitte, AT&T, etc.).
• Boys & Girls Clubs of America: National nonprofit providing youth development programs through a federated club network across the US. Directly comparable to BBBSA in mission (underserved youth), delivery model (local affiliates), funding base (corporate partnerships, donations), and target outcome metrics (graduation, career readiness).
• Year Up: Workforce-development nonprofit serving young adults from underserved communities with structured mentoring, career exposure, and corporate partnerships (e.g., corporate-funded cohorts, internships). Direct overlap with BBBSA's Big Futures initiative in target demographic (ages 16-25) and corporate-sponsorship revenue model.
• 4-H (National 4-H Council): US youth development organization with comparable age, scale, federated delivery model (extension service network), corporate sponsorship base, and educational outcome focus (STEM, college readiness, civic engagement).
• Girl Scouts of the USA: National youth development nonprofit with a federated council structure, comparable in age (founded 1912), scale (millions of youth served), corporate partnership model (cookies, sponsored programming), and outcome measurement focus.
• Points of Light: National nonprofit focused on volunteer mobilization and civic engagement, with comparable reliance on corporate volunteerism, structured service-hour programs, and outcome measurement. Directly comparable on volunteer-supply strategy.
• Junior Achievement USA: Youth-focused nonprofit providing work-readiness, entrepreneurship, and financial literacy education through a federated local-area network with strong corporate sponsorship. Overlaps with BBBSA's Big Futures career-readiness program on outcomes, target demographic, and corporate partnership structure.

Emerging players

• iMentor: Technology-enabled nonprofit focused on college-access mentoring for high school students, with comparable one-to-one mentor matching model, school-based delivery, and corporate partner base. Differentiates via digital platform and explicit college-persistence metrics, overlapping BBBSA's college-readiness outcome tracking.

Broad incumbents

• United Way Worldwide: Large-scale national umbrella nonprofit that aggregates corporate workplace giving and funds youth-mentoring and education programs through local affiliates. Comparable in corporate partnership model, federated structure, and youth outcome focus, but operates as a multi-cause fundraiser rather than a single-program operator.
• National Urban League: Large multi-program civil rights and social services nonprofit with comparable target population (underserved youth), local-affiliate delivery, and corporate partnership base. Comparable in serving youth education and career readiness but operates across broader social-justice and economic-mobility mandates.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/BBBSA
• Facebookfacebook.com/BigBrothersBigSisters
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/7171

Compliance3 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles8 records

Subsidiaries1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds7 records

Investors5 records

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Big Brothers Big Sisters of America