Big Brothers Big Sisters of Metro Milwaukee

What Big Brothers Big Sisters of Metro Milwaukee does

Big Brothers Big Sisters of Metro Milwaukee is a 501(c)(3) charitable organization and local affiliate of the national Big Brothers Big Sisters movement, operating from 770 N. Jefferson St., Ste. 200 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin and serving youth and families across Milwaukee and Waukesha counties. The organization recruits adult volunteers ("Bigs") and matches them one-to-one with youth ("Littles") ages 6 through 16 in three core program formats: Community-Based Mentoring, where pairs meet two to four times per month to explore the community; School-Based Mentoring, where volunteers meet weekly with elementary and middle school students on partner school campuses; and Mentor2.0, a technology-enriched program pairing high school students with mentors who communicate weekly online and meet in person monthly through a college and career readiness curriculum that continues into the first year of college. Supporting infrastructure includes the MentorZone Youth Activity and Mentorship Center housed in the lower level of the office, the REACH organized-activity program, and the Little Big Chats podcast distributed on Apple Podcasts and Spotify.

The business model is a diversified nonprofit funding operation with no program fees charged to participants. Revenue sources include individual donations, tiered corporate giving (Chairman's Circle at $100,000+, President's Circle at graduated bands down to $5,000-$9,999), government grants from OJJDP and the City of Milwaukee's Community Development Grants program, United Way allocation, and a portfolio of signature annual fundraising events including Paddles for Potential Pickleball Classic, NFL Alumni Golf Classic, The BIG Gala, Bowl for Kids' Sake, and The Art of Pairing. The go-to-market motion is community-led: interest forms route prospects into a formal application and screening pipeline, supported by an active owned-channel presence across Instagram, Facebook, and LinkedIn, plus media partnerships with the Milwaukee Brewers and Brewers Buddies Ticket Program.

The organization operates with an 11-50 person staff, maintains a Platinum Seal of Transparency from Candid and a 4-Star Charity Navigator rating, and is governed by a local board of directors while operating independently of its national parent. There is no disclosed proprietary technology stack, no mobile application, no public API, and no documented AI or machine learning capability; the "technology-enriched" elements of Mentor2.0 refer to online communication infrastructure for mentor-mentee pairs rather than AI-native systems.

Name

Big Brothers Big Sisters of Metro Milwaukee

Legal name

Big Brothers Big Sisters of Metro Milwaukee

Website

https://bbbsmilwaukee.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1975

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Big Brothers Big Sisters of Metro Milwaukee is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that recruits adult volunteers and matches them one-to-one with youth ages 6-16 in community, school, and online mentoring programs serving Milwaukee and Waukesha counties in Wisconsin.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Youth Mentoring Services

NAICS

Child and Youth Services (62411), Child and Youth Services (624110), Educational Support Services (611710)

akta.pro primary industry

Youth Mentoring & Positive Youth Development Nonprofits (BPAGADAD)

akta.pro secondary industries

Peer Support, Mentoring & Student Leadership (SEL) (EDAKAMAO), Student Mentoring & Peer Support Programs (EDAJALAL), Community Centers & Neighborhood Support Services (BPAGAEAL)

Keywords

• Youth mentoring services
• Nonprofit youth programs
• Volunteer mentor matching
• Community-based mentoring
• Youth development services

Headquarters

HQ city

Milwaukee

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, Others

Revenue model

1. Individual Donations: Direct donations from individuals supporting the organization's mentoring programs
2. Corporate Giving and Sponsorships: Financial contributions from corporations at various sponsorship levels including Chairman's Circle ($100,000+), President's Circle ($50,000-$99,999, $25,000-$49,999, $10,000-$24,999, $5,000-$9,999)
3. Special Events: Revenue from signature annual events including Paddles for Potential Pickleball Classic, NFL Alumni Golf Classic, The BIG Gala, Bowl for Kids' Sake, and The Art of Pairing
4. Government Grants: Funding from government sources including OJJDP (Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention) and City of Milwaukee Community Development Grants

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Big Brothers Big Sisters of Metro Milwaukee creates and supports one-to-one mentoring relationships by screening, training, and matching adult volunteer mentors (Bigs) with youth ages 6-16 (Littles) across Milwaukee and Waukesha counties. It delivers this through three core program formats — Community-Based Mentoring, School-Based Mentoring, and the technology-enriched Mentor2.0 program for high school students — supplemented by the MentorZone youth activity center and REACH organized group activities.

Product overview

Big Brothers Big Sisters of Metro Milwaukee offers a portfolio of youth mentoring programs and community engagement services. The core offerings include three distinct mentoring programs: Community-Based Mentoring for youth ages 6-16 meeting 2-4 times monthly, School-Based Mentoring at partner schools during the academic year, and Mentor2.0 for high school students combining in-person and online mentoring with college/career curriculum. Supporting services include MentorZone (youth activity center), REACH organized activities, and the Little Big Chats podcast. The organization also runs signature annual fundraising events including the Paddles for Potential Pickleball Classic, NFL Alumni Golf Classic, The BIG Gala, Bowl for Kids' Sake, and The Art of Pairing.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• mentor2.0: A technology-enriched mentoring program for high school students that combines in-person mentoring with online communication and weekly curriculum focused on college and career readiness.

Products and services

• Community-Based Mentoring One-to-one mentoring program where screened volunteer mentors ages 21 and older (Bigs) are matched with youth ages 6-16 (Littles) and meet 2-4 times per month to explore the community together, focusing on positive youth outcomes and avoidance of risky behaviors.
• School-Based Mentoring Mentoring program in which volunteers meet weekly with elementary and middle school students during the academic year at partner schools to assist with homework, play games, and connect, with a focus on educational success and positive youth development.
• Mentor2.0 Technology-enriched mentoring program for high school students that combines secure online weekly communication with monthly in-person meetings at partner schools, supported by a weekly college and career readiness curriculum. Relationships continue through high school and into the first year of college.
• MentorZone A youth activity and mentorship center located in the lower level of the organization's Milwaukee office at 770 N. Jefferson St., available to enrolled matches and youth to enhance services, strengthen match relationships, and increase affiliation.
• REACH Activities Organized group activities and events for community-based Bigs and Littles to spend time together, including Critters & Canoes, Match Anniversary Celebrations, Mini Golf Nights, Rowing on the River, Sailing and Safety workshops, and pickleball events.

Named customers3 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

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Milwaukee BrewerscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCommunity partner providing Brewers Buddies Ticket Program, offering tickets that allow Bigs and Littles to enjoy baseball games together.
• Pickleball Kingdom Menomonee FallsminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerVenue partner hosting Paddles for Potential Pickleball Classic fundraising event.
• All Hands BoatworksminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner organization for Rowing on the River events; collaborated with 19 BBBS matches to build a full-size wooden rowboat.
• City of MilwaukeecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCommunity partner and source of Community Development Grants funding.
• Milwaukee Public LibraryminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCommunity partner providing educational resources for program participants.

Scale indicators1 record

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Others

• MENTOR (National Mentoring Partnership): The national umbrella organization for youth mentoring, providing standards, research, and advocacy that shape programs like BBBS. Indirectly comparable as an industry ecosystem enabler rather than a direct service competitor.
• United Way Greater Milwaukee & Waukesha County: A Chairman's Circle funder of BBBS Milwaukee that itself aggregates donations and distributes them to youth-serving nonprofits in the same two-county region. Comparable as a major community funding intermediary, not a direct service provider.

Regional players

• Junior Achievement of Wisconsin: A Wisconsin-based youth education nonprofit focused on workforce readiness, financial literacy, and entrepreneurship for K-12 students. Overlaps with BBBS's Mentor2.0 college/career readiness focus and shares a similar corporate-sponsor funding model in the same region.

Direct peers

• iMentor: National nonprofit that pairs college-educated mentors with high school students using a technology-enriched, curriculum-driven model very similar to BBBS's Mentor2.0 program. Direct overlap in tech-mediated mentoring for college/career readiness.
• Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Milwaukee: A regional Milwaukee youth development nonprofit providing mentoring, education, and enrichment programming to youth in the same service area. Comparable on target population (Milwaukee youth), nonprofit funding model, and corporate sponsor base.
• Big Brothers Big Sisters of America: The national parent organization that sets program standards, brand, and fundraising infrastructure for all local affiliates including BBBS of Metro Milwaukee. Operates the same one-to-one mentoring model and is directly comparable on mission, methodology, and beneficiary population.
• Big Brothers Big Sisters of Dane County: A sibling BBBS affiliate serving the Madison, Wisconsin area with the same one-to-one youth mentoring mission, program structure (community-based, school-based), and funding mix. Most directly comparable on geographic-adjacent scale and nonprofit operations.

Broad incumbents

• Boys & Girls Clubs of America: National umbrella for Boys & Girls Clubs, operating club-based youth development with embedded mentoring. Comparable as a large, established youth development nonprofit with corporate sponsorships and a local-affiliate model — broader scope than BBBS's one-to-one mentoring niche.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/bbbsmilwaukee
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/big-brothers-big-sisters-of-metro-milwaukee
• Instagraminstagram.com/bbbsmke
• Xx.com/bbbsmilwaukee

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds1 record

Investors1 record

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Big Brothers Big Sisters of Metro Milwaukee