Big Brothers Big Sisters of the Sun Coast

What Big Brothers Big Sisters of the Sun Coast does

Big Brothers Big Sisters of the Sun Coast is an independent 501(c)(3) nonprofit founded in 1968 and headquartered in Sarasota, Florida, delivering professionally supported one-to-one youth mentoring across 10 counties on Florida's Gulf Coast (Sarasota, Manatee, Charlotte, Lee, Collier, DeSoto, Hardee, Highlands, Hendry, and Glades). It operates as the local affiliate of the Big Brothers Big Sisters of America national network, serving roughly 1,700 youth ("Littles," ages 6-21) per year through a paid executive team, 9 staffed regional offices, and a base of adult volunteer mentors ("Bigs"). Service delivery runs through two core channels, Community-Based Mentoring and Site-Based Mentoring, supplemented by seven specialized initiatives: Reading Bigs, Gateway to Success, Decisions to Win, Juvenile Justice Mentoring Initiative, Beyond School Walls, Bigs With Badges, Big Futures, and Resilient Youth.

The underlying methodology is human-centric: each match is screened, supported by Match Support Specialists, and required to meet at least twice per month over a minimum 12-month commitment. There is no proprietary technology platform beyond a standard website (bbbssun.org) and donor/event infrastructure; the "product" is the supported mentoring relationship itself, not a software artifact.

The organization is funded through a diversified nonprofit revenue stack including individual donations, an Annual Fund, Endowment Fund, Legacy Society planned gifts, fundraising events (golf, pickleball, galas, dueling pianos, clay shoots, bowling), corporate and community-foundation grants (Flanzer Philanthropic Trust, Barancik Foundation, Gulf Coast Community Foundation, Collaboratory, Community Foundation of Sarasota County, Suncoast Credit Union, United Way Sun Coast), and Florida state appropriations channeled through the BBBS Association of Florida, which in 2025 secured $8.4 million statewide for mentoring programs. Services are provided at no charge to youth participants and families; the agency was led by Joy Mahler for over 40 years until September 30, 2024, when Kamala L. Martinez was appointed President & CEO, and in May 2025 received BBBS of America's 2024 Pinnacle Award.

Name

Big Brothers Big Sisters of the Sun Coast

Legal name

Big Brothers Big Sisters of the Sun Coast Inc.

Website

https://bbbssun.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1968

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Big Brothers Big Sisters of the Sun Coast is a Sarasota-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit, founded 1968, that delivers professionally supported one-to-one mentoring to roughly 1,700 at-risk youth annually across 10 Florida Gulf Coast counties, funded by donations, foundation grants, and state appropriations.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Youth Mentoring Services

NAICS

Child and Youth Services (62411), Child and Youth Services (624110), Other Individual and Family Services (624190)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300)

akta.pro primary industry

Student Mentoring & Peer Support Programs (EDAJALAL)

akta.pro secondary industries

Youth Mentoring & Positive Youth Development Nonprofits (BPAGADAD), Youth Mental Health, Counseling & Wellbeing (Education-Linked) Nonprofits (BPAGADAK), Family & Parent Support Services (Parent Coaching, Advocacy) (EDAJALAK)

Keywords

• Youth mentoring services
• One-to-one mentoring programs
• Community-based mentoring
• Youth development nonprofit
• Mentor matching programs

Headquarters

HQ city

Venice

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices11 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Individual Donations: Tax-deductible charitable contributions from individual donors supporting youth mentoring programs
2. State Government Funding: $8.4 million in Florida state funding secured through BBBS Association of Florida for mentoring programs including BISS, School-to-Work, Bigs in Blue, and MCIP programs
3. Annual Fund: Recurring donations supporting education, college and career readiness, and health & wellness programs
4. Endowment Fund: Endowed funds providing scholarships and long-term resources for youth empowerment
5. Legacy Society / Planned Gifts: Planned giving through bequests and beneficiary designations for generational impact
6. Fundraising Events: Golf tournaments, pickleball events, bowling events, clay shoots, galas, and dueling pianos events generating donations

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Big Brothers Big Sisters of the Sun Coast creates and supports one-to-one mentoring relationships between adult volunteer mentors (Bigs) and youth ages 6-21 (Littles). The organization delivers two core program models—Community-Based Mentoring and Site-Based Mentoring—along with specialized initiatives addressing literacy, school transition, decision-making, juvenile justice prevention, workforce readiness, and resiliency, all provided free of charge to participants across 10 Florida counties.

Product overview

Big Brothers Big Sisters of the Sun Coast operates as a unified youth mentoring service organization consisting of two core program delivery models (Community-Based and Site-Based Mentoring) supported by seven specialized initiatives. The core programs provide one-to-one adult mentoring relationships for youth ages 6-18, while the initiatives address specific needs including literacy development (Reading Bigs), school transition support (Gateway to Success), decision-making skills (Decisions to Win), juvenile justice prevention, career exploration (Beyond School Walls), public service mentoring (Bigs With Badges), and extended youth support through age 21 (Big Futures, Resilient Youth).

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Community-Based Mentoring One-to-one mentoring relationships where Bigs and Littles meet for outings and activities such as park walks, museum visits, and other shared experiences with flexible scheduling tailored to each match.
• Site-Based Mentoring Mentoring programs delivered at schools, libraries, colleges, community centers, and youth-serving organizations, where Bigs meet Littles for activities including homework help, career exploration, and workforce readiness.
• Reading Bigs Program designed to foster a love of literature and aid in the development of grade-level reading skills for youth mentees.
• Gateway to Success Initiative supporting at-risk students during the critical transition from middle school to high school.
• Decisions to Win Intensive mentoring program where community mentors work one-on-one with high school students through an 18-lesson workbook on decision-making.
• Juvenile Justice Mentoring Initiative Prevention and early intervention specialized mentoring services for youth at high risk of entering the juvenile justice system.
• Beyond School Walls Program where high school students meet with mentors in a business setting, providing opportunities for real-life professional experiences and career exploration.
• Bigs With Badges Program matching youth with mentors who work in law enforcement, the military, fire and rescue, and the forestry service.
• Big Futures Professionally-supported mentoring bridge providing youth in grades 10-12 with continued guidance until age 21, placing them on a career pathway to sustainable independence and plans for higher education, military, or workplace dedication.
• Resilient Youth Program teaching youth coping skills to manage stress and reach their full potential, building lifelong positive habits that enhance personal resiliency.

Quantifiable outcome

• 99% of at-risk students were promoted to the next grade
• +4 more outcomes

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

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered minor and major.

• FC NaplesminorGTM or Marketing PartnerYouth sports organization partnership supporting community engagement and fundraising initiatives
• Atlanta BravesminorGTM or Marketing PartnerMajor League Baseball team partnership for community engagement and awareness
• PublixminorGTM or Marketing PartnerRegional grocery chain supporting community causes and nonprofit fundraising
• ComcastminorGTM or Marketing PartnerCorporate partner supporting community initiatives and visibility
• Macy'sminorGTM or Marketing PartnerRetail partner supporting community giving initiatives
• BMW of SarasotaminorGTM or Marketing PartnerAutomotive dealership supporting local community causes
• United Way (Sun Coast)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborative partner in community impact initiatives and funding
• Big Brothers Big Sisters Association of FloridamajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerStatewide alliance of BBBS agencies working together for youth mentoring excellence and advocacy. Secured $8.4 million in state funding for mentoring programs.

Scale indicators13 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Girls Inc. National nonprofit delivering mentoring and youth development programs specifically for girls. Comparable as a directly competing one-to-one mentoring organization serving overlapping demographic segments and competing for the same foundation grants.

Broad incumbents

• MENTOR (National Mentoring Partnership): National umbrella advocating for and supporting youth mentoring programs. Comparable as the sector convener that BBBS of the Sun Coast affiliates with for advocacy, research, and cross-agency grant access.
• 4-H Youth Development Program: National youth development program administered through cooperative extension. Comparable as a long-standing, broad-reach youth development organization with overlapping educational and life-skill outcomes for similar age populations.
• Big Brothers Big Sisters of America: National umbrella organization overseeing the 230+ local BBBS affiliates including BBBS of the Sun Coast. Directly comparable as the parent network of the same mentoring methodology, branding, and program standards.
• Boys & Girls Clubs of America: Largest national youth development nonprofit serving 4 million youth annually. Comparable as a similarly scaled youth services nonprofit competing for the same donor and foundation dollars with a different (clubhouse-based) delivery model.

Emerging players

• Take Stock in Children: Florida-based nonprofit providing mentoring and college scholarships to low-income youth. Comparable as a Florida-focused mentoring organization with overlapping school-based program delivery and college-readiness outcomes.
• City Year: National nonprofit deploying near-peer AmeriCorps mentors in schools to improve student outcomes. Comparable as a mentoring-focused youth development organization with similar outcome metrics around graduation and school progression.

Regional players

• Boys & Girls Clubs of Sarasota County: Regional youth development nonprofit serving at-risk youth across Sarasota and surrounding counties. Comparable as a directly competing local nonprofit for the same youth population, donor dollars, and volunteer base, though focused on facility-based programming rather than one-to-one mentoring.
• YMCA of Southwest Florida: Regional YMCA serving the same Southwest Florida counties with youth development programming. Comparable as a competing youth services nonprofit for the same donor base, corporate sponsors, and youth population.
• United Way Suncoast: Regional United Way affiliate covering the same Sun Coast Florida geography. Directly comparable as a community-impact funder and partner organization with overlapping donor and volunteer populations, and a documented corporate partnership with BBBS of the Sun Coast.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/bbbssun
• Facebookfacebook.com/bbbssun
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/big-brothers-big-sisters-of-the-sun-coast

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles25 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds2 records

Investors2 records

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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 the Sun Coast