Teammates Mentoring Program

What Teammates Mentoring Program does

TeamMates Mentoring Program is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit founded in 1991 by Coach Tom Osborne and his wife Nancy Osborne in Lincoln, Nebraska. The organization runs a one-on-one school-based mentoring program that matches screened volunteer adult mentors with students in grades 3 through 12 across 200+ local chapters embedded in school districts in six U.S. states (Nebraska, Iowa, Kansas, Missouri, South Dakota, and Wyoming). Mentors commit to a minimum three-year relationship and meet their mentees weekly for 30–60 minutes during the school day; the program also extends into post-secondary mentoring for college, trade school, apprenticeship, certification, and military pathways, supported by scholarships and an emergency fund. Reported outcomes include a 97% graduation rate, 59% academic improvement, 87% fewer disciplinary referrals, and 71% fewer unexcused absences among mentees, with over 51,000 cumulative matches since inception.

The program's underlying technology is intentionally minimal: CiviCore handles volunteer applications and background-check workflows, and Community Force powers the scholarship application portal, with a third-party vendor (Shirts 101) running the merchandise store. The differentiated "product layer" is human-centered — Gallup CliftonStrengths assessments are integrated into mentor training and delivered by three on-staff Gallup-Certified Strengths Coaches. Revenue is generated entirely from tax-deductible donations (operational gifts, multi-year pledges, planned/estate gifts), corporate event sponsorships (headlined by the Osborne Family Legacy Golf Tournament), institutional scholarships (notably the Aksarben Foundation), and merchandise. Named direct cost metrics are $50 per background check and $500 per mentor-mentee match-year, with the average match lasting three years; the program states it operates at roughly one-fourth the national average cost per match.

Go-to-market is community-led: volunteer mentors apply online, complete background checks and training, and are matched with students based on common interests; chapters are hosted inside school districts, with regional coordinators (nine named geographies) providing local operational support. The organization is currently operating under Interim CEO Vicky Howick with a national CEO search underway, is governed by separate Program and Foundation Boards, and reported 9,655 youth served in the 2023–2024 academic year.

Name

Teammates Mentoring Program

Legal name

TeamMates Mentoring Program

Website

https://teammates.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1991

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

TeamMates Mentoring Program is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit founded in 1991 that pairs screened volunteer adult mentors with K–12 and post-secondary students across 200+ chapters in six U.S. Midwest states, supported by donations, sponsorships, and scholarships.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Youth Mentoring Services

NAICS

Educational Support Services (611710), Educational Support Services (6117)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300), Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Student Mentoring & Peer Support Programs (EDAJALAL)

akta.pro secondary industries

Youth Mentoring & Positive Youth Development Nonprofits (BPAGADAD), Peer Support, Mentoring & Student Leadership (SEL) (EDAKAMAO), Alumni, Peer & Community Networking Programs (EDAMAKAM)

Keywords

• Youth mentoring services
• School-based mentoring
• Volunteer mentor matching
• Post-secondary scholarships
• Nonprofit education support

Headquarters

HQ city

La Vista

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Operational Gifts: Tax-deductible donations to support overall program operations, local chapter funding, background checks, annual fees, and mentor/mentee program support. Includes one-time gifts and multi-year pledges.
2. Planned Gifts: Legacy gifts through estate planning including bequests, scholarships, and memorial contributions to support the TeamMates Foundation and ensure long-term program sustainability.
3. Event Sponsorships: Corporate sponsorships for annual events including golf tournaments, conferences, celebrations, and scholarship programs. Sponsors receive recognition and branding opportunities.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Teammates Mentoring Program runs free school-based mentoring that pairs volunteer adult mentors with students in grades 3-12 for weekly 30-60 minute sessions during the school day, with a minimum three-year commitment through high school graduation. It extends into post-secondary mentoring for students at colleges, trade schools, apprenticeships, certification programs, and the military, supported by scholarships, an Educational Success Emergency Fund, strengths-based coaching via Gallup CliftonStrengths, and mentor training resources.

Product overview

TeamMates Mentoring Program is a single, unified mentoring program with two primary service tracks: School-Based Mentoring (grades 3-12) and Post-Secondary Mentoring. The program operates on a technology platform that includes an online mentor application system (CiviCore) and scholarship portal (Community Force). Additional offerings include a merchandise store (via Shirts 101), the Mentoring Matters book publication, an Educational Success Emergency Fund, and annual events (Celebration, Conference, Golf Tournament). Mentor support resources include the CliftonStrengths strengths-based coaching program.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• School-Based Mentoring Program Free one-on-one school-based mentoring connecting students in grades 3-12 with volunteer adult mentors who meet weekly for 30-60 minutes during the school day, with a minimum three-year commitment through high school graduation. Operated through 200+ local chapters across Nebraska, Iowa, Kansas, Missouri, South Dakota, and Wyoming.
• Post-Secondary Mentoring Program Mentoring program for mentees continuing into two- and four-year colleges, trade schools, apprenticeships, certification programs, or military service. Includes twice-monthly mentor connections, strengths-based coaching, scholarship access, and emergency funds.
• TeamMates Scholarship Program Scholarship funding for TeamMates mentees pursuing post-secondary education at colleges, trade schools, apprenticeships, certification programs, or military pathways, administered via the Community Force scholarship portal.
• Educational Success Emergency Fund Financial assistance program providing emergency support to post-secondary mentees facing unexpected hardships that threaten their educational success.
• Gallup CliftonStrengths Coaching Program Strengths-based assessment and coaching using Gallup CliftonStrengths to help mentors and mentees identify and apply their natural talents; three staff members are Gallup-Certified Strengths Coaches.
• Mentor Resource Toolkit Online resources supporting volunteer mentors with well-being guidance, relationship-building tools, career readiness materials, and college readiness guides.

Quantifiable outcome

• 97% graduation rate among mentees
• +6 more outcomes

Named customers2 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Nine partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• University of Nebraska-LincolncoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerUniversity partner for post-secondary mentoring program, host of Scholarship & College Graduation Celebration at Memorial Stadium, significant involvement in program history through co-founder Tom Osborne's connection
• Northeast Community CollegecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerEducation partner supporting post-secondary mentees through scholarships and educational pathways
• Southeast Community CollegecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerEducation partner providing post-secondary opportunities and scholarships for TeamMates mentees
• University of South DakotacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerEducation partner supporting mentees pursuing higher education in South Dakota
• Creighton UniversitycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerEducation partner providing post-secondary pathways for TeamMates mentees
• University of Nebraska at OmahacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerEducation partner hosting former mentee Jacie Ambrose as marketing intern, post-secondary support
• Augustana UniversitycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerUniversity partner with head football coach serving as keynote speaker for 2026 Annual Conference and active TeamMates mentor for 5+ years
• GallupcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerProvides CliftonStrengths assessment and training resources for mentors and mentees; three staff members are Gallup-certified strengths coaches
• MidAmerica Nazarene UniversityminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner providing graduate-level continuing education credits for TeamMates Annual Conference attendees

Scale indicators10 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Emerging players

• Reading Partners: Nonprofit that mobilizes community volunteers to provide literacy tutoring to K-12 students in under-resourced schools, embedding in schools during the school day. Comparable to TeamMates on school-based volunteer-mentor delivery model and student-outcome measurement, but narrower literacy-focused curriculum.
• City Year: Education nonprofit deploying near-peer AmeriCorps mentors in K-12 schools to support attendance, behavior, and academic outcomes. Comparable on K-12 school-based mentoring mission and the same operational practice of measuring attendance/behavior/academic metrics, though uses paid AmeriCorps members rather than community volunteers.
• College Possible: Nonprofit providing near-peer coaching and application support to low-income high school students pursuing higher education. Comparable to TeamMates' post-secondary mentoring and scholarship pillar, with overlapping target population and college-access outcomes focus.

Direct peers

• iMentor: Nonprofit that pairs college-educated volunteer mentors with low-income high school students to support college access and graduation. Closely comparable to TeamMates' school-to-post-secondary mentoring pathway, with similar target population and outcomes orientation.
• MENTOR (MENTOR: The National Mentoring Partnership): National advocacy and capacity-building organization advancing quality youth mentoring through Affiliate Partners and evidence-based program standards. Directly comparable in mission (school and community mentoring for youth outcomes) and as a peer in the U.S. youth mentoring sector, while operating more as an umbrella/convener.
• Big Brothers Big Sisters of America: Largest U.S. youth-mentoring nonprofit running school- and community-based one-to-one mentoring for youth ages 6-18. Directly comparable to TeamMates on mission (caring adult mentors for youth), delivery model (school-based matches), and nonprofit funding structure, though at much larger scale and national footprint.

Broad incumbents

• Junior Achievement USA: Large youth-serving nonprofit delivering work-readiness, financial literacy, and entrepreneurship programming via volunteer role models in K-12 schools. Comparable on volunteer-driven, school-day K-12 delivery and youth outcome focus, though more curriculum/instruction oriented than relationship mentoring.
• Boys & Girls Club of America: Nationwide federation of youth development organizations serving K-12 students with mentoring, education, and out-of-school programming. Comparable in nonprofit youth development mission and student outcome reporting, but much broader programmatic scope and physical-club delivery model.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/MentorTeamMates
• Facebookfacebook.com/TeamMatesMentoring
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/teammates-mentoring-program

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles9 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Teammates Mentoring Program