Big Buddy Program

What Big Buddy Program does

Big Buddy Program is a 501(c)-style nonprofit youth development organization founded in 1979 and headquartered at 1415 Main Street, Baton Rouge, Louisiana. It serves K-12 students and high school youth in East Baton Rouge Parish through a portfolio of free programs delivered directly at partner school sites: one-on-one adult-youth mentoring, afterschool academic support and enrichment, an 8-week Summer Program, and a workforce development track built on its proprietary Level-UP! methodology that includes the co-branded Mayor's Youth Workforce Experience (MYWE) summer internship program and the year-round Career Connections continuation. The organization is led by Executive Director Gaylynne Mack and operates with a staff of 51-100, governed by an 11-member Board of Directors comprising regional business leaders.

Name

Big Buddy Program

Legal name

Big Buddy Program

Website

https://bigbuddyprogram.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1979

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

Big Buddy Program is a Baton Rouge, Louisiana nonprofit founded in 1979 that delivers free one-on-one mentoring, afterschool, summer, and workforce development programs to K-12 and high school youth across East Baton Rouge Parish through school-based sites and corporate partnerships.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Youth Development and Mentoring Services

NAICS

Child and Youth Services (62411), Educational Support Services (611710), Civic and Social Organizations (8134)

SIC

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

akta.pro primary industry

Youth Mentoring & Positive Youth Development Nonprofits (BPAGADAD)

akta.pro secondary industries

After-School, Tutoring & Academic Enrichment Nonprofits (BPAGADAC), Student Mentoring & Peer Support Programs (EDAJALAL), After-School Academic Support Programs (Centers & Clubs) (EDAJALAM), Multi-Activity Enrichment Camps (Academic + Arts + Sports) (EDAMALAA), Youth & Young Adult Workforce Programs (Out-of-School Youth) (EDAAAOAD)

Keywords

• Youth mentoring services
• Afterschool programs
• Summer youth programs
• Workforce development training
• Nonprofit youth services

Headquarters

HQ city

Baton Rouge

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Individual Donations: Accepts donations through PayPal for program support
2. Event Fundraising: Annual signature events (Dancing for Big Buddy, Crawfish King Cook-Off) generate revenue through sponsorships, ticket sales, and participant fundraising. 2025 Crawfish King Cook-Off raised $151,515 with 35 teams and 2000 attendees.
3. Government Grants: Louisiana Department of Education through 21st Century Community Learning Center grant supports summer programming. Mayor's Youth Workforce Experience program operates as a workforce development initiative.
4. Corporate Partnerships: Corporate engagement program with four levels of involvement (Step In, Lean In, Partner Up, Lead the Way) offers various engagement and sponsorship opportunities for businesses.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Big Buddy Program is a nonprofit youth development organization that delivers one-on-one mentoring relationships, afterschool academic support, summer enrichment programs, and the Mayor's Youth Workforce Experience (MYWE) career-readiness internship program to K-12 and high school youth in East Baton Rouge Parish. The organization funds these free services through individual donations, government grants, corporate sponsorships, and signature fundraising events such as Dancing for Big Buddy and the Crawfish King Cook-Off.

Product overview

Big Buddy Program is a youth mentoring organization based in Baton Rouge, Louisiana offering a portfolio of interconnected programs. The core service is one-on-one mentoring relationships between adult mentors and youth, supplemented by structured workforce development programs including the Mayor's Youth Workforce Experience (MYWE) featuring an 8-week summer internship model and the Career Connections year-round continuation. Educational support programs include Afterschool (tutoring, enrichment) and Summer Programs. The organization sustains operations through signature fundraising events—Dancing for Big Buddy (annual dance competition fundraiser) and Crawfish King Cook-Off (annual crawfish boil competition)—supported by a Corporate Engagement Program offering tiered volunteer and sponsorship opportunities for businesses. Additional services include intern tutoring positions, mentor and volunteer application processing, and an internal staff calendar tool. The organization primarily uses third-party form platforms (JotForm, Microsoft Forms) for program applications, PayPal for donations, Microsoft Office 365 for calendar publishing, and Levitate for event/donation management.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Level-UP!: A researched-informed mentoring and workforce development program model created by Big Buddy Program that connects young people to mentors, creates environments for gaining personal and professional development skills, and coordinates career exploration experiences for middle and high school youth.
• Dancing for Big Buddy
• Crawfish King Cook-Off
• Mayor's Youth Workforce Experience (MYWE)
• Career Connections

Products and services

• One-on-One Mentoring Structured one-on-one mentoring relationships between trained adult volunteer mentors and youth mentees (Little Buddies), providing guidance, support, life-skill development, and self-confidence building. Free to participants and offered to youth in East Baton Rouge Parish.
• Afterschool Program Free afterschool programs delivered at partner elementary and middle schools in the Baton Rouge area (Progress Elementary, St. Francis Xavier, Gardere Initiative, Glen Oaks, Highland Elementary, Northdale Superintendent's Academy), combining homework help, tutoring, skill-building exercises, and enrichment activities such as arts and leadership.
• Summer Program An 8-week summer enrichment program operating Monday through Thursday from 8:00am to 4:30pm at designated elementary and middle school sites, offering academic support, enrichment activities, and free breakfast and lunch. Funded through the Louisiana Department of Education 21st Century Community Learning Center grant and community donations; free to participating youth.
• Mayor's Youth Workforce Experience (MYWE) An 8-week summer career awareness and internship program for high school students co-branded with the City of Baton Rouge Mayor's Office, providing transferable skills training, career exploration, Work Ready Youth certification, and one-on-one workplace mentoring through corporate and organizational host sites. Based on Big Buddy's Level-UP! model.
• Corporate Engagement Program A structured corporate partnership offering four tiered levels of engagement (Step In, Lean In, Partner Up, Lead the Way), including one-time activities, lunch and learn sessions, literacy days, craft days, career mentoring, career exploration worksite visits, field days, field trips, holiday camps, trunk or treat events, and co-created signature initiatives designed for corporate employee volunteerism, team building, and community visibility.
• Dancing for Big Buddy An annual fundraising gala event featuring community star dancers paired with professional partners competing in dance performances, with ticket sales, corporate sponsorships (Title, Signature, Champion, Mission, Media, Catering tiers), VIP experiences, and public voting generating revenue for Big Buddy Program's youth mentoring and workforce development programs. The 18th annual edition takes place in 2026.
• Crawfish King Cook-Off An annual crawfish boil cook-off competition held in Downtown Baton Rouge with team entries, sponsorships, vendor participation, and ticketed attendance. The 2025 edition featured 35 cooking teams, 13 event sponsors, 2,000+ attendees, and raised $151,515 for Big Buddy Program's youth mentoring and workforce development programs. The 12th annual edition takes place in 2026.

Quantifiable outcome

• Work Ready Youth certification upon completing MYWE program
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers8 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration5 records

Partnerships

25 partnerships are on record, tiered core, primary, signature, champion, mission, media and catering.

• Louisiana Department of EducationcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2025Government grant provider through 21st Century Community Learning Center grant that supports summer programming costs for youth
• City of Baton Rouge / Mayor's OfficecoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2025Co-branded Mayor's Youth Workforce Experience (MYWE) program - an 8-week career awareness and internship program for high school youth
• East Baton Rouge Parish School SystemcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2025Primary educational partner providing access to school facilities and K-12 student population for afterschool and summer programs
• Hancock Whitney BankprimaryGTM or Marketing PartnerTitle Sponsor for Dancing for Big Buddy 2026 event
• Louisiana Health Connect (LA MCD)primaryGTM or Marketing PartnerTitle Sponsor for Dancing for Big Buddy 2026 event
• FMOL HealthsignatureGTM or Marketing PartnerSignature Sponsor for Dancing for Big Buddy 2026 event
• Sissy and Ralph StephenssignatureGTM or Marketing PartnerSignature Sponsor for Dancing for Big Buddy 2026 event
• Capital OnechampionGTM or Marketing PartnerChampion Sponsor for Dancing for Big Buddy 2026 event
• L Baton RougechampionGTM or Marketing PartnerChampion Sponsor for Dancing for Big Buddy 2026 event
• Five-S GroupchampionGTM or Marketing PartnerChampion Sponsor for Dancing for Big Buddy 2026 event
• In Loving ArmschampionGTM or Marketing PartnerChampion Sponsor for Dancing for Big Buddy 2026 event
• Kean MillerchampionGTM or Marketing PartnerChampion Sponsor for Dancing for Big Buddy 2026 event
• Louisiana Women's Healthcare OchsnerchampionGTM or Marketing PartnerChampion Sponsor for Dancing for Big Buddy 2026 event
• CVS HealthchampionGTM or Marketing PartnerChampion Sponsor for Dancing for Big Buddy 2026 event
• Mercedes Benz of Baton RougechampionGTM or Marketing PartnerChampion Sponsor for Dancing for Big Buddy 2026 event
• Picou BrotherschampionGTM or Marketing PartnerChampion Sponsor for Dancing for Big Buddy 2026 event
• Raising Cane'smissionGTM or Marketing PartnerMission Sponsor for Dancing for Big Buddy 2026 event
• Home BankmissionGTM or Marketing PartnerMission Sponsor for Dancing for Big Buddy 2026 event
• OrionmissionGTM or Marketing PartnerMission Sponsor for Dancing for Big Buddy 2026 event
• The 121missionGTM or Marketing PartnerMission Sponsor for Dancing for Big Buddy 2026 event
• Louisiana LotterymissionGTM or Marketing PartnerMission Sponsor for Dancing for Big Buddy 2026 event
• Our Lady of the Lake Regional Medical Center (FMOL Health)missionGTM or Marketing PartnerMission Sponsor for Dancing for Big Buddy 2026 event
• WBRZmediaGTM or Marketing PartnerMedia Sponsor for Dancing for Big Buddy 2026 event
• MestizocateringGTM or Marketing PartnerCatering Sponsor for Dancing for Big Buddy 2026 event
• First American BankchampionGTM or Marketing PartnerWinner of 2025 Crawfish King Cook-Off; 35 teams participated in this annual event

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Year Up: National workforce development nonprofit providing young adults with skills training, internships, and corporate partnerships. Directly comparable to Big Buddy's MYWE program model (internship + mentor + credential) and competes for the same corporate host-site partnerships.
• Communities In Schools: National nonprofit providing school-based student support services including mentoring, tutoring, and dropout prevention. Operates inside public schools similarly to Big Buddy's afterschool and summer programs and competes for the same school district partnerships.
• After-School All-Stars: National nonprofit providing free afterschool and summer programming to underserved youth in schools, directly comparable to Big Buddy's afterschool and summer program offerings. Operates on similar school-site delivery model with similar funding mix of public grants and corporate sponsorships.
• Junior Achievement of Greater Baton Rouge: Youth workforce readiness and financial literacy nonprofit with strong K-12 school-based programming. Overlaps directly with Big Buddy's MYWE/Career Connections programming in target audience (K-12 students), school district relationships, and corporate volunteer/sponsor base.
• Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Baton Rouge: Local affiliate of Boys & Girls Clubs of America providing afterschool, summer, and youth development programming in the same East Baton Rouge Parish geography. Directly competes for the same school district relationships, donor dollars, and youth participants.
• Big Brothers Big Sisters of America: National youth mentoring nonprofit operating one-on-one adult-to-youth mentor relationships, the same core service model as Big Buddy Program. Operates affiliate sites across the U.S. and is the closest direct comparator on mentoring methodology, donor base, and program design.

Broad incumbents

• National 4-H Council: National youth development organization with broad programming spanning mentoring, workforce readiness, and STEM. Operates as a broader incumbent with significantly larger scale and federal/state funding access; competes indirectly for the same youth development funder dollars and school partnerships.

Regional players

• United Way of East Baton Rouge: Local United Way affiliate serving East Baton Rouge Parish with a similar donor and corporate partner base to Big Buddy. Operates as both a potential funder and a competitor for workplace giving campaigns and corporate CSR dollars in the same geographic market.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/bigbuddyprogram
• Facebookfacebook.com/bigbuddyprogram
• Instagraminstagram.com/bigbuddyprogram

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles15 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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 Buddy Program