Big Brothers Big Sisters of Middle Tennessee

What Big Brothers Big Sisters of Middle Tennessee does

Big Brothers Big Sisters of Middle Tennessee (BBBSMT) is an independent 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization headquartered at 1704 Charlotte Avenue, Suite 130 in Nashville, Tennessee, that creates and supports one-to-one mentoring relationships between adult volunteers ("Bigs") and youth ("Littles") facing adversity. Founded in 1969/1970 and operating continuously for over 50 years, the organization serves youth ages 6-23 across eight Middle Tennessee counties — Davidson, Williamson, Rutherford, Wilson, Sumner, Robertson, Dickson, and Cheatham — and has scaled from approximately 400 active matches to more than 2,800 under current CEO Melissa Hudson-Gant's leadership since June 2018.

The organization runs a multi-program portfolio covering the full youth age range: Traditional Community-Based Mentoring (2-4 hours twice monthly for a minimum one-year commitment), Sports Buddies, Site-Based Mentoring at more than 10 partner schools (including Antioch High, James Lawson High, LEAD Academy, and Napier Elementary), High School Bigs peer mentoring, E-Mentoring for high school students (ages 14-18), and a College Advancement Program for ages 18-23. Its supporting technology stack consists of MentorHub, a national-pilot mobile app launched in 2020 to facilitate virtual mentor-mentee communication, and Matchforce, a Salesforce-based CRM/database used for case management, match tracking, session documentation, and outcome reporting. Volunteer recruitment is structured through an Ambassador Program (with $500 annual stipends), a Big Circle Referral Program with Southwest Airlines incentives, and direct-to-family enrollment.

BBBSMT is funded entirely through donations, corporate sponsorships, foundation grants, and event fundraising rather than charging for services. Revenue streams include individual giving (annual, major, and monthly), 40+ corporate partnerships (anchored by the Tennessee Titans as 2023-24 Partner of the Year, Ascend Federal Credit Union, Amazon, Delta Dental, Pinnacle Bank, UPS, Nissan, Comcast, Allstate, HCA, Regions Bank, Fifth Third Bank, BlueCross BlueShield, NFL/Inspire Change, and Jackson National Life Insurance since 2012), foundation grants (Scarlett Family Foundation), state-government grants (Tennessee Department of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services; Department of Human Services), and signature fundraising events including Big Breakfast (1,500+ attendees), Big Draft, Golf for Kids' Sake, Lawyers for Littles, and Mentoring Matters.

Name

Big Brothers Big Sisters of Middle Tennessee

Legal name

Big Brothers Big Sisters of Middle Tennessee

Website

https://mentorakid.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1970

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Big Brothers Big Sisters of Middle Tennessee is an independent 501(c)(3) nonprofit operating professionally supported one-to-one mentoring programs for youth ages 6-23 across eight Middle Tennessee counties, funded entirely by donations, corporate sponsorships, foundation grants, and event fundraising.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Youth Mentoring Services

NAICS

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

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300)

akta.pro primary industry

Youth Mentoring & Positive Youth Development Nonprofits (BPAGADAD)

akta.pro secondary industries

Youth Mental Health, Counseling & Wellbeing (Education-Linked) Nonprofits (BPAGADAK), Community Centers & Neighborhood Support Services (BPAGAEAL)

Keywords

• Youth mentoring services
• One-to-one mentoring programs
• Community-based mentoring
• School-based mentoring
• Virtual mentoring programs

Headquarters

HQ city

Nashville

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, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Individual Donations: Individual giving programs including annual donations, major gifts, and monthly giving from supporters passionate about youth mentorship.
2. Corporate Sponsorships & Partnerships: Corporate partners including Titans (Partner of the Year), Ascend Federal Credit Union ($10,000+ donations), and 40+ other companies providing event sponsorships, donations, and employee engagement as Bigs.
3. Foundation Grants: Grant funding from foundations including Scarlett Family Foundation and government grants such as State of Tennessee Department of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services.
4. Event Fundraising: Revenue from signature events including Big Breakfast (1,500+ attendees), Mentoring Matters ($80 general/$125 VIP tickets), Golf for Kids' Sake, and other fundraising events.
5. 403(b) Retirement Plan: Organization offers 403(b) retirement plan with 50% match up to 6% of pay for employees, demonstrating a robust benefit structure funded by donations and grants.

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Big Brothers Big Sisters of Middle Tennessee creates and supports professionally supported one-to-one mentoring relationships between adult volunteers (Bigs) and youth ages 6-23 (Littles) facing adversity across eight Middle Tennessee counties. Programs are delivered free of charge and include community-based, site-based, sports, high school peer, virtual, and college advancement mentoring formats. The organization is funded entirely through individual donations, corporate sponsorships, foundation grants, and signature fundraising events.

Product overview

Big Brothers Big Sisters of Middle Tennessee operates a multi-program mentoring platform serving youth ages 6-23 across eight Middle Tennessee counties. The core offerings include Traditional Community-Based Mentoring (with Sports Buddies specialization), Site-Based Mentoring at schools, and Big Futures programs (E-Mentoring and College Advancement Program). Supporting programs include an Ambassador Program for volunteer recruitment and the Big Circle Referral Program. The organization uses Matchforce as its internal case management database and MentorHub as a technology platform to support virtual mentoring connections.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Defenders of Potential: The organization's mission tagline representing their commitment to igniting the power and promise of youth.

Products and services

• Traditional Community-Based Mentoring

Quantifiable outcome

• 52% of mentored youth are less likely to skip school
• +8 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature2 records

Partnerships

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

• Tennessee TitansflagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerTennessee Titans named 2023-24 Partner of the Year. Partnership includes NFL Big Draft recruitment campaign, facility access for events, generous donations, executive keynote speaking at Big Breakfast (GM Ran Carthon), and community champion Jeffery Simmons who gives time to inspire youth. Mike Vrabel and team players promoted National Mentoring Month.
• Ascend Federal Credit UnioncoreGTM or Marketing PartnerKey sponsor for Big Graduation and Annual Big Breakfast events, donated more than $10,000 in 2023. Many Ascend employees actively serve as Bigs with youth. One employee serves on the board. Demonstrates heartfelt commitment to igniting youth potential.
• Meharry Medical CollegecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership formed during COVID-19 virtual operations pivot in 2020. Meharry Medical College collaboration expanded BBBSMT programs and virtual mentoring capabilities.
• NFL / Inspire ChangeflagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerNational partnership for Big Draft Recruitment Campaign. BBBS agencies across America partner with NFL's Inspire Change. Campaign launches in February and culminates alongside NFL Draft each April.
• Amazon.comminorGTM or Marketing PartnerCorporate partner supporting BBBSMT programs and mission.
• Delta Dental of TennesseeminorGTM or Marketing PartnerCorporate partner and sponsor of Mentoring Matters event.
• Pinnacle BankminorGTM or Marketing PartnerCorporate partner supporting BBBSMT programs.
• UPSminorGTM or Marketing PartnerCorporate partner supporting BBBSMT programs.
• MentorHubcoreTechnology or IntegrationNational pilot program for innovative app that allows Bigs and Littles to more easily have conversations about challenging topics, enabling more honest communication about youth wellbeing.
• State of Tennessee Department of Mental Health and Substance Abuse ServicescoreGTM or Marketing PartnerFunded paid media for Become a Big campaign under grant contract.
• Jackson National Life Insurance CompanyminorGTM or Marketing PartnerDedicated partner since 2012, generous and engaged supporter of BBBSMT mission, recognized as going above and beyond year after year.

Scale indicators11 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• Girls Inc. of Nashville: A Nashville-area youth development nonprofit focused on mentoring and education programs for girls and young women, drawing from the same corporate philanthropic pool in Middle Tennessee.
• YMCA of Middle Tennessee: A broader youth and family services organization in the same region offering youth programs, mentoring-adjacent activities, and corporate wellness partnerships; competing for the same corporate and foundation dollars across a wider portfolio.
• Boys & Girls Club of America: The national youth-services network whose local Tennessee chapters overlap with BBBSMT's mission and target demographics, sharing the same funder universe and competing for national brand-driven partnerships.

Regional players

• United Way of Greater Nashville: A regional umbrella fundraiser that aggregates donor dollars across multiple Middle Tennessee nonprofits, serving as a major distribution channel for the same corporate giving pool that BBBSMT draws from.

Emerging players

• 100 Black Men of Middle Tennessee: A regional chapter of the national African American mentoring organization providing mentorship and youth development to youth in Middle Tennessee, directly competing for culturally-specific mentor pools and grant funding.
• MENTOR (National Mentoring Partnership): The national advocacy and capacity-building organization for youth mentoring; affiliates and supports mentoring programs across the U.S. and shapes the broader funding and policy environment BBBSMT operates in.

Direct peers

• Big Brothers Big Sisters of America: The national 501(c)(3) parent network of Big Brothers Big Sisters affiliates, sharing the same mission, brand, MentorHub pilot, and Matchforce Salesforce-based CRM infrastructure that BBBSMT uses locally.
• Communities In Schools of Tennessee: A statewide affiliate of the national Communities In Schools network providing school-based mentoring and student support services in Tennessee schools, directly competing for school-district relationships and youth-development funding.
• Oasis Center Nashville: A Nashville-based youth services nonprofit offering mentoring, counseling, and youth development programs for at-risk teens in Middle Tennessee, directly overlapping in target population and donor base.
• Boys & Girls Club of Middle Tennessee: A regional youth-development nonprofit serving similar at-risk youth ages 6-18 across Middle Tennessee with site-based programs, competing for the same corporate sponsorships, donor dollars, and volunteer pool.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/bigbrobigsismt
• YouTubeyoutube.com/user/BBBSMT
• Facebookfacebook.com/mentorakid
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/mentorakid
• Instagraminstagram.com/mentorakid

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles13 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 Brothers Big Sisters of Middle Tennessee