Mentoring Plus

What Mentoring Plus does

Mentoring Plus is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization headquartered in Newport, Kentucky, founded in 2009, that delivers free youth mentoring and family support services to disadvantaged adolescents and their families across Northern Kentucky. Core programming comprises one-on-one mentoring, case management, life skills groups, weekly structured programming, and family support, with all services provided at no cost to participants. The organization serves 175+ youth and families annually, supported by a small paid staff of 1-10 and a volunteer mentor pipeline.

The business model is contribution- and grant-funded rather than transactional: there is no pricing model, no go-to-market motion, and no traditional revenue per user. Operating revenue is assembled from individual donations, corporate sponsorships, foundation grants, and community fundraising events, including an annual golf outing and gala that historically raise $15K-$30K+ each. Recent program additions such as an Independent Living Program for older youth and "Kitchen As A Classroom," a culinary-based life skills initiative, indicate an intent to diversify program mix and broaden the addressable beneficiary base.

The organization relocated to a new facility at 840 Washington Avenue in October 2024, expanding its physical capacity. It operates within a regional partnership network that includes Northern Kentucky University, Families Matter, and the Grateful Life Center (partnerships established in 2017), which supply referral pathways for beneficiaries and volunteer/mentor pipelines. In early 2026 the organization underwent a leadership transition: Executive Director Chris Saunders departed, Larry Brown served as interim, and Lindsay Dill was appointed as the new permanent Executive Director.

Name

Mentoring Plus

Legal name

Mentoring Plus, Inc

Website

https://mentoringplus.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2009

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Mentoring Plus is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit in Northern Kentucky that provides free youth mentoring, case management, life skills training, and family support services to 175+ disadvantaged teens and families, funded by donations, grants, and community fundraising events.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Youth Mentoring and Social Services

NAICS

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

SIC

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

akta.pro primary industry

Youth Mentoring & Positive Youth Development Nonprofits (BPAGADAD)

akta.pro secondary industries

Student Mentoring & Peer Support Programs (EDAJALAL), Peer Support, Mentoring & Student Leadership (SEL) (EDAKAMAO), Youth Mental Health, Counseling & Wellbeing (Education-Linked) Nonprofits (BPAGADAK)

Keywords

• Youth mentoring
• Case management
• At-risk youth services
• Family support
• Life skills coaching

Headquarters

HQ city

Newport

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: Charitable contributions from individuals supporting the mission of empowering disadvantaged youth
2. Corporate Sponsorships: Support from local businesses and organizations sponsoring fundraising events and programs
3. Annual Seeds of Hope Gala: Major annual fundraising event raising significant funds through ticket sales, silent auctions, and donations
4. Annual Golf Outing: Community fundraising event at AJ Jolly Golf Course with sponsorships and raffle prizes
5. Government and Private Grants: Grant funding from government and private foundations to support programming
6. Amazon Smile and Kroger Community Rewards: Percentage of purchases donated through shopping programs

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Mentoring Plus operates free, in-person youth mentoring, case management, and family support services for disadvantaged youth in Northern Kentucky. Programs pair teens with adult life coaches for a minimum one-year commitment, supplemented by weekly structured programming, life skills groups, an independent living program for older teens, and family support services delivered at its Newport, Kentucky facility.

Product overview

Mentoring Plus operates as a single, unified nonprofit service organization offering a comprehensive youth mentoring program. The core service portfolio consists of one-on-one youth mentoring paired with life coaches, combined with case management services, life skills groups, independent living programming for older teens, and weekly structured programming including family-style meals. Family support services extend the reach beyond individual youth to serve entire family units. The organization also operates fundraising events including the SEEDS of Hope Gala, Annual Golf Outing, and Music Festival to sustain operations. A Kitchen As A Classroom program provides practical life skills training. The organization serves Northern Kentucky area teens and their families, promoting healing, personal growth, and community involvement through relationships built on mutual trust, compassion, and respect.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Youth Mentoring Program One-on-one mentoring program pairing disadvantaged youth with caring adult life coaches who meet weekly to build trust, provide guidance, and support personal growth through a structured curriculum; requires a minimum one-year commitment.
• Case Management Services Intensive individualized case management for youth and their families, including goal setting, resource navigation, referrals to additional services, and ongoing progress monitoring.
• Life Skills Groups Peer group sessions where youth learn life skills together, including a drug and alcohol prevention curriculum, coping mechanisms, and independent living skills.
• Independent Living Program Program for older teens focused on preparing for adulthood through job readiness, academic planning, and independent living skills development.
• Weekly Programming Regular structured weekly activities including family-style meals, curriculum sessions, and recreational programming at the organization's facility.
• Family Support Services Services extending beyond the youth to support entire families, including parent engagement, home life improvement, crisis intervention, and referrals to additional community resources.
• Kitchen As A Classroom Life skills program teaching youth cooking, food preparation, nutrition, and kitchen safety using the organization's commercial kitchen facility.

Quantifiable outcome

• 82% improved mentee attitude toward education
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers2 records

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Northern Kentucky University (NKU)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 19 December 2017NKU students have conducted fundraising campaigns and provided marketing support. Social work students raised thousands through Mayerson Student Philanthropy Project. Marketing professor David Raska challenged students to raise funds with matching donations. Students also worked on branding projects for Kona Ice that benefited M+.
• Grateful Life Center (GLC)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 2 April 2017Partnership with Grateful Life Center for recovery volunteers to work with Mentoring Plus. Men who reach milestones in recovery at GLC can volunteer at Mentoring Plus, sharing personal addiction and recovery stories with youth. This provides powerful testimony that addiction is real but so is recovery.
• Volunteer NKY / Life Solutions NetworkcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 2 April 2017Regional volunteer movement including Brighton Center, St. Elizabeth Healthcare, Women's Crisis Center, Welcome House, and Life Learning Center. Mentoring Plus is a partner organization working to encourage social service volunteerism across Northern Kentucky.
• Families MatterminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 30 January 2017Families Matter organization joined forces with Mentoring Plus in 2017, expanding family support services and resources for youth participants.
• Kroger Community RewardsminorGTM or Marketing PartnerShoppers can enroll to have a portion of Kroger purchases donated to Mentoring Plus through the Kroger Community Rewards program.
• Amazon SmileminorGTM or Marketing PartnerAmazon Smile program allows shoppers to select Mentoring Plus as their charity of choice, with Amazon donating a percentage of purchases.

Scale indicators11 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Lighthouse Youth Services: Regional nonprofit serving at-risk youth and families in Greater Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky through case management, residential, and community-based programs.
• Easterseals Redwood: Disability and community services nonprofit where Mentoring Plus' incoming ED Lindsay Dill previously served; comparable in operating model as a multi-program community-based nonprofit.
• Big Brothers Big Sisters of Greater Cincinnati: Direct peer providing one-on-one youth mentoring in the same Greater Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky region; Mentoring Plus' former ED Chris Saunders came directly from this organization.
• Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Cincinnati: Direct peer offering facility-based youth development programming, mentoring, and case management for at-risk youth in the same regional market.
• Brighton Center: Northern Kentucky social services nonprofit that is part of the Volunteer NKY/Life Solutions Network alongside Mentoring Plus, offering overlapping youth and family support services.
• Children Inc. Northern Kentucky/Cincinnati-area nonprofit providing youth services, family support, and educational programming with a similar at-risk youth focus.

Broad incumbents

• Big Brothers Big Sisters of America: National youth mentoring organization operating a similar one-on-one volunteer mentoring model that Mentoring Plus adapts at the regional level.
• YMCA of Greater Cincinnati: Broader community/youth development organization in the same region with facility-based programming, mentoring, and family services that overlap with Mentoring Plus' offerings.
• United Way of Greater Cincinnati: Regional umbrella funder and convener of social services; part of the same Northern Kentucky funding and partnership ecosystem as Mentoring Plus.

Regional players

• CASA (Court Appointed Special Advocates) of Northern Kentucky: Regional nonprofit providing volunteer advocacy for court-involved youth—a closely adjacent population to Mentoring Plus' court diversion youth segment.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/mentoring.plus.newport
• Instagraminstagram.com/mentoring_plus
• Xx.com/mentoring_plus

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles6 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 Mentoring Plus