Kinship of Morrison County

What Kinship of Morrison County does

Kinship of Morrison County is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization headquartered in Little Falls, Minnesota, that provides free youth mentoring services to children ages 6-17 living in single-parent households across Morrison County and the greater Long Prairie area. Founded as a local affiliate of the national Kinship movement (which originated in 1954 with Christian seminary students mentoring inner-city youth in the Twin Cities), the Morrison County chapter has operated continuously in its service area since the mid-1990s, when it replaced a prior mentoring program that had been active for nearly two decades. The organization runs no proprietary technology platform; its operational backbone is a GoDaddy-hosted website (kinshipofmc.org), JotForm-based online applications, and in-person services delivered from the Historic Courthouse office at 107 2nd St SE, Little Falls.

The core product is the Youth Mentoring Program, which performs one-to-one matching between screened volunteer adult mentors and youth, with matches informed by shared interests, hobbies, and geographic proximity. Mentors commit to a minimum of four hours per month for at least one year. A secondary offering, Group Mentoring Activities, delivers monthly educational, recreational, and community-service events (canoeing, fishing, baseball games, firearms safety courses, Veterans Programs, golf tournaments, drive-in movie nights). A third stream, Youth Intervention Program (YIP) Grant Support, channels 2026-2027 grant funding from the MN Department of Children, Youth & Families into community-based early intervention services.

Kinship operates a donation-and-grant revenue model with no fees charged to youth, families, or mentors. Funding sources include a competitive 2026-2027 YIP grant from the MN Department of Children, Youth & Families, Morrison County United Way, individual donations accepted via Venmo, GiveMN, Thrivent Choice, and mail, plus community fundraisers. Activity programming is cost-subsidized by venue and event partners including Camp Ripley, Kiwanis Club of Little Falls, St. Cloud Rox, and Long Drive In. Customer acquisition runs entirely through community referrals from local social workers, school counselors, and youth pastors, and through the organization's website and monthly email newsletters. The organization employs 1-10 staff, is led by Executive Director Aaron Olson reporting to a Board of Directors (Board President Jeff Guith, based at Morrison County Social Services), and maintains nonprofit transparency through Guidestar and registration with the Minnesota Attorney General's Office Charities Division (EIN 41-1266153).

Name

Kinship of Morrison County

Legal name

Kinship of Morrison County

Website

https://kinshipofmc.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1954

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Kinship of Morrison County is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit in Little Falls, Minnesota that provides free one-on-one and group youth mentoring to children ages 6-17 from single-parent homes across Morrison County and the greater Long Prairie area.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Youth Mentoring Services

NAICS

Child and Youth Services (62411), Individual and Family Services (6241)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300)

akta.pro primary industry

Youth Mentoring & Positive Youth Development Nonprofits (BPAGADAD)

akta.pro secondary industry

Peer Mentorship, Buddy & Host-Family Matching Programs (EDAIAKAD)

Keywords

• Youth mentoring programs
• Volunteer mentorship services
• Community nonprofit support
• Child welfare services
• Single-parent family mentoring

Headquarters

HQ city

Little Falls

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. Donations and Fundraising: The organization's budget is supported by donations, grants, and fundraisers from individuals and organizations in the community. Donations can be made online through Venmo, GiveMN, or by mail.
2. Government Grants: Kinship receives ongoing stable funding through the Youth Intervention Program (YIP) grant from the MN Department of Children, Youth & Families for 2026-2027. Also receives funding from Morrison County United Way.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Kinship of Morrison County runs a free one-on-one youth mentoring program that matches volunteer adult mentors with children ages 6–17 living in single-parent homes across Morrison County and the greater Long Prairie area. Matches are built on shared interests, hobbies, and geographic proximity, with mentors committing to a minimum of four hours per month for at least one year. The core service is supplemented by monthly group mentoring activities (educational, recreational, and community-service oriented) and is delivered at no cost to youth, families, or volunteers.

Product overview

Kinship of Morrison County operates as a single, unified youth mentoring program with two main components: individual/family mentoring and group mentoring activities. The core offering is the one-on-one Youth Mentoring Program, which matches volunteer adult mentors with youth ages 6-18 in Morrison County and the greater Long Prairie area. The Group Mentoring Activities module supplements individual matches with monthly events that provide additional socialization opportunities. The organization also administers a Youth Intervention Program (YIP) Grant through the MN Department of Children, Youth & Families for 2026-2027, which provides stable funding for community-based early intervention services.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Youth Mentoring Program One-on-one and family-based mentoring that matches screened volunteer adult mentors with youth ages 6–17 living in homes without both parents present, providing friendship, role modeling, and consistent positive guidance at no cost.
• Group Mentoring Activities Monthly group activities for matched and unmatched youth and volunteers, including educational, recreational, and community-service oriented events such as canoeing, fishing, baseball games, Veterans Programs, golf, and firearms safety courses.

Quantifiable outcome

• Kinship's longest running match has been together since 2012

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• Kiwanis Club of Little FallsminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Kiwanis Club of Little Falls is co-sponsoring a Jr/Sr Golf Tournament at the Little Falls Country Club. Kinship will cover the cost for golf and dinner for any matches that want to attend, with Kiwanis providing sponsorship support.
• St. Cloud RoxminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerThrough a generous donation from the St. Cloud Rox, Kinship is able to take youth to a baseball game with tickets, transportation, and ballpark buffet covered. The St. Cloud Rox provided the donation enabling this community activity.
• Camp RipleyminorOthersCamp Ripley serves as an activity venue for Kinship group outings including canoeing, river education, frisbee golf, and picnics. Canoes, life jackets, paddles, and dinner are provided at the camp.
• Long Drive InminorOthersLong Drive In in Long Prairie (24257 Riverside Drive) serves as the venue for Kinship's Drive In Movie Night activity. Youth and volunteers are admitted free and receive $5 towards concessions.
• GiveMNcoreGTM or Marketing PartnerGiveMN (givemn.org) is used as an online donation platform allowing donors to make online donations to Kinship. This platform enables charitable giving to support the organization's youth mentoring programs.
• GuidestarminorOthersKinship maintains a Guidestar profile (EIN: 41-1266153) providing financial transparency and nonprofit verification for donors and stakeholders.
• Minnesota Attorney General's Office (Charities Division)minorOthersKinship is registered with the Minnesota Attorney General's Office Charities Division. Financial records are public information as required for 501(c)(3) nonprofit organizations.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• 4-H (National 4-H Council): A U.S. youth development organization offering mentoring, leadership, and community-service programs for youth. Operates through a network of local clubs with adult volunteer mentors, mirroring Kinship's volunteer-driven local-affiliate model.
• YMCA of the USA: A national youth and family services organization offering mentoring, youth programming, and community-based support. Operates overlapping youth development and family support services, but as a much larger multi-program portfolio provider.
• Boys & Girls Clubs of America: A national youth development organization serving youth with after-school programming, mentoring, and activities. Provides overlapping youth-development outcomes with Kinship, but operates a much broader portfolio (clubs, programs, athletics) beyond pure mentoring.

Direct peers

• National Kinship, Inc. The parent organization of the Kinship mentoring movement founded in 1954 by Christian seminary students in the Twin Cities. Kinship of Morrison County is an independently operated local affiliate of this national network, sharing the same brand lineage, mission, and mentoring methodology.
• Big Brothers Big Sisters of America: The largest youth mentoring nonprofit in the U.S., matching adult volunteers with youth ages 6-18 from single-parent or challenging home circumstances. Operates an identical community-based affiliate model with local chapters and trained volunteer mentors, making it the closest direct peer to Kinship of Morrison County.
• MENTOR (Mentoring Partnership): A national nonprofit that supports and advocates for youth mentoring programs across the U.S. While it operates as an umbrella organization rather than a direct mentoring provider, it directly serves the same mission and ecosystem as Kinship of Morrison County.

Emerging players

• Junior Achievement USA: A youth education and mentoring nonprofit connecting adult volunteers with K-12 students for mentorship, career exploration, and financial literacy programs. Shares Kinship's adult-volunteer-mentor-to-youth model but with a distinct workforce-readiness focus.

Regional players

• Morrison County United Way: The local United Way chapter that funds Kinship as a community partner. Operates in the same Morrison County/Long Prairie service area and supports multiple youth and family services nonprofits with overlapping geographic reach.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/kinship-of-morrison-county-inc

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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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 Kinship of Morrison County