Big Brothers Big Sisters of Long Island (BBBSLI)

What Big Brothers Big Sisters of Long Island (BBBSLI) does

Big Brothers Big Sisters of Long Island (BBBSLI) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit youth mentoring organization founded in 1977 and affiliated with the national Big Brothers Big Sisters of America network. It operates offices in Westbury (Nassau County) and Islandia (Suffolk County), serving children and families across Long Island with community-based and site-based mentoring programs, plus a Bigs in Blue law-enforcement mentoring track. Reported outcomes include a 98% high-school graduation rate, 94% college acceptance, and 100% grade promotion among matched youth.

BBBSLI runs an unusual dual-revenue model. The core mentoring programs are funded through individual donations, bequests, stock gifts, corporate sponsorships (tiered from $150 to $10,000), foundation grants, and special events including the Bold Steps Walk, Winter Blast, Ferrari car show, and a newly launched Boat Raffle. Layered on top is a Donation Center that, since 1997, has partnered with Savers Thrift Stores to collect and divert 212,000 pounds of textiles weekly from seven Long Island Savers locations — a high-volume, near-zero-cost acquisition channel that monetizes donated clothing.

The organization employs 56 staff led by CEO Mark Cox, with Fabiola Turner as Chief Programs Officer and Meredith Michaels holding a combined Chief Development and Chief Marketing Officer role. Governance is provided by a board chaired by Vic Verola. In 2016 BBBSLI created 207 new matches and served 464 children and families; current unmet demand stands at over 80 boys awaiting mentors. The organization explicitly excludes Queens from its service area, concentrating resources on Nassau and Suffolk counties.

Name

Big Brothers Big Sisters of Long Island (BBBSLI)

Legal name

Big Brothers Big Sisters of Long Island

Website

https://bbbsli.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1977

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

Big Brothers Big Sisters of Long Island is a 501(c)(3) youth mentoring nonprofit founded in 1977, serving Nassau and Suffolk counties with community-based, site-based, and law-enforcement mentoring programs funded by donations, corporate sponsorships, events, and a long-standing textile-recycling partnership with Savers Thrift Stores.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Youth Mentoring 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)

Keywords

• Youth mentoring services
• Nonprofit mentorship programs
• Volunteer mentoring organization
• Community-based mentoring
• Charitable youth services

Headquarters

HQ city

Westbury

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. Clothing Donations (Donation Center): BBBSLI operates a Donation Center that collects gently used clothing and household items through scheduled pickups and bin locations across Long Island. Items are sold through partnership with Savers Thrift Stores, with 100% of net proceeds supporting mentoring programs. The Donation Center has been operating since 1997 and diverts 212,000 pounds of textiles from landfills weekly.
2. Monetary Donations: Individual donors contribute through one-time gifts, monthly recurring donations (Match Maker program), and planned giving vehicles including bequests, trusts, and endowments. Stock and securities donations are also accepted, with 100% of value received.
3. Raffle and Event Fundraising: Annual raffle events (boat raffle at $100 per entry) and event ticket sales generate revenue. The 2026 Boat Raffle offers a 2026 Steiger Craft boat with 100% of sales benefiting the organization.
4. Corporate Sponsorships: Event sponsorships at various levels (Premier Sponsor $10,000 to Tee-Sign Sponsor $150) and general corporate giving from foundations and corporations. Matching gift programs are also facilitated.
5. Foundation and Corporate Giving: Major investments from foundations and corporations support expansion of mentoring programs. Forbes named Big Brothers Big Sisters to its Gold Star List as one of America's ten best nonprofit organizations.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels7 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

BBBSLI creates and supports one-to-one mentoring relationships between adult volunteers (Bigs) and children in grades 2-11 facing adversity (Littles). Services are delivered free of charge through community-based and site-based programs, with professional case management for the lifetime of each match. The organization also operates a self-funded Donation Center that collects clothing and household items across Long Island in partnership with Savers Thrift Stores, generating 100% of net proceeds to support mentoring programs.

Product overview

Big Brothers Big Sisters of Long Island (BBBSLI) is a nonprofit youth mentoring organization that operates a portfolio of programs centered on one-to-one mentoring relationships between adult volunteers (Bigs) and children (Littles). The core offerings include Community-Based Mentoring Programs (One to One Match, Sibling Support, Big Couples), Site-Based Mentoring Programs, and Bigs in Blue. The organization also operates a Donation Center for clothing and household item collection in partnership with SAVERS, which funds the mentoring programs. BBBSLI supplements its mission with fundraising events including the Boat Raffle, Bold Steps Walk, Ferrari Car Show, Catwalk for Kids Fashion Show, Poker & Networking Series, Comedy Night, and Winter Blast. Additional support services include scholarship programs, Holiday for Kids' Sake, and Match Activities for ongoing engagement.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Community-Based Mentoring Programs

Quantifiable outcome

• 94% of Littles who graduated high school were accepted into college
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers3 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

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Town of Southampton Police DepartmentcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 7 March 2022Partnership announced March 2022 to expand mentoring reach through law enforcement community engagement. Builds on the Bigs in Blue program model.
• Long Island Coalition Against Bullying (LICAB)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 10 August 2021Collaborative partnership announced August 2021 to harness the power of mentoring and anti-bullying prevention to support Nassau and Suffolk County children and youth. LICAB's mission emphasizes bully-free communities through education, awareness, and support.
• Savers Thrift StorescoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 1997Partnership since 1997 where Savers purchases donated clothing and household items from BBBSLI's Donation Center. Savers resells items in its 7 Long Island thrift stores, providing a steady revenue stream. 40% of collected clothing stays on Long Island, remainder distributed to stores nationally and globally. 100% of net proceeds benefit BBBSLI mentoring programs.
• Ferrari Club of America - Long Island ChapterminorGTM or Marketing PartnerPartnership for the annual Ferraris for Futures car show event. The official Ferrari Dealer of Long Island and Ferrari Club of America chapter co-host the community-centered gathering and fundraiser.
• Official Ferrari Dealer of Long IslandminorGTM or Marketing PartnerPresenting sponsor for the Ferraris for Futures car show event, raising awareness and engagement for BBBSLI mentoring program.
• Target (Target Circle)minorGTM or Marketing PartnerFeatured in Target Circle app where Target customers can vote to support BBBSLI's youth mentorship mission as part of their charitable giving program.
• Macy'sminorGTM or Marketing PartnerBack-to-school partnership (July 14 - August 31) where Macy's customers can round up purchases in-store or donate online to support youth mentorship. Macy's provides clothing and merchandise for BBBSLI events including Catwalk for Kids fashion show.
• GreenDropminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorThird-party dropoff location partner for clothing donations, expanding bin location accessibility across Long Island.

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Big Brothers Big Sisters of New York City: Sister BBBSA chapter serving New York City youth. Operates the identical 1:1 mentoring model, national brand, and outcome framework, and represents the natural expansion path for BBBSLI if it were to extend beyond Long Island into adjacent geographies.
• Hope for Youth (Long Island): Long Island nonprofit providing youth mentoring, residential and community-based services for at-risk youth and families. Comparable on 1:1 mentoring model, Long Island service area, and outcome-driven youth development focus.
• Police Athletic League (PAL) of New York: NYC-based youth-development nonprofit running mentoring, athletics, and after-school programs with a law-enforcement volunteer model comparable to BBBSLI's Bigs in Blue program. Strong functional overlap on law-enforcement-mentoring youth engagement.
• Girls Inc. of Long Island: Long Island affiliate of Girls Inc. providing mentoring, after-school programming, and youth development for girls and at-risk youth. Directly comparable as a regional youth-mentoring nonprofit with site-based and community-based programs serving Nassau/Suffolk families.
• 4-H (Cornell Cooperative Extension of Nassau and Suffolk): Long Island youth-development programs offering mentoring, leadership, and after-school enrichment to children and teens. Comparable on mission (positive youth development) and on Long Island geography, with a comparable mix of volunteer mentors and structured youth programming.
• Boys & Girls Club of Long Island: Long Island–based youth-development nonprofit providing after-school and summer programming, mentorship, and structured activities for at-risk youth. Operates in the same Nassau/Suffolk geography with overlapping beneficiary demographics (children and youth facing adversity) and competes for the same pool of donors, corporate sponsors, and volunteers.

Broad incumbents

• YMCA of Long Island: Regional YMCA serving Long Island with youth development, after-school programs, mentoring, and family services. Comparable as a Long Island–based youth-and-family services nonprofit competing for the same volunteer, donor, and corporate-sponsor pool, though broader in scope than 1:1 mentoring.
• Big Brothers Big Sisters of America (national): National parent organization and largest youth-mentoring brand in the U.S. BBBSLI operates as a chapter under BBBSA; comparability is direct on mission, mentoring model, and outcome framework. BBBSA's national scope makes it a broader incumbent while BBBSLI is a regional operating affiliate.

Regional players

• EAC Network (Long Island): Long Island–based human services nonprofit providing youth programs, mentoring, family services, and community support. Comparable on Long Island geography and youth-services mission, with similar funding sources (foundations, corporate, government).
• Child Care Council of Suffolk / Nassau: Long Island child- and family-services resource and referral organization supporting parents, youth programs, and mentoring providers. Comparable on Long Island geography and family-facing youth services, with overlapping referral and community-partnership networks.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/user/BBBSLongIsland
• Facebookfacebook.com/BBBSLI
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/bbbsli
• Instagraminstagram.com/bbbsli

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

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 Long Island (BBBSLI)