Big Brothers Big Sisters of Southern Minnesota

What Big Brothers Big Sisters of Southern Minnesota does

Big Brothers Big Sisters of Southern Minnesota is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit youth mentoring organization headquartered in Owatonna, Minnesota, and an affiliate of the national Big Brothers Big Sisters of America network. Its core service is one-to-one mentoring matches between adult volunteer mentors ("Bigs") and youth mentees ("Littles"), supplemented by a Virtual Academy program, a Match Makers Society donor/engagement initiative, scholarship awards, and recurring fundraising events. In 2025 the organization reported a record 951 youth served, with 361 or more youth on a waiting list awaiting a match, and stated that 100% of Littles surveyed in 2024 reported their Big made their life better.

The organization operates with a small staff of approximately 14 employees and supports program delivery, fundraising, and volunteer recruitment through a community-based model. Its technology stack is limited and operational in nature: OneCause is used for digital fundraising and auction events, Canva for content production, and standard social media channels (Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn) for outreach and donor engagement. There is no evidence of proprietary technology platforms or AI capabilities.

Revenue is generated through individual donations, corporate contributions, and event-based fundraising, with no disclosed pricing model because the organization does not sell services. Go-to-market is community-driven via volunteer recruitment, corporate partnerships, and grassroots fundraising events in the southern Minnesota service area. The organization is highly dependent on volunteer mentor supply, donor goodwill, and its national brand affiliation to sustain program scale.

Name

Big Brothers Big Sisters of Southern Minnesota

Legal name

Big Brothers Big Sisters of Southern Minnesota

Website

https://bbbsofsouthernmn.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1904

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Big Brothers Big Sisters of Southern Minnesota is a nonprofit youth mentoring organization based in Owatonna, MN, providing one-to-one volunteer mentors, virtual learning, scholarships, and donor-supported programs to youth across southern Minnesota.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Youth Mentoring Services

NAICS

Child and Youth Services (62411), 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 industry

Student Mentoring & Peer Support Programs (EDAJALAL)

Keywords

• Youth mentoring services
• Volunteer mentoring programs
• Nonprofit youth development
• Community mentoring network
• Donor-supported charity

Headquarters

HQ city

Owatonna

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: Individual donors contribute directly through the organization's OneCause online donation platform. Donations support local youth mentoring programs and operations.
2. Business/Corporate Donations: Corporate partners and businesses support the organization through donations and sponsorships, with the website explicitly inviting business participation in empowering the community.
3. Event-Based Fundraising: Major annual fundraising events including Bowl for Kids' Sake, Golf for Kids' Sake, and Evening for Kids' Sake generate revenue through participant fundraising, sponsorships, and ticket sales.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Big Brothers Big Sisters of Southern Minnesota matches adult volunteer mentors ("Bigs") with youth ages 6-18 ("Littles") in one-to-one, monitored mentoring relationships across Southern Minnesota. The organization recruits, screens, and trains adult volunteers and enrolls children through free program services, funded entirely by individual donations, corporate sponsorships, and event-based fundraising.

Product overview

Big Brothers Big Sisters of Southern Minnesota operates as a youth mentoring organization offering a single integrated program portfolio. The core offering is the Mentor Matching Programs, which pairs adult volunteers (Bigs) with children ages 6-18 (Littles). This is supported by supplementary programs including Virtual Academy for remote learning support, the Federated Challenge Scholarship for educational funding, and Match Makers Society for donor engagement. The organization also hosts signature fundraising events (Evening for Kids' Sake, Bowl for Kids' Sake, Golf for Kids' Sake) and provides enrollment services via web portals for both volunteer applications and child enrollment. Activity resources and news are delivered through The Big News/Activities portal. The organization leverages OneCause for donation processing and Canva for content delivery.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Mentor Matching Programs One-to-one mentoring program that matches screened adult volunteers (Bigs) with youth ages 6-18 (Littles) in Southern Minnesota to create meaningful, monitored relationships with measurable impact on youth development.
• Enroll a Child

Quantifiable outcome

• 100% of Littles in 2024 said their Big makes their life better
• +1 more outcomes

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

Two partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• Agency PartnersminorOthersLocal agency partners referenced on the website that collaborate with the organization for youth referrals and community outreach. Specific partner names are not disclosed on the main website.
• OneCausecoreTechnology or IntegrationOneCause provides the online fundraising and donation platform (my.onecause.com) used by Big Brothers Big Sisters of Southern Minnesota for processing donations and event fundraising.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• National 4-H Council: A youth development organization delivering mentoring, leadership, and STEM programming to youth across the U.S. through club and community-based models. Comparable as a peer in youth-mentoring and positive youth development outcomes, with a wider programmatic scope.
• Boys & Girls Clubs of America: The largest youth development nonprofit network in the U.S., serving youth through club-based programs including mentoring, education, and life skills. Comparable as a youth-development competitor for volunteer hours, donations, and youth enrollment, but with a broader programmatic portfolio beyond mentoring.

Direct peers

• Big Brothers Big Sisters of America: The national parent organization operating the same youth mentoring model across the U.S. Same brand, mission, and program structure; this Southern Minnesota chapter operates as a federated affiliate. Directly comparable as the umbrella brand and most immediate peer.
• Big Brothers Big Sisters Lone Star: Another large regional BBBS chapter serving Texas communities. Uses the same volunteer mentoring model, similar event-based fundraising (Bowl for Kids' Sake), and similar digital enrollment infrastructure. Directly comparable federated chapter.
• Big Brothers Big Sisters of Eastern Missouri: Another large BBBS affiliate chapter serving a multi-county region with the same volunteer mentoring model, signature Bowl for Kids' Sake fundraising event, and digital enrollment infrastructure. Closely comparable mid-sized federated BBBS chapter.
• Big Brothers Big Sisters of Greater Los Angeles: A large regional BBBS chapter serving youth ages 6-18 in a major metro area. Operates the same one-to-one mentoring model, similar funding mix (donations, corporate, events), and similar youth-outcome reporting. Comparable as a same-brand, multi-county affiliate.

Others

• MENTOR (National Mentoring Partnership): The national umbrella organization advancing the mentoring field through advocacy, resources, and standards. Not a direct operating peer, but directly comparable as the category-defining body for youth mentoring programs including BBBS affiliates.

Emerging players

• Girls Inc. A national nonprofit delivering mentoring, education, and advocacy programs specifically for girls and young women. Comparable as a youth-mentoring and positive-development nonprofit with similar outcome-focused reporting, though narrower demographic focus.
• Junior Achievement USA: A youth education and workforce-readiness nonprofit serving K-12 students through mentoring, financial literacy, and career programs. Comparable as a peer competing for school-based volunteer mentors, corporate sponsorships, and youth-development donor dollars.

Regional players

• YMCA of the Greater Twin Cities: The regional YMCA serving the same Minnesota geography as BBBS Southern MN. Offers youth development programming including mentoring-adjacent services, after-school care, and youth leadership. Comparable as a regional nonprofit competitor for volunteer engagement and youth services funding in the same territory.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks4 records

Key highlights5 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/BBBS_SouthernMN
• Facebookfacebook.com/bbbsofsouthernmn
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/big-brothers-big-sisters-of-southern-minnesota
• Instagraminstagram.com/bbbs_southernmn

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

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 Southern Minnesota