Big Brothers Big Sisters of Berks County

What Big Brothers Big Sisters of Berks County does

Big Brothers Big Sisters of Berks County (BBBS of Berks) is a Pennsylvania-incorporated 501(c)(3) nonprofit and local affiliate of Big Brothers Big Sisters of America, headquartered at 303 Windsor Street in the Centre Park district of Reading, PA. The organization operates four free mentoring programs — One-To-One (individual community-based mentoring requiring 8–10 hours per month from a screened adult volunteer), COUL / Club of Unmatched Littles (group mentoring for youth awaiting a one-to-one match), the Teen Program (group life-skills mentoring for ages 13+), and SMART / Students & Mentors Achieving Results Together (school-based mentoring delivered at elementary and middle schools in the Conrad Weiser, Hamburg, Oley Valley, Fleetwood, and Reading school districts). All programs serve children ages 8–15 (and teens up to 19) in Berks County facing adversity, primarily from single-parent households, and are delivered free of charge to families; the organization produced approximately 15,000 mentoring service hours annually and matched over 100 Littles one-to-one in 2023.

The organization is staffed by 9 paid personnel (an Executive Director, Program Administrator, two Casework Managers, Youth Activities Coordinator, Administrative Assistant, and additional support roles) and governed by a volunteer Board of Directors with officers drawn from local companies including RE/MAX of Reading, Tompkins Community Bank, UGI, Herbein + Co., RKL LLP, Penske, EnerSys, Customers Bank, Santander, East Penn Manufacturing, and JP Morgan Chase. Annual fundraising is anchored by the Bowl for Kids' Sake bowling event (44th annual in April 2026, raising $72,000+ in 2024) and the Jason Claudfelter Golf Invitational (23rd annual in August 2026), supplemented by an online merchandise shop.

The business model is a diversified nonprofit revenue stack: individual donations processed via the harnessgiving.org donation portal, foundation grants (including a $7,500 Arby's Foundation grant), corporate event sponsorships at tiered levels ($500 to Prime Sponsor), PA Education Improvement Tax Credit (EITC) contributions from banks such as Orrstown Bank and Mid Penn Bank, United Way of Berks County partner-agency funding, and a passive per-pound donation partnership with CommunityAid thrift stores (Partnership #50192). BBBS of Berks is debt-free as of April 2024 after paying off its headquarters mortgage and Fulton Bank line of credit, and holds approved Educational Improvement Organization status under the PA EITC program continuously since 2006. There is no technology product, no app, no API, and no disclosed AI capability; the operating model is entirely human-delivered community service.

Name

Big Brothers Big Sisters of Berks County

Legal name

Big Brothers Big Sisters of Berks County, PA

Website

https://bigsinberks.org

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Big Brothers Big Sisters of Berks County is a Reading, PA-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit affiliate delivering free one-to-one, group, school-based, and teen mentoring programs to children ages 8–19 in Berks County, supported by donations, grants, EITC funding, and corporate sponsorships.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Youth Mentoring Services

NAICS

Child and Youth Services (62411)

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 programs
• Community-based nonprofit
• School-based mentoring
• College career readiness
• Volunteer youth services

Headquarters

HQ city

Reading

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

Revenue model

1. Individual Donations: Direct donations from individuals supporting youth mentoring programs. Donate page available at harnessgiving.org.
2. Foundation Grants: Grants from foundations such as Arby's Foundation ($7,500 grant received). Supports organizational programs and operations.
3. PA EITC Program: Pennsylvania Education Improvement Tax Credit program funds support school-based SMART programs. Orrstown Bank contributed $5,000 for SMART program in 2024.
4. Corporate Sponsorships: Event sponsorships at various levels (Prime Sponsor, T-Shirt Sponsor $2,500, Major Sponsor $1,000, Assisting Sponsor $500). Includes EnerSys as prime sponsor for BFKS.
5. United Way Funding: Partner agency of United Way of Berks County. United Way campaign exceeded $11 million goal, supporting 190,000 Berks County individuals.
6. CommunityAid Partnership: Partnership where CommunityAid pays per-pound rate for donated items in BBBS name. Partnership #50192.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Big Brothers Big Sisters of Berks County provides professionally supported youth mentoring programs to children and teens in Berks County, Pennsylvania. The organization operates four distinct programs (One-To-One Mentoring, COUL, Teen Mentoring, and SMART) that connect trained adult volunteer mentors with youth aged 6-18 to foster personal, academic, and career development. All programs are provided free of charge to participants.

Product overview

Big Brothers Big Sisters of Berks County operates as a nonprofit mentoring organization offering four distinct mentoring programs: One-To-One (individual community-based mentoring with 8-10 hours/month minimum), COUL (group mentoring for unmatched Littles awaiting one-to-one matches), Teen (group mentoring for teens ages 13+), and SMART (school-based mentoring at specific Berks County schools). The organization also runs annual fundraising events including Bowl for Kids' Sake and the Jason Claudfelter Golf Invitational, and maintains a merchandise shop. All programs are free for participating families and serve children ages 8-19 in Berks County.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• One-To-One Mentoring Traditional community-based mentoring program that matches trained adult volunteer mentors with youth aged 6-18 in Berks County for one-on-one mentoring relationships. Designed for children and teens who would benefit from a consistent, caring adult role model.
• COUL (College or Career Readiness) Mentoring program focused on preparing teens for higher education and career pathways. Provides guidance, skill-building, and exposure to career and college opportunities for youth in Berks County.
• Teen Mentoring Specialized mentoring program designed specifically for teenagers, addressing the unique developmental needs of adolescents aged 12-18. Provides guidance and support during the critical teenage years.
• SMART (School-based Mentoring) School-based mentoring program that takes place on K-12 school grounds during the school day. Matches volunteer mentors with students to provide academic and social support within the school environment.

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 100 Littles matched one-to-one in 2023
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers6 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

Ten partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• United Way of Berks CountycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerBBBS of Berks is a Partner Agency of United Way of Berks County. United Way funds support over 190,000 Berks County individuals. Executive Director Jim Smith attends United Way campaign events. Agency participates in United Way Day of Caring.
• CommunityAidminorGTM or Marketing PartnerNew partnership where CommunityAid pays per-pound rate for items donated in BBBS name. Partnership #50192. Seven thrift store locations in PA including Temple, PA location.
• Walsky Investment ManagementminorGTM or Marketing PartnerCorporate Dinner Sponsor for West Lawn UMC Community Dinner event.
• Brentwood IndustriesminorGTM or Marketing PartnerCorporate Dinner Sponsor for West Lawn UMC Community Dinner event. Also Corporate Partner of the Year 2023 with Big Brother Kevin McFadden as volunteer.
• EnerSyscoreGTM or Marketing PartnerPrime Sponsor of 42nd Annual Bowl For Kids' Sake 2024. Major supporter of BBBS fundraising events and youth mentoring programs.
• Reading RoyalsminorGTM or Marketing PartnerBBBS Night at the Reading Royals events where a portion of ticket proceeds benefits BBBS programs. Third consecutive year in 2024.
• EnerSys, Cipriani & Werner, Baker TillycoreGTM or Marketing PartnerTitle Sponsors for 2025 Jason Claudfelter Golf Invitational.
• Loomis Co., C&S Wholesale Grocers, Performance ToyotaminorGTM or Marketing PartnerGenerous sponsors who donated presents for Littles at 2025 Holiday Party.
• Diamond Credit UnionminorGTM or Marketing PartnerDonated presents for siblings of Littles at 2025 Holiday Party.
• Mission BBQ, Texas Roadhouse, Applebee's, PepsiCominorGTM or Marketing PartnerFood donations for 2025 Holiday Party event.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Junior Achievement of Eastern Pennsylvania: Regional JA affiliate delivering youth mentoring and education programs to K-12 students in eastern PA, including Berks County area. Comparable in mission (youth development), school-based delivery model, and corporate volunteer recruitment.
• Girl Scouts of Eastern Pennsylvania: Regional youth-development nonprofit serving girls across eastern PA with adult volunteer mentors. Comparable in volunteer-driven youth development model, nonprofit funding mix, and school/community partnerships.
• Big Brothers Big Sisters of the Lehigh Valley: Sibling BBBS affiliate serving an adjacent PA region with the same one-to-one youth mentoring model. Most directly comparable local peer, differing mainly in geographic catchment.
• 4-H (Penn State Extension): University-affiliated youth mentoring and development program operating across Pennsylvania with adult volunteer mentors and school/community partnerships. Comparable as a youth-mentoring nonprofit competing for the same volunteer and donor base in PA.
• YMCA of Reading and Berks County: Regional youth and family services organization offering youth development programs in the same geography. Comparable as a local nonprofit competing for the same volunteer, donor, and family engagement pool.
• Boys & Girls Club of Berks County: Local youth-development nonprofit serving Berks County youth with after-school and mentoring-style programming. Directly comparable as a competing/overlapping local youth services provider.
• Big Brothers Big Sisters Independence Region: Another PA-based BBBS affiliate delivering the same volunteer-mentor matching programs to youth in southeastern Pennsylvania. Operates with the same national affiliation, model, and funding structure.

Broad incumbents

• Big Brothers Big Sisters of America: National parent organization that BBBS of Berks is an affiliate of; sets program standards, branding, and the Platinum Award framework. Directly comparable as the umbrella over identical mentoring programs at much greater scale.
• Boys & Girls Club of America: National youth-development nonprofit with local affiliate chapters offering after-school programming, mentorship, and youth outcomes similar to BBBS. Overlaps in target population (youth facing adversity) and volunteer/corporate partner base.

Others

• United Way of Berks County: BBBS of Berks's primary institutional funder and a Partner Agency of BBBS. Comparable as a nonprofit intermediary that channels corporate and individual donations to youth and family services in Berks County.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/profile.php
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/big-brothers-big-sisters-of-berks-county

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles13 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Big Brothers Big Sisters of Berks County