Big Brothers Big Sisters of San Luis Obispo County

What Big Brothers Big Sisters of San Luis Obispo County does

Big Brothers Big Sisters of San Luis Obispo County ("SLO Bigs") is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization founded in 1995 that creates and supports one-to-one mentoring relationships between screened adult volunteers and youth facing adversity in San Luis Obispo County, California. The organization operates four core programs: Community-Based Mentoring (matching adult volunteers with youth for ongoing supervised community activities), School-Based Mentoring (pairing high school and college students with elementary students at 10+ school sites), Middle School Mentoring (launched March 2022 in collaboration with Lucia Mar Unified School District, pairing high schoolers with 7th and 8th graders at Paulding, Judkins, and Arroyo Grande High School feeder sites), and Big Futures (future-readiness mentorship). The organization maintains two physical offices — its San Luis Obispo headquarters at 142 Cross Street and a North County regional office opened in Paso Robles in March 2015.

The organization is independently governed as a local affiliate of Big Brothers Big Sisters of America, the national 270+ affiliate network, and is led by Executive Director Stacy Salame and Board Chair Amity Faes with a staff of approximately 15. Its core technology is a youth mentoring program management and matching platform rather than a software product; the underlying operational asset is the professionally supported volunteer screening and matching process validated by Harris Interactive longitudinal outcome studies. The organization does not develop proprietary software or technology products and offers all services free of charge to participating families.

The business model is entirely donation- and grant-funded with no program fees charged to participants. Revenue streams include charitable donations (via website, events), corporate sponsorships (e.g., Pacific Western Bank presenting sponsorship of the BIG EVENT fundraiser for 10+ consecutive years, Chevron 10-year partnership), foundation grants (e.g., Harold J. Miossi Charitable Trust $140K+ since 2012, Must Charities $253K four-year commitment), community fundraising events (Bowl For Kids Sake, BIG EVENT, Dodgeball Tournament, Monte Carlo Night), and in-kind contributions (e.g., TekTegrity IT services valued at $100K+ over nine years). The 2021 BIG EVENT alone raised more than $210,000, a record high, and the organization is currently serving 260+ mentor matches annually across San Luis Obispo County.

Name

Big Brothers Big Sisters of San Luis Obispo County

Legal name

Big Brothers Big Sisters of San Luis Obispo County

Website

https://slobigs.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1995

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Big Brothers Big Sisters of San Luis Obispo County is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit founded in 1995 that provides free one-to-one youth mentoring through community-based, school-based, and middle school programs serving 260+ children annually across San Luis Obispo County.

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

Family & Parenting Support Services (BPAGAEAC)

Keywords

• Youth mentoring
• Nonprofit services
• Community programs
• School-based mentoring
• Volunteer programs

Headquarters

HQ city

San Luis Obispo

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. Donations and Grants: Non-profit organization funded entirely through charitable donations, grants from foundations, corporate sponsorships, and fundraising events. No revenue from program fees - all services are provided free to families.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Big Brothers Big Sisters of San Luis Obispo County is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that provides free one-on-one youth mentoring services. The organization matches at-risk youth ('Littles') with screened adult volunteer mentors ('Bigs') through multiple program models including Community-Based Mentoring, School-Based Mentoring, Big Futures, and Middle School Mentoring. All services are provided at no cost to families, with the organization funded through donations, grants, and sponsorships as an independent local affiliate of Big Brothers Big Sisters of America.

Product overview

Big Brothers Big Sisters of San Luis Obispo County operates a suite of youth mentoring programs centered on one-to-one relationships. The core programs include Community-Based Mentoring (matching adult volunteers with children), School-Based Mentoring (pairing high school/college students with elementary students), Big Futures (future-focused mentorship), and Middle School Mentoring (supporting middle school students through high school). These programs collectively aim to build developmental assets in vulnerable children through role models and mentor friendships.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Community-Based Mentoring One-on-one mentoring program that matches youth ('Littles') with screened adult volunteer mentors ('Bigs') who meet in community settings outside of school hours, typically several times per month. Designed for youth ages 6-18 in San Luis Obispo County who could benefit from a sustained positive adult role model.
• School-Based Mentoring Mentoring program that pairs youth with adult volunteer mentors meeting at elementary, middle, or high school sites during the school day. Designed for students who benefit from additional academic and social-emotional support and a consistent adult presence during the school week.
• Big Futures Program supporting older youth (high school and beyond) with college and career readiness, including post-secondary planning, workforce preparation, financial literacy, and life skills development to support successful transitions to adulthood.
• Middle School Mentoring Specialized mentoring program targeted at middle school youth, addressing the unique developmental needs, social pressures, and academic challenges of this transitional age group through one-on-one mentoring relationships.

Quantifiable outcome

• Children in the program are better educated, wealthier, and report stronger relationships with spouses, children, and friends (per Harris Interactive study)
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers7 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Twelve partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• Porsche San Luis ObispominorGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 September 2025Annual Toy & Gift Card Drive partnership to bring holiday joy to local youth ages 7-18 in the program.
• Lucia Mar Unified School DistrictcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 March 2025Collaboration on Middle School Mentoring Program. Partners to provide mentoring services at Paulding and Judkins middle schools and Arroyo Grande High School.
• California Fresh Grocery StoreminorGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 December 2024Donated pumpkins for art activities with mentor matches, supporting school-based program activities.
• Rooster Creek TavernminorGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 May 2020Monthly 'Third Tuesday Dining with a Purpose' fundraiser benefiting BBBS. Partnered since 2012.
• Young Professionals Networking Group (YPNG)minorGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 May 2020Annual Monte Carlo Night fundraiser. Presented $5,200 check. Donated over $32,210 to local non-profits since 2010.
• Vina RoblesminorGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 September 2017Chocolate Festival fundraiser raised $2,500-$2,650 annually for youth mentoring programs. Supported for over 10 years.
• All About EventsminorGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 January 2017Presenting sponsor of annual Dodgeball Tournament fundraiser, providing larger venue for more teams.
• TekTegrityminorGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 January 2017IT services and support valued at over $100,000 over nine years. CEO Russ Levanway actively supports agency.
• Laguna Lake Ladies Golf ClubminorGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 January 2017Golf tournament fundraiser donating $1,500 to support one-to-one mentoring programs for at-risk youth.
• Delta Sigma Pi (Kappa Mu Chapter)minorGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 January 2015Reached 1,000 hours of volunteer community service and raised over $1,000. Celebrating sixth anniversary of community service partnership in 2015.
• Create PromotionsminorGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 December 2014Partnership with local events including Winter WonderSLO Jiffy Lube Ice Rink and Bubblyfest By The Sea that benefit the charity.
• Theta Chi Fraternity (Cal Poly)coreGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 January 2011Annual Sororities Best Dance Crew fundraiser raising over $32,000 since 2011. Provides 100+ volunteer hours annually and supports programs and fundraising events.

Scale indicators9 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Regional players

• Big Brothers Big Sisters of the Bay Area: California-based BBBS affiliate serving the greater Bay Area with the same one-to-one mentoring programs. Directly comparable operating model and program catalog; relevant peer for benchmarking fundraising and match-rate performance within California.

Broad incumbents

• Big Brothers Big Sisters of America: National federation of which BBBS of SLO County is an affiliate. Provides national brand standards, training, outcome research, and federation-wide fundraising. Operates broader portfolio including national programmatic initiatives, while local affiliates specialize in on-the-ground matching.
• Boys & Girls Clubs of America: National youth-development organization with thousands of club locations delivering after-school and mentoring programming to vulnerable youth. Comparable mission and target population, but operates a group/facility-based model rather than one-to-one mentoring.

Direct peers

• United Way of San Luis Obispo County: San Luis Obispo County-based nonprofit that funds and coordinates local health and human services, including youth programs. Comparable in geographic scope, donor-base composition, and reliance on corporate and individual giving for sustaining community services.
• Boys & Girls Clubs of San Luis Obispo County: Local San Luis Obispo County youth-development nonprofit providing mentorship, after-school programming, and developmental asset-building to vulnerable youth. Same service geography and target beneficiary population, with a group-based (rather than one-to-one) delivery model.
• CASA of San Luis Obispo County: Court Appointed Special Advocates nonprofit operating in the same county, recruiting and training volunteer advocates for at-risk youth in the foster care system. Directly comparable in model (recruited volunteer mentors matched one-to-one with vulnerable youth) and funding model (grants, donations, fundraising).
• Big Brothers Big Sisters of Greater Los Angeles: Local BBBS affiliate serving youth in the LA region with the same one-to-one mentoring model (community-based and school-based). Closely comparable in mission, program structure, and operating model to BBBS of SLO County, though at materially larger scale.

Emerging players

• 4-H Youth Development Program (UC ANR): National positive youth development program delivered through Cooperative Extension, pairing youth with adult mentors in project-based learning. Comparable in positive youth development outcomes, though anchored in a different programmatic framework (clubs and projects rather than one-to-one mentoring).
• MENTOR California: State-level mentoring advocacy and capacity-building organization focused on expanding quality mentoring relationships for California youth. Comparable mission around promoting youth mentoring; complements BBBS of SLO County's direct service delivery.

Others

• Junior Achievement of Central California: Central California regional affiliate of Junior Achievement, delivering K-12 youth programs focused on financial literacy, work readiness, and entrepreneurship through volunteer mentors. Operates in overlapping Central California geography with comparable volunteer-driven, school-partnered delivery model.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/big-brothers-big-sisters-of-san-luis-obispo-county

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

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 San Luis Obispo County