Big Brothers Big Sisters of Southwest Michigan

What Big Brothers Big Sisters of Southwest Michigan does

Big Brothers Big Sisters of Southwest Michigan is a regional nonprofit youth mentoring organization affiliated with Big Brothers Big Sisters of America, founded in 1958 (some sources cite 1961) and headquartered in Kalamazoo, Michigan with a satellite office in Battle Creek. The organization operates in Kalamazoo, Allegan, Calhoun, and Van Buren counties, serving children ages 6 through 18 through a portfolio of programs: Community-Based Mentoring (traditional one-to-one matches meeting twice monthly for two hours), Lunch with Littles (school-based mentoring at 7 partner schools), Power Up (staff-led embedded group mentoring at 2 schools), High School Bigs (peer mentoring), Big Pride (LGBTQ+ youth), and Big Duos (two-mentor matches). The organization employs 41 staff and 27 site coordinators to deliver these programs, with leadership under CEO Amy Kuchta.

The organization's business model is donation- and event-driven rather than transactional. All mentoring services are free to participating children and families. Revenue is generated through individual donations (collected via Blackbaud online forms), the annual Benefit Dinner gala (48th annual in 2025, individual tickets at $300, sponsorships from $2,500), the annual Bowl for Kids' Sake bowling fundraiser (historically raising nearly $100,000 with 900+ bowlers and 35+ corporate sponsors), and corporate sponsorships from local employers in the five-county service area. Marketing relies on a community-led GTM — volunteers are recruited through website, events, and community outreach; children are enrolled through parent/guardian applications; and schools are acquired through direct outreach. Multi-channel marketing combines social media, blog content, email newsletters, events, media relations, and word-of-mouth referrals. Key strategic partnerships include a multi-year deal with Merrell for outdoor programming, a decade-plus collaboration with Communities In Schools of Kalamazoo for student identification, and corporate relationships with Eaton, Huntington, Schupan, Molina Healthcare, and Kalamazoo Candle Company.

Name

Big Brothers Big Sisters of Southwest Michigan

Legal name

Big Brothers Big Sisters of Southwest Michigan

Website

https://thinkbigtoday.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1961

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Big Brothers Big Sisters of Southwest Michigan is a regional nonprofit that provides free youth mentoring programs to children ages 6-18 across Kalamazoo, Allegan, Calhoun, and Van Buren counties in Southwest Michigan, funded through donations, corporate sponsorships, and annual fundraising events.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Youth Mentoring Services

NAICS

Child and Youth Services (624110), Other Individual and Family Services (624190)

akta.pro industry

PRIMARYEDACALAH

Family Resource Centers & Wraparound Support Services

Education/Early Childhood Education/Parent Education & Family Engagement Programs

SECONDARYEDACALAB

Family Engagement & Home–School Partnership Programs

Education/Early Childhood Education/Parent Education & Family Engagement Programs

Keywords

• Youth mentoring services
• Volunteer mentoring programs
• School-based mentoring
• Nonprofit youth services
• Child mentorship programs

Headquarters

HQ city

Kalamazoo

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. Individual Donations: Individual donors contribute funds to support mentoring programs, match funding, and operational costs. Donations are collected through the website via Blackbaud donation forms.
2. Annual Benefit Dinner: Annual fundraising gala featuring keynote speakers. Ticket price is $300 per person. Sponsorship opportunities begin at $2,500. Funds support recruiting Bigs, matching with Littles, and providing professional support for matches.
3. Bowl for Kids' Sake: Annual bowling event fundraiser. In 2020, 908 bowlers, 213 teams, and 35 corporate sponsors raised nearly $100,000.
4. Corporate Sponsorships: Local companies sponsor events and programs. Companies within the five-county service area provide financial support.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Big Brothers Big Sisters of Southwest Michigan makes meaningful, monitored matches between adult volunteers (Bigs) and children ages 6 through 18 (Littles) across Kalamazoo, Allegan, Calhoun, and Van Buren counties. It delivers a portfolio of school-based and community-based mentoring programs, including Community-Based Mentoring, Lunch with Littles, Power Up, High School Bigs, Big Pride, and Big Duos, all provided free of charge to participating children and families.

Product overview

Big Brothers Big Sisters of Southwest Michigan offers a portfolio of youth mentoring programs centered around its core one-to-one mentoring model. The primary offerings include Community-Based Mentoring (traditional Big/Little matches meeting in the community), Lunch with Littles (school-based lunch mentoring at partnered schools), Power Up (staff-led embedded group mentoring in schools), High School Bigs (peer mentoring), Big Pride (LGBTQ+-focused mentoring), and Big Duos (two-mentor matches). Supporting programs include the annual Benefit Dinner fundraiser and Empowering Potential Scholarship. The organization operates across Kalamazoo, Allegan, Calhoun, and Van Buren counties, serving children ages 6 through 18.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Power Up: An embedded-in-school mentorship program where BBBS staff called Lead Mentors support students in building confidence, social skills, and academic success.
• Lunch With Littles
• Big Pride

Products and services

• Community-Based Mentoring Traditional one-to-one mentoring program matching adult volunteers (Bigs) with children ages 6-18 (Littles) for ongoing friendship and support in the community setting, requiring at least two hours twice per month per match. Provided free of charge to participating children and families.
• Lunch with Littles School-based mentoring program where adult volunteers meet with students during lunch periods twice a month for 40 minutes per session, supporting academic engagement and social-emotional development at partnered schools including Allegan High School, Plainwell Middle School, Battle Creek STEM Middle School, Springfield Middle School, Battle Creek Central High School, Prairie Ridge Elementary, and Woodward School. Free for participating students.
• Power Up Embedded-in-school group mentorship program led by trained BBBS staff (Lead Mentors) on-site at schools four days per week. Students meet in small groups at least once weekly for a structured curriculum addressing social-emotional learning topics such as self-regulation, teamwork, and leadership. Currently operating at Northwestern Academy of Visual and Performing Arts and Springfield Middle School in Battle Creek. Free for participants.
• High School Bigs Peer mentoring program pairing middle or high school students (Bigs) with elementary school students (Littles) for once-a-week activities, providing youth leadership opportunities alongside mentoring relationships. Free for participants.
• Big Pride Mentoring program specifically designed to serve LGBTQ+ youth and their families, with advocacy provided by staff members who are educated about and connected to the LGBTQ+ community. Provides a supportive environment and sense of community for participants. Free for participants.
• Big Duos Mentoring program in which two adult mentors (Bigs) are matched together with one young person (Little), meeting for at least two hours twice per month to provide a broader support network. Free for participants.
• Empowering Potential Scholarship Scholarship program providing $1,000 annually to one current or previous qualifying High School Big and one current or previous qualifying Little pursuing continuing education or career development.
• Annual Benefit Dinner Annual fundraising gala (48th annual in 2025) featuring keynote speakers to raise funds for matching local youth with mentors. Individual tickets priced at $300 and corporate sponsorship tiers start at $2,500.

Quantifiable outcome

• Increased confidence and self-esteem
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers8 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles5 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.

• R.W. LaPine IncorporatedcoreGTM or Marketing Partner · 14 April 2025R.W. LaPine Incorporated serves as the presenting sponsor for the annual Benefit Dinner, a key fundraising event for BBBS of Southwest Michigan.
• MerrellcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 18 January 2021Multi-year partnership between Big Brothers Big Sisters and Merrell (outdoor footwear brand) to bring the power of the outside to more youth. The partnership aims to make outdoor experiences more accessible to children in the BBBS program.
• Communities In Schools of KalamazoocoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 30 October 2017Long-term partnership spanning more than a decade where CIS identifies students who would benefit most from mentoring and BBBS matches them with Bigs. Hundreds of local children have benefited from this collaboration.
• Kellogg Community CollegeminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 30 October 2017Pilot partner for Bigs on Campus program bringing middle school students to KCC campus twice monthly to meet with mentors. Part of efforts to introduce students to higher education.
• Kalamazoo Valley Community CollegeminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 30 October 2017Pilot partner for Bigs on Campus program where high school students go to KVCC two times monthly for mentoring. Goal is to have students think about where they might want to continue education after high school.
• Kalamazoo Candle CompanyminorGTM or Marketing PartnerPartnership to create custom Igniting Potential candles - limited run of candles available for purchase with proceeds supporting BBBS programs.
• Molina Healthcare of MichiganminorGTM or Marketing PartnerPresented National Mentoring Month locally and participated in Molina Mentoring Month Challenge to celebrate matches.
• SchupanminorGTM or Marketing PartnerCorporate partner that employs Bigs (volunteers) and has participated in company matching programs and sponsorship of events.
• Eaton CorporationminorGTM or Marketing PartnerGalesburg site employees participate in Bigs program helping build better futures for Littles. Corporate employees volunteer as mentors.
• Huntington National BankminorGTM or Marketing PartnerLocal bank supports BBBS through charitable giving and employee engagement in mentoring programs.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Others

• MENTOR (National Mentoring Partnership): National advocacy and capacity-building organization for the youth mentoring field. Sets quality standards, publishes research, and channels federal funding that benefits affiliates like BBBS Southwest Michigan; comparable as an ecosystem/standards peer rather than a direct service competitor.

Direct peers

• Communities In Schools: National nonprofit that places site coordinators inside K-12 schools to connect students with mentoring, tutoring, and social services—closely mirroring BBBS's Lunch with Littles and Power Up school-based delivery model. CIS of Kalamazoo is also an existing operational partner of BBBS Southwest Michigan.
• Boys & Girls Clubs of Kalamazoo: Local youth-serving nonprofit in Kalamazoo operating facility-based afterschool programs, mentorship, and academic support. Competes with BBBS Southwest Michigan for the same local donors, corporate sponsorships (e.g., Eaton, Huntington), and volunteer pipeline within the Kalamazoo market.
• Big Brothers Big Sisters of America: National parent organization of the Big Brothers Big Sisters network of 240 agencies serving 135,000+ youth. BBBS Southwest Michigan is a direct local affiliate of this organization, operating the identical Big/Little mentoring model under the same brand, curriculum, and outcome frameworks.
• Big Brothers Big Sisters of Greater Detroit: Another Michigan-based BBBS regional affiliate operating the same Big/Little mentoring model in a different Michigan market. Most directly comparable peer for benchmarking fundraising efficiency, volunteer-to-Little match ratios, and program mix decisions.

Broad incumbents

• Boys & Girls Clubs of America: Largest national youth-development organization, offering afterschool programming, mentoring, and academic enrichment. Broader scope and facility-based model than BBBS, but operates in the same youth-development funding and donor pool and often competes for the same corporate sponsorships and grant dollars.

Regional players

• United Way of Southwest Michigan: Regional nonprofit funder and convener in Southwest Michigan that distributes dollars to youth and family services across the same four-county service area as BBBS. Functions as both a potential funding partner and a competing recipient of corporate CSR and workplace-giving dollars.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/bbbsmi1
• YouTubeyoutube.com/user/bbbsmi1
• Facebookfacebook.com/BBBSMI1
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/big-brothers-big-sisters-of-southwest-michigan
• Instagraminstagram.com/bbbsmi1

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles9 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 Southwest Michigan