Big Brothers Big Sisters Services

What Big Brothers Big Sisters Services does

Big Brothers Big Sisters Services, Inc. is a Virginia-incorporated 501(c)(3) public charity and independent affiliate of Big Brothers Big Sisters of America, founded in 1962 and headquartered in Richmond, VA. The organization delivers professionally supported one-to-one youth mentoring through three core programs: Community-Based Mentoring (2-3 hours per week during out-of-school time), Site-Based Mentoring (1 hour per week during school hours at partner schools), and Military Youth Mentoring for children of military families in the Hampton Roads area. Services are provided free of charge to all families regardless of ability to pay, with no fees charged to youth or families for participation.

The organization operates four regional offices across Central and Eastern Virginia (Greater Richmond, Tri-Cities, Hampton Roads, and Greater Virginia Peninsula) with a lean staff of approximately 8-10 named program and development professionals. The core "technology" is the human-relationship platform itself — a professionally managed matching process overseen by Match Support Specialists, supported by an evidence-based outcomes framework using the Search Institute's 40 Developmental Assets and an annual Youth Outcomes Survey. Reported 2022 outcomes include 85% of Littles improving or staying on track academically, 96% feeling they can succeed in school, and 92% feeling they have an adult they can turn to in need.

The business model is donor- and volunteer-supported: revenue is generated through individual donations (one-time and recurring), the Match Makers monthly giving program ($25/$50/$100 tiers), four major annual fundraising events (Bowl for Kids' Sake, Big Night Out gala, DECC 5K, Quiz for a Cause), corporate sponsorships (Genworth Financial, McKesson, Tyson Foods), employer matching gift programs, and grants from United Way chapters across all three service regions. The organization served over 220 youth in the most recent reporting period while maintaining a waitlist of more than 400 youth seeking mentors, indicating demand substantially exceeds current capacity.

Name

Big Brothers Big Sisters Services

Legal name

Big Brothers Big Sisters Services, Inc.

Website

https://bigbrobigsis.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1962

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Big Brothers Big Sisters Services is a Virginia-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit affiliate providing free, professionally supported one-to-one youth mentoring across Central and Eastern Virginia, serving children ages 6-18 through community-based, site-based, and military youth programs funded entirely by donors, sponsors, and volunteers.

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

Student Mentoring & Peer Support Programs (EDAJALAL)

akta.pro secondary industries

Youth Mentoring & Positive Youth Development Nonprofits (BPAGADAD), Youth Mental Health, Counseling & Wellbeing (Education-Linked) Nonprofits (BPAGADAK)

Keywords

• Youth mentoring services
• Nonprofit volunteer programs
• One-to-one mentoring
• Community youth development
• Charitable fundraising events

Headquarters

HQ city

University Of Richmond

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices4 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure, Others

Revenue model

1. Monthly Giving (Match Makers Program): Recurring monthly donations at three levels: $25 (Recruit), $50 (Coach), $100 (Support). Provides predictable recurring revenue for ongoing operations.
2. Individual Donations: One-time and recurring donations from individual supporters. Accepts online donations, checks, stocks, and estate planned gifts.
3. Event Fundraising: Major annual events including Bowl for Kids' Sake (largest fundraiser), Big Night Out gala, DECC 5K race, and Quiz for a Cause.
4. Corporate Sponsorships: Sponsorships from corporate partners including philanthropic gifts, employee volunteer programs, and cause-related marketing partnerships. Major sponsors include United Way chapters.
5. Grants: Foundation and corporate grants such as Tyson Foods grant for capacity building and National Conference attendance.
6. Matching Gifts: Employer matching gift programs where corporate employers match employee donations to the organization.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Big Brothers Big Sisters Services provides professionally supported one-to-one youth mentoring by matching adult volunteer mentors ("Bigs") with youth ages 6-18 ("Littles") across Central and Eastern Virginia. Core programs include Community-Based Mentoring (2-3 hours weekly out-of-school activities), Site-Based Mentoring (1 hour weekly at partner schools), and Military Youth Mentoring for children of military families, all delivered free of charge to families and funded through donations, grants, sponsorships, and fundraising events.

Product overview

Big Brothers Big Sisters Services operates a unified mentoring platform centered on professionally supported one-to-one relationships between adult volunteers (Bigs) and youth (Littles ages 6-13+). The core offering includes three distinct program modalities: Community-Based Mentoring for out-of-school-time activities, Site-Based Mentoring conducted during school hours, and Military Youth Mentoring for children of military families. These programs are supplemented by the Big Benefits Partnership Program offering discounts through community partners, resource libraries covering LGBTQ+ support and diversity/inclusion topics, and mentor training materials. Fundraising events including Bowl for Kids' Sake, Big Night Out Gala, Quiz for a Cause, and DECC 5K provide revenue generation, while online enrollment and donation systems facilitate youth registration and donor engagement. The organization operates across four regional offices serving Central and Eastern Virginia.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Match Makers: Monthly giving program where donors contribute monthly at various levels ($25 Recruit, $50 Coach, $100 Support) to support mentoring relationships.
• Big Benefits Program

Products and services

• Community-Based Mentoring
• Site-Based Mentoring
• Military Youth Mentoring
• Match Makers Monthly Giving Program
• Bowl for Kids' Sake
• Big Night Out Gala
• Quiz for a Cause
• DECC 5K Race

Quantifiable outcome

• 85% improved or stayed on track academically
• +5 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Eleven partnerships are on record, tiered core, minor and major.

• United Way of Richmond and PetersburgcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerProud partner providing philanthropic support and community engagement. United Way chapters are key funding partners and help connect the organization with resources and volunteers across service areas.
• United Way of Hopewell-Prince GeorgecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerRegional United Way partner supporting Tri-Cities operations and funding.
• United Way of Virginia PeninsulacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerRegional United Way partner supporting Greater Virginia Peninsula operations and funding.
• YMCA of Greater RichmondcoreGTM or Marketing PartnerBig Benefits partner providing complimentary memberships and access to all YMCA locations for all BBBS matches. Enhances relationship-building activities for mentor pairs.
• Triangle Rock ClubminorGTM or Marketing PartnerBig Benefits partner offering $15 per pair of climbers on Saturdays and Sundays. Provides active enrichment opportunities for matches.
• Science Museum of VirginiaminorGTM or Marketing PartnerBig Benefits partner offering free youth admission with purchase of adult admission. Educational enrichment for matches.
• First Tee Greater RichmondminorGTM or Marketing PartnerBig Benefits partner providing low-cost golf opportunities at Elson Redmond Memorial Driving Range with equipment and instruction provided.
• All Fired Up Pottery Studio (Short Pump)minorGTM or Marketing PartnerBig Benefits partner offering 15% discount for matches. Creative activity option for mentor pairs.
• Side by SidecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLocal LGBTQ+ organizing partner providing training resources for BBBS staff and volunteers on supporting LGBTQ youth. Enables access to LGBTQ Training for all Bigs.
• NFL (Inspire Change)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerNational partnership through BBBSA to work together in reducing barriers to opportunity. NFL players, clubs, and league joining to ensure access to mentorship.
• McKessoncoreGTM or Marketing PartnerCorporate partner with employees (Stanton McComb, Chris Garnett, Kevin Kitching) volunteering as BBBS mentors. Active corporate volunteer program encouraging staff to serve as Bigs.

Scale indicators9 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Regional players

• Junior Achievement of Central Virginia: Regional youth education and workforce-readiness nonprofit operating in the same Richmond and Central Virginia geography. Competes for corporate volunteer engagement and K-12 student programming slots in partner schools.
• YMCA of Greater Richmond: Regional youth services and community organization in BBBS Services' primary market. Partner and peer; competes for youth and family memberships and corporate sponsorship dollars while overlapping on youth development and enrichment.
• Girl Scouts of the Commonwealth of Virginia: State-level girl-serving youth development organization in Virginia. Overlaps with BBBS Services on the Big Sister pipeline, parent engagement, and corporate fundraising; Amanda Gravatt Porter, BBBS' current ED, previously served as COO here.

Direct peers

• Girls Inc. National nonprofit empowering girls and young women through mentoring, education, and youth development programming. Operates a comparable one-to-one and group mentoring model targeting youth ages 6-18, directly overlapping BBBS Services' Littles segment.
• Boys & Girls Club of Metro Richmond: Local direct competitor in the Richmond, VA market serving at-risk youth with after-school and mentoring-adjacent programming. Competes for the same youth, families, corporate sponsors, and grant funders in BBBS Services' core territory.

Broad incumbents

• Big Brothers Big Sisters of America: The national umbrella organization and parent brand of the Virginia affiliate. Operates the same one-to-one mentoring model across all 50 states and 12 countries, providing the framework, brand, and outcome methodology BBBS Services delivers locally.
• Boys & Girls Clubs of America: National youth development nonprofit serving at-risk youth through club-based programming. Competes for the same donor, volunteer, and youth-development funding pools as BBBS Services and addresses overlapping needs of school-age youth.

Emerging players

• 4-H (National 4-H Council): National youth development organization with strong Virginia Cooperative Extension presence. Offers group mentoring, leadership, and STEM programming for ages 5-19 — overlapping BBBS Services' Littles segment on academic and social outcomes.

Others

• MENTOR (National Mentoring Partnership): National umbrella and advocacy organization for the youth mentoring field. Serves as a sector coordinator and capacity-builder for mentoring programs like BBBS Services, influencing funding policy, research, and volunteer pipelines.
• United Way of Greater Richmond & Petersburg: Core funding and community partner of BBBS Services, while also serving as a donor-recommender and grantmaker to other youth and family service nonprofits. Acts both as funder and competitor for community-impact dollars in the same geography.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/BeaBigVA
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/beabigva
• Instagraminstagram.com/beabigva
• Xx.com/BeaBigVA

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles24 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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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 Services