Big Brothers Big Sisters is the parent organization for a network of more than 400 local agencies across the nation that matches adult volunteers with at-risk youth (ages 6 – 18) to form one-on-one mentoring relationships. In recent years, the organization has developed and rolled out a second mentoring model — school-based mentoring — that pairs youth and mentors in a school setting during normal school hours.
In a rigorous, scientific evaluation conducted by Public / Private Ventures, Big Brothers Big Sisters’ community-based, one-on-one mentoring program was proven to have a meaningful, positive impact on the lives of its participants. Among its findings were that youth in the program were
- 52% less likely to skip school,
- 46% less likely to begin using illegal drugs, and
- more likely to get along with their families and peers.
Big Brothers Big Sisters also undertook a three-year control trial evaluation of its other major mentoring program, school-based mentoring. The study, also conducted by Public / Private Ventures, yielded mixed results, prompting Big Brothers Big Sisters to develop a comprehensive plan to improve the school-based mentoring program.
Youth Served
Note: These totals include both school-based mentoring and community -based mentoring programs.
Revenue (in millions)
* 2004 short was a short fiscal year.
** In 2005, BBBSA successfully booked several large, multi-year grants from private funders, leading to a spike in revenue.
*** BBBS did not meet revenue projections in 2007 due to a decrease in key government contracts. Financial projections from 2008 on have been revised to account for this change.
Note : The revenue totals include only the budgets for the central organization, not the entire network for local affiliates.
Performance: School-Based Mentoring Average Match Length (Months)
Performance: School-Based Mentoring Match Retention
Percentage of matches at any given time that were active for six months or longer
Performance: Community-Based Mentoring Average Match Length (Months)
Performance: Community-Based Mentoring Match Retention
Percentage of matches at any given time that were active for six months or longer
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