Big Brothers Big Sisters of the Bay Area
Defending Potential
Programs and results
What we aim to solve
Many of our kids are from single-parent homes or live with a non-parent caregiver. Many live below the poverty level, with caregivers struggling to be an active presence while providing financial necessities for their family. Exposed to greater adversity such as elements of gang activity, substance abuse, and crime, they have the potential for greatness but need a special role model and friend they can trust. We are a lifeline for these kids, by providing a special match to help them realize their potential.
Our programs
What are the organization's current programs, how do they measure success, and who do the programs serve?
Community Based Mentoring
In Community Based Mentoring, a child and their mentor meet one-on-one, for two to four hours at least twice a month, for activities of their own choosing. While bicycling across the Golden Gate Bridge, completing homework together, or just catching up over a meal, matches develop a relationship with lasting impact.
Where we work
Awards
Quality Award 2022
Big Brothers Big Sisters of America
Affiliations & memberships
Big Brothers Big Sisters of America 1958
External reviews

Photos
Our results
How does this organization measure their results? It's a hard question but an important one.
Number of mentors recruited
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Related Program
Community Based Mentoring
Type of Metric
Output - describing our activities and reach
Direction of Success
Increasing
Number of youth mentored
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Related Program
Community Based Mentoring
Type of Metric
Output - describing our activities and reach
Direction of Success
Holding steady
Hours of mentoring
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Related Program
Community Based Mentoring
Type of Metric
Output - describing our activities and reach
Direction of Success
Holding steady
Goals & Strategy
Learn about the organization's key goals, strategies, capabilities, and progress.
Charting impact
Four powerful questions that require reflection about what really matters - results.
What is the organization aiming to accomplish?
At Big Brothers Big Sisters of the Bay Area, our mission is to create and support one-to-one mentoring relationships that ignite the power and promise of youth.
Each year, BBBSBA works with nearly 1,000 children in the nine counties we serve, and our goal is to match the additional 800 children on our waiting list with a caring mentor, or “Big". Our program is not only matching children to supportive and caring adult figures, we are also helping to break the cycle of poverty often associated with low-income communities by empowering children with a dedicated and positive adult role model.
What are the organization's key strategies for making this happen?
● Community-Based Mentoring is BBBSBA's signature program offering, in which children ages 6-18 are referred to the program by a parent, guardian, teacher or family friend and paired with a screened, qualified adult mentor through a comprehensive matching process, which emphasizes compatibility, commitment, and child safety. The child (the “Little") and their mentor (the “Big") meet one-on-one for two to four hours at least twice a month for activities of their choosing. Activities can include bike rides, playing ball at the park, baking together, or sharing a meal. Through these activities, the pair builds a valuable relationship built on mutual trust and respect that impacts the child's life for the better. The primary goal is to create a trusting relationship that will have a measurable impact.
● Workplace Mentoring Program. By partnering with corporations throughout the Bay Area, BBBSBA will be able to impact the children served in a new way, advancing the lives of young people and preparing them to enter the Bay Area's workforce. The Workplace Mentoring Program makes it convenient for companies and their employees to give back while also having tremendous impact on the development of the next generation's workforce. Students are matched in one-to-one mentoring relationships with company employees who serve as role models for professional achievement; exposing their Little to the rewards of a successful workplace environment.
● Leading the way in the national conversation on the impact and importance of mentorship.
● Actively engage our volunteers and advocates to act as a voice in the community.
What are the organization's capabilities for doing this?
Exceptional, experienced staff and volunteer leadership. Dawn Kruger, longtime program staff member and then VP of Operations, became CEO in February 2015. In FY14, in response to our projected growth, we increased the size of the board to 24 members, many of whom are connecting the organization to new corporate and individual funding opportunities.
Strategic program evaluation and implementation. In 2017, we look forward to placing a key hire in the VP of Programs role to help us continue to reach our ambitious service goals.
Partnerships. We have also expanded our partnerships with the San Francisco Unified School District, Hayward Unified School District, YWCA of Silicon Valley, Comcast, Santa Clara County Probation Department, and the GAP, Inc.
What have they accomplished so far and what's next?
Accomplishments:
● Growth and diversification of our board leadership
● Dedicated and experienced staff in place to improve our outcomes
● Expanding partnerships
● Maintain and exceed our standards of service and match excellence. We were awarded a national program quality award by Big Brothers Big Sisters of America for three years in a row for our excellence in quality programs, outstanding match support and a 12-month retention rate of that exceed national standards.
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Growth Areas:
● Need to expand our programs, and leadership in this work (VP of Programs)
● Website and communications refresh
● Technology and systems update
● Expand workplace mentorship offerings
● Expand to fill the needs in hard-to-access areas in our service territory
Financials
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Operations
The people, governance practices, and partners that make the organization tick.
Connect with nonprofit leaders
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- Analyze a variety of pre-calculated financial metrics
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Connect with nonprofit leaders
SubscribeBuild relationships with key people who manage and lead nonprofit organizations with GuideStar Pro. Try a low commitment monthly plan today.
- Analyze a variety of pre-calculated financial metrics
- Access beautifully interactive analysis and comparison tools
- Compare nonprofit financials to similar organizations
Want to see how you can enhance your nonprofit research and unlock more insights? Learn More about GuideStar Pro.
Big Brothers Big Sisters of the Bay Area
Board of directorsas of 02/27/2023
Majd Khleif
Syserco
Term: 2020 -
Tom DeJonghe
retired (Chevron)
Mike Campbell
BDO USA, LLP
Curtis Gardner
ARA Newmark
Majd Khleif
Syserco
Priya Rajan
Silicon Valley Bank
Aaron Vermut
Dan Wire
FireEye
Martha Ehmann Conte
Paul Owens
Reed & Greenough
Lawrence Bancroft
Bivium Capital Partners
Alexander Coassin
PwC
Jeff Kragel
Bernstein Global Wealth Management
Todd Lachman
Sovos Brands
Christine Flores
Chris Fragakis
Wells Fargo Securities
Sarah Franklin
Salesforce
Jay Kim
Major, Lindsey & Africa
Diane Lamendola
Intel
Gina Sheibley
Salesforce
Tanaz Sowdagar
Akamai Technologies
Charles Taylor
Michelle Wellington
Quotient Technology
Mani Aliabadi
CJ Babb
Pando
Andrew Barnette
East West Bank
Michael D’Onofrio
Conga
Paul Dalzell
Bessemer Trust
Katie Dignan
Kairos Power
Alex Grebenschikov
AppDynamics
Paul Greenall
Prophet
Chris McClure
Lincoln Financial Advisors
Seth Tator
Salesforce
Board leadership practices
GuideStar worked with BoardSource, the national leader in nonprofit board leadership and governance, to create this section.
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Board orientation and education
Does the board conduct a formal orientation for new board members and require all board members to sign a written agreement regarding their roles, responsibilities, and expectations? Yes -
CEO oversight
Has the board conducted a formal, written assessment of the chief executive within the past year ? Yes -
Ethics and transparency
Have the board and senior staff reviewed the conflict-of-interest policy and completed and signed disclosure statements in the past year? No -
Board composition
Does the board ensure an inclusive board member recruitment process that results in diversity of thought and leadership? Yes -
Board performance
Has the board conducted a formal, written self-assessment of its performance within the past three years? No
Organizational demographics
Who works and leads organizations that serve our diverse communities? Candid partnered with CHANGE Philanthropy on this demographic section.
Leadership
The organization's leader identifies as:
Race & ethnicity
Gender identity
Sexual orientation
No data
Disability
No data
Equity strategies
Last updated: 02/27/2023GuideStar partnered with Equity in the Center - an organization that works to shift mindsets, practices, and systems to increase racial equity - to create this section. Learn more
- We have long-term strategic plans and measurable goals for creating a culture such that one’s race identity has no influence on how they fare within the organization.
- We have a promotion process that anticipates and mitigates implicit and explicit biases about people of color serving in leadership positions.
- We seek individuals from various race backgrounds for board and executive director/CEO positions within our organization.
- We have community representation at the board level, either on the board itself or through a community advisory board.
- We help senior leadership understand how to be inclusive leaders with learning approaches that emphasize reflection, iteration, and adaptability.
- We engage everyone, from the board to staff levels of the organization, in race equity work and ensure that individuals understand their roles in creating culture such that one’s race identity has no influence on how they fare within the organization.