Big Brothers Big Sisters of the Bay Area

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.

● 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.

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.

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.
·
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