Big Brothers Big Sisters - Southern Lake Michigan Region | DonationMatch


About the Nonprofit

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Nonprofit Category: O - Youth Development
Exempt Status: 501(c)(3) (IRS Form 990 Filed)

MISSION: Provide children with strong and enduring, professionally supported, one-to-one relationships that change their lives for the better, forever.

What We Do

We recruit adult volunteers to serve as mentors to children in need.  Volunteers and children are thoroughly screened by professional staff members to assess eligibility.  Once a volunteer and child are “matched,” they receive ongoing supervision, guidance and support by our professional staff.  Evaluations are conducted regularly with the parent, child and volunteer to determine behavior and attitudinal changes of the child. 

Funds

There is no cost for children and families to participate in the program.  We are a 100% volunteer- and donor-supported organization.  We have no revenue from fees or earned income. 

We raise nearly 60% of our revenue through fundraising events, e.g., Bowl for Kids’ Sake, Bid for Kids’ Sake, Golf for Kids’ Sake, etc.  Our remaining revenue comes from individual contributions, an annual campaign, donor organizations such as United Way of Southwest Michigan, and grant awards.  The annual cost for us to maintain one match for one year is nearly $2,000 (and we never charge a child or family a fee to join us).  Every contribution we receive helps us achieve our goal of matching a disadvantaged child with a caring adult mentor. 

Donations are used for extensive volunteer screenings, making the match and professional match supervision.