Big Brothers Big Sisters of America is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization whose mission is to help children reach their potential through professionally supported, one-to-one relationships with mentors that have a measurable impact on youth.
The children are called "Little Brothers" and "Little Sisters", or collectively, 'littles' contrasting to the 'bigs' used collectively to refer to the adults. Big Brothers Big Sisters mentors children, ages 6 through 18. Matches are (Big)male-(Little)male, female-male, and female-female.
In 1904, a young New York City court clerk named Ernest Kent Coulter was seeing more and more boys come through his courtroom. He recognized that caring adults could help many of these kids stay out of trouble, and he set out to find volunteers. That marked the beginning of Big Brothers Big Sisters of New York City and the Big Brothers movement. By 1916, Big Brothers had spread to 96 cities across the country.
In its most recent review, Big Brothers Big Sisters was selected by Forbes Magazine as one of its top ten charities, making the publication’s “gold star” list of charities worthy of donor consideration. The magazine surveyed 200 non-profits and rated them on how efficiently they collect and distribute dollars. Forbes looked at three categories: charitable commitment; fundraising efficiency, and donor dependency.
Big Brothers Big Sisters of America is rated a 4-star charity by Charity Navigator, America’s premier charity evaluator. The top rating reflects organizational efficiency and capacity.
Big Brothers Big Sisters of America meets the BBB Wise Giving Alliance's Standards for Charity Accountability.
Big Brothers Big Sisters received the American Institute of Philanthropy's highest rating, an A+