Big Brothers-Big Sisters of San Luis Obispo County
Change their world, change the world.
Programs and results
What we aim to solve
Most children in our programs come from low-income, single parent households. Some have experienced significant trauma, including abuse and neglect resulting in foster care, being drug-exposed at birth, and having a parent incarcerated. For example, Tyler, age 9, was removed from his home due to substance abuse exposure and neglect and now lives with his elderly grandparents. It's hard for him to trust others, he struggles with appropriate boundaries, and he lacks a strong male role model. Angelina, age 7, lives with her mom and younger sister. Her mom works long hours for low wages and did not graduate from high school; she wants Angelina to have more positive adult influences in her life so she will stay in school and go to college. Children such as these are most at risk to continue in a cycle of poverty created by low self-confidence and limited aspirations, unhealthy relationships, risky behaviors, and a low level of education.
Our programs
What are the organization's current programs, how do they measure success, and who do the programs serve?
Community Based Mentoring
Our Community Based Program creates strong and enduring relationships by connecting vulnerable local youth with adult volunteers. We thoroughly screen and professionally train volunteers in order to insure child safety. Volunteers and children spend at least 6 hours a month exploring shared interests and developing positive, stable relationships. Volunteers enrich children’s lives by modeling healthy choices and providing connection with their community. Our professional staff provides individualized case management to each match relationship and hosts educational and enriching group activities for all program participants. The agency conducts regular baseline and follow-up surveys to ensure long-term positive results.
School Based Mentoring
Our School Based Program allows us to double our impact, serving two children with every mentor relationship. A group of carefully selected high school and college students travel to their partner elementary school once each week for the entire school year. Older and younger students are paired for ongoing relationships built upon one-to-one interactions and occasional group activities such as doing homework, playing sports or making crafts. The younger students gain confidence while the older students build leadership skills. They learn that as individuals they can shape the world and have a positive effect on their community. The exposure to new ideas and opinions offered by both the mentors and elementary students from differing backgrounds expands both groups’ horizons.
Where we work
External reviews

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?
We partner with parents/guardians, volunteers and others in the community and hold ourselves accountable for each child in our program achieving:
• Higher aspirations, greater confidence and better relationships
• Avoidance of risky behaviors
• Educational success
What are the organization's key strategies for making this happen?
We have two programs, both designed to build developmental assets in vulnerable children through role models and mentor friendships.
Our School Based Program allows us to double our impact, serving two children with every mentor relationship. A group of carefully selected high school and college students travel to their partner elementary school once each week for the entire school year. Older and younger students are paired for ongoing relationships built upon one-to-one interactions and occasional group activities such as doing homework, playing sports or making crafts. The younger students gain confidence while the older students build leadership skills. They learn that as individuals they can shape the world and have a positive effect on their community. The exposure to new ideas and opinions offered by both the mentors and elementary students from differing backgrounds expands both groups' horizons.
Our Community Based Program creates strong and enduring relationships by connecting vulnerable local youth with adult volunteers. We thoroughly screen and professionally train volunteers in order to insure child safety. Volunteers and children spend at least 6 hours a month exploring shared interests and developing positive, stable relationships. Volunteers enrich children's lives by modeling healthy choices and providing connection with their community. Our professional staff provides individualized case management to each match relationship and hosts educational and enriching group activities for all program participants. The agency conducts regular baseline and follow-up surveys to ensure long-term positive results.
What are the organization's capabilities for doing this?
Since opening for service in 1995, we have created more than 3,400 mentor relationships. In 2018, we served 394 mentor pairs in San Luis Obispo County. We have been recognized by Big Brothers Big Sisters of America four times for outstanding performance and growth, putting us in the top 2% of agencies nationwide, in addition to being selected as the Agency of the Year in 2016. The honor of both Big Brother and Big Sister of the Year for the State of California was awarded to local volunteers in 2014.
What have they accomplished so far and what's next?
We regularly measure our impact and consistently find that children who participate in our programs improve their academic performance, relationships with peers and other adults, and ability to make positive decisions for their future. The following Local Youth Outcomes data are from combined Community and School based programs in 2018.
Children in our programs achieved positive outcomes in the following areas:
82% Attitude Toward Risk (tobacco, drugs, alcohol, skipping school, truancy, rule breaking)
85%-90% Academic Expectations
70%-73% Grades
75% Parental Trust
90% In One Major Category of Risk, Academics and Trust
75% In Two Major Categories Risk, Academics and Trust
0% Entered the Juvenile Justice System
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 San Luis Obispo County
Board of directorsas of 3/15/2022
Karen Colombo
Retired Financial Analyst
Term: 2022 - 2024
Monique Carlton
Haven Realty
Carol Florence
Oasis Associates
Hal Sweasey
Re/Max Del Oro
Christie Clemons
Fidelty National Title
JED Nicholson
Attorney at Law
Phillip Sullivan
Claire Vollmer
Agency Advocate 20+ years
Karen Colombo
Retired Financial Analyst
Mike Belezzuoli
Central Coast Lending
Erin Nagle
Glenn Burdette
Steve Yamaichi
CA State Parks, Retired
Jackie Tovar Diaz
Little Sister and Youth Leader
Nicole Hoffman
Coldwell Banker, Premier RE
Amity Faes
Pacific Premier Bank
Steve Burnside
Clever Ducks
Ritchie Bermudez
Cuesta College
Heather Mariani
Pacific Western Bank
Devin Mikulka
Carmel & Naccasha LLP
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? Yes -
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? Yes
Organizational demographics
Who works and leads organizations that serve our diverse communities? GuideStar partnered on this section with CHANGE Philanthropy and Equity in the Center.
Leadership
The organization's leader identifies as:
Race & ethnicity
No data
Gender identity
No data
No data
Sexual orientation
No data
Disability
No data