BIG BROTHERS SISTERS NW MONTANA

We support youth in graduating from high school, avoiding risky behaviors, building better relationships, and improving self -confidence by matching them with a professionally supported, 1 to 1, volunteer mentor.

We are strategically adding board members based on their geographic location and sphere of influence. We have been working on diversified funding by adding a monthly donor club along with increasing our fundraising the last two years with our events. Through donor stewardship and relationship building we continue raise increased funds through individual giving.

Successful fund raising has allowed us to put a 9 month cash reserve aside. We have professional staff who have helped build an awareness about our program and increased volunteer participation to serve the list of waiting children. We match volunteer adult mentors with children according to complimentary characteristics such as personality type, activity level and general lifestyle. Our matches enjoy spending time hiking, going to the movies, picking up an ice-cream cone or joining the staff of BBBSNWMT at our bi-monthly planned events. When children are paired in a relationship with a caring Big Brother or Big Sister, research shows that they develop a more positive self-concept, increase school performance and improve relations with peers and adults.

We focus specifically on objectives identified as important for youth to experience success in education and their social environments. According to former Littles: 90% said their Big made them feel better about themselves; 90% said their Big provided stability when they needed it; 90% said their relationship with their Big helped them make better choices throughout their childhood. Each year since 2014 we have been able to serve more children in our county, provide professional training for mentors, and communicate effectively the success of our program, and grow our funding streams. The next steps are to increase staff to meet the needs of children on our waiting list and thus grow to serving 150 children.