This organization has to be the WORST when it comes to quality for kids. I really think they raise money to pad their paychecks. They don't return phone calls, there is no follow through on their end. NO one Every answers a phoned! Find something else for your children to be involved in. The people at BBBS don't care it shows by their lack of accountability and compassion. We've been on the lust and interviewed since May 2024. It's a damn shame they lost the child application at least twice!!!!! read more

I wish I had read the reviews prior to applying and spending 90 min for the intake. Concur with everything that other people say. Not responsive, ignorant of emails, no follow ups. Takes so much energy to drag any information from them and the coordinator does not even respond unless I add someone from the higher up. And even that stopped working.  It has been 20 months since I submitted my application and it's nothing. My child will grow up and get married by the time they find a brother for him.   It looks like they care very little about actually supporting children which brings up a question: what are they actually doing? And where does all this money that is being donated go to if they do not provide the services they advertise? Would never recommend this place to anyone read more

BBBS is a non-profit that matches volunteer adults with kids of all ages, primarily for those who come from single parent or low income households, to have a mentor to aide them in education and life in general. They are very selective in who they allow to volunteer, and then there is an interview held in-person along with a background check and additional training at the business before they attempt to match the volunteer with a child. Who the match will be depends on a variety of factors, mainly what the parent(s) of the child and the child themselves believes are the most important traits and aspects of the Big. A match can take months or longer to occur. A commitment of 1 year is required with 1 hour of time with the child at least every 2 weeks. There are 2 programs, either volunteering at a high school and mentoring simply to assist with grades and tutoring or to do the regular Big/Little program BBBS is known for having. The BBBS holds events for the Bigs and Littles to meet together and socialize. The events are generally sponsored by other companies or organizations. I have friends and co-workers who are past and present volunteers. I have heard the good and the bad about being a Big. Be prepared to be asked private information in the interview process. read more

I miss Goidwill. But because Yelps app is no longer allowing edits or spelling correction, I will shorten a detaile 3 paragraph of info into sentences. !. IF you live in a Condo in Boston, don't bother trying to leave well packed goods out for BBBS. Chances are good that your pickup will be forgotten. I absolutely will not lug all that stuff back inside to fill up my Living Room for another "----" months. Hours of back and hip breaking work to put boxes and bags on a small, shared deck, disrupting everyone attempting to enter or egress our home , can only be done this one, last time. At street level my shared deck with nasty people will be emptied by thieves, tossedin the street or worse, Janitorial will toss into HOA truck Aand moved to the town dump. So so so much time is wasted with this endeavor, I will not try again. Beautiful clothes,shoes, winter gear, summer gear, kitchen items, office supplies, to the dump I never had a problem with GW, however no organizations on Eastetn MA will pick up at home. So, don't get old, paralyzed, loose your car and NEVER EVER buy a condo. The HOA WILL Fine you $50 for leaving a pack of gum in common area. ​​ ​ read more

I love BBBS! I don't get why most people don't volunteer more. I think it's because they have to sacrifice time, and unfortunately, that is hard, and I can say for experience. I was a Big for a couple months, and it was GREAT. I wasn't exactly sure who I would have paired with me, but I was a bit anxious. I was surprised with who I was paired with, but I was glad it was her, because she taught me stuff about myself too. Shortly after 4 months or so, I had to end it because I wasn't giving her enough time, and she did live far from me, which was hard because she lived up North and wanted to do everything in DT Seattle, while I lived South of DT Seattle. But I think the pairing could've been better, but otherwise, this is a great, family-oriented, caring and loving organization. They seriously have such positive outlooks on life, and truly care about these children. I plan on being a Big again in the future once I'm done with college. :) read more

I think people looking for a good charity should throw money wantonly in the direction of Big Brothers Big Sisters. These are seriously a great bunch of people doing the right things for the right reasons. Signing my boys up for big brothers was something I'd thought about doing for a long time, but held off on for one reason or another. I think one factor for me may have been the (totally fallacious) belief that there would be a daunting application process, lots of paperwork, and/or that there would be some kind of low-income requirement and we wouldn't qualify. I don't know why I thought all of this, but in case such mental wanderings might be a barrier for anyone else considering this organization, I'd like to jump up on your sofa jubilantly and yell, "IT'S TOTALLY EASY AND IT ONLY TOOK US A MONTH TO GET ROLLING AND YES, YES, DO IT, DO IT NOW!" I think I pulled something, but I hope I made my point. Graham was our match coordinator, an utterly sweet strapping guy who disarmingly interviewed the boys in our own house, in a way that didn't feel threatening or formal, and made his quiet notes, then disappeared, telling us it COULD take up to two or three months. But within a couple of weeks, he'd found young men to pair up with both my boys, and you could tell much thought had been given to the pairings. My older son (let's just call him Eeyore) struggles with self-esteem issues and is highly verbal. He was paired with a kind, thoughtful and extremely well read attorney who's an exceptional listener. This was brilliant. His "big" (yeah, that's what they call 'em) told him he should feel absolutely free to call or text him, even to just help with homework, whatever. The very next day, my son was fabricating homework :D And, before his trip to Costa Rica, his "big" texted him well wishes for the flight. (she wipes a hormonal tear from her eye). My younger son fared equally well and was also asking for some time with his big brother the very next day. The boys are very open about wanting to hang out with a paternal figure--they don't even disguise this fact--so I am thrilled to say it has exceeded both my expectations and even my hopes so far. Every step of the way has been stellar with Big Brothers Big Sisters. I send you guys a humble, bent-knee bow of gratitude; you're making a huge difference by doing what you do. read more

Good luck volunteering for them. They are very specific in the mentoring needs. There is an absolute need for finances, and volunteers. But they will not let you be a Big Brother if ANYONE in your family history has been: divorced, incarcerated, an issue with substance abuse or not a 100% All-American family. They also don't find you suitable around kids of you are in your 20s and single. The reason there is a constant need for volunteers is because they reject a large majority of applicants, including myself: someone with 2 college degrees, who has worked with High School students in the past and teaches Sunday School. You're better off not even bothering with them. Their office and methods of communication lack even the slightest bit of professionalism. UPDATE: They commented below, and aside from being cordial, did not refute anything I said above. Tells you all you need to know about the organization. read more

I went through the training and paid for a background check, sat for over an hour being interviewed, and after several months, they found one "match," which was not a good fit for me. It's overrated and there was a lack of professionalism, follow-up and follow through. Then they had the audacity to ask me to participate in a survey research project. There's a lot of hype but little action. You are better off volunteering at a local church, school or donating money to worthier causes. read more

I had a really horrible experience with big brothers big sisters when I was a little sister. I think the concept is great, but they need to work on better understanding what a good match is. Or maybe recruiting better big sisters? read more

https://bbbsps.org Their program has a tremendous impact on the children they serve. Independent research shows that, compared to their non-mentored peers, Little Brothers and Little Sisters: Are more confident; Are more likely to steer clear of drugs and alcohol; Stay in school and get better grades; Get along better with their family and friends; Feel better about themselves; Are less likely to use violence to solve problems; and Are less likely to get involved with juvenile authorities. read more

I was a Big through BBBSPS from 2005 to 2013 when I had my first child. I received great support in both mentoring my Little and in organizing a fundraiser/clothing drive party at my house. They are a great organization that gets great results. I look forward to being a Big again when my kids are out of the nest. In the mean time I support them with clothing and household goods, Amazon Smile, and my workplace employee giving program. read more

I have a 14 year old daughter with autism and some behavior issues she was put on the waiting list a year ago for a big sister I myself used to have a big sister when I was younger that help me tremendously I was told at the beginning at the interviewed that it would be hard to place her Because she was older with disabilities I was told this several times by one worker the same thing a year later to be told by the same worker that my daughter will be removed from the waiting list because they cannot find a volunteer that would help my daughter because of her issues as they called it I called to speak to the worker's supervisor in was told the same thing that it's hard to place kids with disabilities and that I was taking it the wrong way I told her that I am on the defensive side this is my daughter we are talking about and she informed me that she understood but her worker did the right thing by saying they could not find a volunteer for my daughter because of her disability or the area she lives in I eformed her that the worker needs to be re trained to handle these issues better when letting down a family with a child with disabilities The supervisor informed the of another place to go for kids that's a little older with disabilities that would work better for me this program is very disappointing read more

I have been volunteering for four years. I have gotten good support, and the agency has made many opportunities available for my Little. I like knowing that I have resources to lean on and someone to help me. I'll definitely know my Little forever. In regards to the negative reviews from the never-been-Bigs, not everyone is fit to volunteer with this program. BBBS prioritizes the well-being of the kids, not the adults. If you want to be catered to and fawned over, don't volunteer. Volunteers give their time and effort to benefit someone else, not themselves. The kids aren't puppies to pick out from a line-up. If you're in this to get a pat on the back and look good in front of your boss, this is the wrong volunteer opportunity for you. If you want to help a kid and can really, really commit, then sign up. If the agency rejects you, try to take it like an adult. They don't have Bigs for the adults who act like kids. Actual kids need those services. Sorry, but if your application sat around for two years, you weren't qualified to serve the kids on the list. BBBS needs mature, responsible, giving people who want to help a child. You don't need to be anything special, but not being selfish and bratty is definitely a requirement. read more

I think this is a great program for the kids that are a part of it and personally I wish I had been part of it when I was younger. It's great for kids to have a mentor, especially if they are from a low income or a single parent family because then there is someone there for them that can help with homework and just spend time with them when the parents don't always have time to. I've always admired this organization which really made me want to join it. However, I have now been trying for about 3 years to try and volunteer for this organization. The application process is long and the wait to find a "little" is even longer. At first they rejected me because I was going to be graduating high school in a few months, and even though I planned to stay around WA they refused to let me volunteer for fear I would leave and not fulfill my 1 year requirement. While this is a valid concern, the way they rejected me wasn't the most polite. Then when I was established at the UW I applied again and stayed on the waitlist for almost 2 years. I finally just gave up on waiting because I didn't think there would be any change anytime soon. They send you emails once every couple of weeks telling you that they are moving big sisters off the waitlist and that they will find you a "little" soon, but after about a year you realize that is never actually going to happen. I never actually have had a volunteer organization have a lack of people in need and an excess of volunteers. So, I realized it wasn't worth my time not committing long term to any volunteer work waiting for this volunteer organization to actually want my time. So I highly recommend this organization to people with children who could benefit the program, but my personal experience trying to be a mentor was not the best. read more

We were matched on February 2, 1977, 2 months short of his 13th birthday. When I introduced him to my family, he looked at my daughter, who was 23 at the time and said "You really know how to make a guy feel tall, Mildred!" Her reply: "Shut up, you little creep!" They have been friends ever since. Our match terminated when he turned l8, but we still keep in touch. He's in his 40s now, but still refers to me as his Big Brother. read more