Dear Bill and Nadine,
Thank you for your willingness to learn more about this bold vision and the life-changing work that lies ahead. While we are all rightfully focused on the near term right now, there is too much at stake for the kids in our community who are looking to BBBS for help for us to take our eye off how we can be there for them moving forward.
Our goal in the next few minutes is to clarify for you what Big Brothers Big Sisters (BBBS) is trying to accomplish through the Drive for 5 Campaign. As you can imagine, we are grateful for Mark’s incredible leadership as Campaign Chair. You’ll see how, together, we can help change the future for kids in our communities by empowering them to realize their full potential.
I look forward to hearing your thoughts on the Campaign, and I am always available to answer any questions. In the meantime, just know how much your partnership is appreciated.
Warmly,
Jeremy
Having to choose which kid deserves our help…that doesn’t need to be an option
There are literally thousands of kids in our communities waiting for the life-changing opportunity that having a Big Brother or Big Sister offers. Every day, children experience too many negative influences and roadblocks to reaching their potential. That’s where you and the Drive for 5 (D45) come in to play. The goal of the D45 is to take the Big Brothers Big Sisters’ proven one-to-one mentoring model to scale and move from serving 2,000 kids to 5,000 annually.
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first…watch the mission in action
The Road Ahead: How We Get To The $8.975M Goal
Making Matches
Enhancing Experiences
Transforming Communities
Making Matches
Making and sustaining one-to-one mentoring relationships is at the core of D45
• Invest in talented people who recruit, screen, train and match volunteers with children on the waitlist
• Provide ongoing match support and guidance to sustain life-changing relationships
• Invest in the latest technology to maximize efficiency and effectiveness in match making and match support
Enhancing Experiences
BBBS enriches each match through unique opportunities
• Invest in future-focused opportunities for Littles: reading and writing workshops, coding classes, campus visits and scholarships
• Invest in keeping matches together by providing shared experiences such as tickets to arts, cultural, and sporting events
transforming communities
Gain presence, relevance and trust in underserved neighborhoods and communities
• Establish six strategically located regional offices
• Employ individuals from targeted neighborhoods who are representative of the families we serve
• Build awareness and engagement through strategic community partnerships and outreach
Littles' Lives Are Changed
improved relationships with peers
avoided arrest or incarceration
graduated high school
Campaign Giving Chart
The following funding matrix represents the breakdown of gifts that will be needed to reach $8.975 million Campaign goal.
This goal represents gifts above and beyond annual
contributions and will likely be reached with pledges made
over a three to five-year time frame.
Bill and Nadine,
As you can see, the Drive for 5 is an investment in what’s needed to make meaningful and lasting change for children across Chicagoland. It allows us to create and support mentoring relationships so that we don’t have to tell kids or parents that “we can’t be there for you” when they need us. Together we can bring the power of one-to-one mentoring to more kids and families, defending each child’s potential along the way.
Thanks again for making time to find out how you can help make this vision a reality for kids in your community. Please feel free to reach out to me with any questions or thoughts you have now that you have a bit more clarity on the Campaign vision. If we don’t connect in the meantime, I know Mark will follow-up with you in the next week or so, just to keep the conversation going. Take good care,
Sincerely,
Jeremy Foster
Chief Executive Officer
312.207.5610 or foster@bbbschgo.org
Frequently Asked Questions
FAQ
MAKING MATCHES: $5,975,000
ENHANCING EXPERIENCES: $500,000
TRANSFORMING COMMUNITIES: $2,500,000
Annual Fund provides "money to live on"
D45 Campaign provides "money to grow with"
The Annual Fund is integral to the operating budget. The Annual Fund and other event-related income are immediately put to our most pressing needs and operational costs. The Annual Fund represents an ongoing, continuing effort.
The D45 Campaign is an intensive, multi-year fundraising effort to secure gifts and pledges that will provide the resources needed to grow mission impact. The Campaign has a defined lifespan with a beginning and an end.