Big Brothers Big Sisters of Greater Charlotte (now formally Big Brothers Big Sisters of Central Carolinas) is the leading one-to-one mentoring agency in the Greater Charlotte region. Since 1972, the agency has been providing mentors (Bigs) for children (Littles) across Mecklenburg County in North Carolina, Cabarrus County in North Carolina, and York County in South Carolina. Today, the agency serves more than 1,500 children through traditional community-based and school-based mentoring and innovative specialty programs that connect caring adults with local children in meaningful one-to-one relationships. Donna Dunlap serves as President and CEO. The agency is headquartered at 8514 McAlpine Park Drive, Suite 130 in Charlotte, North Carolina. BBBS Central Carolinas is part of the broader Big Brothers Big Sisters of America national network, which has operated for more than 100 years as the nation's largest donor- and volunteer-supported mentoring network. The cross-state coverage of Greater Charlotte (Mecklenburg + Cabarrus in NC, York in SC) allows the agency to serve the natural metropolitan commuting and population zone rather than artificial state boundaries.
BBBS Central Carolinas helps children realize their potential and build their futures. The mission is to create and support one-to-one mentoring relationships that ignite the power and promise of youth. The agency nurtures children and strengthens communities through professional mentoring.
For more than 100 years across the broader BBBS national movement, Big Brothers Big Sisters has operated under the belief that inherent in every child is the ability to succeed and thrive in life. As the nation's largest donor- and volunteer-supported mentoring network, Big Brothers Big Sisters makes meaningful, monitored matches between adult volunteers (Bigs) and children (Littles), ages 7 through 14, in communities across the country. BBBS Central Carolinas develops positive relationships that have a direct and lasting effect on the lives of young people across the Greater Charlotte region.
Since 1972, Big Brothers Big Sisters has been providing mentors (Bigs) for children (Littles) in the Greater Charlotte region. The 1972 founding date makes BBBS Greater Charlotte / Central Carolinas one of the established BBBS affiliates in the Southeast region. The agency has accumulated more than 50 years of institutional history, family relationships, and corporate partnership infrastructure.
Over the 50-plus years, the agency has rebranded from its original Big Brothers Big Sisters of Greater Charlotte name to Big Brothers Big Sisters of Central Carolinas. The Central Carolinas rebrand reflects the expanded geographic scope (including South Carolina's York County alongside the North Carolina counties of Mecklenburg and Cabarrus) and the broader regional service area beyond just the City of Charlotte itself.
Donna Dunlap serves as President and CEO of Big Brothers Big Sisters of Central Carolinas. Dunlap leads the agency's professional staff in delivering the community-based, school-based, and specialty mentoring programs that serve the 1,500+ children annually. Under Dunlap's leadership, the agency has maintained its position as the leading one-to-one mentoring agency in the Greater Charlotte region.
The professional staff includes Match Support Specialists who provide ongoing case management for active matches, recruitment and intake staff who screen prospective Bigs and enroll Littles, and program staff who deliver the school-based and specialty programming. The leadership team manages corporate partnerships, foundation relationships, and individual donor cultivation that fund the agency's operations.
BBBS Central Carolinas serves a three-county service area across two states. Mecklenburg County contains the City of Charlotte itself and is the population core of the service area. Charlotte is the largest city in North Carolina and one of the major banking and corporate headquarters cities in the southeastern United States, with substantial corporate volunteer base for BBBS mentor recruitment.
Cabarrus County is northeast of Mecklenburg, containing Concord and Kannapolis. Cabarrus County has substantial NASCAR industry presence (Charlotte Motor Speedway and other facilities), pharmaceutical industry presence, and growing suburban residential population. The Cabarrus County programming addresses the suburban youth mentoring needs distinct from the urban Charlotte service population.
York County is in South Carolina, just south of Charlotte across the state line. York County contains Rock Hill (a small city), Fort Mill (a fast-growing suburb), and Tega Cay. Many York County residents commute to Charlotte for work, making the cross-state Greater Charlotte metropolitan area a single economic and social region despite the state boundary. The York County coverage allows BBBS Central Carolinas to serve the natural metropolitan population rather than restricting service by state line.
The Community-Based Mentoring program is BBBS Central Carolinas's flagship one-to-one program. Many relationships between Bigs (volunteer mentors) and Littles (mentees) fall under the Community-Based program. These are one-to-one outings and activities, doing things they enjoy together. Activities can include taking a walk in the park, going to a museum, listening to music, hanging out and talking, or attending a Big Brothers Big Sisters match event.
Some Bigs meet their Littles on weekends; others get together after school or in the early evening. Each match is unique and develops a schedule that works for them. The Community-Based commitment is 2-4 times per month. The flexibility of the Community-Based model allows adults with varying schedules to participate, and the activity flexibility allows matches to find shared interests across the Charlotte area's many recreational, cultural, and outdoor options.
The School-Based Mentoring program is the second core BBBS Central Carolinas program offering. School-based matches meet at the Little's school or after-school program. The school-based model is popular with adults who prefer structured on-site mentoring during school hours and with employer-sponsored workplace volunteer programs that allow employees to mentor during the workday.
The school-based program also serves children who may have difficulty arranging Community-Based outings due to family transportation, schedule constraints, or other practical factors. By bringing the mentoring relationship to the school setting, BBBS Central Carolinas can serve children who would otherwise miss out on the mentoring opportunity. School partnerships across the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools system, Cabarrus County Schools, and York County school districts provide BBBS Central Carolinas with sustained recruitment and programming infrastructure.
Beyond the core Community-Based and School-Based programs, BBBS Central Carolinas operates innovative specialty programs that connect caring adults with local children in meaningful one-to-one relationships. The specialty programs allow the agency to address specific subpopulations of youth or specific mentoring formats that the standard programs don't capture.
The combination of community-based, school-based, and specialty programs allows BBBS Central Carolinas to meet families and youth where they are rather than requiring a single program model. The diversified program portfolio is consistent with the broader Big Brothers Big Sisters of America national network's approach across its 230+ affiliate agencies.
Charlotte is one of the major banking and corporate headquarters cities in the United States. Bank of America, Truist, Wells Fargo, Lowe's (headquartered in Mooresville just north of Charlotte), Duke Energy, and many other major employers have substantial corporate presence in the Greater Charlotte area. The corporate workplace volunteer base provides BBBS Central Carolinas with sustained corporate volunteer recruitment, workplace mentoring partnerships, and corporate foundation grants.
The NASCAR industry presence in Cabarrus County and across the broader Charlotte motorsports community adds another dimension of corporate engagement potential. Sports teams (the Carolina Panthers NFL, Charlotte Hornets NBA, Charlotte FC MLS, Charlotte Knights AAA baseball, and Charlotte Checkers AHL) also provide community visibility and partnership opportunities.
To become a Big with BBBS Central Carolinas, visit bbbscentralcarolinas.org or call (704) 910-1301. The screening process includes application, references, background check, interviews, and orientation. The agency matches Bigs and Littles based on shared interests, complementary personalities, and geographic proximity within the Mecklenburg, Cabarrus, and York County service area.
The Community-Based program asks for 2-4 outings per month with the Little. The School-Based program meets on-site at the Little's school during the school year. Specialty programs have their own commitment structures. The Match Support Specialist team provides ongoing case management throughout the match relationship.
Families can enroll children in BBBS Central Carolinas programming. Visit bbbscentralcarolinas.org or call (704) 910-1301 to start the enrollment process. The enrollment process includes information about the child, the family situation, the child's interests and needs, and any specific mentoring goals. The program is free for families.
Many BBBS Central Carolinas Littles are referred by schools, social workers, faith communities, or other professionals. Family self-referrals are also welcomed. The Match Support Specialist team identifies a Big whose background, interests, and availability best match the Little's profile.
Donations can be made at bbbscentralcarolinas.org or by mail to the McAlpine Park Drive headquarters. BBBS Central Carolinas is a 501(c)(3) tax-exempt organization. Donations are tax-deductible.
Major corporate partnerships include Charlotte's banking sector employers and the broader regional corporate base. Foundation grants and individual giving make up the remainder of the fundraising mix. Annual fundraising events and corporate workplace giving campaigns provide additional revenue channels.
BBBS Central Carolinas files its own Form 990 separately from Big Brothers Big Sisters of America. Match Support Specialist staffing represents a significant share of operating costs because each Big and Little match requires ongoing professional case management. The 1,500+ children served annually generate substantial professional case management workload that requires sustained staffing investment.
The three-county cross-state service area adds operational complexity (coordinating across NC and SC school districts, social services, and partner relationships) but is justified by the population concentration in the Greater Charlotte metropolitan area. The headquarters at 8514 McAlpine Park Drive in Charlotte provides administrative and program staff base.
For pure scale of youth-serving nonprofit infrastructure in Greater Charlotte, Boys and Girls Clubs of Greater Charlotte reaches more children annually through after-school programming, the YMCA of Greater Charlotte operates extensive child care and community programming, and many other youth-serving nonprofits operate at scale. For one-to-one structured mentoring specifically, BBBS Central Carolinas is the largest single agency in the Greater Charlotte region.
BBBS Central Carolinas's specific advantages: the 50-plus-year institutional history in Greater Charlotte, the three-county cross-state service area covering both North Carolina and South Carolina, the three-program portfolio (Community-Based, School-Based, specialty), the corporate Charlotte banking sector volunteer base, and the integration with the broader BBBS of America national network of 230+ affiliates.
Practical framing: for parents looking for a structured mentor for their child in Mecklenburg, Cabarrus, or York County, BBBS Central Carolinas is the largest and most established one-to-one mentoring agency. For adults looking to mentor a young person in Greater Charlotte, the agency offers three program options. For donors interested in Greater Charlotte youth mentoring, BBBS Central Carolinas represents the largest established channel.
Last updated May 2026. BBBS Central Carolinas (formerly BBBS Greater Charlotte) description since 1972 serving more than 1,500 children annually in Mecklenburg Cabarrus and York Counties through community-based school-based and specialty programs, mission to create and support one-to-one mentoring relationships igniting power and promise of youth, and BBBS national network 100+ years operating as nation's largest donor and volunteer supported mentoring network with matches ages 7 through 14, from the Idealist BBBS Central Carolinas profile and the SHARE Charlotte BBBS Community-Based Mentors profile. Donna Dunlap as President and CEO and headquarters at 8514 McAlpine Park Drive Suite 130 Charlotte NC 28211 from the SHARE Charlotte profile. Phone (704) 910-1301 from the Idealist BBBS Central Carolinas profile. Community-Based program activities including taking a walk in the park, going to museum, listening to music, hanging out and talking, attending BBBS match event, with 2-4 times per month commitment and matches developing their own schedules, from the SHARE Charlotte Community-Based Mentors profile. We are not affiliated with Big Brothers Big Sisters of Central Carolinas or Big Brothers Big Sisters of Greater Charlotte and receive no compensation for this listing. Errors: [email protected]
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