Big Brothers Big Sisters of New Hampshire (BBBSNH) was founded in 1966 and has been serving children and youth across the Granite State for over five decades, helping them achieve their full potential through positive, enduring relationships with caring adult mentors. Stacy Kramer serves as CEO, having been with the organization for 14 years (six as VP of operations and development, eight as CEO). In 2015 Kramer led a merger of four separate BBBS agencies in New Hampshire into one statewide organization. She subsequently led a merger with the Vermont BBBS agency, creating Big Brothers Big Sisters of New Hampshire and Vermont (bigsnhvt.org). The 2024 Thankful Giving Campaign raised $239,165 (the highest ever), including a $100,000 donation match, supporting approximately 95 matches. Over 150 youth are on the waitlist; the cost to support one match is $2,500 per year. The 2024 Bigs of the Year were Big Brother Tim David and Big Sister Melissa Brogle. A UPS multi-year commitment supports workplace mentorship and career readiness. Piscataqua Savings Bank is a longtime Seacoast area supporter. BBBSNH also received a Mackenzie Scott gift.
BBBSNH creates and supports one-to-one mentoring relationships that ignite the power and promise of youth. The organization is a beacon of hope and opportunity for youth across New Hampshire and Vermont. Through diverse programs and dedicated mentors, BBBSNH is not only changing individual lives but also strengthening communities and building a brighter future for all. By investing in the potential of youth today, the organization is shaping the leaders of tomorrow.
Every gift makes a difference. By supporting youth mentoring today, donations help children in local communities achieve brighter tomorrows. Programs and services are free to families in need; funding covers the costs of professional staff recruiting, interviews, assessments, training, and background and reference checks.
Stacy Kramer has served BBBSNH for 14 years, six as VP of operations and development and eight as CEO. In 2015, she led a merger of four separate BBBS agencies that existed in New Hampshire at the time; each organization and its governing board folded into one agency with a non-governing board. The 2015 consolidation created a single, unified statewide New Hampshire organization from the previously fragmented regional agencies.
Kramer described the merger experience: "We learned a lot, and I think we have something to offer from what we learned in that process." That knowledge proved applicable when she subsequently led the merger of the Vermont BBBS agency into the New Hampshire organization. The Vermont agency had a small team and was struggling with resources and staff retention; Kramer used what she knows about mentoring and leading to empower the Vermont group before bringing the two organizations together.
The Vermont and New Hampshire BBBS agencies merged, creating a bi-state organization now operating as Big Brothers Big Sisters of New Hampshire and Vermont. The combined organization's programs page is at bigsnhvt.org. The goal is to get more youth across New Hampshire and Vermont connected with empowering mentors by developing programs that reach as many of both states' youth as possible and connect volunteers with children in ways that are safe, effective, and fun.
The Vermont coverage adds the Green Mountain State's youth to the BBBSNH service portfolio, extending the reach from the Granite State to include Vermonters. The Vermont merger reflects the practical economies of scale available to rural-state BBBS affiliates that consolidate: shared professional staff, shared fundraising infrastructure, and shared corporate partnership development across a broader regional donor base.
The cost to support one match for one year at BBBSNH is $2,500. Kramer has articulated the value proposition: "The cost to support one match for one year is far less than the cost it takes to support treatment or incarceration for a child whose needs were not met." The 150+ youth on the waitlist represent children who could benefit from mentoring before more costly interventions become necessary.
The Laconia office provides a useful example: a donation in Laconia enabled BBBSNH to increase enrollment by over 100 matches in the city over the last five years. The capacity to dramatically increase match count in a specific community given targeted funding demonstrates the direct relationship between donations and matches served.
The 2024 Thankful Giving Campaign raised $239,165, BBBSNH's highest ever. An especially generous donor provided a $100,000 match, bringing total matched and unmatched giving to $239,165. When the Thankful Giving Campaign first started about 10 years ago, it raised around $8,000; the 2024 total represents remarkable growth reflecting deepened community support. The $239,165 will support approximately 95 mentoring matches in 2024.
BBBSNH was among the 38 Big Brothers Big Sisters agencies across the country to receive a gift from Mackenzie Scott. Scott's philanthropic giving through Yield Giving has been notable for its large, unrestricted gifts to established nonprofits. UPS made a multi-year commitment to support workplace mentorship and career readiness through Big Brothers Big Sisters of America, with the national commitment flowing to affiliates including BBBSNH.
BBBSNH recognized Big Brother Tim David and Big Sister Melissa Brogle as its 2024 Bigs of the Year. Their inspiring stories reflect the depth of commitment that exceptional BBBSNH Bigs bring to their Little relationships. Andrew Gibson, a University of New Hampshire alumni and entrepreneur, provides a compelling BBBSNH alumni story: Andrew was adopted by his Big Brother at 16 years old when his mother was battling cancer and his father was not involved in his life. His mentor helped guide him, shaped his way of seeing the world, and ultimately changed his life. During college, Andrew became a Big Brother himself and joined the BBBSNH Board of Directors, where he serves as secretary.
To become a Big, visit bbbsnh.org or bigsnhvt.org. BBBSNH offers community-based mentoring (Bigs and Littles meet regularly in the community for fun and learning) and site-based mentoring (visiting a Little at their school, after-school program, or workplace site). Programs and services are free to families in need. The 2024 Thankful Giving Campaign's $100,000 match opportunity reflects the kind of donor engagement that sustains BBBSNH's ability to serve 150+ children on the waitlist.
Donate at bbbsnh.org or via the Thankful Giving Campaign at give.bbbsnh.org. BBBSNH is a 501(c)(3) organization with EIN 02-0348477. At $2,500 per match per year, donors can calculate their specific impact. The Thankful Giving Campaign (which started around $8,000 ten years ago and reached $239,165 in 2024) is the signature annual fundraising effort. Piscataqua Savings Bank is a proud Seacoast area supporter; UPS provides a multi-year commitment to workplace mentorship.
For pure scale of youth-serving nonprofit infrastructure in New Hampshire, Boys and Girls Clubs of New Hampshire and the YMCA of New Hampshire communities reach more children. For one-to-one structured mentoring specifically, BBBSNH is the largest single agency in New Hampshire (and now Vermont following the merger). Kramer's eight-year CEO tenure, the 2015 four-agency merger, the subsequent Vermont merger, the Thankful Giving Campaign growth from $8K to $239K, and the Mackenzie Scott gift are BBBSNH's specific advantages.
Last updated May 2026. BBBSNH founded 1966 serving children and youth across the Granite State for over five decades, beacon of hope and opportunity for NH youth, from the Piscataqua Savings Bank Seacoast Spotlight Series August 2025 article. Stacy Kramer as CEO for 8 years (14 years total, 6 as VP operations and development), 2015 merger of 4 New Hampshire BBBS agencies each organization and governing board folding into one agency with non-governing board, Vermont BBBS merger using knowledge from 2015 NH merger with Vermont group having small team struggling with resources and staff retention, quote about learning a lot from merger process, from the Laconia Daily Sun December 2025 article. 2024 Thankful Giving Campaign raising $239,165 (highest to date) with $100,000 match bringing total to $239,165 supporting approximately 95 matches in 2024, started around 10 years ago raising $8,000, from the BBBSNH LinkedIn post. 150+ youth on waitlist, cost to support one match one year is $2,500, programs and services free to families in need, Laconia donation increasing enrollment by 100+ matches over 5 years, Kramer quote about hope to raise necessary funds to provide mentor for every child in need, from the Laconia Daily Sun December 2025 article. 2024 Bigs of Year Big Brother Tim David and Big Sister Melissa Brogle from the BBBSNH Blog (bbbsnh.org/stories-news/blog). Mackenzie Scott gift as one of 38 BBBS agencies across country, UPS multi-year commitment to support workplace mentorship and career readiness through BBBS of America, from the BBBSNH LinkedIn and blog posts. Andrew Gibson story (UNH alumni entrepreneur, adopted by Big Brother at age 16 when mother battling cancer, later became Big Brother himself and joined BBBSNH Board of Directors as secretary), from the NH Volunteer Hub BBBSNH profile. bigsnhvt.org for combined NH and Vermont programming, community-based mentoring (meeting regularly for fun and learning) and site-based mentoring (visiting Little at school after-school program or workplace site), from the bigsnhvt.org programs page. EIN 02-0348477 from the ProPublica Nonprofit Explorer BBBSNH page. We are not affiliated with Big Brothers Big Sisters of New Hampshire and receive no compensation for this listing. Errors: [email protected]
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