Big Brothers Big Sisters of the Greater Twin Cities (BBBS Twin Cities) is the largest and oldest mentoring agency in the Twin Cities region. In nearly 100 years of operation, almost half a million Twin Cities kids have had their lives changed for the better through Big Brothers Big Sisters. The agency serves approximately 2,000 children in the Community-based program. Patrick (Pat) Sukhum serves as President and CEO. The Minneapolis headquarters at 3110 Washington Avenue North coordinates programs across Hennepin, Ramsey, Washington, and parts of Anoka and Dakota counties. In 2024 BBBS Twin Cities reported $7.7 million in revenue, $6.26 million in expenses, and $22.7 million in total assets. The agency is one of 32 recipients of the 2025 Paul Purcell "Kids Win!" Annual Baird Education Grant honoring the legacy of Baird's former Chairman and CEO. Federated Insurance is the agency's largest financial supporter and longtime partner; the 2024 Big Night Gala on April 19 at The Depot Minneapolis featured Federated as Presenting Sponsor.
BBBS Twin Cities operates the largest professional one-to-one mentoring network in the Twin Cities region. Approximately 2,000 children are enrolled in the Community-based program annually. Each child is matched with a Big Brother or Big Sister carefully screened and interviewed adult volunteer mentor. Each match is paired based on common interests and backgrounds, complementary personalities, and the potential to form a long bond from the very start of the relationship.
A highly-trained, committed Match Coordinator works with each child, volunteer, and parent, regularly checking in to ensure the relationship is happy and strong. Matches meet on their own based on common interests, or join in one of many group activities scheduled by BBBS Twin Cities each month. Group activities include Free Arts collaborations (the agency partners with Minneapolis-based Free Arts on Paint and Snack Hangouts and other arts-and-crafts events), workplace mentoring corporate partnerships, and other community-based gatherings.
BBBS Twin Cities has nearly 100 years of operation. Over that period, almost half a million Twin Cities kids have had their lives changed for the better through Big Brothers Big Sisters of the Greater Twin Cities. The institutional memory and continuity that the long history provides is one of the agency's distinctive strengths in the Minnesota nonprofit landscape.
The agency is part of the broader Big Brothers Big Sisters Minnesota family (bigsmn.org). BBBS Minnesota covers the Twin Cities service area (Hennepin, Ramsey, Washington, parts of Anoka and Dakota) plus Southern Minnesota (Dodge, Rice, Steele, and Waseca counties). The two service areas operate under a coordinated structure that allows the larger Twin Cities operations to share resources with the smaller Southern Minnesota programs.
Patrick (Pat) Sukhum serves as President and CEO of BBBS Twin Cities. Sukhum succeeded Michael Goar, who left in January 2021 to become President and CEO of Catholic Charities of St. Paul and Minneapolis. Goar had served as Twin Cities BBBS CEO with prior background as CEO and interim superintendent of Minneapolis Public Schools and executive director of Generation Next youth development organization. Goar's transition to Catholic Charities reflected the established pattern of cross-pollination between Twin Cities youth-focused nonprofit leadership roles.
Under Sukhum's leadership, BBBS Twin Cities has continued to scale its mentoring programs across the core Twin Cities counties and to deepen corporate partnerships including the longstanding Federated Insurance relationship. The agency's 86-employee staff includes Match Coordinators, program staff, development team, and operations leadership across the Minneapolis headquarters.
The 2024 BBBS Twin Cities Form 990 reported $7.7 million in revenue, $6.26 million in expenses, $22.7 million in total assets, and $433,000 in total liabilities. The strong balance sheet (substantial net assets relative to operating budget) reflects the agency's sustained fundraising success and conservative financial management over many years.
The 86 employees include 21 in leadership positions per recent reporting. The executive team has been 86% female and 14% male in recent years; the company-wide staff has been 70% female and 30% male. The leadership demographic profile reflects the broader youth-development nonprofit sector pattern of significant women's leadership representation.
The Big Night Gala is the BBBS Twin Cities annual signature fundraising event. The 2024 Big Night Gala was held on April 19, 2024 at The Depot Minneapolis. The event includes Late Night After Party with live karaoke. Big Night brings together donors, corporate partners, Bigs, Littles, alumni, and community leaders to celebrate the BBBS Twin Cities mission and raise significant operating revenue.
Federated Insurance was the 2024 Big Night Presenting Sponsor. Federated has been the agency's largest financial supporter and longtime partner across multiple fundraising cycles. Other major corporate partners participate at various sponsorship levels. The Big Night Gala typically generates several hundred thousand dollars in net revenue for BBBS Twin Cities annual operations.
BBBS Twin Cities is one of 32 recipients of the 2025 Paul Purcell "Kids Win!" Annual Baird Education Grant. The grant honors the legacy of Baird's former Chairman and CEO Paul E. Purcell. Purcell was known for his lifelong commitment to educational equity and one core principle when evaluating impact: "Do the kids win?" The Baird Education Grant supports BBBS Twin Cities programming focused on educational outcomes for mentored youth across the Twin Cities service area.
The Baird grant is one of multiple corporate and foundation funding sources supporting BBBS Twin Cities. The agency receives Minnesota State Arts Board funding for arts programming including the Free Arts partnership, the Minnesota legislative arts and cultural heritage fund, federal mentoring program grants, and a broad portfolio of individual giving and major donor support.
Free Arts is one of the longstanding BBBS Twin Cities arts programming partners. Free Arts teaching artists like Nina Karachunski lead Paint and Snack Hangouts and other arts events for matched Bigs and Littles. Nina, a Minneapolis-born textile artist whose passion for sustainability and texture shines through in every brushstroke, recently led 30 Bigs and Littles through painting a blooming tree.
Free Arts activities at BBBS Twin Cities are made possible by the voters of Minnesota through grants from the Minnesota State Arts Board, thanks to legislative appropriations from the arts and cultural heritage fund. The arts-focused group activities supplement the one-to-one Big-Little match work and provide structured opportunities for matches to come together for shared experiences.
The Workplace Mentoring Program is one of BBBS Twin Cities' corporate engagement pathways. Empowering employees and supporting Twin Cities youth through meaningful volunteer opportunities, sponsorships, and corporate giving creates partnership structures with major Minnesota employers. Federated Insurance, Target Corporation, U.S. Bank, 3M, General Mills, Best Buy, and other Twin Cities-headquartered companies have participated in BBBS Twin Cities programming over the years.
Corporate partnerships drive significant fundraising. Federated Insurance's 2024 Big Night Presenting Sponsorship reflects the kind of multi-year deep partnership that sustains the agency's operating budget. The Workplace Mentoring Program model also broadens the volunteer Big pool to include working professionals who could not commit to community-based mentoring schedules.
To become a Big with BBBS Twin Cities, visit bigstwincities.org and complete the volunteer interest form. Each Big is screened and interviewed, then matched with a Little based on common interests, complementary personalities, and the potential to form a long bond. A highly-trained, committed Match Coordinator works with each match, regularly checking in to ensure the relationship is happy and strong.
Matches commit to regular meetings with their Little. Many BBBS Twin Cities matches last for years; some last for decades. Big Couples (married or partnered couples who serve as Bigs together) are one of the program structures available; the Jess and Andrew Big Couple matched in December 2023 with their 10-year-old Little Michael is a representative example of the Big Couple model.
Families can enroll children in BBBS Twin Cities Community-based program. Visit bigstwincities.org and complete the youth enrollment form. The enrollment process includes information about the child, the family situation, the child's interests and needs, and any specific mentoring goals. BBBS Twin Cities Match Coordinators then identify a Big whose background, interests, and availability best match the Little's profile.
Many Littles are referred by Twin Cities schools, social workers, faith communities, or other professionals. The program is free for families. Long-term outcomes for BBBS Twin Cities Littles include improved academic performance, increased confidence, stronger family relationships, and reduced engagement in risky behaviors.
Donations can be made at bigstwincities.org/donate or by mail to BBBS Twin Cities headquarters at 3110 Washington Ave N in Minneapolis. BBBS Twin Cities is a 501(c)(3) tax-exempt organization with EIN 32-0017737. Donations are tax-deductible.
Major fundraising channels include the Big Night Gala (annual signature event), corporate partnerships through Workplace Mentoring Program engagements, foundation grants (Baird Education Grant, Minnesota State Arts Board, and others), and individual giving including planned giving and donor-advised fund gifts. The Development team coordinates major donor cultivation across all giving channels.
BBBS Twin Cities files its own Form 990 separately from Big Brothers Big Sisters of America. The 2024 expenses of $6.26 million represent the agency's program services and operations spend. The $22.7 million total assets reflects long-accumulated reserves that provide financial stability through economic cycles.
Match Coordinator staffing represents a significant share of operating costs because each Big and Little match requires ongoing professional case management. The 86-employee staff scale supports the approximately 2,000 active matches plus the development, finance, and operations functions. The financial efficiency ratios fall within typical ranges for established mentoring nonprofits.
For pure scale of youth-serving nonprofit infrastructure in the Twin Cities, Boys and Girls Clubs of the Twin Cities reaches more children annually through after-school programming, and YMCA Twin Cities operates extensive child care, swim, and community programming. For one-to-one structured mentoring specifically, BBBS Twin Cities is the largest single agency in the region with approximately 2,000 active matches.
BBBS Twin Cities' specific advantages: the nearly 100 years of institutional history, the half-million-lifetime-reach scale, the integration with the broader Big Brothers Big Sisters Minnesota family covering both Twin Cities and Southern Minnesota, the deep corporate partnership infrastructure (especially the longstanding Federated Insurance relationship), the Free Arts and arts-focused group programming, and the strong balance sheet providing operational stability.
Practical framing: for parents looking for a structured mentor for their child in the Twin Cities, BBBS Twin Cities is the largest and most established one-to-one mentoring agency. For adults looking to mentor a young person in Minneapolis or St. Paul, BBBS Twin Cities offers the deepest infrastructure of vetted matches and ongoing professional support. For donors interested in Twin Cities youth mentoring, BBBS Twin Cities represents the largest established channel.
Last updated May 2026. BBBS Twin Cities description (largest and oldest mentoring agency in Twin Cities region with nearly 100 years of operation and almost half a million Twin Cities kids lifetime reach) from the CareerForce Big Brothers Big Sisters of Greater Twin Cities page. Approximately 2,000 children enrolled in Community-based program with carefully screened adult volunteer mentors and Match Coordinator support from the GuideStar BBBS Greater Twin Cities profile (32-0017737). Patrick (Pat) Sukhum as President and CEO from the Zippia BBBS Twin Cities CEO page and the ProPublica Nonprofit Explorer 2024 990 filing. Michael Goar prior CEO leaving January 2021 to become President and CEO of Catholic Charities of St. Paul and Minneapolis from the BusinessWire November 2020 announcement and Goar prior background as CEO and interim superintendent of Minneapolis Public Schools and executive director of Generation Next from the same announcement. 2024 financials (.7M revenue, .26M expenses, 2.7M total assets, 33K total liabilities) from the ProPublica Nonprofit Explorer 2024 Form 990 filing. 86 employees including 21 in leadership positions from the Zippia BBBS Twin Cities Executives page. 2024 Big Night Gala April 19 at The Depot Minneapolis with Federated Insurance as Presenting Sponsor and Late Night After Party with live karaoke from the BBBS Twin Cities LinkedIn page. 2025 Paul Purcell Kids Win Annual Baird Education Grant (one of 32 recipients) honoring Baird former Chairman and CEO Paul E. Purcell from the BBBS Twin Cities homepage news. Free Arts Friday Paint and Snack Hangouts with teaching artist Nina Karachunski from BBBS Twin Cities LinkedIn. Minnesota State Arts Board grant from arts and cultural heritage fund reference. Coverage area (Twin Cities: Hennepin, Ramsey, Washington, parts of Anoka and Dakota; Southern MN: Dodge, Rice, Steele, Waseca) from the Big Brothers Big Sisters Minnesota page (bigsmn.org). Headquarters 3110 Washington Ave N Minneapolis from BBBS Twin Cities Facebook page. We are not affiliated with Big Brothers Big Sisters of the Greater Twin Cities and receive no compensation for this listing. Errors: [email protected]
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