Big Brothers and Big Sisters Ventura County
Big Brothers Big Sisters of Ventura County, Inc
Changing children's lives for the better, forever
Mission
Build and professionally support one-to-one relationships to ignite the biggest possible futures for youth.
Ruling year info
2005
Chief Executive Officer
Lynne West
Main address
555 Airport Way Ste D
Camarillo, CA 93010 USA
Show more contact info
EIN
20-3425568
NTEE code info
Big Brothers, Big Sisters (O31)
Big Brothers, Big Sisters (O31)
Big Brothers, Big Sisters (O31)
IRS filing requirement
This organization is required to file an IRS Form 990 or 990-EZ.
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Programs and results
What we aim to solve
SOURCE: Self-reported by organization
Big Brothers Big Sisters of Ventura County moves youth from Risk to Resilience. 75% of the youth we serve live at or below the poverty level. 31% have an incarcerated parent, 75% come from single-parent households and 55% have been exposed to some form of abuse, violence or neglect. Children cannot be what they cannot see, is a motto we share here with the goal of building self-esteem and awareness of the larger world around the youth we serve. The county is a mixture of the very wealthy and the incredibly poor. Although there is no specific income criteria for enrollment, most of our youth live in low income households. Many come from homes where parents cannot speak English so cannot help with homework or help acclimate them to the culture.
Our programs
SOURCE: Self-reported by organization
What are the organization's current programs, how do they measure success, and who do the programs serve?
Community Mentoring Program
1:1 professionally supported matches between children and carefully screened adults. Matches meet consistently for a minimum of a year with many lasting a lifetime. Every match has individualized goals and objectives based on an asset based approach with a trauma informed lens.
Population(s) Served
Children and youth
At-risk youth
Foster Mentoring Program
Youth living in group. foster or kinship homes are matched 1:1 with a carefully screened adult mentors. Mentors work on specific life skills and emotional support to successfully transition to independent living.
Population(s) Served
At-risk youth
Children and youth
Leadership Program
High School youth self-select into this program that meets on a weekly basis and is facilitated by a professional staff member. The group chooses a social justice issue that they wish to solve. Workshops on leadership skills, public speaking, advocating and sources of funding for their project are discussed. Past projects have included bringing a Farmers Market to a poor rural community; getting local shops to adhere to policies around advertising tobacco and alcohol and getting the city to fund a skate park.
Population(s) Served
Adolescents
Economically disadvantaged people
School Based Mentoring
High School students mentor younger youth in a 1:1 facilitated, curriculum based program. High School students receive training and ongoing support from professional support and all sessions are supervised by agency staff. Monthly curriculum is themed based and a special focus is placed on hands on STEAM based activities.
Population(s) Served
Children and youth
Economically disadvantaged people
Where we work
External reviews

Goals & Strategy
SOURCE: Self-reported by organization
Learn about the organization's key goals, strategies, capabilities, and progress.
Charting impact
Four powerful questions that require reflection about what really matters - results.
What is the organization aiming to accomplish?
Three major areas of goals are improving: Education, Community and Family Relationships and Personal Behavior. Every match has individualized goals to move them along the continuum of completing their secondary education with a plan for post secondary training or education; building confidence in themselves and their abilities to achieve whatever personal goals they set, and avoidance of risky behaviors such as joining a gang, drugs and alcohol, teen pregnancy, or dropping out of school.
Using a statistical model of children living in single parent, foster or kinship homes it is estimated that over 6,000 youth could use our mentoring services. If you include children living in homes where parents are mono-lingual and cannot help guide their youth to successful educational attainment that number goes much higher. In our various programs we are currently serving on average, 1500 youth per year. There is a huge gap between the need and our current capacity. In order to increase the number of youth we can serve the goals are to increase our marketing endeavors to raise our visibility in the community for donors and to attract additional mentors. Money and mentors go hand in hand as you need a balance of both to be successful. This in turn, when successful leads to the need to increase the professional staff to support the parents, youth and mentors for the length of their match with the agency.
What are the organization's key strategies for making this happen?
Mentoring in and of itself is a strategy for making these goals happen. By being consistent, non-judgmental, and a positive role model, mentors show youth that someone cares enough about them and they begin to care about themselves. A baseline RPI (Risk Protective Inventory), a personal interview with the youth and parent all helps staff identify a youth's past trauma and the strengths they have in themselves, family and community. Working from a trauma informed lens a specific case plan is developed with both large and small goals with specific activities and steps to achieve them. Professional case managers work with all parties of the match: parents/guardians, volunteers and youth to assist in achieving the goals set for the match. All parties have buy in to and knowledge of the goals that are being worked on and celebrate success. A yearly inventory is taken measured against baseline results identify the level of goal achievement.
We partner with local radio stations and newspapers for PSA's and in depth stories on our program, thereby raising visibility, however, a much broader appeal is necessary to bring attention to the needs of youth in our community.
What are the organization's capabilities for doing this?
Big Brothers Big Sisters of Ventura County is a fully affiliated member of Big Brothers Big Sisters of America which has been serving youth since 1904. Very stringent Standards and Procedures are set for all affiliated members and Big Brothers Big Sisters of Ventura County has just recently been audited and achieved 100% compliance.
Seasoned and well trained professional staff carefully monitor all parties to every match and maintain consistent contact to keep the match moving in the right direction. They are able to do this both telephonically and in person making sure that communication stays open, any cultural barriers are addressed and referrals for other services are provided as needed. Providing a holistic approach to the entire family of every youth we serve is critical for success.
The agency is financially audited by an outside firm and has never had an audit exception. The organization is led by a CEO who has been in place over 32 years and has been deemed a certified expert in the field of mentoring. Program staff all have degrees and numerous certifications in trauma informed care, child safety, and supporting families.
The organization has a board made up currently of 19 members from the community who provide their expertise, and oversight to assure compliance with all standards and that the agency operates to the highest possible level.
What have they accomplished so far and what's next?
Big Impact- From Risk to Resilience results last year were as follows:
98% of youth in our program graduated from high school on time and 90% had higher expectations for their future
95% got along better with adults
89% felt more confident
98% Agreed that smoking, drinking, or using drugs would negatively impact their future
71% Improved their grades
97% had strengthened their social skills with peers
In order to grow the program to the next level funding is needed to strengthen the infrastructure. Future plans include having a 6 month reserve account, hiring a CFO, increasing program staff in order to accommodate requests for service at new sites across the county.
Financials
Big Brothers Big Sisters of Ventura County, Inc
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Operations
The people, governance practices, and partners that make the organization tick.
- Officers, directors, trustees, and key employees
- Highest paid employees
- Board of directors
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Connect with nonprofit leaders
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Build relationships with key people who manage and lead nonprofit organizations with GuideStar Pro. Try a low commitment monthly plan today.
- Analyze a variety of pre-calculated financial metrics
- Access beautifully interactive analysis and comparison tools
- Compare nonprofit financials to similar organizations
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Big Brothers Big Sisters of Ventura County, Inc
Board of directors
as of 9/10/2021
SOURCE: Self-reported by organization
Board co-chair
Mr. Adam Hammer
Merrill Lynch
Term: 2021 - 2023
Board co-chair
Mr. Steven Nason
Hygenia
Term: 2021 - 2023
Alex Olsen
The Becker Group
Marya McFadden
McFadden Family Law
Grant Blindbury
FMB Wealth Management
Richard Burke, Jr
Mercedes Benz
Dana Moldovan
Children First
Natalie Mussi
Los Robles Hospital
Nathan Sobel
Rodeo Realty
Omead Jafroodi
American Horticulture
Organizational demographics
SOURCE: Self-reported; last updated 08/18/2021
Who works and leads organizations that serve our diverse communities? GuideStar partnered on this section with CHANGE Philanthropy and Equity in the Center.
Leadership
The organization's leader identifies as:
Race & ethnicity
White/Caucasian/European
Gender identity
Female, Not transgender (cisgender)
Sexual orientation
Heterosexual or Straight
Disability status
Person without a disability
Sexual orientation
No data
Big Brothers and Big Sisters Ventura County
Source: https://www.guidestar.org/profile/20-3425568
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