2024 BBBS Broward Mentorship Statistics

There’s no doubt that when young people have positive role models in their lives, they tend to thrive better. Each year, Big Brothers Big Sisters collects data about the Bigs, Littles and communities we serve nationally and locally. We share statistics on mentorship, not only because as a 501(c)3 we’re required to, but also because we need your support.1

We hope that by sharing the impact BBBS has in Broward County, you’ll consider supporting local youth by donating to BBBS of Broward County or volunteering to be a mentor — or both!

Broward’s Bigs By the Numbers: Mentor Statistics

How many people volunteer for Big Brothers Big Sisters in Broward?

BBBS of Broward County had 911 adult volunteers for Big Brothers Big Sisters of Broward County in 2024, up from 852 in 2023. From Jan. 1, 2024, to Dec. 31, 2024, BBBS of Broward facilitated 1,117 matches, and the average match lasts 32.8 months (an increase over the previous year’s 26.5 months).

What’s the typical education level of BBBS volunteers?

Our volunteers have a wide range of educational backgrounds: 25% have bachelor’s degrees, 18% have post-graduate degrees, 9% have some college, and 5.3% have associate degrees. (The remaining 42.7% includes high school diplomas and people who left the question blank.)

What is the typical age range of Bigs?

The largest age range of volunteers among BBBS of Broward is the 30-something group:

• 18 to 22: 21.44%
• 23 to 29: 9.44%
• 30 to 39: 21.67%
• 40 to 49: 16.11%
• 50 to 59: roughly 12%
• Over age 60: 7%

(Another 13% did not answer or left their birthdate information blank.)

If you’re wondering what the best age range is to be a Big, the answer is: Adults 18 and older are eligible to apply to become a Big. You’re never too young or too old to become a mentor. Age matters less than your willingness and ability to make a consistent, long-term commitment to mentoring a Little. 

What’s the gender breakdown of Big Brothers and Big Sisters? 

In 2023, BBBS of Broward had 1.9 women volunteers for every man who volunteers as a mentor. Bigs’ genders were about 66% women and 34% men. That remains the same for 2024.

This 65-to-34 percent breakdown is disproportionate to the ratio of girls to boys in our program, which is 54 to 45 percent. We need more Big Brothers. Period. 

What’s the race/ethnicity makeup of BBBS of Broward volunteers?

Nationally, 32% of Bigs identify as BIPOC (Black, indigenous, people of color), but in Broward County, 67.14% of Bigs identify as BIPOC:

• White/Caucasian 32.86%
• Black/African-American 26%
• Hispanic 22%
• Multi-race 6.24%
• Unknown and other 13%

Broward’s Littles By the Numbers: Mentee Statistics

How old are the kids in Broward’s Big Brothers Big Sisters program?

Littles can come into the BBBS program at age 5, and they typically age out when they turn 18 or graduate from high school. Here’s Broward’s breakdown of age groups in 2024:

• 5 to 8: 10%
• 9 to 10: 13%
• 11 to 12: 20%
• 13 to 14: 11%
• 15 to 16: 11%
• 17 to 18: 20%
• Over 19: 15%

Are there more boy or girl Littles in BBBS?

The gender breakdown of Littles in the BBBS program in Broward County: The majority of BBBS Littles are female (56%), while 42.76% are male, which is fairly consistent with national averages (54% female and 45% male), and unchanged from 2022.

What’s the racial breakdown of Littles in the Big Brother Big Sister program?

A little over 55% of Littles within the BBBS of Broward community identify as Black or African-American, 16% are Hispanic, 9% are White/Caucasian, 6% are multi-racial, and the remaining 14% are unknown or other. Click here to read more about African-American mentoring.

What is the typical family structure for Littles in the BBBS program?

Many of the Littles in the BBBS program in Broward County are living in single-parent homes or being raised by non-parent guardians: 43% of Littles in 2023 lived in single-parent homes. A little over one-third (33.11%) of the Littles in our program live in two-parent households. Over 16% of our Littles have an incarcerated parent. 

How Does Mentoring Benefit Youth? Facts and Statistics

There’s no doubt that youth mentoring benefits children, but the proof is in the data. In 2025, researchers released the final four-year results of a large randomized controlled trial of Big Brothers Big Sisters’ community-based mentoring program. The study followed 1,353 youth ages 10 and older across 17 BBBS agencies nationwide, including Broward County. Youth were randomly assigned either to immediate eligibility for a mentor or to a control group. Surveys and juvenile justice records were tracked over four years.2

The findings show that mentored youth had lower rates of delinquent behavior and risky outcomes compared to their peers. Specifically, 26.4% of mentored youth reported property-related delinquent behavior compared to 34.1% of control youth, and 29.6% versus 43% reported violence-related delinquent behavior. Recurring substance use was also lower among mentored youth (18.2% vs. 31.4%). While arrests were somewhat lower for the mentored group (9.4% vs. 13.4%), this difference was not statistically significant. The study also found stronger protective factors among Littles, including better self-control, social skills, coping efficacy, school performance, hopeful future expectations, and lower rates of suicidal ideation (16.6% vs. 28.4%).

4 Measures of Success in Mentoring

Positivity

Littles who’d been matched showed less aggressive behaviors than youth who’d not been matched with mentors in BBBS. Mentored youth also tended to score higher in self-control.

Self Confidence

When comparing Littles to their peers without adult mentors, the matched youth scored higher in social skills and experienced less discipline from their teachers and parents. They also tended to score higher in self-advocacy.

Education

Littles who are matched with Bigs tend to do better in school and show a higher interest in education and finishing high school. Littles who’d been matched with mentors skipped 52% fewer school days than their peers in the unmatched group. Families with children in the BBBS program tended to become more engaged with their children’s schools.

Juvenile Justice

Nationwide, about 15% of Littles have at least one incarcerated parent, about 33% live in areas where violent crimes have occurred, and more than half report financial difficulties. Students who participate in BBBS programs tend to be 54% less likely to be arrested and 41% less likely to abuse drugs or alcohol.

How Many Bigs and Littles Did BBBS of Broward Match?

One of the ways we measure success and growth at Big Brothers Big Sisters is by measuring new matches, closed matches, open matches and length of matches. Ideally, matches are together for many years, until the Little ages out (typically 18 or high school graduation). However, sometimes circumstances change for both Bigs and Littles — families move, change schools, change jobs or experience other life changes that prohibit them from continuing.

For BBBS of Broward in 2024:

• Open matches at the start of 2024: 631
• New matches during the year: 486
• Total matches in 2024: 1,117
• Closed matches in 2024: 595
• Open matches at end of 2024: 522
• Net new matches: -109

For BBBS of Broward in 2023:

• Open matches at the start of 2023: 639
• New matches during the year: 318
• Total matches in 2023: 957
• Closed matches in 2023: 315
• Open matches at end of 2023: 642
• Net new matches: 3

Our data from 2022:

• Open matches at the start of 2022: 544
• New matches in 2022: 354
• Total matches in 2023: 898
• Closed matches in 2022: 259
• Open matches at end of 2022: 639
• Net new matches: 95