Page 6 - 2020 Annual Report_Neat

ASU Lodestar Center for Philanthropy and Nonprofit Innovation

Written in February 2021, ASU Lodestar Center featured YBBBS and how we sustained our mission
under 2020’s pandemic restrictions. Below is an excerpt from the article.
Visit https://lodestar.asu.edu/ to read the entire story.

How Yavapai Big Brothers Big Sisters adapted

to COVID-19, from letter-writing to Zoom

By Alexandra Conforti canceled, Main said that real connections
are continuing to grow this year.
Yavapai Big Brothers Big Sisters bears an
important mission: Create and support “We still believe in our mission and we still
one-to-one mentoring relationships that believe how important it is for the Littles to
ignite the power and promise of youth. have a mentor in their life, and if that still
requires them to only be able to do that
However, when COVID-19 hit in the spring from a distance, then that’s still certainly
of 2020, donor- and volunteer-supported beneficial to the child,” Main said. “We
organizations were not immune and faced hear from the Bigs all the time that they
alarming challenges on how to adapt and start out thinking that they’re providing
add remote options. support for a child, and they find out what
Little Brother Gabriel and his Big Brother Ken an impact it makes on their lives. So that is
Although faced with their own set of obsta- stayed in touch through old-fashioned pen pal something we will continue to push for.”
cles, which they and many other nonprof- letter-writing during the worst of COVID-19
its shared last year in the ASU Lodestar quarantine in 2020. Some matches were unable to The members, leaders and mentors of
meet in person and continued connecting remotely
Center for Philanthropy and Nonprofit via Zoom, through phone calls or by writing letters. YBBBS held their organization to high
Innovation’s report on COVID-19 impacts, standards last year to provide a safe and
Yavapai Big Brothers Big Sisters found a stays together for roughly a year, but many comfortable atmosphere for the Littles of
way to turn the uncertainty of the pandem- of the matches stay together for several. the program. The organization’s mission
ic into a step towards innovation within remains the same, and the dedication
their operations. Bigs and Littles normally meet in person to its youth stands shining despite their
on a regular basis, but due to COVID, hardships.
“Putting our staff at home and getting meetings between matches moved online,
them prepared to work virtually was a huge resulting in some mentors and children “I think we had an eye-opener when we
challenge,” said Erin Mabery, the executive leaving the program, known as “match realized that we didn’t need to be in the
director and CEO of Yavapai Big Brothers closures.” same physical space to do good work and
Big Sisters. “We were not prepared mental- to connect our matches. Despite COVID
ly and of course we really scrambled trying YBBBS was still successful in connecting and the restrictions, we still had people
to accommodate.” Mabery said that the 34 virtual matches last year, bringing their who wanted to be with their Littles and
organization relies heavily on communica- current total to 240. were comfortable to do it remotely,” Robin
tion and in-person relationships, but the Layton, development director of YBBBS,
pandemic left little room for that. Their pol- Virtual field trips, resource and activity said. “The big takeaway was that some-
icies had to change “overnight” to adapt packages for families, and a board game thing as big as a pandemic didn’t interrupt
to an online environment and to keep their drive were only a few of the ways that the our mission.”
matches engaged. organization was able to bring their new
virtual reality to life. Upgrades and funding “We are part of a nationwide federation
The YBBBS mentor-matching process for new computers was also a huge step in and we are not alone in the challenges. …
begins by enrolling and interviewing the integrating virtual meetings for staff, volun- Stay connected with other similar organi-
children to learn more about their family, teers and the program’s youth. zations and very different organizations,”
current circumstances, personality and Mabery advises other nonprofits. She said
interests. The organization’s specialists “In order to keep the matches alive, we that keeping in contact with other organi-
then figure out the needs and challenges had to figure out how to do things virtually,” zations has helped Yavapai Big Brothers
of the children, and matches them with a said Cheryl Main, administrative director Big Sisters with innovation and can offer
Big who has been interviewed and back- at YBBBS. Although their annual programs opportunities for collaboration in the
ground-checked. A “successful match” and in-person events have mostly been future.