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BBBS of Gallatin County
15 South 8th Avenue
Bozeman, MT 59715
phone: 406-587-1216
[ email ]

Branch and Satellite Offices:

Big Sky Branch
45465 Gallatin Road
Gallatin Gateway, MT 59730
(406) 995-3411
[ email ]

Ennis
PO Box 57
Ennis, MT  59729
(406) 682-5681
[ email ]

"We either build our children, or we keep building jails.  This is the time to build our children, and no organization does it better than Big Brothers Big Sisters of America."

A contribution to Big Brothers Big Sisters of Gallatin County is truly an investment in our local community.  Each gift goes directly into our program, matching a child with a positive adult role model.  These relationships lead children to make better choices through their youth, adolescence and on a positive path toward adulthood.  When you impact the life of a child, you impact an entire community.

BBBS is a proven youth prevention program.  The cost of funding a match through Big Brothers Big Sisters pales in comparison to the $40,000 a year for a child held in juvenile detention facilities.  There are a variety of ways to support the program financially, and these are listed below.

Making a Gift.  Big Brothers Big Sisters of Gallatin County has a variety of needs, including needs for general operating support of our programs and gifts to our Endowment Fund.

What Your Gift Supports
BBBSGC enables relationships which become lifelong friendships with positive impacts felt by the volunteer and the child. This success and longevity is due to a well-established professional system of screening and supporting volunteers and families.  This system is in place behind every match relationship we support.

Matches are carefully administered and supported by rigorous standards and trained personnel.  Our professional match support staff interviews and screens each potential volunteer. This screening process includes reference checks, interviews and criminal background checks.  Through interviews with volunteers, children and families, the BBBS staff gets to know all parties involved, and is able to make compatible matches most likely to be long-lasting.  Our matches are safe and suited for each child's needs, and thus, they are truly built to last.

Our staff regularly communicates with families and volunteers to ensure that the relationship stays on track.  Volunteers and families know they have a professional Match Support Specialist to help them through challenges, and the support of these relationships is one of the most crucial aspects of their success.

Become a Match Maker
The national average cost per match for Big Brothers Big Sisters agencies is $1,000 to support one Big and Little relationship for one year.  However, Gallatin County is proud that we are well below this national average.  In our program, it costs $688 to match and support one relationship for one year.  This number is reached through a very simple calculation:

Agency expenses for 1 year divided by # of matches served in that year  =  cost per match served

Our costs per match are low due in large part to a new service delivery method employed by our agency.  BBBSGC was chosen as one of fifteen agencies in the country to pilot this model, and because of its success, the model is currently being rolled-out nationwide. We truly believe the efficiency in cost per match expenses will be a major factor in our ability to grow.

Match Makers contribute $1,000 a year to fund a match between an adult and a child.  This gift goes toward the $688 to fund a match, but also allows us to provide additional sponsored activities for our matches, as well create promotional materials to recruit Bigs into our program.  Being a Match Maker allows you to receive a number of benefits, including a plaque with a picture of your match, updates about your match's relationship, recognition at our dinner and auction and an invitation to attend our match appreciation dinner.

What a Gift to the Endowment Means
An endowment is a fund held by tax-exempt organizations where the principle of the fund cannot be expended.  The interest and appreciation earned on an endowment fund can be used for operating expenses.

BBBSGC currently holds an endowment, which helps us ensure financial stability into the future.  Growing our endowment will help us further diversify our funding base, and become less reliant on special event and individual donor revenue.

Endow A Match
With a gift of $10,000 to the endowment, you can endow a match relationship.  This gift will help BBBSGC sustain our program well into the future, and reach out to the many more children in Gallatin County who need our program.  Endowing a match truly has the ability to increase the services of BBBSGC, and change the lives of the children affected.  Endowing a match allows you a number of benefits, including a picture and plaque of your match, periodic updates of your match throughout the lifetime of the match, invitations to match activities, recognition at our Big Dreams Breakfast, and recognition in the BBBSGC newsletter and annual report.

Corporate Sponsorship of Annual Special Events, including Bowl for Kids' Sake, Dinner and Auction, Gift Wrap Booth and the Celebrity Golf Tournament.  Sponsorship of our events helps keep event costs low, allowing more of the funds raised to go directly towards serving children.

Big Brothers Big Sisters staff can also assist individuals interested in making planned gifts, bequests, gifts of Insurance, Real Estate or Appreciated Securities.  CEO Jerry Schilling, is available to speak with donors about ways to meet their goals and provide much needed support for our programs.  Jerry can be contacted at [ email ], or is avaliable by phone at (406) 587-1216.

Big Brothers Big Sisters of Gallatin County endowment and investment funds are managed by: