The Big Brothers Big Sisters of NYC is
streamlining volunteer communications
with a new mobile application on AWS.
Big Brothers Big Sisters of New York City (BBBS of NYC) is
the New York chapter of Big Brothers Big Sisters of Amer-
ica, one of the nation’s oldest and largest donor and vol-
unteer supported mentor networks. Since 1904, the BBBS
of NYC’s mission has been to give all children in the city
who face adversity an opportunity to experience a strong,
enduring, professionally supported, one-to-one mentor-
ing relationship with adults that will help change their lives
for the better. The agency partners with families, volun-
teers, organizations and the community to inspire positive
change and help kids believe that their present situation
doesn’t have to be their future.
To serve their constituents, institutions in the nation’s nonprofit sector must
overcome a series of operational challenges. The first of these is securing funds
to sustain ongoing operations. Nonprofits work hard to raise enough money
through donations, sponsorships, government allocations and income from
programs to meet annual budgets and plan for new initiatives.
Another operational challenge for nonprofits is to continually improve effi-
ciency in their processes. Technology solutions help organizations in this sec-
tor, as in others, streamline business functions. Utilizing innovations ranging
from cloud computing to mobile applications, nonprofits are making strides in
this area.
But challenges persist in nonprofits’ ability to leverage new technologies to the
full extent of their capabilities. Tight budgets often leave non-profits short-
staffed, reliant on volunteers and unable to hire technically skilled workers to
complete technology initiatives in-house.
SUMMER 2018 | THE DOPPLER | 19