Big Brothers Big Sisters of America is honored to be selected for the second year as a volunteer partner of the Holiday Impact Prize. In 2021, BBBSA rallied more than 800 new volunteers to serve as mentors to the youth we serve. These results will help us fill the mentorship gap and provide more kids with unique 1-to-1 mentoring opportunities that will unlock their full potential. In addition, the Holiday Impact Prize inspired nearly $5,000 in donations from new donors. To date, as the nation’s largest and preeminent mentoring organization, BBBSA serves 250,000 youth and adult volunteers annually in mentoring programs across all 50 states. This impact grows as we actively engage and galvanize prospective volunteers, in addition to former Bigs, Littles and champions, to connect with our mission to create and support mentoring relationships.

"One-on-one mentorship is a game changer for both mentors and mentees. When you volunteer, you are investing in a young person’s future, and you may also find new purpose and joy in your own life. Amid everything keeping us apart, I am inspired this holiday season to be highlighting the work of Big Brothers Big Sisters to build connections and opportunity." – Nicholas Kristof, two-time Pulitzer Prize winner and New York Times columnist

About the Holiday Impact Prize

Since 2009, two-time Pulitzer Prize winner and New York Times columnist Nicholas Kristof has written an annual "holiday gift guide" column to bridge a philanthropic gap: readers who wanted to help but didn’t know how, and heroic individuals and organizations who desperately needed resources but were off donors’ radar. The column has helped raise the profiles of organizations that work on the very issues he covers in his journalism—health, education, human rights and women’s rights, both domestically and abroad.

For the fourth year, the guide continues to offer an exciting twist: a $150,000 Holiday Impact Prize that Kristof awards to the nonprofits he showcases. Kristof’s 2022 column highlights a $100,000 grand prize winner and two runners-up receiving $25,000 each, in addition to two volunteer opportunities with organizations changing their communities through service.

The 2022 Holiday Impact Prize is a call to action for others to join in supporting Kristof’s appeal. All funds raised by January 31, 2023 will help these remarkable organizations accomplish the impacts outlined below. And individuals expressing interest in volunteering will be linked to program representatives in their communities for follow-up.