Big Brothers Big Sisters of East Tennessee, along with nearly 300 Big Brothers Big Sisters affiliates across the country, unveiled a new modern look and brand repositioning today. The goal of recruiting more diverse volunteers inspired the new branding.

“The need in East Tennessee for young people to have a role model is more urgent than ever,” said David Bratcher, Big Brothers Big Sisters East Tennessee board president. “To attract more volunteers of all generations, we needed a modernization of our brand to make an impact in the community and meet the need of the essential work of matching youth with mentors.”

Months of research, including focus groups with potential Bigs, as well as current Bigs, Littles, donors, staff and leadership showed that the brand was not effectively connecting with younger prospective mentors or conveying the urgent mission of Big Brothers Big Sisters. The organization is intentionally pivoting from messages of the importance of mentoring to messages of the urgent need for the adults in the community to step up to defend the potential of every child. The mission will remain the same, as will the core model of building bridges in communities by connecting one adult with one child and supporting that match at every stage, but the organization will focus on a child’s potential, and our role as adults in helping children achieve their best possible futures.

“In our community, we know that youth are facing numerous challenges. Our organization’s new brand is designed to help us ensure we can serve more children in East Tennessee by recruiting more volunteers,” said Brent Waugh, CEO of Big Brothers Big Sisters of East Tennessee.”