The independent nonprofit organization Big Brothers Big Sisters (BBBS) is the United States' largest mentoring network. It sets up professionally supported one-on-one relationships between an adult volunteer and a child or youth between the ages of 6 and 17. In June 2012, it opened its Austrian affiliate in Vienna.
Carefully selected volunteers spend time with young people and affectionately help them discover their strengths and talents. Girls are matched with Big Sisters and boys with Big Brothers. These tandems come together for approximately eight hours per month for at least one year. The free-of-charge mentoring program targets children and youths facing adversity, such as parental separation, the illness of a family member, or relocation.
Through Stifter-helfen.at IT for Nonprofits, BBBS Austria received Adobe Acrobat XI Pro Software. The Acrobat software enables the organization to easily create, consolidate, and process PDF documents. For example, producing print materials and coordinating with graphic designers has become much easier, and BBBS can now also compile and edit downloadable files directly in PDF format. Additionally, tandem cards depicting a mentor and mentee's key information can be merged easily with a professional layout file and printed directly at the office at great cost savings.