Objective

Big Brothers Big Sisters (BBBS), the country’s largest youth mentorship organization, and NFL Inspire Change have partnered since 2018 to advance equity for youth. With thousands of youth (“Littles”) on the BBBS waitlist for a mentor (“Big”) nationwide and the majority being boys of color, the partnership responded by launching The Big Draft campaign. Inspired by the NFL Draft, the campaign drew a direct parallel: while the NFL drafted the next generation of players, BBBS recruited new mentors.

The campaign goal was to recruit 10,000 mentors nationwide in 60 days. By combining the NFL’s unmatched cultural reach with BBBS’ extensive network of local agencies across 50 states and 5000+ communities, the partnership aimed to:

• Drive large-scale recruitment of new mentors: Encourage volunteer sign-ups, particularly among men of color, through digital channels, relatable content, earned media, and community events, as well as NFL players’ platforms.
• Elevate mentorship as a cultural priority: Embed the campaign CTA into major NFL moments like the Super Bowl and NFL Draft, to change perceptions of mentorship – showing that even the smallest moments can make a big impact.
• Rebuild community in key market: Spotlight the relaunch of a BBBS agency in NOLA that closed post-Hurricane Katrina, timed with the Super Bowl in the city.

The campaign was a blueprint for strategic partnerships that align mission and marketing, blend entertainment with social good, and deliver outcomes that resonate beyond game day-- from expanded reach through a Super Bowl commercial to youth mentorship moments, digital content and more.

Strategy

BBBS and the NFL demonstrated the evolution of purpose partnerships by implementing a holistic approach that combines mission, storytelling, talent engagement and powerful platforms to create real world impact nationally and locally. The Big Draft campaign harnessed the culture and energy of the NFL at key moments, particularly Super Bowl week and the NFL Draft, to create awareness around the need for mentorship to the core audience of potential male volunteers.

1. Cultural Integration
The campaign launched at the Super Bowl LIX in New Orleans (NOLA), aligning BBBS’s NOLA agency relaunch with a major cultural moment in the city.

The NFL’s Emmy-award winning “Somebody” Super Bowl ad—one of the top ranked ads of the year-- featured BBBS NOLA Littles for maximum visibility.

2. Storytelling & Narrative

Mentorship was activated across earned media, digital content, and direct youth mentorship experiences at key events:

• “Little” Reporters were integrated throughout campaign activation moments at major NFL events, to bring real world career mentorship moments to life. The youth shadowed players on Radio Row during Super Bowl week, conducted interviews at the Apple Halftime press conference and NFL Honors. Little Reporters also interviewed players and prospects at the NFL Draft, and shared the stage with NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell.
• NFL players ambassadors from Falcons RB Bijan Robinson to Saints LB Demario Davis, shared personal reflections on mentorship, creating emotionally resonant content that was promoted across social platforms.
• To set the stage for the need in the NOLA community, two TODAY show segments on the need for mentors in NOLA aired in the months leading up to the campaign launch. 
• CBS Evenings highlighted Bills player Ray Davis’ story as a former Little to drive momentum ahead of the campaign launch, along with player interviews across NFL Network, Fox Sports and more.

3. Community Activation
Community engagement blended local presence with national amplification. In NOLA, BBBS relaunched a local agency devastated by Hurricane Katrina with support from the New Orleans Saints who supported a local community engagement event.

Beyond NOLA, for grassroots impact in communities nationwide, more than 200 BBBS agencies nationwide received branded toolkits featuring customizable assets with campaign messaging. These enabled agencies to host recruitment events, activate grassroots campaigns, and customize outreach while staying aligned with Big Draft national messaging. 

This combination of localized activation and consistent branding and messaging extended the campaign from grassroots communities to the biggest stages in sports.

4. Challenges Overcome

In a crowded nonprofit landscape, breaking through during Super Bowl week required authenticity and cultural relevance. By aligning mentorship and the campaign with the familiar, cultural concepts from the NFL, along with personal stories and diverse voices, the partnership established a fresh narrative of relatability and accessibility that helped overcome BBBS' identified misperceptions of mentorship—the burden of time and a perceived need for perfection to make an impact.

Results

The Big Draft delivered impact and surpassed expectations, demonstrating the strength of the BBBS and NFL partnership.

• Recruitment: 14,386 mentors recruited in 60 days, exceeding the 10,000 goal. The campaign awareness strengthened local agency volunteer pipelines and diversified the pool of Bigs nationwide.
• Media Reach: 190M+ earned impressions and $25M ad value equivalency, with features across TODAY, CBS, ESPN, and ABC. Presence across major NFL cultural moments kept mentorship in the conversation beyond game day.
• Super Bowl Impact: The NFL’s “Somebody” ad featuring BBBS Littles boosted volunteer inquiries by 433% YOY on Super Bowl Sunday and earned a Sports Emmy. The moment placed youth voices at the center of a most-watched broadcast.
• Community Results: In New Orleans, more than half of all volunteer inquiries since the agency’s relaunch came during the campaign period, driven by Saints-led events and coordinated local activation. The surge accelerated agency momentum and deepened community partnerships.
• Social Engagement: #TheBigDraft delivered 2M+ impressions, 155K reach, 183K+ video views, and 5,840 engagements across platforms. Player and alumni amplification extended reach and reinforced clear calls to action.
• NFL Draft Activation: Littles appeared during the 2025 NFL Draft, reaching 7.5M viewers across broadcast networks and digital channels, alongside more than 600K in-person attendees around Lambeau Field. The NFL Draft capped the campaign with youth-centered visibility and on-the-ground engagement.

This partnership shows how culturally aligned storytelling, powered by strategic collaboration, turns awareness into action by mobilizing communities, elevating mentorship, and delivering meaningful, measurable, lasting impact.

Media