Social Impact Heroes: Why & How Sloane Keane of Big Brothers Big Sisters Is Helping To Change Our World
My definition of leadership falls more in the “servant leadership” category. I do believe that there’s only one way to effectively lead, which is to truly understand what is necessary in the job and the people you need to hire and the impact you want to make. Do every job in the organization. Do it well. Then, lead. That way, you know exactly how much time and bandwidth things take and what skill sets your people need to have.
As part of my series about “individuals and organizations making an important social impact”, I had the pleasure of interviewing Sloane Keane.
Sloane Keane is an advocate for social change through mentorship. Since becoming CEO in 2018 at Big Brothers Big Sisters’ third-largest agency nationwide, she has been committed to strengthening the organization’s impact on disconnected young people across Orange County and the Inland Empire. Sloane has an intrinsic belief in the power of mentoring, which has fueled her career trajectory over the last two decades and the agency’s mission to create generational impact for youth facing adversity.
Thank you so much for joining us in this interview series! Can you tell us a story about what brought you to this specific career path?
I met my professional mentor at my first job after college. As his sales assistant, he took me everywhere — sales calls, lunches, client dinners. He introduced me to his family. Because of him, I learned early on in my career the value of relationships, both personal and professional. He taught me the importance of exposure and access. But most importantly, he taught me the definition of true leadership.
Without his influence and guidance, opportunities like becoming CEO of this incredible nonprofit would not be possible.
Returning home to Orange County from the East Coast, I had a successful career in marketing and advertising but an untapped desire to make a tangible impact within my community. I decided to volunteer as a mentor, and while I was initially drawn to Big Brothers Big Sisters as a means of personal fulfillment, it was the unexpected transformation sparked by mentoring Wendy that altered the course of my life.
Becoming Wendy’s mentor catalyzed my career transition into the nonprofit sector, and through the profound journey of mentorship, I’ve discovered the utmost fulfillment in serving the youth of my community as CEO of Big Brothers Big Sisters.
Can you share the most interesting story that happened to you since you began leading your company or organization?
One of the most interesting things that happened to me as a leader was stepping into this role just months before COVID-19 hit, and the whole world shut down. I don’t think the ink was even dry yet on our five-year strategic plan focused on impacting thousands of disconnected youth, and we would be the most disconnected we had ever been. Part of that strategic plan was scalability — how do we serve more youth for less money? During the pandemic, we would serve less youth for more money.
I don’t know if that’s the most interesting story or the most ironic, but what I did find out, and what ultimately became a smart investment, was that far beyond our support staff who serve youth directly, we had to invest in wraparound services. We had to support families who were in crisis and mentors who needed training. We had to figure out how to make education accessible for the young people in our programs, even if they could not physically go to school. Things move at the speed of light in the nonprofit world, and that humbling welcome to being CEO was an incredible trial by fire that ultimately resulted in some incredible innovation within our programming.
It has been said that our mistakes can be our greatest teachers. Can you share a story about the funniest mistake you made when you were first starting? Can you tell us what lesson you learned from that?
I would say a trademark of my leadership is to make every mistake — one time. One of the funniest mistakes I can recall is finally convincing a very important and prominent donor to be our guest of honor at our largest fundraising event, and then forgetting to tell the event check-in staff what his name was. I caught him spelling his name out at the general registration check-in (that’s right, not even at VIP check-in!) at an event where he was being honored with an award. That mistake was embarrassing, and that circles back to being a leader at a nonprofit where you often find yourself having to wear multiple hats. I have thousands of details roaming around in my mind at any given time, but mistakes like this taught me to get back up to the balcony from the dance floor and make sure that the feet on the street handle business.
Can you describe how you or your organization is making a significant social impact?
We are one of the best ways for youth and young adults in our community to build social connection. Social connection is critical not only to the success of the youth we serve, but also to a thriving society. What other organization has the evidence to say that youth in their programs are half as likely to be arrested or to use drugs? Or has been identified by the U.S. Surgeon General as one of the key solutions to our youth mental health crisis? Or has been identified by the World Bank as one of the best ways to reconnect youth to education? If every youth in Orange County and the Inland Empire who needed a mentor had access to one, the change in our community would be profound.
Can you tell us a story about a particular individual who was impacted or helped by your cause?
Recently, I was deeply moved by the story of Angel and his mentor, Chris. They have been part of our Community-Based mentoring program for almost a decade, and to me, their journey epitomizes the transformative power of long-term mentorship. In fact, their friendship has touched so many lives that they were just named California’s 2024 Big & Little of the Year!
Through our program, Angel found a guiding light in Chris. Despite facing adversity and struggling with self-esteem issues stemming from his disability and past bullying, Angel’s resilience shone through with Chris’ unwavering support. Chris became a true friend and advocate for Angel, empowering him to believe in himself and pursue his dreams. Recognizing that mentoring extends beyond the mentor-mentee relationship, Chris also actively engages with our community services and college and career resource teams, connecting Angel with additional opportunities and support systems in a truly holistic approach.
Angel and Chris’ story embodies the essence of Big Brothers Big Sisters: fostering enduring relationships that empower young people to realize their full potential. Even as Angel, now 19, has transitioned into young adulthood, navigating his first year of college as a mechanical engineering major at Cal State Long Beach, their connection remains steadfast. It’s young people like Angel who inspire me to continue our mission of igniting potential and changing lives for the better. I am incredibly proud of both of them.
Are there three things the community/society/politicians can do to help you address the root of the problem you are trying to solve?
- Step up and volunteer to be a mentor. There are few, if any, better ways for you to personally give back to your community.
- Talk about mentoring within your own social circles. Word of mouth is the best way to recruit mentors.
- Encourage your organization, school, or business to support mentoring youth and young adults.
How do you define “Leadership”? Can you explain what you mean or give an example?
My definition of leadership falls more in the “servant leadership” category. I do believe that there’s only one way to effectively lead, which is to truly understand what is necessary in the job and the people you need to hire and the impact you want to make. Do every job in the organization. Do it well. Then, lead. That way, you know exactly how much time and bandwidth things take and what skill sets your people need to have. I have done almost every single job at this organization. I have been the temporary head of Marketing, Fundraising, Programs. The only thing I won’t take on is the role of head of Finance, and even though I’m not an accountant, I recognize the importance of understanding balance sheets.
What are your “5 things I wish someone told me when I first started” and why. Please share a story or example for each.
You are a person of enormous influence. If you could inspire a movement that would bring the most amount of good to the most amount of people, what would that be? You never know what your idea can trigger. :-)
It is an honor to be the CEO of such a mission-driven organization. Big Brothers Big Sisters is the most human brand on the planet. We provide connection, support, and a pathway to a future. I would be remiss if I did not remind all of my colleagues, my leaders out there in the community, that the best thing you can do is mentor someone else. Your success can be duplicated — all you have to do is show someone younger than you so they can see how they can be.
Can you please give us your favorite “Life Lesson Quote”? Can you share how that was relevant to you in your life?
“Be yourself, everyone else is taken.” In today’s society, particularly with our youth, we are so inundated with social media and ways that you can look better, be better, do better. At the end of the day, what makes you uniquely you is just that. So yes, be yourself. Everyone else is taken.
Is there a person in the world, or in the US with whom you would like to have a private breakfast or lunch with, and why? He or she might just see this, especially if we tag them. :-)
Becoming the CEO of a mentoring organization, I have had to think a lot about the mentors in my life. I would love to have breakfast with my first mentor, my first grade teacher, Miss Neff. I don’t know if she’s still teaching; it’s been a few decades since then. But she was the first person to really see potential in me.
As a kindergartner, I was labeled “behaviorally challenged.” As it turned out, I was just bored. Miss Neff was able to see that and promoted me to the first grade. She did not define me or label me as a troubled kid, but as a smart one. I went on to graduate high school early, then college, and it really did launch me into this incredible career. I never saw being “bossy” or my ability to lead as anything but positive. So, Miss Neff, if you’re out there, thank you, and I’d love to have breakfast with you.
How can our readers further follow your work online?
Visit our website or connect with me on LinkedIn to stay engaged with our mission at Big Brothers Big Sisters. It takes a village, but together, we can make a difference in the lives of the next generation.
This was very meaningful, thank you so much. We wish you only continued success in your great work!
