BUILD

BUILD is one of the most well funded, connected and professionally run non-​profits I’ve encountered. I found them through the Cisco Volunteer Fair and what stood out compared to the other after-​school program is their huge college acceptance rate and their approach using entrepreneurship to incentivize students that are just bouncing at school. They have branches in the East Bay and Peninsula and I know people who are very dedicated to the cause. Their Peninsula office looks like a tech startup.
I signed up to be a mentor. To be a mentor is like applying to school and job all over again. You have a phone interview, need to provide references, and write essays on why you want to be a part of BUILD. They do a background check on you because you’re working with children.
I volunteered on the Peninsula E1 with Woodside High School paired with a co-​mentor with 5 students. Jacyln, the BUILD rep, was there every day and a great resource for us and Mr Moses, the teacher was a great person to reign in the kids. Being a mentor is an exercise time, patience, frustration and exuberance while you’re crafting a product, business plan and presentation with them. At the end their hard work is presented at the BPC at Stanford School of Education in a huge hurrah!
For Peninsula, if you want a more established system, go to the Sequoia High. But if you want to work with underdogs and be more unscripted then go to Woodside or Carlmont High. The other mentors are very talented and dedicated to the cause. We drive an hour and a half across the bridge from work each Thursday in order to be here. We spend more time on the road we do with our mentees but it’s definitely worth it. If we could do this next year we will definitely do the E2-​E4 class at their main office which is closer to the 101 Freeway.

I love being a BUILD mentor. Once a week, you and two other mentors meet with a group of 4 – 5 high school students and help them develop a business idea. They create a PowerPoint presentation, participate in 3 showcases and submit a written business plan based on their product. This culminates into a business plan competition where they compete against other BUILD teams from nearby high schools. It’s held at Stanford’s GSB and is a huge accomplishment for the kiddos. My team Star Mentality came in 2^nd place and it was amazing to see them present their product with poise, maturity, and humor. The memorable moments include taking them out on a Saturday looking for outfits to wear at the competition or eating dinner with them at Chili’s prepping for the showcases.
The kids made this an amazing experience. I’ve volunteered with Big Brothers and Big Sisters since high school and this is an equally awesome program.
So awesome, I’m returning as an E2 mentor. I’m getting my team ready to meet a real venture capitalist in order to secure funding to start their business.
If you can’t commit to mentoring, volunteer to be a tutor. You’ll love it!

I see a lot of nonprofits… this is absolutely one of the most well-​run, efficient groups I’ve ever seen.
BUILD is unique, local, and effective! Check out the website for volunteer and donor opportunities. No better way to spend your time than helping the next generation learn to sustain themselves!

If you’re interested in public service, especially working with high school kids, but don’t have a lot of time, this may be the group for you. BUILD is a great program that starts with high school freshmen, who take the course as an elective in high school and meet once a week with their mentors (could be you!). The ultimate goal for the students at the end of the first year is to enter the business plan competition — and compete against other teams of students to ultimately take the win. This is a low time commitment — 1.5 hours per week. You do NOT have to be business-​inclined, just ready to learn and work with energetic and enthusiastic students.
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BUILD rocks. Ok, so I’m partial to it for a few reasons– it combines at-​risk kids, teaching/​volunteering, and business/​entrepreneurship. Plus, it was founded by a Stanford Law alum.
The program teaches kids how to get their ideas off the ground as a viable business, and has great results with getting them to stay in school and realize what they can do.
You know how cool it’d feel to say you mentored Bill Gates/​Steve Jobs/​Sergey Brin/​Larry Page? Well, who knows… one of these kids could be the next big name. Here’s your chance!