A plea on social media for more men to volunteer as a 'Big Buddy' has attracted a flurry of attention from interested Kiwis this week.
Big Buddy is a charity that pairs up volunteer men with boys who don't have a dad or other positive male role model in their lives.
"I have been a Big Buddy for two years now, and it's extremely rewarding," the Reddit post said.
"Right now, there's 130 boys on the waiting list to be matched, and they really need some men to step forward and help make a difference."
Operations manager Steve Sobota said volunteer numbers are lower than usual.
"Consistently there's been a 20 percent drop in volunteers since COVID, and that's sort of been maintained up until now."
Most of the 400 boys currently taking part are seven to 14 years old.
Sobota said they've matched 75 boys up to Big Buddies this year, but there are still "130-odd boys still" waiting as not enough volunteers have come forward.
He suggested that could be due to the high cost of living, or elections and a change of Government, or just rebalancing life's priorities.
"We noticed this year we've had to do more and more promotion to get fewer enquiries for that advertising dollar."
But it's a straightforward and rewarding commitment, Sobata stressed.
"Sort of two-three hours on a weekly basis, most weekends. We're not saying you have to be available every weekend of the year," he told Newshub.
Long-term relationships are the goal, Sobata said, so Big Buddy asks volunteers to stick around for at least a year.
"That first 12 months is a chance to get to know each other and get over that 'awkward' phase," he explained.
Whether it's kicking a ball around, or going to the movies, it's about "hanging out, building a conversation, building a connection over time".
Volunteers stay on for 3.5 years on average, and "once they get to know each other, they become part of each others' lives".
Surveys have shown men who take part "talk less and less about volunteering" and more about "time with my little buddy," Sobata said.
Big Buddy has small contracts with Oranga Tamariki and Te Manatū Whakahiato Ora / Ministry of Social Development, which is "about 6 percent of our budget."
Funding also comes from community and gaming trusts, and a couple of corporate sponsors too.
Even some boys who took part years ago now want to become Big Buddies themselves, Sobota said.
"But we haven't had one go through the whole process yet."
The charity has matched nearly 1200 boys with mentors since getting established as its own trust in 2003.
It operates in Tāmaki Makaurau/Auckland, Kirikiriroa/Hamilton, Tauranga, and Pōneke/Wellington.
Check out Big Buddy's website here.
