Helping Link

What Helping Link does

Helping Link/Một Dấu Nối is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization founded in 1993 to serve Vietnamese refugees, immigrants, and second-generation community members in the Puget Sound region of Washington State. Its core programs include free English-as-a-Second-Language (ESL) instruction, U.S. citizenship test preparation, iPhone/iPad technology literacy classes, job referral services, youth mentoring, interpretation/translation assistance, and cultural events such as the annual Tết in Seattle festival (co-founded 1996). Service delivery is in-person at the Community HUB (Hope, Unity, Belonging) in Renton, WA, with classes held Tuesday through Thursday evenings, supported by a hybrid model of paid staff and a large volunteer instructor corps.

The organization's underlying technology is intentionally minimal: Microsoft Office and Microsoft Teams are used for operations, scheduling, and remote instruction coordination, and a Constant Contact email newsletter drives constituent communications. There is no proprietary software platform, API, or mobile application — Helping Link is structured as a unified human-delivered service program, not a technology product. Distribution is via direct community outreach, referrals through ethnic institutions (temples, churches, community centers, the UW Vietnamese Student Association), and partnerships including Comcast Lift Zone, the King County Employee Giving Program, and the Washington State Combined Fund Drive.

The business model is donations-based: Helping Link is funded through individual contributions, sustaining monthly/quarterly gifts, workplace giving campaigns (GiveBIG), an annual Fall Fundraiser Gala, and small public grants (e.g., $24,770 from the City of Seattle in 2022). All client-facing services are provided free of charge, and the organization holds GuideStar's Platinum Seal of Transparency (2024). With 1-10 staff supplemented by an extensive volunteer base, Helping Link operates as a small, volunteer-driven nonprofit rather than a venture-scale enterprise, and relocated from Seattle's International District to Renton in 2024 to align its footprint with the growing Vietnamese-American population in South King County.

Name

Helping Link

Legal name

Helping Link (Một Dấu Nối)

Website

https://helpinglink.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1993

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Immigrant and Refugee Community Services

NAICS

Other Individual and Family Services (624190), Educational Services (611), Translation and Interpretation Services (541930), Educational Support Services (61171)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300), Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro industry

PRIMARYBPADAHAI

Integration & Inclusion Services (Housing, Education, Employment)

Business & Public Services/International Organizations & Development/Refugee, Migration & Displacement Services

SECONDARYBPAGAEAI

Refugee & Immigrant Support Services

Business & Public Services/Nonprofit, NGO & Social Services/Social Services & Community Support (Food, Housing, Family)

SECONDARYEDAAADAI

Refugee & Humanitarian Newcomer Orientation (Resettlement Support)

Education/Adult & Continuing Education/Citizenship & Immigrant Integration Education

SECONDARYEDALANAD

Cultural Adjustment & Integration Services (intercultural programs, community connection)

Education/Student Services & Campus Operations/International Student Services & Immigration Support

Keywords

• Adult esl instruction
• Citizenship test preparation
• Immigrant social services
• Digital literacy training
• Community nonprofit programs

Headquarters

HQ city

Renton

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Donations and Charitable Contributions: Helping Link is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that relies on donations from individuals, community members, and supporters. Donations can be made via credit/debit card, and the organization encourages monthly or quarterly sustaining gifts for planning purposes.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Helping Link is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that provides free English as a Second Language (ESL) classes, U.S. citizenship test preparation, iPhone/iPad technology literacy training, and related social services (job referrals, youth mentoring, interpretation/translation) to Vietnamese refugees and immigrants in the Puget Sound region. Programs are delivered in-person at the organization's community HUB in Renton, WA by volunteer instructors and bilingual staff.

Product overview

Helping Link/Một Dấu Nối is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization founded in 1993 that serves the Vietnamese-American community in the Puget Sound region through educational programs and social services. The organization operates as a unified service program rather than a platform product, offering free ESL and citizenship classes, technology literacy instruction (iPhone/iPad), and community resource connections. All programs are delivered in-person at the organization's H.U.B. (Hope, Unity, Belonging) location in Renton, Washington, with services provided by a combination of staff and volunteer instructors. The organization does not offer a software product, API, or technology platform for external use.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Quantifiable outcome

• Hundreds of Vietnamese-Americans served annually with educational programs and social services
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers1 record

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Comcast Lift ZonecoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 10 September 2025Comcast Lift Zone partnership brings technology access to Helping Link's community HUB. This partnership helps bridge the digital divide for the Vietnamese-American community by providing tech resources and internet access support.
• Tết in Seattle Founding PartnerscoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 1996Original founding partners for the Tết in Seattle festival include: University of Washington Vietnamese Student Association, Liên Đoàn Hướng Đạo Việt Hùng (Vietnamese Scouting Organization), Hội Võ Thuật Thiếu Niên Tacoma (Tacoma Vietnamese Youth Martial Arts), UW School of Social Work, City of Seattle Department of Neighborhoods, Neighbors to Neighbors Foundation, and Seattle Center Advisory Commission. The festival began as small community gatherings in 1996 and has grown into a vibrant annual celebration.
• King County Employee Giving ProgramminorGTM or Marketing PartnerKing County Employee Giving Program allows county employees to make payroll deductions to support Helping Link. Code 9338 links employees to Helping Link for making gifts through this workplace giving program.
• Washington State Combined Fund DriveminorGTM or Marketing PartnerWashington State Combined Fund Drive is a workplace giving campaign celebrating 40 years of supporting charitable organizations including nonprofits like Helping Link. Code 1478529 links state employees to Helping Link for donations.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Refugee Women's Alliance (ReWA): Seattle-based nonprofit serving refugees and immigrants with ESL, employment, social services, and citizenship support. Highly comparable mission and service mix to Helping Link, but operating at significantly larger scale across multiple language communities.
• Asian Counseling and Referral Service (ACRS): Greater Seattle nonprofit serving Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders with social services, behavioral health, education, and citizenship/ESL programs. Directly comparable client base and program mix; broader pan-Asian scope versus Helping Link's Vietnamese focus.
• Chinese Information and Service Center (CISC): Seattle-area nonprofit serving Asian immigrants and refugees with ESL, citizenship classes, social services, and youth programs. Closely comparable service portfolio and target population; focused on Chinese community rather than Vietnamese.

Broad incumbents

• International Rescue Committee (IRC) Seattle: Global refugee resettlement and integration organization with a Seattle office providing case management, ESL, and employment services. A much larger incumbent that competes for the same grant funding and Vietnamese refugee clients in the Puget Sound region.
• World Relief Seattle: Faith-based refugee resettlement agency operating in Seattle with employment, ESL, and integration programming. Competes with Helping Link for refugee clients and government/faith-based funding in the same geography.
• Catholic Community Services of Western Washington: Large regional social services agency providing refugee resettlement, housing, and family support across Western Washington. Overlaps with Helping Link's integration services but operates at significantly larger scale with broader programmatic scope.

Others

• Tết in Seattle Festival Organizing Committee: Helping Link has been a founding partner of Tết in Seattle since 1996 alongside UW Vietnamese Student Association and other community groups. This is an ecosystem relationship rather than a direct peer.
• Vietnamese-American Community of Washington State: Broader Vietnamese-American community networks and informal associations in Washington State that share the same target population and occasionally partner on cultural and integration events.

Regional players

• HopeLink: Eastside and South King County social services nonprofit providing ESL, employment, housing, and family support. Comparable in regional geography post-Renton relocation and overlapping in ESL and integration services.
• Asian Pacific American Network of Oregon (APANO): Pacific Northwest API community organization focused on advocacy, civic engagement, and integration support. Comparable mission but operates across the Columbia River in Oregon rather than Washington State.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/helpinglink

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds1 record

Investors1 record

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Helping Link