Comundo

What Comundo does

Comundo is a Swiss non-governmental organization headquartered in Lucerne that delivers international development cooperation through a person-exchange model. It deploys approximately 85–90 skilled professionals, referred to as cooperant·e·s, on 1–3 year assignments to 101 local partner organizations across seven program countries — Nicaragua, Colombia, Peru, and Bolivia in Latin America, and Kenya, Zambia, and Namibia in Africa. Programs focus on four thematic areas: education (notably vocational training), food security, human rights protection, and environmental protection, with reported 2025 outcomes including 39,000 people reached by quality education in Kenya, Namibia, and Zambia, 17,100 people receiving human-rights support in Colombia and Peru, and 11,800 people improving food security in Nicaragua and Bolivia.

The organization is funded through four revenue streams: private donations from Swiss and international individuals (one-time and recurring), institutional funding from the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC), churches and foundations, and membership fees at CHF 70 per year. It is ZEWO-certified, adheres to Swiss GAAP RPC 21 accounting standards, and complies with GDPR and the Swissfundraising ethical guidelines. Operational support includes three regional Swiss offices (Lucerne, Lausanne, Bellinzona) covering the German-, French-, and Italian-speaking populations, plus a German representative entity (Bethlehem Mission Immensee e.V., Balingen) that channels tax-deductible donations from Germany. At least 75% of donations flow directly to project activities.

Comundo in its current legal form was created in 2013 as an alliance of Mission Bethléem Immensee (MBI, itself founded 1921), Inter-Agire, and E-CHANGER, with E-CHANGER departing in 2016 and INTERTEAM joining in 2020. In 2023 the legacy supporting-association structure was converted into a single unified Comundo association governed by individual and collective members. Comundo is described as the largest person-exchange development-cooperation organization in Switzerland and is a member of Unité (Swiss Association for Person Exchange in Development Cooperation) and Alliance Sud. The organization does not sell a technology product; its digital footprint is limited to informational/donation-processing infrastructure (RaiseNow for payments, ActiveCampaign for email, standard Google and Meta analytics) rather than a proprietary software platform.

Name

Comundo

Legal name

Comundo

Website

https://comundo.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2013

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

Comundo is a Swiss NGO headquartered in Lucerne that deploys approximately 85–90 skilled professionals on 1–3 year assignments to 101 partner organizations across Nicaragua, Colombia, Peru, Bolivia, Kenya, Zambia, and Namibia, working on education, food security, human rights, and environmental protection, funded primarily through Swiss institutional grants and individual donations.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

International Development Cooperation

NAICS

Professional Organizations (81392)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300), Services-Membership Organizations (8600)

akta.pro primary industry

Cash & Voucher Assistance (CVA) / Emergency Social Assistance (BPADADAI)

Keywords

• Development cooperation
• International NGO services
• Humanitarian development
• Expert exchange programs
• Capacity building services

Headquarters

HQ city

Lucerne

HQ country

Switzerland

HQ region

Europe

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure, Others

Revenue model

1. Private Donations: Individual donors in Switzerland and internationally contribute to Comundo's projects through one-time or recurring donations. The organization is ZEWO-certified for transparent use of funds.
2. Institutional Funding: Comundo receives funding from the Swiss Confederation through close collaboration with SDC (Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation), as well as from churches and foundations.
3. Membership Fees: Individual members pay CHF 70 annually to support Comundo's activities and gain voting rights at the general assembly.
4. Project Partnerships: Financial support for specific projects and partner organizations in program countries, including contributions for materials, infrastructure, and training.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Comundo is a Swiss NGO that deploys approximately 85 specialists (cooperants) to 101 local partner organizations across seven countries in Latin America and Africa for one- to three-year assignments. The organization focuses on person-to-person knowledge transfer in education, food security, human rights, and environmental protection. Programs are funded through individual donations, membership fees, and institutional grants, with over 75% of funds directed to its international programs.

Product overview

Comundo is a Swiss non-governmental organization (NGO) focused on international development cooperation through person-to-person exchanges. The organization does not offer a technology product or software service. Rather, Comundo facilitates development programs by deploying approximately 85 skilled professionals (cooperating experts) to partner organizations in Latin America and Africa, supports projects financially, and builds networks among development actors. Their work spans seven program countries (Nicaragua, Colombia, Peru, Bolivia, Kenya, Zambia, Namibia) focusing on education, food security, human rights, and environmental protection. The website serves as an information and communication platform for donor engagement, volunteer recruitment, and public awareness in Switzerland.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Specialist Exchange Program (Cooperant Deployment) A long-term personnel exchange program placing experienced specialists in local partner organizations across Latin America and Africa for one- to three-year assignments to transfer expertise and strengthen local capacity in education, food security, human rights, and environmental protection.
• Annual Membership (Freundinnen und Freunde)
• Donation Program (Spenden)
• Sponsorship Program (Patenschaft)
• Friends Circle (Freundeskreis)
• Legacy and Bequest Giving (Legat und Erbschaft)

Quantifiable outcome

• 90 coopérant·e·s engaged in 2023
• +6 more outcomes

Named customers2 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration9 records

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Mission Bethléem Immensee (MBI)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerOne of the three founding organizations of Comundo, originally founded in 1921 as Bethlehem Mission Immensee. Strongly influenced by BMI's original values and mission.
• INTERTEAMcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerJoined Comundo in 2020 as a member organization. Lucerne-based organization contributing to the person exchange methodology.
• Unité - Association Suisse pour l'échange de personnescoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerComundo is a member of Unité, the Swiss Association for Person Exchange in Development Cooperation.
• 101 Local Partner OrganizationscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerOrganizations across 7 program countries (Nicaragua, Colombia, Peru, Bolivia, Kenya, Zambia, Namibia) receiving support through person exchange and project funding.
• Alliance SudminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSwiss alliance of development organizations of which Comundo is a member.
• Bethlehem Mission Immensee e.V. (Germany)minorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorGerman representative organization for Comundo. Donations to this organization are tax-deductible in Germany and fully benefit Comundo.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves10 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• HELVETAS Swiss Intercooperation: Swiss development NGO headquartered in Zurich operating water, agriculture, education, and governance programs in Africa, Asia, and Latin America. Most direct peer: similar Swiss nonprofit profile, SDC partner, and comparable member-organization membership in Alliance Sud.
• Swisscontact: Swiss foundation for development cooperation working on vocational training, economic development, and inclusive growth in ~40 countries. Closely comparable in SDC funding model, Swiss nonprofit structure, and focus on capacity building in developing economies.
• HEKS/EPER (Swiss Church Aid): Swiss Protestant aid organization running development and humanitarian programs in ~30 countries with a strong community-based approach. Directly comparable as a Swiss church-affiliated development NGO with multi-country Latin America and Africa presence.
• Swissaid: Swiss development foundation focused on poverty reduction in partner countries in Africa, Asia, and Latin America. Directly comparable Swiss SDC-funded nonprofit with similar Alliance Sud membership and donor-funding model.
• EIRENE (International Christian Service for Peace): German-based NGO deploying long-term peace workers to Latin America, Africa, and Asia on multi-year assignments. The closest international peer to Comundo's person-exchange methodology and 1-3 year mission model.
• Bread for All (Brot für alle): Swiss development organization linked to the Swiss Protestant Churches federation, funding self-help programs in developing countries. Comparable in Swiss church-affiliated development model, Alliance Sud membership, and donor-funded grantmaking.

Broad incumbents

• Caritas Switzerland: Large Swiss humanitarian and development organization providing domestic social services and international development programs. Broader incumbent in the same Swiss development/humanitarian space with a wider portfolio including refugee aid and domestic welfare.
• Weltwärts (BMZ volunteer program): German federal development volunteer service deploying young adults to partner organizations in developing countries. Comparable as a publicly-funded person-exchange model, though operated by the German government rather than as an independent NGO.

Others

• Unité – Swiss Association for Person Exchange in Development Cooperation: Umbrella association of which Comundo is a member, representing Swiss person-exchange NGOs. Relevant ecosystem peer as the industry body setting standards and representing the niche Comundo dominates.

Emerging players

• medico international: German development and human rights NGO with focus on health, food sovereignty, and post-colonial solidarity work. Comparable in NGO scale and rights-based programming, though operating primarily in Germany rather than Switzerland.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/comundoluzern
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/showcase/comundo-svizzera-italiana
• Instagraminstagram.com/comundo_svizzeraitaliana
• Xx.com/comundoorg

Compliance4 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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 Comundo