Campus Outreach
Campus Outreach is a 501(c)(3) Christian non-profit founded in 1978 that partners with local churches to place staff on over 100 university campuses across 13 countries, delivering life-on-life evangelism and discipleship programs funded by donations.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1978
- HeadquartersBirmingham, United States
- Headcount501–1,000
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingServices
What Campus Outreach does
Campus Outreach is a 501(c)(3) Christian non-profit ministry founded in 1978 and headquartered in Birmingham, Alabama. It operates a global network of churches and campus-based staff who deliver "life-on-life" evangelism and discipleship to university students, with reported reach on over 100 campuses across 13 countries organized into 8 geographic networks. The organization reports having equipped over 30,000 young leaders since inception.
Its core offerings are programmatic rather than technological. The product surface consists of four primary programs: CO LEAD, a two-year post-grad missions program operating in over 18 global locations; CO NEXT, a development pathway for experienced staff; CO START, an onboarding program for new staff; and CO SERVE, the centralized leadership training and global coordination hub. Local engagement is delivered through formal partnerships with churches such as Kabwata Baptist Church (Lusaka), Pangrati Church (Athens), and Covenant Church Khon Kaen, which provide spiritual authority and community infrastructure on each campus.
The business model is donation-funded. Campus Outreach does not charge participants for its programs; instead, it raises contributions from individuals, churches, and organizations to support missionary staff and operations across the global network. ECFA accreditation provides external financial accountability. The organization is privately held with no parent company, no funding rounds, and no equity structure. Recent strategic activity has focused on selective international expansion, with new country launches in Monterrey (2021), Edinburgh (2023), and Athens (2023).
Campus Outreach firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Campus Outreach
- Legal name
- Campus Outreach
- Website
- https://campusoutreach.org
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1978
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 501–1,000 employees
- Short description
- Campus Outreach is a 501(c)(3) Christian non-profit founded in 1978 that partners with local churches to place staff on over 100 university campuses across 13 countries, delivering life-on-life evangelism and discipleship programs funded by donations.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Campus Outreach industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Campus Ministry Services
- NAICS
- Religious Organizations (8131), Religious, Grantmaking, Civic, Professional, and Similar Organizations (813)
- SIC
- Services-Membership Organizations (8600), Services-Social Services (8300), Services-Educational Services (8200)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Campus Spiritual & Religious Life (EDALAHAI)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Missionary Training Colleges & Schools (EDAHAKAF), Campus Events, Programming & Student Engagement (EDALAHAC), Student Engagement & Belonging Initiatives (EDALABAJ)
Keywords
Where Campus Outreach is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Birmingham
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices38 records
Markets served
Campus Outreach business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others
Revenue model
- Donations and Charitable Contributions: Campus Outreach operates as a non-profit ministry funded primarily through donations from individuals, churches, and organizations who support their mission of equipping university students for faith, leadership, and service. Donors can give to general funds, specific location teams, or individual staff members.
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels1 record
Marketing channels6 records
Campus Outreach product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Campus Outreach places staff on university campuses to engage college students through life-on-life evangelism and discipleship, delivered in partnership with local churches across 100+ campuses in 13 countries. The organization runs structured programs including CO LEAD (two-year post-grad missions), CO NEXT (staff leadership development), CO START (new-staff onboarding), and CO SERVE (global coordination and training hub). All programs are sustained by donations rather than fees charged to participants.
Product overview
Campus Outreach is a global network of churches focused on empowering university students on their journey of faith, leadership, and service. The organization operates several interconnected programs: CO LEAD is a two-year post-grad missions program for recent college graduates; CO NEXT serves experienced staff members seeking to leverage their expertise; CO START helps new staff members begin their journey; and CO SERVE functions as the leadership training and global coordination hub supporting all programs across 13 countries and over 100 campuses.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- CO LEAD A two-year post-grad missions program that helps college students come to know Christ, establish a relationship with Him, and be equipped to lead others through life-on-life discipleship and evangelism. Currently operates in over 18 locations worldwide and is targeted at recent college graduates seeking cross-cultural ministry experience.
- CO NEXT A development pathway for experienced Campus Outreach staff members to leverage their expertise and further develop their leadership potential while contributing to the global Campus Outreach mission. Targeted at current and former Campus Outreach staff considering expanded Kingdom contributions.
- CO START A program under the Campus Outreach SERVE umbrella designed to help new staff members get started with the organization. Targeted at incoming Campus Outreach missionaries and staff to onboard them into the ministry's mission, values, and practices.
- Campus Outreach SERVE The leadership training and global coordination hub that serves the broader Campus Outreach movement worldwide, supporting missionary teams in 13 countries that reach university students. Operates as the central backbone for the eight geographic networks and provides training, resources, and operational support.
Quantifiable outcome
- Over 30,000 young leaders equipped worldwide
- +2 more outcomes
Companies that use Campus Outreach
Customer profileNamed customers2 records
Segments1 record
Ideal customer profiles3 records
Campus Outreach technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Campus Outreach partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Ten partnerships are on record, tiered core.
- Kabwata Baptist ChurchcorePartnership with Kabwata Baptist Church in Lusaka, Zambia to reach students on campuses of University of Zambia and Zambia Centre for Accountancy Studies. This local church partnership enables the campus ministry to operate under church authority and provide spiritual oversight.
- Breadcom QC (Bread from Heaven Community Church)corePartnership with Breadcom QC church to reach students at University of the Philippines-Diliman in Manila. The church provides spiritual foundation and community for the campus ministry.
- Christ Community ChurchcorePartnership with Christ Community Church to reach students at University of Queensland in Brisbane, Australia. The church supports the Uni Impact campus ministry.
- Grace Bible ChurchcorePartnership with Grace Bible Church to reach students at University of Otago and Otago Polytechnic in Dunedin, New Zealand. Known locally as Engage Otago.
- St. Columba's Free ChurchcorePartnership with St. Columba's Free Church to reach students at University of Edinburgh, Scotland. Launched in 2023.
- Grace Presbyterian Church ChristchurchcorePartnership with Grace Presbyterian Church Christchurch to reach students at University of Canterbury in Christchurch, New Zealand. Known locally as Engage Christchurch.
- Pangrati ChurchcorePartnership with Pangrati Church to reach students at University of Athens in Greece. CO Greece launched in 2023.
- Comunidade HorizontecorePartnership with Comunidade Horizonte church to engage with students at Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais (UFMG) in Belo Horizonte, Brazil.
- San Pedro Church and Iglesia NúcleocorePartnership with San Pedro Church and church plant Iglesia Núcleo to reach students at Instituto Tecnológico de Monterrey (Tec de Monterrey) in Mexico. CO Monterrey launched in 2021.
- Covenant Church Khon KaencorePartnership with Covenant Church Khon Kaen to reach students at Khon Kaen University in Thailand. CO Khon Kaen launched in 1998.
Scale indicators5 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights6 records
Campus Outreach competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Cru (Campus Crusade for Christ International): Largest US-based interdenominational Christian campus ministry, operating globally with multi-program structure including missions and leadership development. Directly comparable to Campus Outreach's campus-based evangelism and discipleship model.
- InterVarsity Christian Fellowship USA: Evangelical campus ministry active at US and Canadian universities with chapter-based models and missions programs. Closely comparable in mission, target audience, and partnership-based delivery to Campus Outreach.
- The Navigators: International Christian ministry with a strong collegiate focus on one-on-one discipleship and leadership multiplication. Comparable in relational discipleship approach and international campus footprint.
- Coalition for Christian Outreach (CCO): Campus ministry serving students and faculty at public and private universities with emphasis on calling and vocation. Comparable in size and campus-based delivery model to Campus Outreach.
- Chi Alpha Campus Ministries: Assemblies of God-affiliated campus ministry present at hundreds of US universities with missions tracks. Comparable denominational-adjacent structure and focus on student discipleship.
Broad incumbents
- Young Life: Large US-based youth ministry with broader age range (middle and high school) but overlapping volunteer-driven, relational ministry approach. Relevant for benchmarking scale and donor engagement models.
Emerging players
- Fellowship of Christian Athletes (FCA): Christian sports ministry with significant campus presence at US universities, particularly through athletic communities. Comparable target demographic (university students) but distinct niche (athletic community).
- Ratio Christi: Apologetics-focused campus ministry operating at US public universities with faculty and student chapters. Comparable campus-delivery model but more specialized intellectual focus.
Regional players
- Baptist Collegiate Ministry (various state conventions): Network of state-level Southern Baptist campus ministries operating on US university campuses. Comparable in mission and target demographic but denominational and US-only in scope.
Others
- Athletes in Action: Sports-focused ministry division of Cru serving university athletes with evangelism and discipleship. Thematically related through campus-based faith outreach and Cru-affiliated programming.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses4 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks4 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
Campus Outreach social profiles
Digital presenceCampus Outreach compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance1 record
Campus Outreach financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Campus Outreach leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles11 records
Campus Outreach subsidiaries and ownership
Company hierarchySubsidiaries5 records
Campus Outreach funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Campus Outreach M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Campus Outreach
What does Campus Outreach do?
Campus Outreach places staff on university campuses to engage college students through life-on-life evangelism and discipleship, delivered in partnership with local churches across 100+ campuses in 13 countries. The organization runs structured programs including CO LEAD (two-year post-grad missions), CO NEXT (staff leadership development), CO START (new-staff onboarding), and CO SERVE (global coordination and training hub). All programs are sustained by donations rather than fees charged to participants.
Is Campus Outreach a public or private company?
Campus Outreach is a private company. It is classified as nonprofit foundation owned and is currently operating.
When was Campus Outreach founded?
Campus Outreach was founded in 1978. It employs 501 to 1,000 people.
Where is Campus Outreach based?
Campus Outreach is headquartered in Birmingham, United States, in the North America region.
How does Campus Outreach make money?
One revenue line is on record: donations and Charitable Contributions.
Who are Campus Outreach's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Cru (Campus Crusade for Christ International), InterVarsity Christian Fellowship USA, The Navigators, Coalition for Christian Outreach (CCO) and Chi Alpha Campus Ministries. Young Life is listed as a broad incumbent. Emerging players are Fellowship of Christian Athletes (FCA) and Ratio Christi. Baptist Collegiate Ministry (various state conventions) is listed as a regional player. Athletes in Action is listed as an others.
Does Campus Outreach have an API?
No public API is recorded for Campus Outreach.
What industry is Campus Outreach in?
Campus Outreach's product category is Campus Ministry Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is EDALAHAI, Campus Spiritual & Religious Life, with a secondary code of EDAHAKAF, Missionary Training Colleges & Schools. Its NAICS code is 8131 and its SIC code is 8600.