Campus Outreach

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).

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

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

• Campus ministry
• Student discipleship
• Religious outreach
• College evangelism
• Faith-based nonprofit

Headquarters

HQ city

Birmingham

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices38 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. 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

Core 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

Named customers2 records

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Ten partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• Kabwata Baptist ChurchcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership 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)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership 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 ChurchcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership with Christ Community Church to reach students at University of Queensland in Brisbane, Australia. The church supports the Uni Impact campus ministry.
• Grace Bible ChurchcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership 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 ChurchcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership with St. Columba's Free Church to reach students at University of Edinburgh, Scotland. Launched in 2023.
• Grace Presbyterian Church ChristchurchcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership with Grace Presbyterian Church Christchurch to reach students at University of Canterbury in Christchurch, New Zealand. Known locally as Engage Christchurch.
• Pangrati ChurchcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership with Pangrati Church to reach students at University of Athens in Greece. CO Greece launched in 2023.
• Comunidade HorizontecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership with Comunidade Horizonte church to engage with students at Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais (UFMG) in Belo Horizonte, Brazil.
• San Pedro Church and Iglesia NúcleocoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership 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 KaencoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership 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

Direct 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

• Xx.com/coglobal
• YouTubeyoutube.com/c/CampusOutreachStaffCast
• Facebookfacebook.com/campusoutreach
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/campus-outreach
• Instagraminstagram.com/campusoutreach

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles11 records

Subsidiaries5 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 Campus Outreach