Open Arms International

What Open Arms International does

Open Arms International, now operating as Stand By Me, is a US-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization (Tax ID 93-1060919) founded in 2003 and headquartered in Clackamas, Oregon. The organization delivers child-centered care programs to impoverished children and at-risk families across four countries: Kenya, Ethiopia, Colombia, and Romania. Its service portfolio comprises the Child Sponsorship Program as the core offering, supplemented by education programs (Open Arms Academy, Bethany School), a residential care facility (Emmanuel Care Center), family preservation and economic support services, and a healthcare access program. Program delivery emphasizes a continuum of care covering nutrition, education, medical services, spiritual development, and family stability.

The organization's revenue model is built on a recurring child-sponsorship subscription stream (monthly individual contributions), supplemented by one-time and recurring general donations, targeted fundraising campaigns (e.g., the "Keeping Families Together" campaign targeting $74,400 for 200 families), and transactional "Treat Donations." Distribution is direct-to-consumer via a website sponsorship portal, social media channels (Facebook, Instagram, YouTube), and email communications, with no disclosed intermediated fundraising partners. No proprietary technology platform, app, or AI/ML capabilities are described in source material. Donor pricing is not publicly disclosed and appears to be quote-based at the individual sponsor level.

The US operations team is small (1-10 employees), with program delivery executed through in-country schools, care centers, and local staff. Marketing relies on emotional narrative storytelling centered on individual child profiles (Meshack, Mersayit, Yerazade). The organization executed a brand transition from "Open Arms International" to "Stand By Me" and has introduced new product lines (Treat Donations, Childship sponsorship) and a dedicated family-preservation campaign, indicating an active product and fundraising development posture despite the absence of disclosed revenue, funding, or headcount growth metrics.

Name

Open Arms International

Legal name

Stand By Me USA

Website

https://openarmsinternational.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2003

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Open Arms International (operating as Stand By Me) is a US-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit that runs child sponsorship, education, residential care, and family preservation programs for impoverished children across Kenya, Ethiopia, Colombia, and Romania, funded by recurring individual donor contributions.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Child Welfare Nonprofit Services

NAICS

Child and Youth Services (62411), Educational Support Services (611710)

SIC

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

akta.pro primary industry

Child Protection & Child Rights (BPAGABAG)

akta.pro secondary industry

Child Rights & Protection (BPADAGAG)

Keywords

• Child sponsorship programs
• Nonprofit humanitarian aid
• Child welfare services
• International child rescue
• Family preservation services

Headquarters

HQ city

Clackamas

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, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Child Sponsorship: Monthly recurring donations from individuals sponsoring children. Sponsors receive updates about the child's progress, photos, and letters. This creates a predictable recurring revenue stream for the organization.
2. General Donations: One-time or recurring donations from individual donors supporting the organization's mission of rescuing children and keeping families together. Includes specific campaign donations such as the 'Keeping Families Together' campaign targeting $74,400 for 200 families.
3. Treat Donations: Special occasion donations where sponsors can buy gifts for their sponsored child, such as birthday or holiday treats.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Open Arms International (now operating as Stand By Me) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that rescues children from poverty and harmful situations in Kenya, Colombia, Romania, and Ethiopia, providing comprehensive child-centered care including daily meals, education, healthcare, family preservation support, and spiritual development. The organization funds these programs primarily through a recurring child sponsorship program where individual donors select a child to support monthly, supplemented by one-time and campaign-based donations.

Product overview

Open Arms International (now operating as Stand by Me) is a nonprofit child welfare organization offering a portfolio of integrated programs focused on child-centered care. The core offering is the Child Sponsorship Program, which connects sponsors with children and provides access to education (via Open Arms Academy and Bethany School), residential care (Emmanuel Care Center), family support services, and healthcare access. These programs work together to rescue children from difficult circumstances and provide comprehensive care including food, education, medical care, and spiritual development.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Child Sponsorship Program The core program that connects individual sponsors with children, providing recurring monthly financial support, regular updates, photos, and letters about the child, and enabling access to food, education, healthcare, and family assistance.
• Open Arms Academy A school program in Kenya that provides sponsored children with breakfast and lunch daily, formal educational instruction, and after-school activities such as football.
• Bethany School A school program in Ethiopia that provides sponsored children with regular food, medical care, and a quality education.
• Emmanuel Care Center A residential care center providing children at risk a safe environment with teachers and carers who support their wellbeing, development, and spiritual care.
• Family Support Services Services that help vulnerable families stay together by providing beds, livestock such as sheep for income, and economic resources aimed at preventing children from being placed in institutional care or being sold.
• Healthcare Access Program A program providing regular medical care and health services to sponsored children to support their physical development and wellbeing.

Quantifiable outcome

• 200 families to be helped through the Keeping Families Together campaign

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• ChildFund International: Child-focused sponsorship nonprofit serving children and families across multiple developing countries with integrated education, health, and economic programs—directly comparable peer in size and model.
• Samaritan's Purse: Faith-based nonprofit providing child welfare, education, and emergency relief internationally—overlaps with Stand By Me's faith-framed, multi-country child-care delivery model.
• Holt International: Child welfare nonprofit combining family preservation, adoption, and child sponsorship programs internationally—comparable in its integrated child-centered approach across multiple geographies.
• Children International: Sponsorship-driven nonprofit focused on child poverty, health, and education in multiple countries—operates a very similar child sponsorship and integrated care model to Stand By Me.
• Compassion International: The largest child sponsorship nonprofit globally, operating a near-identical model of monthly child sponsorship, integrated care (education, health, spiritual), and country-based programs—directly comparable to Stand By Me.
• Kids Alive International: Faith-based child care organization running residential care centers and family-style programs in multiple developing countries—a close peer in mission, scale, and care-center delivery model.
• International Childcare Ministries: Christian child sponsorship organization running residential care homes and education programs in multiple developing countries—closely comparable faith-based, multi-country child-care peer.

Broad incumbents

• World Vision: A much larger child sponsorship and community development organization operating globally with child sponsorship as a core program—comparable in mission and model but vastly broader in scale and portfolio.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/@StandByMeUS
• Facebookfacebook.com/StandbyMeUS
• Instagraminstagram.com/standbymeus
• Xx.com/openarmsintlus

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

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 Open Arms International