COMO
COMO is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) community center in Stonington, CT offering educational, athletic, arts, childcare, and summer camp programs, plus facility rentals and a thrift shop, serving 1,000+ participants annually across regional families and adults.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1945
- HeadquartersStonington, United States
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingServices
What COMO does
COMO (Stonington Community Center) is a private nonprofit 501(c)(3) community center founded in 1945 in Stonington, Connecticut. The organization operates a diversified service portfolio organized around three programmatic pillars: Learn (preschool, COMO Kids after-school childcare, School's Out vacation care, youth and adult education), Play (youth and adult athletics, racquet sports, beach access at duBois Beach), and Create (youth and adult pottery and art classes). COMO also operates Camp COMO, a summer day camp; the COMO Leadership Program for middle and high school students; and the COMO Thrift Shop, a 6,600-square-foot resale retail operation established in 1947 that functions as a significant fundraising arm. Facility rentals across an on-site auditorium, gymnasium, conference room, tennis and paddle tennis courts, athletic fields, and duBois Beach provide an additional revenue stream.
The organization serves approximately 1,000+ program participants annually across 200+ families in the Stonington region, with additional adult and senior participation in recreation, creative arts, and community events. Its business model is multi-stream: annual membership fees with automatic renewal, program tuition (preschool, childcare, camp, enrichment classes), facility rental fees, thrift shop retail transactions, corporate sponsorships ranging from $400 to $7,500, and proceeds from annual fundraising events including the Stars Over Stonington Gala and the 74th Annual COMO Village Fair. The organization accepts Connecticut's Care4Kids state assistance program and offers financial aid. The GTM motion is direct-to-consumer through on-site membership enrollment, online registration via the Daxko platform, school partnerships for after-school care referrals, and community events. COMO has 11-50 employees, is governed by an independent board of directors, and is not operated by the town. Executive Director Beth-Ann Stewart leads the organization alongside Advancement Director Katherine Adami and Program Coordinator TJ Faeth.
COMO firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- COMO
- Legal name
- Stonington Community Center
- Website
- https://thecomo.org
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1945
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- COMO is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) community center in Stonington, CT offering educational, athletic, arts, childcare, and summer camp programs, plus facility rentals and a thrift shop, serving 1,000+ participants annually across regional families and adults.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Where COMO is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Stonington
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices2 records
Markets served
COMO business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others, Technology or R&D
Revenue model
- Annual Memberships: COMO generates revenue through annual membership fees that provide access to facilities and programs. Memberships are prorated upon joining and automatically renew annually.
- Facility Rentals: Rental income from auditorium, gymnasium, conference room, athletic fields, tennis/paddle tennis courts, and duBois Beach from Memorial Day through Labor Day.
- Program Tuition: Revenue from tuition-based programs including preschool, COMO Kids childcare, Camp COMO day camp, enrichment classes (pottery, art, athletics), and the Leadership Program.
- Thrift Shop Sales: Thrift shop sales of donated goods including clothing, furniture, jewelry, books, and collectibles. The shop has operated since 1947 and is a significant fundraising arm of the organization.
- Sponsorships: Corporate sponsorships for programs, events, and organizational-wide visibility ranging from $400 for single-season program sponsorship to $7,500 for triple-star organizational sponsorship.
- Event Fundraising: Annual fundraising events including Stars Over Stonington Annual Gala in May and COMO Village Fair on the first Saturday of August.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Subscription | Multi-year contract | Program Sponsorship - One Season (4 months) |
| Subscription | Multi-year contract | Program Sponsorship - Two Seasons (8 months) |
| Subscription | Annual | Program Sponsorship - Three Seasons (12 months) |
| Subscription | Annual | Single Star Sponsorship |
| Subscription | Annual | Double Star Sponsorship |
| Subscription | Annual | Triple Star Sponsorship |
| One time/ perpetual license | Pay-as-you-go | Counselor-in-Training Program |
| Subscription | Annual | School Year Leadership Program |
| Subscription | Pay-as-you-go | Child Care Deposits |
| Subscription | Pay-as-you-go | Sibling and Multi-Program Discounts |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Facility Rental - Auditorium |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Facility Rental - Gymnasium |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Facility Rental - Conference Room |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Facility Rental - Tennis Courts |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Facility Rental - duBois Beach |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels1 record
Marketing channels5 records
COMO product offering
Product offeringCore offering
COMO is a non-profit community center delivering educational, athletic, creative-arts, and childcare programs across Learn, Play, and Create categories, including preschool, after-school care, summer day camp, youth/adult athletics, pottery and art classes, and a Thrift Shop. Services are accessed via annual memberships and individual program registrations, with facility rentals, sponsorships, and donations providing additional support for operations.
Product overview
COMO (Stonington Community Center) is a private nonprofit 501(c)(3) community center offering a diverse portfolio of programs organized into three core service divisions: Learn (educational programs including preschool, COMO Kids childcare, and adult learning), Play (athletics and beach access), and Create (pottery and arts). The organization also operates Camp COMO summer day camp, the COMO Leadership Program for youth development, and the COMO Thrift Shop as a fundraising arm. Additional offerings include facility rentals and event coordination. COMO serves as a community hub providing intellectual growth, active play, and creative expression opportunities for all ages and abilities.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Learn Programs (Educational Division) Educational programming division offering preschool, COMO Kids childcare, School's Out vacation care, youth and teen programs, and adult learning classes aimed at intellectual growth for community members in the Stonington region.
- Play Programs (Athletics Division) Athletic programming including youth and teen athletics, adult athletics, racquet sports, and access to duBois Beach, focused on physical activity and well-being for all ages and abilities.
- Create Programs (Arts Division) Arts and pottery programming for all ages, including youth and teen pottery and art classes and adult pottery and art workshops fostering creativity, collaboration, and self-expression.
- Preschool Preschool program requiring enrollment approval and space confirmation, with annual physical forms and immunization records required per Connecticut state requirements; operates on the COMO campus in Stonington, CT.
- COMO Kids (After-School Childcare) State-licensed after-school enrichment program providing childcare with membership requirement, offering drop-in options subject to space availability and accepting the Connecticut Care4Kids state assistance program for income-eligible families.
- School's Out! Vacation Care Half- or full-day curriculum-based program offering care during school vacation days, open to all regardless of membership status.
- Camp COMO Summer day camp offering multi-week sessions during June–August for youth, with Counselor-in-Training leadership program options for older teens.
- COMO Leadership Program Youth advocacy and leadership program for students entering 6th grade through high school, available as a summer Counselor-in-Training session ($400 for 4 weeks plus $75 per additional week) and as a school-year session ($250, which includes Basic COMO membership), providing volunteer service hours and mentorship.
- COMO Thrift Shop Resale shop selling gently-used clothing, furniture, jewelry, books, and collectibles, operating as a critical fundraising arm of the COMO since 1947 and currently located at 45 Cutler Street, Stonington, CT.
- Facility Rentals Rental of COMO spaces including auditorium, gymnasium, conference room, Bear's Field, Owens Field, tennis courts, paddle tennis courts, and duBois Beach for events and gatherings, with member discounts and hourly or per-period pricing.
Quantifiable outcome
- Over 1,000 participants enrolled annually
- +1 more outcomes
Companies that use COMO
Customer profileSegments3 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
COMO technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Integration4 records
COMO partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Four partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.
- Stonington Village Improvement Association (SVIA)minorSVIA handles duBois Beach rentals outside of the Memorial Day through Labor Day season when COMO coordinates beach access. This is a referral and coordination partnership for beach usage management.
- Stonington Garden ClubminorThe Stonington Garden Club maintains the Children's Garden located near 45 Cutler Street, across from the COMO main building. The garden is used by COMO Education Programs as an outdoor learning space.
- State of Connecticut - Care4Kids ProgramcoreCOMO participates in Connecticut's Care4Kids financial aid program for income-eligible families, allowing families to use state assistance for COMO childcare and preschool programs.
- Pawcatuck Neighborhood CenterminorCOMO Leadership Program volunteers have helped at the Pawcatuck Neighborhood Center food bank and senior center for three consecutive years, packing Thanksgiving meal boxes for neighbors facing food insecurity.
Scale indicators4 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights5 records
COMO competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- YMCA of the USA: National network of nonprofit membership-based community centers offering child care, sports leagues, swim, camps, arts, and family programming on a dues-and-program-fee model — the closest structural analog to COMO.
- YWCA USA: Network of local nonprofit YWCAs providing child care, sports, fitness, aquatics, and community programming on a membership model — structurally aligned with COMO's multi-program community-center approach.
- Girls Inc. Nonprofit youth-development organization operating after-school, summer camp, leadership, and athletics programming funded by fees, donations, and grants — overlapping with COMO's youth athletics, leadership program, and Camp COMO offerings.
- Police Athletic League (PAL): National nonprofit operating local youth centers offering athletics, summer camps, arts, and recreation programming at low or no cost — directly comparable to COMO's youth enrichment and athletics programming.
- Boys & Girls Clubs of America: Nonprofit youth-development organization offering after-school programming, athletics, arts, summer camps, and leadership development funded by memberships, fees, and donations — directly comparable to COMO Kids, Camp COMO, and the COMO Leadership Program.
- Camp Fire (formerly Camp Fire USA): National nonprofit youth-development organization offering day and resident camps, after-school programs, teen leadership, and outdoor recreation — comparable to Camp COMO and the COMO Leadership Program.
- Jewish Community Centers Association (JCCA): Federation of nonprofit JCCs operating membership-based community centers with preschools, after-school care, swim, athletics, arts, and senior programming — same membership-subsidized community-center model as COMO.
- 4-H National Council: National youth-development organization delivering clubs, camps, STEM, leadership, and athletics programming through a federated, community-funded nonprofit model — overlapping with COMO's leadership and enrichment programming.
Others
- Big Brothers Big Sisters of America: Youth-mentorship nonprofit funded by donations and program fees; not a direct facility-based competitor, but operates in the same nonprofit youth-development space and competes for the same donor and volunteer pool in the region.
Broad incumbents
- Life Time Fitness: Large for-profit national fitness and recreation operator offering sports, swim, arts, family programming, and summer camps — competes for the same regional families even though the business model is premium-membership rather than nonprofit community-based.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
COMO social profiles
Digital presenceCOMO financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
COMO leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles3 records
COMO subsidiaries and ownership
Company hierarchySubsidiaries1 record
COMO funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
COMO 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 COMO
What does COMO do?
COMO is a non-profit community center delivering educational, athletic, creative-arts, and childcare programs across Learn, Play, and Create categories, including preschool, after-school care, summer day camp, youth/adult athletics, pottery and art classes, and a Thrift Shop. Services are accessed via annual memberships and individual program registrations, with facility rentals, sponsorships, and donations providing additional support for operations.
Is COMO a public or private company?
COMO is a private company. It is classified as nonprofit foundation owned and is currently operating.
When was COMO founded?
COMO was founded in 1945. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is COMO based?
COMO is headquartered in Stonington, United States, in the North America region.
How does COMO make money?
Six revenue lines are on record. Annual Memberships are the primary driver. The others are facility Rentals, program Tuition, thrift Shop Sales, sponsorships and event Fundraising.
Who are COMO's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are YMCA of the USA, YWCA USA, Girls Inc., Police Athletic League (PAL), Boys & Girls Clubs of America, Camp Fire (formerly Camp Fire USA), Jewish Community Centers Association (JCCA) and 4-H National Council. Big Brothers Big Sisters of America is listed as an others. Life Time Fitness is listed as a broad incumbent.
Does COMO have an API?
No public API is recorded for COMO.