Common Hope
Common Hope is a 40-year-old US-based nonprofit operating integrated education, healthcare, housing, and family development programs across four Guatemalan sites, serving roughly 2,021 sponsored families. It funds its work through individual sponsorships, monthly giving, corporate partnerships, and special events, with a University of Chicago-validated graduation rate 3-4x the Guatemalan national average.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1986
- HeadquartersSaint Paul, United States
- Headcount101–250
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingServices
What Common Hope does
Common Hope is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization founded in 1986 by the Huebsch family, headquartered in Saint Paul, Minnesota, with program operations centralized in Guatemala. The organization runs an integrated four-pillar model — Education, Family Development, Health Care, and Housing — designed to break the cycle of poverty for impoverished families in Guatemala, with graduation from high school as the cornerstone outcome. Programming is delivered through four main sites (Antigua, San Miguel Milpas Altas, San Rafael, and New Hope) covering 35+ communities and approximately 2,021 currently sponsored families, supported by over 100 local professionals including social workers who each manage roughly 100 families.
The portfolio extends beyond the four pillars to include the Student Sponsorship Program (the primary donor engagement vehicle), The Pathway recurring monthly giving program, the Vision Team volunteer home-building program, the Mente Sana mental health program, the STAND advocacy initiative, and the Letter Writing Program. Corporate partnerships with 3M and Boston Scientific — among others — provide employee engagement, matching gifts, and volunteer pipeline. Impact is validated through a University of Chicago impact study (launched 2010, renewed 2017) showing students graduate at 3-4x the Guatemalan national average; the organization has supported 3,000+ high school graduates, 500+ houses built, and 11,000+ scholarships over its 40-year history. Brand standing is reinforced by 12 consecutive years of 4-star Charity Navigator ratings and the 2024 Candid Platinum Seal of Transparency.
Revenue is generated through individual student sponsorships (subscription/recurring), The Pathway monthly unrestricted giving, special events (Noche de Colores gala, HopeMasters Golf Classic, Walk for Hope), planned/legacy giving, and corporate partnerships. Reported revenue grew from $3.3M in 2006 to $4.7M in 2022. The organization operates without venture capital or parent-company backing, is governed by a Board of Directors, and is led by Executive Director Jocelyn Skolnik, who succeeded Shari Blindt in 2023. The Guatemala site is also known as Familias de Esperanza.
Common Hope firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Common Hope
- Legal name
- Common Hope
- Website
- https://commonhope.org
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1986
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 101–250 employees
- Short description
- Common Hope is a 40-year-old US-based nonprofit operating integrated education, healthcare, housing, and family development programs across four Guatemalan sites, serving roughly 2,021 sponsored families. It funds its work through individual sponsorships, monthly giving, corporate partnerships, and special events, with a University of Chicago-validated graduation rate 3-4x the Guatemalan national average.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Common Hope industry classification
Industry- Product category
- International Nonprofit Human Services
- NAICS
- Child and Youth Services (624110), Other Individual and Family Services (624190), Community Housing Services (62422)
- SIC
- Services-Social Services (8300)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Dropout Prevention, Alternative Education & Re-Engagement Nonprofits (BPAGADAL)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Youth Housing, Foster Care & Wraparound Support (Education-Linked) Nonprofits (BPAGADAO), Affordable Housing & Community Development (Housing, Community Land Trusts) (BPAGALAC)
Keywords
Where Common Hope is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Saint Paul
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices2 records
Markets served
Common Hope business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others
Revenue model
- Sponsorship Program: Individual donors sponsor Guatemalan students, providing financial support for education, health, housing, and family development. Sponsors can correspond with students, visit in person, and follow their educational journey through graduation.
- The Pathway Monthly Giving: Monthly recurring donation program where members provide consistent support, allowing Common Hope to address areas of greatest need on a case-by-case basis using an unrestricted giving model.
- Special Events Fundraising: Annual gala (Noche de Colores), golf tournament (HopeMasters), and walk events generate significant revenue while engaging donors and corporate partners.
- Planned Giving: Legacy giving programs allow donors to include Common Hope in estate planning.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Subscription | Monthly | Student sponsorship with customizable levels |
Go-to-market motion3 records
Distribution channels4 records
Marketing channels8 records
Common Hope product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Common Hope is a nonprofit organization that partners with impoverished children, families, and communities in Guatemala to break the cycle of poverty through four integrated core programs: Education (tutoring, scholarships, technology access), Health Care (medical clinics, screenings, pharmacies), Housing (dignified new homes with utilities), and Family Development (social workers, parenting programs, legal aid). Support is funded through individual student sponsorships, monthly giving (The Pathway), corporate partnerships, planned giving, and volunteer programs (Vision Teams).
Product overview
Common Hope operates as a nonprofit organization offering a multi-program integrated approach to breaking the cycle of poverty in Guatemala through four core programs: Education, Family Development, Health Care, and Housing. The Education Program provides tutoring, technology access, and individualized support; the Family Development Program offers social workers providing holistic family support; the Health Care Program delivers medical clinics, screenings, and preventative care; and the Housing Program provides dignified homes with essential utilities. Supporting these core programs are the Student Sponsorship Program connecting sponsors with students, The Pathway monthly giving program, Vision Team volunteer experiences, the Mente Sana mental health program, and the Letter Writing Program enabling sponsor-student communication. Students and families access this integrated support system through four main locations in Antigua, San Miguel Milpas Altas, San Rafael, and New Hope.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Education Program
Quantifiable outcome
- Graduation rate 3-4x the national average in Guatemala
- +3 more outcomes
Companies that use Common Hope
Customer profileNamed customers7 records
Segments4 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
Common Hope technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Common Hope partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Four partnerships are on record, tiered core and major.
- Constru CasacorePartnership with fellow non-profit Constru Casa to provide families with safe and healthy homes. In summer 2023, the partnership resulted in 35 families receiving new homes complete with energy-saving stoves, desks, water filters, and bunk beds. Both organizations share the mission of providing dignified housing as a foundation for breaking the cycle of poverty.
- 3Mmajor3M Latino Resource Network partnered with Common Hope during Hispanic Heritage Month 2022. Activities included Walk for Hope at 3M campus raising $1,235 (funding 10 weeks of tutoring), $10,000 equity grant as matching gift for new sponsors, and year-round volunteer support. 535+ 3M employees have volunteered with Common Hope; 19 students have 3M sponsors. HOLA volunteers translated 5,100+ letters from Spanish to English.
- Boston Scientific HOLAmajorBoston Scientific HOLA (Hispanic Organization for Leadership & Advancement) hosted unified Walk for Hope event during Hispanic Heritage Month 2022, bringing together 10 corporate partners including UHG, General Mills, Land O' Lakes, Target, U.S. Bank, Accenture, Medtronic, RSM, and Visit.org. Raised $17,715 funding a year of programming for 15 students. 390+ letters translated by HOLA volunteers in 2021. Nine students have Boston Scientific sponsors.
- University of ChicagomajorConducted impact study in 2010 examining Common Hope's effectiveness. Study renewed in 2017, demonstrating that students partnering with Common Hope graduate at three to four times the national average with better life outcomes for graduates.
Scale indicators15 records
Recent moves10 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Common Hope competitors and assessment
Company assessmentBroad incumbents
- Room to Read: Room to Read focuses on education (literacy and girls' education) in developing countries, with comparable graduation-focused outcomes. Direct comparability in education outcomes and developing-country focus; differs in narrower educational mission.
- Save the Children: Save the Children operates large-scale child education, health, and family support programs in Guatemala and globally. Comparable integrated child welfare model; operates at much larger scale with broader geographic spread.
- Compassion International: Compassion International is the dominant child sponsorship nonprofit worldwide, with very similar programming (sponsorship, education, health, family development). Comparable sponsorship-driven funding model and Latin America presence; significantly larger scale.
- World Vision: World Vision is a broad incumbent with child sponsorship, education, healthcare, and community development programs in Guatemala and globally. Comparable integrated community development model and beneficiary focus.
Emerging players
- Partners in Health: Partners in Health delivers comprehensive healthcare services (clinics, chronic disease management, prenatal care) to impoverished populations comparable to Common Hope's Health Care Program. Direct overlap in clinic-based healthcare delivery for vulnerable populations.
- Long Way Home: Long Way Home is a smaller Guatemala-focused nonprofit building sustainable schools and delivering education programs to rural Guatemalan youth. Directly comparable in geographic concentration, beneficiary population, and integrated education/development approach.
Direct peers
- Habitat for Humanity International: Habitat for Humanity's mission to provide safe, dignified housing aligns with Common Hope's Housing Program. Their partnership model with Constru Casa and volunteer-built homes in Central America makes them a direct parallel for the housing dimension.
- Pencils of Promise: Pencils of Promise is a direct peer running education access programs for children in Guatemala and other developing countries with a similar model of community partnerships, school construction, and donor sponsorship. Highly comparable in geography, beneficiary population, and donor-driven education mission.
- ChildFund International: ChildFund operates a child sponsorship model similar to Common Hope's, connecting individual donors with sponsored children in developing countries for education, healthcare, and family support. Direct comparability in the sponsorship-driven international development model.
Others
- HOPE International: HOPE International addresses poverty through microfinance, education, and small business support in developing countries including Latin America. Comparably adjacent in the faith-rooted, integrated poverty alleviation space serving Latin American communities.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat3 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Common Hope social profiles
Digital presenceCommon Hope compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance2 records
Common Hope financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Common Hope leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles1 record
Common Hope funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Common Hope 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 Common Hope
What does Common Hope do?
Common Hope is a nonprofit organization that partners with impoverished children, families, and communities in Guatemala to break the cycle of poverty through four integrated core programs: Education (tutoring, scholarships, technology access), Health Care (medical clinics, screenings, pharmacies), Housing (dignified new homes with utilities), and Family Development (social workers, parenting programs, legal aid). Support is funded through individual student sponsorships, monthly giving (The Pathway), corporate partnerships, planned giving, and volunteer programs (Vision Teams).
Is Common Hope a public or private company?
Common Hope is a private company. It is classified as nonprofit foundation owned and is currently operating.
When was Common Hope founded?
Common Hope was founded in 1986. It employs 101 to 250 people.
Where is Common Hope based?
Common Hope is headquartered in Saint Paul, United States, in the North America region.
How does Common Hope make money?
Four revenue lines are on record. Sponsorship Program is the primary driver. The others are the Pathway Monthly Giving, special Events Fundraising and planned Giving.
Who are Common Hope's main competitors?
Broad incumbents on record are Room to Read, Save the Children, Compassion International and World Vision. Emerging players are Partners in Health and Long Way Home. Direct peers are Habitat for Humanity International, Pencils of Promise and ChildFund International. HOPE International is listed as an others.
Does Common Hope have an API?
No public API is recorded for Common Hope.
What industry is Common Hope in?
Common Hope's product category is International Nonprofit Human Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is BPAGADAL, Dropout Prevention, Alternative Education & Re-Engagement Nonprofits, with a secondary code of BPAGADAO, Youth Housing, Foster Care & Wraparound Support (Education-Linked) Nonprofits. Its NAICS code is 624110 and its SIC code is 8300.