What ShortTermMissions does

ShortTermMissions, operating as MissionGuide, is a private non-profit organization founded in 2000 and headquartered in Vancouver, Washington. It functions as a mission trip discovery marketplace — a web-based search and directory platform that aggregates 478 short-term mission opportunities from 47 partner organizations across Africa, the Americas, Asia, and Europe. Users can filter trips by start date, duration (from weekend trips to multi-month engagements), region and sub-region, and 40-plus ministry activity categories including medical, construction, evangelism, education, and youth ministry. Direct inquiry submission connects prospective participants with trip coordinators.

The organization is the flagship brand of MissionWorks, a family of ministry brands that bundles complementary products: MissionLinked for fundraising and supporter engagement, MissionArmor for travel and health insurance, MissionConnexion for regional and themed training conferences, MissionExcellence for program standards, and MissionNext for career and long-term service pathways. MissionGuide serves individuals, families, and church groups primarily in the U.S. and Canada, with a secondary audience of young adults exploring internships, gap years, and long-term service.

The business model combines organization listing/advertising fees on the marketplace with donations processed through a Neon CRM-powered giving platform. Go-to-market is primarily product-led and community-led — content marketing, SEO, a monthly email newsletter, and event-based promotion through MissionConnexion conferences drive awareness and discovery. The organization holds ECFA (Evangelical Council for Financial Accountability) accreditation and a Neon CRM Gold Transparency Badge, and operates with 11-50 staff. No funding rounds, acquisitions, or M&A activity are disclosed.

Name

ShortTermMissions

Legal name

MissionWorks

Website

https://shorttermmissions.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2000

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

ShortTermMissions, operating as MissionGuide, is a Vancouver, WA-based non-profit running a web marketplace that aggregates 478 short-term mission trips from 47 partner organizations worldwide, serving individuals, families, and church groups primarily in the U.S. and Canada.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Faith-Based Mission Trip Marketplace

NAICS

Tour Operators (56152), Tour Operators (561520), Travel Agencies (561510)

akta.pro primary industry

Private/Customized Multi-Day Tour Operators (THAKADAC)

akta.pro secondary industries

Adventure & Expedition Multi-Day Tour Operators (THAKADAD), Multi-Activity & Expedition Packages (Guided Adventure Trips) (THAJABAL)

Keywords

• Short-term mission trips
• Mission trip directory
• Faith-based travel
• Volunteer trip search
• Christian mission platform

Headquarters

HQ city

Vancouver

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Digital Commerce or Content

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Organization Listing & Advertising: Organizations pay to list their mission trips on the platform and advertise opportunities to the MissionGuide audience
2. Donations: MissionWorks accepts donations through missionworks.app.neoncrm.com for supporting the mission of connecting people with service opportunities

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

ShortTermMissions operates MissionGuide, a web-based mission trip search engine and directory that aggregates 478 quality mission trips from 47 partner organizations across Africa, Americas, Asia, and Europe. Users filter by region, activity type (40+ categories such as Medical, Construction, Evangelism, Education), start date, duration, and group type, then submit inquiries directly to trip coordinators. The platform serves individuals, families, and church groups seeking short-term through multi-year mission opportunities, complemented by preparation resources on fundraising, cultural intelligence, and team leadership.

Product overview

MissionGuide operates as part of the MissionWorks ecosystem—a platform-plus-modules architecture centered on the MissionGuide core product for searching and connecting with mission trips. The ecosystem includes five interconnected modules: MissionLinked for fundraising and supporter engagement, MissionArmor for travel/health insurance, MissionConnexion for training conferences, and MissionExcellence for program standards. Together, these products serve individuals, families, and church groups seeking short-term mission opportunities ranging from weekends to multi-year commitments.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• MissionGuide A mission trip search engine and directory platform that aggregates 478 quality mission trips from 47 partner organizations, with advanced filters for start date, activity (40+ categories), region, duration, and group type. Enables direct inquiry submission from prospective participants to trip coordinators. Serves individuals, families, and church groups seeking short-term through multi-year mission opportunities.
• MissionLinked Fundraising and supporter engagement tools that enable mission participants to tell their story and share ministry updates in real time with their supporters.
• MissionArmor Comprehensive travel and health insurance coverage for illness or injury during mission trips, protecting short-term mission participants.
• MissionConnexion Regional and themed conferences that provide training and equipping for individuals preparing for mission service, delivered as in-person events.
• MissionExcellence Standards and resources for churches, organizations, and schools to implement better practices for mission trip programs and effective Kingdom service.

Quantifiable outcome

• 478 searchable mission trips from 47 organizations
• +2 more outcomes

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature2 records

Partnerships

Ten partnerships are on record, tiered flagship, core and minor.

• MissionWorksflagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerParent organization providing strategic direction, operational infrastructure, and brand ecosystem including MissionConnexion, MissionNext, MissionLinked, MissionArmor, and MissionExcellence
• MissionConnexioncoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerRegional and themed conference brand providing training and equipping for mission goers; connects with MissionGuide for opportunity discovery
• MissionLinkedcoreTechnology or IntegrationFundraising tools and supporter engagement platform enabling mission participants to tell their story and share ministry updates in real time
• MissionArmorcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerComprehensive insurance coverage for illness or injury during mission trips, ensuring safety for participants using MissionGuide
• MissionExcellenceminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerStandards organization helping churches, organizations, and schools implement better practices for effective Kingdom service
• MissionNextminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCareer and long-term service opportunity platform for those exploring extended mission commitment beyond short-term trips
• Joshua ProjectminorGTM or Marketing PartnerPrayer mobilization partnership providing 'Unreached of the Day' widget and resources for unreached people groups, integrated into MissionGuide articles
• Artists in Christian Testimony (ACT International)minorGTM or Marketing PartnerSpecialized arts and music ministry network referenced for individuals with creative gifts seeking mission opportunities
• Engineering Ministries InternationalminorGTM or Marketing PartnerEngineering-focused mission organization referenced for professionals with technical skills seeking specialized service opportunities
• TWRminorGTM or Marketing PartnerChristian media ministry seeking technical, creative, and business professionals to serve using audio and visual media for global outreach

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Idealist: Idealist is a nonprofit job, volunteer, and mission-discovery platform; it overlaps with MissionGuide's core function of connecting mission-minded individuals with organizations offering service opportunities.
• GoOverseas: GoOverseas is a directory and reviews platform for volunteer, teach, and study abroad programs, directly comparable to MissionGuide as a marketplace helping users discover and compare international service experiences.
• Adventures in Missions: Adventures in Missions is a faith-based short-term mission trip provider with global reach, directly comparable to MissionGuide's partner organizations and to its short-term mission trip offering focus.
• Volunteer Forever: Volunteer Forever is a marketplace and crowdfunding platform for volunteer abroad programs, directly comparable to MissionGuide as it aggregates volunteer/mission-style trips and adds fundraising functionality similar to MissionLinked.
• International Volunteer HQ (IVHQ): IVHQ is one of the world's largest volunteer-abroad providers, comparable to the organizations listing on MissionGuide and operating in adjacent short-term service travel with similar target participants.

Broad incumbents

• G Adventures: G Adventures is a global tour operator focused on small-group, multi-day experience travel; comparable as a broad incumbent in the multi-day package tour operator category that overlaps with mission trip itineraries.
• World Vision: World Vision is a large established Christian humanitarian organization offering mission trips and sponsorship programs; it is a broad incumbent in the same faith-based mission space that MissionGuide aggregates.
• REI Adventures: REI Adventures is an established guided multi-day trip operator offering service and adventure itineraries; comparable as a broader incumbent in guided, multi-activity package tours.

Others

• Joshua Project: Joshua Project is a research and prayer mobilization dataset on unreached people groups; MissionGuide already integrates Joshua Project's "Unreached of the Day" widget, making it an adjacent data/ecosystem partner.
• MissionNext: MissionNext is part of the MissionWorks family and operates the long-term career and service pipeline, comparable as an internal sibling brand rather than an external competitor.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/MissionTrips

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Subsidiaries4 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 ShortTermMissions