The Friendship Connection

What The Friendship Connection does

The Friendship Connection is a nonprofit educational exchange organization founded in 1981 in Hudson, Ohio, by German teachers. It operates a bilateral student exchange program pairing American high school students (age 15 or older with at least two years of German language study) with German Gymnasium students for a three-week home-to-home exchange — the American family hosts a German counterpart in the spring, then the American student travels to Germany in the summer. The program spans 54 partner high schools across 24 US states and has facilitated exchanges for approximately 33,850 lifetime participants over its 44-year history.

The organization operates with no proprietary technology stack. Matching, logistics, and communication are handled manually by a two-person team (founder Roland Winzer and Krista Winzer-Lee) using PDF application forms, email, and postal mail. In 2020, the organization launched the Virtual Friendship Connection (VFC), a sub-brand offering virtual exchange experiences, introduced in response to COVID-19 travel restrictions. An optional 8-day Best of Germany/Austria tour supplement is also offered as an add-on.

Revenue is generated primarily through participant fees: $2,100 per Full Participant and approximately $800 per teacher chaperone. A "Host Only" tier is offered free of charge, allowing families to host a German student without the reciprocal visit. The model is best described as a low-cost, coordinator-mediated exchange service with a freemium upside — a manually operated, relationship-driven nonprofit that has sustained operation for over four decades without meaningful infrastructure investment.

Name

The Friendship Connection

Legal name

The Friendship Connection, Inc.

Website

https://friendshipconnection.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1981

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

The Friendship Connection is a nonprofit founded in 1981 that runs three-week home-to-home student exchanges between American and German high school students, operating across 54 partner schools in 24 US states with a two-person staff.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Educational Exchange Programs

NAICS

Educational Support Services (611710), Educational Services (611), Other Traveler Accommodation (72119)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200), Services-Membership Organizations (8600)

akta.pro primary industry

Secondary School Exchange Programs (Academic Year/Semester) (EDAIAHAB)

akta.pro secondary industries

Peer Mentorship, Buddy & Host-Family Matching Programs (EDAIAKAD), Community Engagement & Social Integration Programs (Clubs, Events, Volunteering) (EDAIAKAE), Short-Term Secondary Immersion & Cultural Exchange Trips (EDAIAHAD), Language Immersion & Cultural Exchange Programs (THAKAGAE)

Keywords

• Student exchange programs
• Cultural immersion programs
• Language exchange services
• Homestay exchange programs
• International student travel

Headquarters

HQ city

Hudson

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, Others

Revenue model

1. Full Participant Program Fees: The primary revenue stream comes from 'Full' participant fees of $2,100 per student, which covers airfare, illness/injury insurance, teacher supervision, and administrative costs. Students are required to pay an $800 deposit upon application and the remaining $1,300 balance by February 25th. Payment options include check, Venmo, and PayPal (with additional fees).
2. Chaperone/German Teacher Travel: German teachers who chaperone the group receive discounted airfare at $800 minus $50 per 'Full' participant from their school, generating ancillary revenue while providing adult supervision for students.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

The Friendship Connection operates a reciprocal home-to-home student exchange program between American and German high school students, where American students host a German partner in the spring and travel to Germany in the summer for a three-week immersion. The "Full Participant" program costs $2,100 and includes airfare, illness/injury insurance, teacher supervision, and administrative costs, while a free "Host Only" tier allows students to host without reciprocating. The organization also offers a Virtual Friendship Connection (VFC) branch for remote cultural exchange and an optional 8-day guided tour of Germany and Austria.

Product overview

The Friendship Connection operates a single core educational exchange program connecting American and German high school students through a three-week home-to-home visitation program. The program offers two participation tiers: 'Full Participant' (hosting in spring plus return trip to Germany in summer for $2,100) and 'Host Only' (hosting in spring only, no charge). A virtual branch called Virtual Friendship Connection (VFC), created during COVID-19, is still available. Supporting materials include PDF application forms (Student Flyer, Host Only Application, Full Participant Application, Begleitlehrer Application, Administrator Permission Slip, Flight Deviation Form) and an optional 8-day Germany/Austria tour add-on. The organization also provides digital communication via Google Forms for teacher sign-ups and accepts applications via email ([email protected]) or postal mail.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• VFC (Virtual Friendship Connection): A virtual pen pal and cultural exchange program created in 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic to connect students remotely across the US and Germany.

Products and services

• Full Participant Program A three-week home-to-home visitation exchange program where American high school students host a German partner in the spring and return the visit to Germany in the summer (June 16 – July 9, 2026). Cost is $2,100 per participant, including airfare, illness/injury insurance, teacher supervision, and administrative costs. Participants must be 15+ years old and have completed at least 2 years of German.
• Host Only Program A free participation tier for students who only host a German exchange student in the spring without returning the visit in summer. Open to German I students and non-German-learning students, encouraging broader engagement with the program.
• Virtual Friendship Connection (VFC) A virtual branch of the exchange program offering remote pen pal and cultural exchange connections between American and German students, created during the COVID-19 pandemic as an alternative to in-person home-to-home exchanges.
• Best of Germany and Austria 8-Day Tour An optional 8-day guided tour of Germany and Austria available as an add-on to program participants beyond the standard three-week home-stay exchange.

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 33,850 students have participated in the program over 44 years
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• German Gymnasien (Hessen, Germany)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 1981The Friendship Connection partners with German Gymnasien, primarily in Hessen, for reciprocal student exchanges. This partnership was established when the program was founded in 1981 by Ohio high school German teachers in cooperation with English teachers in Germany. German schools provide host families and school observation opportunities for American students.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves4 records

Expansion highlights3 records

Direct peers

• Greenheart Exchange: Nonprofit running high school exchange programs including Germany-bound options with home-stay placement and CSIET accreditation. Operates at a similar small-to-mid scale and competes for the same families and teacher referrals.
• Nacel Open Door: Nonprofit offering high school student exchange programs including to Germany, with home-stay placement and teacher-supported distribution. Directly comparable operating model at similar small-to-mid scale.
• German American Partnership Program (GAPP): Direct peer operating U.S.–Germany reciprocal high school exchange programs with very similar home-stay and school visitation mechanics. Targets the same teacher-distribution channel in U.S. high schools and is the most directly comparable program to The Friendship Connection.
• Congress-Bundestag Youth Exchange (CBYX): Government-sponsored U.S.–Germany youth exchange program offering scholarships for high school students to study in Germany. Highly comparable in target audience (U.S. high school students of German), geography (Germany), and outcome (language/cultural immersion), though fully funded.
• ASSE International (now Aspect Foundation): Student exchange organization running high school semester and year programs with reciprocal home-stay placements, including Germany-bound offerings. Closely comparable model and target customer.
• Youth For Understanding (YFU): Long-running U.S. nonprofit running high school student exchange programs including to Germany, with comparable home-stay models and teacher/school distribution. Competes for the same pool of U.S. high school families seeking immersive international exchange.

Broad incumbents

• Goethe-Institut: Germany's official cultural institute promoting German language and culture worldwide, including in U.S. high schools. Not an exchange operator, but the dominant force in U.S. German-language education and a natural ecosystem partner/competitor for teacher-channel attention.
• CIEE (Council on International Educational Exchange): Major education organization offering high school study abroad and exchange programs, including Germany-bound options. Operates at significantly larger scale and broader program scope, but competes for the same family and school audiences on similar benefits (language immersion, college-readiness).
• AFS Intercultural Programs: Large established intercultural exchange organization offering year, semester, and short-term high school programs across dozens of countries including Germany. Broader portfolio and global brand, but overlapping value proposition and overlapping customer (German teachers / families) makes it a direct substitute at the upper price tier.

Regional players

• Experiment e.V. (Experiment International Youth Exchange): Germany-based exchange organization that historically hosted reciprocal student exchanges with U.S. schools. Directly comparable in category and bilateral U.S.–Germany logic, but operates primarily as the German-side counterpart and is less prominent in U.S. distribution.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/FConnectionINC
• Facebookfacebook.com/The-Friendship-Connection-Inc-100070950716373
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/friendship-connection

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Subsidiaries1 record

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 The Friendship Connection