American Women's Club of Zurich

What American Women's Club of Zurich does

The American Women's Club of Zurich (AWCZ) is a volunteer-run, not-for-profit membership social club founded in 1931 and based at a clubhouse at Höschgasse 38, 8008 Zürich, Switzerland. It serves English-speaking expats of all nationalities living in the Zurich area, with a focus on social networking, cultural exchange, and personal development activities. The club offers 300+ members access to a physical clubhouse, one of the largest English-language libraries in the Zurich area (operated for over 85 years), and a diverse programming portfolio including Bridge, Mah Jong, book clubs, language conversation groups, fitness classes, family events, and an annual Workshop Week. The organization is a founding member of FAWCO (Federation of American Women's Clubs Overseas), an international federation of approximately 12,000 members across 64 clubs in 34 countries with UN consultative status.

The club's technology stack is deliberately lightweight, centered on Wild Apricot, a cloud-based membership management platform that handles CRM, member database, event registration, email communications, newsletter distribution, and online payments. The platform is FADP and GDPR compliant. Supporting integrations include PayPal and TWINT for payments (each with a 4% processing fee), Google/Microsoft/Apple for social login, WhatsApp for group communications, and Libib for the digital library catalog. All operational staff are volunteers; the front desk is staffed by library volunteers on a limited schedule.

Revenue is generated through five primary streams: annual membership dues, business directory listings (CHF 25-75/year), website and newsletter advertising (CHF 165-200/month), event fees (CHF 20-260 per event), and voluntary donations. Pricing is set in Swiss Francs with bank transfer preferred to avoid processing fees. The club also runs a community service program (PhASE) supporting local charities such as FIZ, which assists victims of human trafficking. Distribution is direct and domestic via the clubhouse and a self-serve online platform, with member acquisition driven primarily by word-of-mouth referrals within the Zurich expat community, supported by the website (2,000+ monthly views), monthly newsletter, and social media presence.

Name

American Women's Club of Zurich

Legal name

American Women's Club of Zurich

Website

https://awczurich.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1931

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

The American Women's Club of Zurich is a volunteer-run, not-for-profit social club founded in 1931 that serves English-speaking expats in Zurich with a clubhouse, English-language library, and diverse activity programs including Bridge, Mah Jong, book clubs, and language groups.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Zurich

HQ country

Switzerland

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Membership Dues: Annual membership fees providing access to clubhouse facilities, library, activities, and events.
2. Business Directory Listings: Annual subscription for businesses to list in the AWCZ Business Directory targeting English-speaking expats.
3. Advertising Revenue: Website banner ads and monthly email newsletter advertising sold to businesses targeting the expat community.
4. Event Fees: Registration fees for events, workshops, and classes such as Bridge lessons, social gatherings, and fundraising events.
5. Donations: Voluntary donations from members and supporters, including memorial donations and general club support.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

The American Women's Club of Zurich is a volunteer-run, not-for-profit social club founded in 1931 that provides English-speaking expats in the Zurich area with a social network, an English-language library, clubhouse facilities, and a calendar of activities including Bridge, Mah Jong, book clubs, language conversation groups, fitness classes, family events, and the annual Workshop Week. Paid ancillary offerings include a Business Directory listing for members' businesses, website and newsletter advertising for external businesses, clubhouse space rental, event registration (e.g., Chili Cook Off, Beginner Bridge Lessons), a Friends of the Library annual subscription for non-members, and a gift membership program.

Product overview

The American Women's Club of Zurich operates as a social networking organization offering a unified membership package rather than a traditional tech product. The core offering combines annual membership access with physical/social facilities including an English-language library, clubhouse space, and diverse activity programs (Bridge, Mah Jong, language conversation groups, book clubs, family events). Additional paid services include a Business Directory listing for members' businesses, website and newsletter advertising for external businesses, and clubhouse rental. Members automatically receive FAWCO federation membership connecting them to an international network. The organization also runs community service programs (PhASE) and annual Workshop Weeks. All services are powered by Wild Apricot membership management software with website access via social login providers (Google, Microsoft, Apple) and payment processing through PayPal, TWINT, and bank transfer.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• AWCZ Membership Annual subscription to the American Women's Club of Zurich granting access to the clubhouse, English-language library, all activities (Bridge, Mah Jong, book clubs, language conversation groups, fitness, family events), FAWCO federation membership, and community service opportunities; open to English speakers of all nationalities in the Zurich area.
• Friends of the Library Subscription CHF 75 per 12-month period subscription granting non-members access to the AWCZ English-language library; library access is included for AWCZ members.
• AWCZ Business Directory Listing
• AWCZ Business Directory Listing Annual subscription listing for local businesses in the AWCZ Business Directory, recommended to members and targeting English-speaking expats in Zurich.
• Website and Newsletter Advertising Monthly paid advertising placements for businesses targeting English-speaking expats in Zurich, via the AWCZ website homepage and monthly email newsletter; sold with member discounts and combination/frequency discounts.
• Clubhouse Rental Rental of the AWCZ Clubhouse facilities (event/seminar space, conference room, library lounge, kitchen) at Höschgasse 38, 8008 Zürich for members' and external events.
• Beginner Bridge Lessons Paid beginner bridge lessons taught by Swiss National Team experts, with tiered pricing for members (CHF 20) and non-members (CHF 250, convertible to membership).
• Chili Cook Off Event Registration Ticketed annual Chili Cook Off community/fundraising event; CHF 20 for members, CHF 25 for non-members, children under 14 free, and members who bring chili eat free.
• Gift Membership Gift membership certificates allowing non-members to purchase AWCZ membership for friends or family.

Named customers1 record

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration8 records

Feature1 record

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• FAWCO (Federation of American Women's Clubs Overseas)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 1931AWCZ is a founding member of FAWCO, an international federation of independent organizations with approximately 12,000 members in 64 clubs spanning 34 countries. FAWCO is a not-for-profit, UN-accredited organization (with Special Consultative Status to the UN Economic and Social Council) that promotes the interests of American citizens living abroad. As a member of AWCZ, you are automatically a member of FAWCO.
• The FAWCO FoundationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe philanthropic arm of FAWCO that has donated more than $1,000,000 in educational awards and development grants since 1967. The AWCZ participates in FAWCO Target Programs and club members can apply for FAWCO Foundation awards and grants.
• Wild ApricotcoreTechnology or IntegrationMembership management software provider used by AWCZ for CRM functionality, member database, event registrations, email communications, and online payments. All personal data supplied to this service is protected by FADP and GDPR compliance.
• FIZ (Fachstelle Frauenhandeln und Frauenimmigration)minorOthersLocal charity operating 7 safe houses in Zurich providing support, counseling, and advocacy for over 400 victims of human trafficking each year. AWCZ supports FIZ through toiletries donations and community service activities.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• International Women's Club of Zurich: Local Zurich-based peer serving expat women across nationalities. Directly competes for the same pool of English-speaking expat women in the Zurich area with comparable social and networking activities.
• American Women's Club of Paris: FAWCO member club providing membership-based social, cultural, and charitable programs for English-speaking women in the Paris area, with a comparable activity mix and clubhouse model.
• American Women's Club of Geneva: A fellow Swiss FAWCO member club serving American and English-speaking expat women in Geneva. Operates a similar membership, social, and library model in a comparable Swiss expat environment.
• American International Club of Zurich: Zurich-based club for English-speaking expats, historically with a male/family focus but offering networking and social events that overlap with AWCZ's expat community-serving mission.
• American Women's Club of The Hague: FAWCO-affiliated expat women's club in the Netherlands offering social, cultural, and philanthropic programs parallel to AWCZ's offerings.
• American Women's Club of London: One of the largest and oldest FAWCO member clubs, offering a similar membership structure with social activities, book clubs, and community programs for American women in London.
• American Women's Club of Munich: FAWCO member club in Germany serving English-speaking expat women with a similar membership, activities, and clubhouse-based model.

Broad incumbents

• Federation of American Women's Clubs Overseas (FAWCO): The umbrella federation of which AWCZ is a founding member. FAWCO connects 64 American women's clubs across 34 countries with UN consultative status, making it the broadest comparable organization in AWCZ's ecosystem.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/awczurich
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/awczurich

Compliance2 records

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 American Women's Club of Zurich