ECHO: Educational, Charitable, and Humanitarian Organization

What ECHO: Educational, Charitable, and Humanitarian Organization does

ECHO (Educational, Charitable, and Humanitarian Organization) is a 501(c)(3) non-profit founded in 2002 and headquartered in Santa Clara, California, with a sister organization, ECHO-BD, established in Dhaka, Bangladesh in 2011 to manage on-the-ground operations. The organization is 100% volunteer-driven with no paid staff in either the US or Bangladesh, and claims less than 5% overhead, directing 95% of donations to programs. ECHO operates an 11-program portfolio serving underprivileged communities primarily in Bangladesh: Skills Development (vocational training), Orphanage/Shefa Institute (residential care for 60 orphaned girls plus 120 total students), Healthcare (free medical services and satellite clinics), Water & Sanitation (45 deep wells and 50 WASH blocks installed 2016–2023), Education Stipend (350 students across 34 districts in 2025), Feed The Hungry (food distribution to remote areas), Old Home (senior care supported by mango and lemon farm revenue), Emergency Relief, Blanket Distribution, Helping Injured of 2.0 (medical aid to July 2024 uprising victims), and Local Projects (Bay Area homeless and housing support in partnership with Habitat for Humanity and Life Moves).

ECHO's revenue model is purely donation-based, accepting individual gifts, corporate donations, and Zakat/Sadaqah contributions through its website (echo-usa.org), PayPal, Zelle, and major credit cards, with preset giving tiers of $50, $100, $500, and $1,000. The go-to-market motion is community-led and event-driven: fundraising dinners, Iftar events, and word-of-mouth across the Bay Area and Texas Bangladeshi-American diaspora, supplemented by Charity Navigator third-party credibility (EIN 71-0913828). Cumulative donations of $7M+ have been raised since inception. The organization relies on a partner ecosystem in Bangladesh including Givelight Foundation, Impact Initiative, AMAN, BGS, and Visionary Voyage for ground-level program execution, while governance is provided by a Board of Directors, Board of Advisors, and project managers.

The underlying operating model is low-cost, relationship-driven, and vertically diversified across humanitarian verticals rather than focused on a single cause area. There is no proprietary technology platform; ECHO's "product" is program delivery through partner networks. Key leadership includes Monowar Khan (President), Aliya Shafquat (Vice-President), Dr. Maruf Mohammad (General Secretary), and Muhammad Zaman (Treasurer), several of whom hold senior roles in Silicon Valley technology companies and lend operational discipline despite the all-volunteer structure.

Name

ECHO: Educational, Charitable, and Humanitarian Organization

Legal name

Educational, Charitable, and Humanitarian Organization

Website

https://echo-usa.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2002

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

ECHO is a 100% volunteer-run 501(c)(3) non-profit founded in 2002, operating 11 humanitarian programs (education, healthcare, orphanage, WASH, food relief, senior care) primarily serving underprivileged communities in Bangladesh through a Bay Area diaspora donor base and local partner network.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Humanitarian and Charitable Services

NAICS

Business, Professional, Labor, Political, and Similar Organizations (8139), Religious Organizations (8131)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300)

akta.pro primary industry

Refugee, IDP & Migration Humanitarian Assistance (BPAGAAAH)

akta.pro secondary industries

Faith-Based Humanitarian Aid & Relief Ministries (BPAGAJAF), Refugee, Crisis & Humanitarian Education Partnerships (EiE) (EDADALAG), Humanitarian Health & Emergency Medical Relief NGOs (HLAJAKAE)

Keywords

• Humanitarian aid services
• Charitable nonprofit programs
• Orphanage care services
• Community development programs
• Education stipend support

Headquarters

HQ city

Santa Clara

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Donations and Charitable Contributions: ECHO operates as a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization that raises funds through individual donations, corporate donations, and Zakat/Sadaqah contributions. The organization states that $0.95 of every dollar donated goes directly to programs with only $0.05 or less allocated for overhead expenses.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

ECHO is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization that operates a portfolio of humanitarian programs serving underprivileged communities primarily in Bangladesh. The organization delivers vocational skills training, orphanage care through the Shefa Institute, free healthcare services, water and sanitation infrastructure (WASH), education stipends, food distribution, senior care, emergency disaster relief, and blanket distribution. Operations are funded entirely through donations, with 95% of every dollar directed to programs and less than 5% to overhead.

Product overview

ECHO (Educational, Charitable, and Humanitarian Organization) is a 501(c)(3) non-profit charitable organization established in 2002, operating as a platform of humanitarian programs focused on serving underprivileged communities primarily in Bangladesh. The organization offers a portfolio of 11 distinct programs including Skills Development (vocational training), Orphanage/Shefa Institute (residential care and education for orphans), Healthcare (free medical services and satellite clinics), Water & Sanitation/WASH (deep tube wells and sanitation facilities), Education (student stipend program), Local Projects (US community engagement), Feed The Hungry (food distribution), Old Home (senior care), Emergency Relief (disaster response), Blanket Distribution (winter relief), and Helping Injured of 2.0 (medical assistance for protest victims). The organization is 100% volunteer-driven with no paid staff, directing 95% of donations directly to programs with less than 5% overhead costs.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Shefa Institute: An orphanage and adjacent school located in suburban Ashulia, near Dhaka, Bangladesh, established in 2014 in partnership with Givelight Foundation. The school has 120 children enrolled and the orphanage provides for sixty girls.

Products and services

• Skills Development

Quantifiable outcome

• 350 students supported with education stipends in 2025
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration3 records

Partnerships

Eleven partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Givelight FoundationcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2014Partnership established in 2014 to build Shefa Institute - a combined orphanage and school facility in Ashulia, near Dhaka. Land was donated for the project. The institute opened with 50 girls and has grown to serve 60 orphanage residents and 120 total students.
• ECHO-BD (Educational, Charitable, Humanitarian Organization - Bangladesh)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 31 March 2011Sister organization of ECHO-USA established in Dhaka, Bangladesh as the local partner to manage and operate the Orphanage in Ashulia. Over time, extended operations to various other charitable areas. Non-profit, non-political organization focused on helping the poor and needy primarily in Bangladesh.
• Impact Initiative (IMI)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerBangladesh-based humanitarian and development organization established in 1995, registered with Social Welfare Ministry and NGO Affairs Bureau. Specialized in Youth Development programs including Education, Skills Development, Livelihood, WASH, Health and Emergency Response. Works to alleviate poverty among marginalized populations.
• Association for Mass Advancement Network (AMAN)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerNon-profit development organization established in 1995 focused on socio-economic development and human rights for poor and destitute populations. Involved in Health, Education, Safe Water and Sanitation, Rehabilitation, Humanitarian Response, Disaster Management, Women Empowerment, and Climate Change projects.
• Bangla-German Sampreeti (BGS)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerNational NGO and inter-religious development organization established in 1990, registered with Directorate of Social Services and NGO Affairs Bureau. Started with emergency relief for 1991 cyclone victims in Cox's Bazar and expanded to socio-economic development programs in multiple districts.
• Habitat for HumanityminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerInternational housing organization partnering with ECHO for local community projects. ECHO volunteers to construct low-income housing units in the Bay Area.
• Life MovesminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerLocal organization partnered with ECHO for community service projects including hot food distribution to homeless shelters during winter and supplies for families in transitional homeless shelters.
• Muslim Community Associations (MCA) and Milpitas MosqueminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerBay Area faith-based organizations partnering with ECHO for local community engagement and support programs.
• Zakat FoundationminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorIslamic charitable organization partnered with ECHO for local projects including meals and clothes distribution to homeless people.
• Visionary VoyageminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerNonprofit network in Bangladesh consisting of architects and professionals helping injured victims of July revolution with treatment and family support. ECHO is working with them to support critically injured individuals aged 20-51 from unprivileged backgrounds.
• Local Organizations in Bangladesh (Emergency Relief)minorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorECHO partners with trusted local organizations in Bangladesh to deliver emergency relief including food packages, drinking water, medicines, hygiene supplies, and assistance for displaced families during monsoon flooding disasters.

Scale indicators9 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• Mercy Corps: Major international humanitarian NGO operating in Bangladesh and elsewhere with programs in emergency relief, WASH, education, and economic development — broad thematic overlap with ECHO's portfolio at much larger scale.
• BRAC USA: BRAC is one of the largest non-profits operating in Bangladesh, running programs in education, healthcare, skills training, and poverty alleviation — direct thematic overlap with ECHO's multi-sector humanitarian model at much larger scale.
• Habitat for Humanity (US affiliate): ECHO has an existing partnership with Habitat for Humanity on local Bay Area low-income housing builds. Both organizations engage diaspora volunteers in community service and housing/poverty alleviation programs.

Direct peers

• Zakat Foundation of America: US-based Islamic charitable foundation collecting Zakat and funding orphan care, education, healthcare, and emergency relief globally — directly comparable Zakat-driven humanitarian model with US donor base.
• Human Appeal USA: US affiliate of UK-based Islamic humanitarian organization funding orphan sponsorship, emergency relief, WASH, and livelihoods in Bangladesh and other countries — closely comparable faith-based US-raised humanitarian model.
• Penny Appeal USA: Faith-based humanitarian organization with US-based fundraising that runs orphan sponsorship, emergency relief, WASH, and food security programs — closely comparable faith-based diaspora-funded model.
• Humanity & Inclusion (Handicap International): International humanitarian organization supporting vulnerable populations including those with disabilities across Bangladesh and other countries — comparable beneficiary profile and program scope.
• Muslim Aid USA: Islamic charity with US fundraising base supporting orphan care, education, healthcare, and emergency relief across Muslim-majority countries — direct peer in faith-based humanitarian programming.
• Islamic Relief USA: US-based Islamic humanitarian organization raising Zakat/Sadaqah from American Muslim donors and funding programs in education, healthcare, orphan care, and emergency relief — closest direct peer in faith-based humanitarian model.

Regional players

• Bangladesh Friendship Education Society (BFES): Smaller US-based non-profit supporting education and humanitarian programs in Bangladesh via diaspora networks — comparable community-driven model though operating at smaller scale.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/echo-usa

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Subsidiaries1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about ECHO: Educational, Charitable, and Humanitarian Organization