Friendship Circle of San Diego

What Friendship Circle of San Diego does

Friendship Circle of San Diego is a 501(c)-style nonprofit organization headquartered at 441 Saxony Road in Encinitas, California, serving the greater San Diego County area. Founded in 1993 as part of the broader Chabad.org Friendship Circle network, it pairs children, teens, and adults with disabilities with typically developing peer volunteers to deliver social, recreational, vocational, and educational experiences. Its primary "customer" segment is local families affected by disability, and its volunteer base — including a Teen Leadership Board — functions as the operational backbone of the organization.

The organization's product surface is a portfolio of recurring in-person programs rather than any technology product. Flagship offerings include Sunday Circle (weekly gatherings), Camp Let Loose (summer camp), the annual Friendship Walk & Fair, Friends at Home (one-on-one home visits), Friendship Dojo, Shooting Stars / Lego Builders, Bowling with Me, Men's Club, Women's Circle, Inclusivity Workshops, and JLI Course. These are supported by a Resource Hub of online informational materials and a Photo Gallery. The digital layer — website, program and volunteer registration, donations, and newsletter — runs on the Chabad.org platform, which the organization leverages rather than operates.

Commercially, this is a donor-supported nonprofit with two principal revenue streams: (1) donations and charitable contributions via online giving, stock donations, and Legacy Circle / Legacy Society planned giving, and (2) program fees paid privately or covered by scholarships, priced on a quote basis with financial assistance available. There is no disclosed revenue figure, no headcount data, no funding rounds, no M&A activity, and no proprietary technology IP; the organization holds Charity Navigator 4-Star and GuideStar Gold-Level transparency recognition, which signals credible financial stewardship for a small, volunteer-led regional nonprofit.

Name

Friendship Circle of San Diego

Legal name

Friendship Circle of San Diego

Website

https://friendshipcirclesd.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1993

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Friendship Circle of San Diego is a nonprofit, founded in 1993, that pairs children, teens, and adults with disabilities with typically developing peer volunteers in San Diego County through recurring social, recreational, and educational programs funded primarily by donations.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Disability and Social Services

NAICS

Civic and Social Organizations (8134), Sports and Recreation Instruction (61162)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300), Services-Membership Sports & Recreation Clubs (7997)

akta.pro primary industry

Arts, Sports & Recreation-Based Youth Development Nonprofits (BPAGADAJ)

Keywords

• Disability support services
• Social inclusion programs
• Special needs recreation
• Volunteer community programs
• Vocational training services

Headquarters

HQ city

Encinitas

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. Donations and Charitable Contributions: The organization relies on donations from individuals, families, and community members to fund operations and programs. Multiple donation pathways are offered including online donations, stock donations, and legacy society planned giving.
2. Program Fees and Scholarships: Families can pay privately for programs or apply for scholarships. Pricing appears to be quote-based with financial assistance available for those who qualify.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Friendship Circle of San Diego is a nonprofit organization that provides social, recreational, vocational, and educational programs for children, teens, and adults with disabilities and their families in San Diego County. Programs include Camp Let Loose (summer day camp), Sunday Circle (weekly social/recreational program), Friendship Dojo (martial arts program), and additional inclusion-focused initiatives. The organization relies on a volunteer-driven model and offers scholarships to ensure program accessibility.

Product overview

Friendship Circle of San Diego is a nonprofit organization — not a technology product company — that operates a portfolio of social, recreational, vocational, and educational programs for children, teens, and adults with disabilities and their typically developing peers. Its core offering is a suite of in-person programs centered around inclusion and friendship, including Camp Let Loose, Friendship Walk & Fair, Shooting Stars, Teen Leadership Board, Friendship Dojo, Sunday Circle, Friends at Home, Bowl With Me, Men's Club, Women's Circle, Inclusivity Workshops, Workshops, Parent's Event, JLI Course, and SD COUNTY FAIR participation. These programs are supported by a Resource Hub (online informational materials) and a Photo Gallery. The organization does not offer a unified software platform or SaaS product; instead, it provides direct community-based services driven by volunteer engagement and in-person programming.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Camp Let Loose
• Sunday Circle
• Friendship Dojo Martial arts program tailored for participants with disabilities, focused on physical development, discipline, and confidence-building.
• Vocational and Educational Programs

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Chabad.orgcoreOthersThe organization's website and technology infrastructure is powered by Chabad.org. The website domain uses Chabad.org's web platform and hosting services. This provides the technical backbone for the organization's digital presence, registration systems, and online donation processing.
• Resource Foundation of San DiegominorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborative partner featured in the organization's photo gallery for the 2024 All Inclusive Day of Play event, demonstrating community partnership for inclusive programming.

Scale indicators1 record

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• Easterseals Southern California: Established disability services nonprofit providing recreation, therapy, and community programs across Southern California. Comparable in mission to create inclusion and opportunities for people with disabilities, though with a broader services portfolio.
• Special Olympics Southern California: Large regional nonprofit providing year-round sports training and competition for individuals with intellectual disabilities. Comparable in serving the same population through recreational and inclusive programming in Southern California.

Direct peers

• Best Buddies International: National nonprofit pairing people with intellectual and developmental disabilities with peer buddies for one-to-one friendships, social activities, and employment — overlapping strongly with Friendship Circle's friendship-pairing model.
• Friendship Circle of Michigan: The original flagship Friendship Circle chapter in Michigan, operating the same volunteer-pairing, inclusive-programming model for children and adults with disabilities. Most direct operational peer.
• Friendship Circle International: The parent Friendship Circle network that established the chapter model serving children with disabilities through paired volunteers. Directly comparable as the originating organization for the same chapter-based inclusive programming model.

Emerging players

• Keshet: Jewish disability inclusion nonprofit providing education, programs, and community for individuals with disabilities and their families. Overlaps in the Jewish-community-affiliated disability inclusion space.

Regional players

• Camp Pascucci (via JCC): Jewish community center network providing inclusive summer camps and recreational programming for children including those with disabilities. Comparable as a community-based inclusive recreation provider.
• Jewish Family Service of San Diego: San Diego-based Jewish social services nonprofit serving families and individuals in need, including those with disabilities. Comparable as a regional, Jewish-affiliated community services organization.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/friendshipcirclesd
• Instagraminstagram.com/friendshipcirclesd/?hl=en
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/friendship-circle-of-san-diego

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 Friendship Circle of San Diego