Retrouvaille International

What Retrouvaille International does

Retrouvaille International is a private nonprofit marriage ministry founded in 1977 and headquartered in Sterling Heights, Michigan. It operates an entirely volunteer-run model with 1-10 staff-equivalents and no paid employees, serving married couples primarily in the United States and Canada with additional international reach. The organization delivers a structured 3-phase program consisting of a Weekend Experience held at hotels or retreat facilities, twelve Post-Weekend Sessions conducted over 6-12 weeks, and ongoing monthly C.O.R.E. (Continuing Our Retrouvaille Experience) small-group meetings available both in-person and online. Each weekend is facilitated by three trained presenting couples alongside a clergy member, with the program explicitly rooted in Catholic tradition but open to couples of all faiths or no faith.

The core technology is a peer-led methodology built around communication dialogue tools and structured private exercises, reinforced by 45 years of program refinement and a 5,236-participant longitudinal survey reporting 76% five-year marriage retention and a 95% recommendation rate. Privacy is architecturally protected through private couple exercises and first-name-only identification, distinguishing the offering from group-therapy models. The platform includes the helpourmarriage.org website, a toll-free phone line (1-800-470-2230), and a self-serve 'Find Your Program' locator with English/Spanish/multilingual support.

The revenue model combines non-refundable per-couple weekend registration fees (with the balance due at weekend end, including meals and lodging) with voluntary donations from past participants, which the organization notes are necessary because fees do not fully cover program costs. The organization explicitly does not receive church or denominational funding. Distribution is driven by clergy referrals, marriage therapist recommendations, and word-of-mouth through an alumni community of more than 100,000 couples served over the program's history.

Name

Retrouvaille International

Legal name

Retrouvaille International

Website

https://helpourmarriage.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1977

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Retrouvaille International is a volunteer-run nonprofit founded in 1977 that delivers a 3-phase peer-led marriage healing program—weekend retreat, post-weekend sessions, and ongoing C.O.R.E. support groups—to married couples in distress or seeking enrichment across North America and internationally.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Marriage Support Services

NAICS

Religious, Grantmaking, Civic, Professional, and Similar Organizations (813), Outpatient Mental Health and Substance Abuse Centers (621420)

SIC

Hotels, Rooming Houses, Camps & Other Lodging Places (7000)

akta.pro primary industry

Holistic & Alternative Therapy Retreats (Naturopathy, Energy Work) (THAGAMAI)

akta.pro secondary industry

Yoga & Meditation Experiences (Studio Classes, Guided Meditation, Mindfulness) (THAJAHAA)

Keywords

• Marriage ministry services
• Marriage enrichment programs
• Couples retreat programs
• Marriage support ministry
• Relationship healing programs

Headquarters

HQ city

Sterling Heights

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Operations, Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Weekend Program Fees: Couples pay a non-refundable registration fee to reserve their spot, with the remaining balance due at the end of the weekend. The fee covers meals, lodging, and the full program cost. The organization is entirely volunteer-run with no paid staff.
2. Donations from Past Participants: Fees don't fully cover program costs, so couples are invited to make donations during the weekend to support future couples in need. No church or denomination funding is received.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Retrouvaille International delivers a three-phase, peer-led marriage ministry for married couples. Phase One is a weekend retreat hosted at hotels or retreat centers where three presenting couples and a clergy member guide participants through structured private exercises and dialogue tools. Phase Two consists of 12 post-weekend sessions delivered over 6–12 weeks at local venues. Phase Three is C.O.R.E. (Continuing Our Retrouvaille Experience), an indefinite monthly small-group support program offered both locally and online.

Product overview

Retrouvaille is a single, unified marriage ministry program rather than a multi-product platform. It is structured as a comprehensive 3-phase program: the Weekend Experience (Phase One), Post-Weekend Sessions (Phase Two), and C.O.R.E. (Phase Three). The program is designed to be a complete, ongoing resource that provides couples with tools for communication, conflict resolution, and relationship healing, with support available indefinitely after the initial weekend.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Retrouvaille Weekend Experience Phase One of the Retrouvaille program: a weekend retreat typically hosted at hotels or retreat centers, led by three presenting couples and a clergy member. Couples engage in structured private exercises and learn dialogue approaches for heartfelt communication, returning home with practical tools to re-establish connection.
• Marriage Toolbox Sessions (Post-Weekend Sessions) Phase Two of the Retrouvaille program: a series of 12 follow-up presentations delivered over 6 to 12 weeks by additional couples. Each 2-hour session addresses commitment, love, forgiveness, trust, family of origin, intimacy, and sexual relationship, and couples may repeat sessions as needed.
• C.O.R.E. (Continuing Our Retrouvaille Experience) Phase Three of the Retrouvaille program: monthly small-group support meetings offered both locally and online for couples who have completed the weekend and post-weekend phases. Couples reinforce communication tools, navigate ongoing healing, and strengthen their marriage through continued community interaction.

Quantifiable outcome

• 76% of couples remain married to the same spouse 5 years after attending (based on 5,236 participant survey)
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers8 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• Church Communities/ClergycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerRetrouvaille operates in partnership with church communities and clergy who provide spiritual guidance and referrals. The program cannot function without clergy involvement—a priest or pastor couple is part of every weekend program. Churches are invited to refer struggling couples to the ministry.
• Marriage Counselors and Family TherapistscoreGTM or Marketing PartnerTherapists and counselors recommend Retrouvaille to married clients as a complement to professional counseling. The program provides communication tools while therapists address deeper psychological issues. This creates a referral relationship where Retrouvaille serves as a foundation layer before or alongside therapy.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Emerging players

• BetterHelp / Talkspace: BetterHelp and Talkspace are major online therapy platforms with dedicated couples counseling offerings. They overlap with Retrouvaille's therapist-referred crisis and enrichment segments and represent the scalable, paid, professional alternative to the volunteer-driven peer-ministry model.
• SYMBIS (Saving Your Marriage Before It Starts): SYMBIS provides pre-marriage and marriage assessment tools with facilitator certification, often used by churches and counselors. It overlaps with Retrouvaille's referral channels and audience, but focuses on premarital and early-stage couples rather than crisis intervention.
• MarriageToday (Jimmy & Karen Evans): MarriageToday is a Christian marriage ministry offering conferences, online content, and small-group studies led by Jimmy Evans. It targets a similar faith-based couples audience but leans heavily on digital and broadcast distribution rather than in-person weekend retreats.
• OurRelationship: OurRelationship is a digital, evidence-based self-help program for couples developed with academic and government support. It represents a low-cost, scalable substitute that competes for the same communication-improvement use case, particularly with the enrichment segment of Retrouvaille's audience.
• Lasting (marriage app): Lasting was a mobile-first marriage counseling app offering guided sessions for couples. It overlaps with Retrouvaille's enrichment and communication use cases via a digital delivery model that competes for time and wallet share, particularly among younger married couples.

Broad incumbents

• Catholic Charities USA: Catholic Charities USA is a national network of faith-based social service agencies that often include marriage and family support programs. It overlaps with Retrouvaille in mission and referral channels and could be considered a broader institutional counterpart in the Catholic family-services ecosystem.
• Focus on the Family: Focus on the Family is a large Christian family-support organization offering counseling referrals, marriage resources, broadcasts, and content libraries. While not a weekend retreat operator, it serves overlapping audiences and competes for the same clergy and church-referral channel as Retrouvaille.

Direct peers

• Prepare-Enrich: Prepare-Enrich provides standardized couple and marriage assessment tools and facilitator training programs used by clergy and counselors. It competes with Retrouvaille for the same therapist and clergy referral relationships, though its delivery model is assessment-based rather than retreat-based.
• Worldwide Marriage Encounter: Worldwide Marriage Encounter is a Catholic-rooted marriage enrichment ministry that runs weekend retreats using a peer-presenter model very similar to Retrouvaille. It is the closest direct peer in terms of program structure, faith-based origin, volunteer-driven delivery, and target audience of married couples.
• FamilyLife: FamilyLife (a ministry of Cru) runs marriage conferences, weekend retreats, and home-study programs aimed at strengthening marriages from a Christian perspective. It competes with Retrouvaille for the same faith-based couples seeking enrichment and crisis support, with a larger media and content footprint.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/HelpOurMarriage
• Facebookfacebook.com/retrouvaillesavingmarriages
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/michiganmarriagehelp

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 Retrouvaille International