Soroptimist

What Soroptimist does

Soroptimist is a global volunteer nonprofit organization dedicated to providing women and girls with access to the education and training needed for economic empowerment. Its U.S. arm, Soroptimist International of the Americas (SIA), operates two signature programs: Live Your Dream: Education & Training Awards for Women (established 1972, formerly Women's Opportunity Awards), which provides resources to women who are the primary financial supporters of their families; and Dream It, Be It: Career Support for Girls (launched 2014), which delivers career education, goal-setting resources, and professional role models to secondary-school girls facing obstacles to future success. The Northwestern Region — one of several regions within SIA — spans five states (Washington, Oregon, Montana, Alaska, and Idaho) and is organized into 69 local clubs across four districts. Program delivery runs through the local club network and an online application portal (July 1–November 15 application window for U.S./Canada).

Technically, the organization operates a low-footprint stack: a WordPress-based public website (soroptimistnwr.org) for content, contact, and membership inquiry forms; an online application portal hosted by SIA for Dream Programs awards; a Microsoft Teams member portal as the exclusive members-only intranet; and Zeffy for processing new-member dues. There are no proprietary software products, AI/ML systems, or commercial APIs described in the source data. The organization is non-software and does not sell a product in the conventional sense.

The business and funding model is membership-dues-based subscription revenue, supplemented by donations, the annual Soroptimist International President's Appeal (held December 10, Human Rights Day), and Soroptimist Club Grants for Women and Girls. Membership is volunteer-led across a multi-tier federation (club → district → region → federation), with elected officer positions serving two-year terms and a clearly defined leadership pipeline (Governor, Governor-Elect, Secretary, Treasurer, District Directors and Secretaries). Go-to-market is community-led: members are recruited through outreach, word-of-mouth, and the website inquiry form. Global scale is claimed at 80,000+ members across roughly 130 countries and territories, but no revenue, dues schedule, or audited financials are publicly disclosed.

Name

Soroptimist

Legal name

Soroptimist International of the Americas

Website

https://soroptimistnwr.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1972

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Soroptimist is a global nonprofit volunteer organization that runs the Live Your Dream Awards for women and the Dream It, Be It program for girls, delivering education, training, and career support through a federation of local clubs. Its Northwestern Region spans five U.S. states with 69 clubs.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Women and Girls Empowerment Nonprofit Services

NAICS

Educational Services (61), Educational Support Services (6117), Educational Services (611)

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600), Services-Social Services (8300), Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

After-School, Tutoring & Academic Enrichment Nonprofits (BPAGADAC)

akta.pro secondary industries

College & Career Transition Services (Bridge Programs, Dual Enrollment Pathways) (EDAAABAK), Youth-to-Adult Transition & Life Skills (Independent Living, Soft Skills) (EDAAAFAN)

Keywords

• Women empowerment programs
• Education and training awards
• Girls career support
• Volunteer nonprofit services
• Community service clubs

Headquarters

HQ city

Vancouver

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Membership Dues: Soroptimist operates as a nonprofit volunteer organization funded primarily through membership dues collected from its members. The organization collects dues through online payment platforms like Zeffy for new member onboarding.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Soroptimist is a global volunteer nonprofit organization that provides women and girls with access to education and training to achieve economic empowerment. Its core offerings are two flagship Dream Programs: Live Your Dream: Education & Training Awards for Women (established 1972), which assists women who are the primary financial supporters of their families, and Dream It, Be It: Career Support for Girls (launched 2014), which helps secondary school girls overcome obstacles through career education and professional role models. Programs are delivered through 69 local clubs across five U.S. states in the Northwestern Region and supported by member dues, club grants, and an annual President's Appeal.

Product overview

Soroptimist is a global volunteer organization (not a technology company) that operates two main Dream Programs: Live Your Dream: Education & Training Awards for Women (established 1972) and Dream It, Be It: Career Support for Girls (launched 2014). These programs are supported by Soroptimist Club Grants for Women and Girls and the annual President's Appeal. The organization spans 5 states (Washington, Oregon, Montana, Alaska, Idaho) with 69 clubs across 4 districts, serving women and girls through education and economic empowerment initiatives.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Live Your Dream: Education & Training Awards for Women An annual award program that assists women who provide the primary source of financial support for their families, providing resources to improve education, skills, and employment prospects. Applicants in the U.S. and Canada apply through the SIA online Application Portal (open July 1; deadline November 15). The program concludes with the Federation winner announcement in July.
• Dream It, Be It: Career Support for Girls A global program that helps girls in secondary school who face obstacles to their future success by providing access to professional role models, career education, and resources to set and achieve goals. Soroptimist clubs deliver the program in small groups or conference settings covering career opportunities, goal setting, overcoming obstacles, and recovering from setbacks.
• Soroptimist Club Grants for Women and Girls Grants offered by Soroptimist International of the Americas to assist clubs in starting up or continuing community-based projects that improve the lives of women and/or girls.
• Soroptimist International President's Appeal An annual fundraising appeal held on December 10th (Human Rights Day) where the Soroptimist International President asks members to contribute to projects assisting women living in extreme poverty.

Quantifiable outcome

• Live Your Dream Awards helps women improve their education, skills, and employment prospects
• +2 more outcomes

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• Lions Clubs International: Lions Clubs International is a global service-club federation operating a similar dues-funded, club-based model that funds humanitarian initiatives including youth scholarships and women's programs. Comparable organizational scale, structure, and mission overlap.
• United Way Worldwide: United Way is a global nonprofit federation with regional/local chapters that fund education and economic mobility programs for women and families. Soroptimist competes for similar volunteer leadership, donor dollars, and nonprofit visibility in the same Pacific Northwest geography.
• Rotary International: Rotary is the largest and best-known global service-club federation, with similar club, district, and regional structure. While now gender-inclusive, it shares Soroptimist's model of dues-funded clubs executing local service projects and awards/scholarship programs.
• Kiwanis International: Kiwanis is a global volunteer service club federation that funds youth-focused service projects through local clubs. It parallels Soroptimist's club/district/region governance and grassroots fundraising model, with significant overlap in women's and girls' programs.

Direct peers

• Zonta International: Zonta International is a global service organization of professionals that, like Soroptimist, is a membership-based club federation focused on empowering women through education, scholarships, and service projects. The organizations serve overlapping beneficiary populations (women and girls pursuing education) and operate on similar club/district/region structures.
• YWCA USA: YWCA USA is a nonprofit network dedicated to eliminating racism and empowering women, providing direct service programs (housing, employment, education) similar to Soroptimist's economic empowerment focus. It serves overlapping beneficiaries (women and girls facing barriers) and shares a regional chapter structure.
• Junior League: The Junior League is a women's volunteer service organization that trains members in leadership and runs community impact projects. It mirrors Soroptimist's women-only membership model, volunteer-led project structure, and emphasis on leadership development and community service.
• Girls Inc. Girls Inc. inspires girls to be 'strong, smart, and bold' through direct-service programs in education and career exploration, paralleling Soroptimist's Dream It, Be It program. Both organizations deliver structured career-readiness curricula to adolescent girls, particularly those facing obstacles.

Emerging players

• Vital Voices Global Partnership: Vital Voices invests in women leaders worldwide through mentorship, networks, and training programs. It competes for the same donor pool and beneficiary attention as Soroptimist in the women's economic empowerment space, though with a more modern, fellowship-based delivery model.
• Women for Women International: Women for Women International works with women survivors of war and conflict to provide education, vocational training, and economic support. It operates in a similar economic-empowerment-through-education niche as Soroptimist's Live Your Dream Awards, with comparable sponsorship/donor fundraising mechanics.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/soroptimist-international-northwestern-region

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles12 records

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 Soroptimist