Open Door International

What Open Door International does

Open Door International e.V. is a Cologne-headquartered, German non-profit association (eingetragener Verein) founded in 1984 that organizes international youth exchange programs. It serves three primary customer segments: German students seeking outbound exchange experiences (full-year Schüleraustausch and short-term Kurzzeitprogramme in destinations across the Americas, Europe, and Oceania), German host families receiving inbound international students (including PPP scholarship recipients from the United States), and young German volunteers pursuing development-policy service placements through the BMZ-funded weltwärts program and flexible voluntary services in countries including Mexico, Ecuador, Costa Rica, Ireland, Morocco, and South Africa.

The organization runs a service-based delivery model without proprietary technology. Its product portfolio consists of five core programs: Schüleraustausch, Kurzzeitprogramme, Freiwilligendienste, Gastfamilie werden (host family recruitment), and PPP/CBYX on behalf of the German Bundestag. Supporting offerings include ODI-internal scholarships, partner scholarships, and the Lehrerzimmer resource hub for teachers under the Schule:Global program. Marketing and distribution run through the opendoorinternational.de website, Instagram (@opendoorinternational), newsletters, online info sessions, education fairs, and a community-led referral model supported by approximately 300 active volunteers.

Revenue is generated primarily through one-time exchange program fees paid by participants and their families, with additional inflows from government-sponsored PPP and weltwärts placements and donations via the Verein structure. Pricing is not publicly disclosed; enrollment is handled through direct website inquiry, phone, and email consultations. The organization is a member of AJA (Arbeitskreis gemeinnütziger Jugendaustauschorganisationen), holds the QUIFD Qualitätssiegel, participates in the Initiative Transparente Zivilgesellschaft, and has been recognized by the Deutsche Institut für Service-Qualität as Testsieger among 24 German exchange organizations in two consecutive annual tests.

Name

Open Door International

Legal name

Open Door International e.V.

Website

https://opendoorinternational.de

Company type

Private

Founded year

1984

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Open Door International e.V. is a Cologne-based German non-profit founded in 1984 that organizes international student exchange, short-term programs, voluntary service placements, and host family programs for German students, families, and young volunteers across more than a dozen countries.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Youth Exchange Services

NAICS

Educational Services (611), Educational Support Services (611710)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Secondary School Exchange Programs (Academic Year/Semester) (EDAIAHAB)

akta.pro secondary industries

Short-Term & Summer/Winter Multi-Country Study Abroad Programs (EDAIAAAF), Short-Term Exchange & Visiting Student Programs (EDAIABAG), Gap Year + Study Abroad Hybrid Programs (EDAIAAAG)

Keywords

• Student exchange programs
• International volunteer service
• Host family placement
• Youth cultural exchange
• High school study abroad

Headquarters

HQ city

Köln

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Exchange Program Fees: Revenue generated from fees paid by participants and their families for student exchange programs, voluntary service placements, and short-term programs. As a non-profit organization, fees support program operations, volunteer coordination, and organizational mission.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Open Door International e.V. organizes international student exchange programs (Schüleraustausch and Kurzzeitprogramme) for German teenagers to study abroad in countries such as Argentina, Canada, France, Ireland, New Zealand, Spain, the USA, and others, and recruits German host families for incoming foreign exchange students. It also runs the weltwärts development-policy voluntary service program abroad in countries including Mexico, Ecuador, Morocco, Costa Rica, South Africa, and Ireland, and administers the German-American PPP/CBYX Parliamentary Partnership Program on behalf of the German Bundestag.

Product overview

Open Door International e.V. is a non-profit organization that offers a comprehensive portfolio of intercultural youth exchange programs. The core offerings consist of full-year Schüleraustausch (student exchange) programs, Kurzzeitprogramme (short-term programs), Freiwilligendienste (voluntary service abroad including weltwärts programs), and Gastfamilie werden (host family programs in Germany). The organization also administers a portion of the PPP (Parlamentarisches Patenschafts-Programm) on behalf of the German Bundestag. Supporting offerings include ODI scholarships and partner scholarships for financial assistance, as well as dedicated resources for teachers through the Lehrerzimmer program.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• PPP/CBYX: Parlamentarisches Patenschafts-Programm (Parliamentary Partnership Program) for German-American youth exchange, conducted on behalf of the German Bundestag.
• weltwärts

Products and services

• Schüleraustausch (Student Exchange) Full-year student exchange programs for teenagers to live and study abroad in countries including Argentina, Costa Rica, Ecuador, France, Great Britain, Ireland, Canada, New Zealand, Spain, and the USA. Includes registration, pre-departure seminars, mid-exchange meetings, FAQs, and experience reports. Customers are German students and their parents, supported by host families abroad.
• Kurzzeitprogramme (Short-term Programs) Short-term exchange programs in countries including Argentina, Costa Rica, France, Ireland, Canada, and New Zealand for students seeking a briefer international experience than the full-year Schüleraustausch.
• Freiwilligendienste (Voluntary Service) Voluntary service programs abroad including the weltwärts development-policy voluntary service (Mexico, Ecuador) and the flexible Freiwilligendienst (Costa Rica, Ecuador, Ireland, Morocco, Mexico, South Africa). Projects focus on environmental protection, education, and social responsibility. Customers are young German adults seeking a gap-year or post-education service experience.
• Gastfamilie werden (Host Family Program) Program for German families to host foreign exchange students in their home for a school year or semester. Includes host family questionnaire, profiles of current exchange students, and coordination via ODI's volunteer network.
• PPP/CBYX (Parlamentarisches Patenschafts-Programm) German-American youth exchange program (Parliamentary Partnership Program) operated by ODI on behalf of the German Bundestag. Brings US scholarship recipients to live with German host families and includes vocational high school tracks.
• ODI-Stipendien (ODI Scholarships) Scholarship programs offered directly by Open Door International to provide financial support to students participating in the Schüleraustausch program.
• Stipendien mit Kooperationspartnern (Partner Scholarships) Scholarships offered in partnership with external organizations (e.g., foundations) to support student exchange participants financially.

Quantifiable outcome

• 9.2 out of 10 points rating on weltweiser.de
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered core, flagship and minor.

• AJA (Arbeitskreis gemeinnütziger Jugendaustauschorganisationen)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerODI is a member of AJA, the association of non-profit youth exchange organizations in Germany. This membership ensures adherence to quality standards and ethical practices in youth exchanges, and provides networking within the youth exchange sector.
• German Bundestag (Parliamentary Partnership Program)flagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerODI executes a portion of the Parliamentary Partnership Program (PPP/CBYX) on behalf of the German Bundestag. This prestigious program sponsors German-American youth exchanges with scholarship recipients from the USA hosted in Germany.
• weltwärts (BMZ Program)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner organization for the weltwärts development policy volunteer service program, placing volunteers in environmental protection, education, and social responsibility projects in developing countries.
• Schule:GlobalcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerEducational partnership program bringing international students into German classrooms, coordinated through AJA member organizations.
• QUIFD QualitätssiegelminorOthersQuality seal certification for youth exchange organizations, demonstrating adherence to quality standards.
• Initiative Transparente ZivilgesellschaftminorOthersTransparency initiative for civil society organizations, demonstrating commitment to open and transparent operations.
• Braun-StiftungminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerFoundation partner supporting youth exchange and international understanding programs.
• Internationale Bildungsarbeit (vidi)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner organization for international educational work and youth exchanges.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• AFS Interkulturelle Begegnungen e.V. AFS Germany is one of the largest non-profit international student exchange organizations in Germany, offering full-year and short-term programs in dozens of countries with a volunteer-based host family model — directly comparable to ODI's core Schüleraustausch and Gastfamilie offerings.
• YFU Deutschland (Youth For Understanding): YFU Deutschland is a leading non-profit German youth exchange organization running full-year, semester, and short-term exchanges plus volunteer services — closely matching ODI's product portfolio and target demographic of German secondary school students.
• Kolping-Jugendaustauschwerk: Kolping-Jugendaustauschwerk is a German non-profit that runs high-school exchange programs, voluntary services, and host family placements — directly comparable in product mix, target market, and non-profit/volunteer-driven model to ODI.
• Experiment e.V. Experiment e.V. is a Cologne-based non-profit that organizes international youth exchanges, homestay programs, and voluntary services — overlapping directly with ODI's offerings and serving the same German student market with comparable volunteer-led delivery.
• ICX – Internationaler Kulturaustausch e.V. ICX is a German non-profit specializing in high-school exchange programs and host family placements, operating with a similar AJA-aligned model and targeting the same German secondary school outbound market as ODI.
• GIVE – Gesellschaft für internationale Vorbereitung und Entwicklung e.V. GIVE is a German non-profit focused on international youth exchanges, voluntary services, and intercultural learning — sharing ODI's mission-driven approach, multi-country product set, and volunteer-supported operations.

Emerging players

• Carl Duisberg Centren: Carl Duisberg Centren is a German non-profit offering language courses, study abroad programs, and intercultural training — an adjacent player in the international youth mobility space with partial overlap in short-term programs and language-prep services that complement exchanges.

Others

• AJA (Arbeitskreis gemeinnütziger Jugendaustauschorganisationen): AJA is the umbrella association of non-profit German youth exchange organizations, of which ODI is a member. While not a competitor, AJA sets quality standards and shapes the regulatory/sector context in which ODI and its direct peers operate.
• weltweiser – unabhängige Beratung für Bildung und Austausch: weltweiser is an independent German advisory and review platform for international youth exchange — not a direct competitor but a critical channel and reputation source, where ODI holds a 9.2/10 rating that drives family decision-making.

Broad incumbents

• EF Education First: EF is a global, for-profit incumbent offering language travel, study abroad, and cultural exchange programs for students including Germans. It competes with ODI in the broader international experience market with a much larger, commercially-funded platform.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Instagraminstagram.com/opendoorinternational
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/open-door-international

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 Open Door International