HOBY California

What HOBY California does

HOBY California is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization (Federal EIN 33-0204719) that operates as the California chapter of the national Hugh O'Brian Youth Leadership (HOBY) program, founded in 1958. It runs four regional, three-day youth leadership seminars each June in Northern California (Menlo College, Atherton), Cal-Central, Los Angeles (California State University, Long Beach), and Southern California (University of San Diego), serving high school sophomores selected by their schools as ambassadors. The organization also runs the World Leadership Congress (WLC), a week-long international congress for exceptional sophomores, and Community Leadership Workshops (CLeWs), one-day programs for high school freshmen, plus an Alumni Association that sustains engagement through reunions, mentorship, and service projects.

The operating model is entirely volunteer-run, with no paid staff and a Board of Directors composed primarily of HOBY alumni working professionals from companies such as Apple, NextRoll, Numa, DroneDeploy, and UCSF. The technology footprint is minimal: a standard WordPress website (hobyca.org) for program information, registration coordination, and donor engagement, with no proprietary platform or app. Programs are free to student participants, with the 100-hour post-seminar service commitment cited as a measurable civic outcome (over 1,400,000 volunteer service hours annually across HOBY programs nationwide).

Revenue is generated almost entirely through donations and charitable contributions, supplemented by $10 annual Alumni Association dues and corporate sponsorship. The organization reports serving approximately 8,000 tenth graders nationally each year, with the SoCal seminar alone drawing students from over 70 schools. Distribution runs through a school-based ambassador selection model, where high school counselors and teachers nominate sophomore representatives, creating a school-anchored recruitment channel that is the primary driver of student participation.

Name

HOBY California

Legal name

HOBY California

Website

https://hobyca.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1958

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

HOBY California is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that runs four annual regional youth leadership seminars and an Alumni Association for high school students across California, funded by donations and operated entirely by volunteers.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

San Francisco

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, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Donations and Charitable Contributions: HOBY California is funded almost entirely by donations from individuals and organizations. The organization is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit (EIN 33-0204719) and relies on donor support to operate its youth leadership seminars and programs.
2. Alumni Association Membership Dues: Alumni can become members of the HOBY California Alumni Association by paying $10 in annual dues. Hundreds of alumni contribute annually through these dues.
3. Corporate Sponsorship: HOBY encourages social responsibility among individuals and corporations and accepts sponsorship to support programs and activities including seminars, CLeWs, and the Alumni Association.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels7 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

HOBY California operates free, volunteer-led youth leadership development seminars and programs for high school students across California. It runs four regional three-day leadership seminars each June (Northern California, California-Central, Los Angeles, and Southern California), one-day Community Leadership Workshops (CLeWs) for freshmen, the international World Leadership Congress (WLC), and an Alumni Association for ongoing engagement. All programs are funded entirely through donations and are free of charge to student participants.

Product overview

HOBY California is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit youth leadership development organization that operates four regional youth leadership seminars across California (Northern California, California-Central, Los Angeles, and Southern California), each running annually in June. The organization also runs the World Leadership Congress (WLC), a week-long international congress for exceptional sophomores. Additionally, HOBY California offers Community Leadership Workshops (CLeW), one-day programs for high school freshmen, and maintains an Alumni Association to keep program participants engaged through ongoing service opportunities and mentorship. All programs are entirely volunteer-run and focus on developing leadership skills, critical thinking, and community service among high school students.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Northern California Leadership Seminar (NorCal Seminar) A three-day youth leadership development seminar bringing together high school sophomores from Northern California counties. Students participate in critical thinking exercises, mentoring, panel discussions, goal-setting, and project planning, and commit to 100 hours of community service within 12 months of attendance.
• California-Central Leadership Seminar (Cal-Central Seminar) A three-day leadership development program for high school sophomores from Fresno, Kern, Kings, San Luis Obispo, Santa Barbara, Tulare, and Ventura counties. Features motivational activities, mentoring, critical thinking exercises, and community service challenges.
• Los Angeles Leadership Seminar (LA Seminar) A three-day leadership development program for high school sophomores from Los Angeles County, hosted at California State University, Long Beach. Focused on leadership styles, group dynamics, and service to communities, with a 100-hour service commitment within 12 months.
• Southern California Leadership Seminar (SoCal Seminar) A three-day leadership development program bringing together students from over 70 schools across Southern California counties (Imperial, Orange, Riverside, San Bernardino, San Diego). Includes critical thinking, mentoring, panel discussions, goal-setting, project planning with a focus on Leadership for Service, and a 100-hour service commitment.
• World Leadership Congress (WLC) An annual week-long international leadership congress bringing together over 425 exceptional high school sophomores from across the US and around the globe who have completed local HOBY programs, for an immersive leadership experience.
• Community Leadership Workshops (CLeW) One-day leadership programs for high school freshmen designed to bring the HOBY experience to a larger group of student leaders locally. Includes leadership skill development, community leader interactions, group activities, and local community service projects.
• Alumni Association A program supporting HOBY alumni engagement through reunions, service projects, social media outreach, and mentorship, encouraging alumni to return as volunteers. Membership is available for $10 in annual dues.
• Volunteer Program A volunteer engagement program enabling community members to plan and execute the organization's regional seminars and CLeW workshops, supporting youth leadership development across California.

Quantifiable outcome

• 99.7% of surveyed HOBY alumni and volunteers felt that volunteering with HOBY was a positive experience
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers2 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

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• Alex's Lemonade Stand FoundationminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2010Since the inaugural event in 2010, HOBY alumni have volunteered at the annual L.A. Loves Alex's Lemonade Stand event. This culinary event raises funds for childhood cancer research. HOBY alumni served as the volunteer team, and the event has raised millions of dollars for the foundation.
• University of San DiegocoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe University of San Diego hosts the annual HOBY Southern California Leadership Seminar on its campus. The temperate coastal weather and beautiful campus allow for a comprehensive seminar experience. All dorms provided to HOBY programs at USD are newly renovated.
• California State University, Long BeachcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCalifornia State University, Long Beach hosts the annual HOBY Los Angeles Leadership Seminar on its campus. The seminar is held beginning at 7:00-8:00 AM on Friday, June 19th through Sunday, June 21st.
• Menlo CollegecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMenlo College in Atherton hosts the annual HOBY Northern California Leadership Seminar. The 2026 seminar is scheduled for June 12-14 at Menlo College.
• Scott BackovichminorOthersScott Backovich is the featured keynote speaker at HOBY California seminars since 2010. As a youth motivational speaker, he has presented to over 100,000 teens across North America. He is recommended by HOBY as a keynote speaker for leadership conferences and school assemblies.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• YMCA of the USA: Large national nonprofit offering youth development, leadership, and healthy living programs through local branches. Comparable in volunteer-driven, donation-supported youth programming but with a broader wellness and community focus versus HOBY's pure leadership development mission.
• Girl Scouts of the USA: Established youth development nonprofit providing leadership, life skills, and civic engagement programs for K-12 girls. Comparable in scale, donor funding model, and leadership/civic mission, though structured as ongoing membership rather than episodic seminars.
• Boys & Girls Clubs of America: Large national nonprofit offering youth development programming across academic success, healthy lifestyles, and character/leadership. Comparable in donor-funded, volunteer-supported youth development mission but with broader ongoing programming versus HOBY's episodic seminar model.

Direct peers

• 4-H (National 4-H Council): Long-standing youth development nonprofit offering leadership, citizenship, and service-learning programs for K-12 students via clubs, camps, and after-school programs. Comparable in target audience, mission, volunteer-driven model, and service-hour requirements.
• Junior Achievement USA: National nonprofit delivering youth leadership, financial literacy, and career-readiness programs to K-12 students through in-school and after-school formats. Highly comparable as a youth development nonprofit with school-based recruitment and similar donor-supported economics.
• Hugh O'Brian Youth Leadership (HOBY National): National umbrella organization operating the same youth leadership seminar model across all 50 states and internationally. HOBY California is the California chapter of this parent organization, running four regional seminars using identical curriculum and methodology.
• DECA (formerly Distributive Education Clubs of America): Student organization preparing high school leaders for careers in business, entrepreneurship, and leadership through conferences and competitive events. Comparable in school-based recruitment, conference-driven engagement, and youth leadership focus.
• National Student Leadership Conference (NSLC): Provider of summer leadership programs for high-achieving high school students held at university campuses. Directly comparable multi-day summer leadership program format on university campuses targeting the same high school demographic.

Emerging players

• Lead For America: Nonprofit identifying and training emerging leaders for public service through fellowships and leadership development. Comparable in leadership mission and youth-to-career pipeline, though focused on post-college early-career stage rather than high school.
• AIESEC United States: Global youth-led nonprofit focused on leadership development through international exchange and cross-cultural experiences for university-aged youth. Comparable in mission (youth leadership) but serves slightly older demographic and is global rather than domestic.

Market position

Strengths1 record

Weaknesses1 record

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xmobile.twitter.com/hobycaalumni
• Facebookfacebook.com/cahobyalumni
• Instagraminstagram.com/hobycaalumni
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/hoby-california

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles16 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 HOBY California