Czechoslovak Genealogical Society International

What Czechoslovak Genealogical Society International does

Czechoslovak Genealogical Society International (CGSI) is a Minnesota-incorporated, member-based non-profit founded in 1986 that supports genealogical and heritage research for descendants of ethnic groups with roots in the Czech and Slovak ancestral lands of Central Europe — specifically Czech (Bohemian), German-Bohemian (Böhmisch), Hungarian, Jewish, Moravian, Rusyn (Ruthenian), Silesian, and Slovak lineages. CGSI serves more than 2,000 members across the United States, Canada, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, and other countries through an integrated set of digital and physical resources, including the CGSI Research Collection, Digital Library, professional researcher and translator referrals, webinars, online language classes, and the quarterly Naše rodina journal. Its flagship content initiative is the Denní Hlasatel Archive, for which CGSI acquired digitization and publication rights in September 2023; the project converts microfilm of the 1891-2006 Chicago Czech-language daily into searchable PDFs/ebooks with OCR, with 335 of 550 microfilm rolls already acquired and active fundraising underway. Complementary community projects — Czech and Slovak Cemeteries, Our Villages, and DNA Studies — extend the research toolkit, while the Family Certificate service and a 26-product e-commerce shop selling heritage books, maps, atlases, and language materials provide additional member touchpoints.

The organization operates on a community-led go-to-market model with 1-10 paid staff and a volunteer-driven execution layer. Revenue is diversified across recurring annual membership dues (which gate access to research databases, the digital library, the journal, webinars, and language classes), quarterly journal subscriptions and yearbook purchases, e-commerce shop sales priced between $1 and $35, donations and fundraising campaigns (notably supporting the Denní Hlasatel digitization), and ancillary services such as Family Certificates. Distribution is primarily self-serve through cgsi.org, supplemented by participation in Czech and Slovak heritage festivals (e.g., the Annual Czech Heritage Festival in Bechyn, MN and the Annual Czech and Slovak Festival in Binghamton, NY) and the FEEFHS Annual Conference. CGSI maintains a minor partnership with the Minnesota Genealogical Society (MGS) for shared library resources. The organization is privately held with no parent company, no disclosed institutional investors, and no funding rounds.

Name

Czechoslovak Genealogical Society International

Legal name

Czechoslovak Genealogical Society International

Website

https://cgsi.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1986

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Czechoslovak Genealogical Society International is a Minnesota-based non-profit founded in 1986 that serves more than 2,000 members worldwide with Czech and Slovak genealogical research resources, digitized archives including the Denní Hlasatel newspaper, a quarterly journal, webinars, language classes, and community projects.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Genealogy and heritage research services

NAICS

Libraries and Archives (51921), Libraries and Archives (519210), Business Associations (813910)

SIC

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

akta.pro primary industry

Libraries, Archives & Special Collections (BPAGAHAF)

akta.pro secondary industries

Archives, Special Collections & Preservation Operations (Rare Materials, Conservation) (EDAEAGAJ), Records Digitization & Archiving (Legacy Files, Retention Support) (BPAAAKAG)

Keywords

• Genealogical research services
• Heritage archive digitization
• Ethnic ancestry resources
• Cultural language education
• Historical record publishing

Headquarters

HQ city

Saint Paul

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Membership Dues: Annual membership fees providing access to research resources, databases, digital library, webinars, language classes, the quarterly journal Naše rodina, and networking opportunities with over 2,000 members worldwide.
2. Shop Sales: E-commerce sales of heritage-related products including books (genealogy research, history, cookbooks, travel guides), maps and atlases, language materials (Czech/English dictionaries, German script guides), DVDs, and merchandise. The shop features 26 products across various categories.
3. Quarterly Journal (Naše rodina): Publication of the quarterly journal Naše rodina containing genealogical articles, indexes, and research content available to members and via yearbook purchases.
4. Donations and Fundraising: Volunteer-driven organization that accepts donations to support projects such as the Denní Hlasatel digitization, with fundraising campaigns approaching $10,000-$13,000 for microfilm acquisition and digitization efforts.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

Czechoslovak Genealogical Society International (CGSI) is a non-profit membership-based genealogical society that provides research resources, educational programs, and heritage preservation services for individuals seeking to trace Czech and Slovak ancestry. Members receive access to digitized archives, research databases, a digital library, the quarterly journal Naše rodina, webinars, and language classes. The society operates community-driven projects (cemetery documentation, village records) and sells heritage books, maps, dictionaries, and language materials through its e-commerce shop.

Product overview

Czechoslovak Genealogical Society International (CGSI) operates as a membership-based genealogical and heritage organization offering a unified platform of research resources, educational programs, and heritage preservation services. The core offerings include the Denní Hlasatel Archive (a digitization project of a 1891-2006 Czech newspaper), the CGSI Research Collection and Digital Library for genealogical research, the Naše rodina Quarterly Journal, and community projects like Czech and Slovak Cemeteries and Our Villages. The organization supplements these with Language & Online Classes for Czech and Slovak instruction, Webinars, DNA Studies resources, and a Shop selling published books, maps, and language materials. Membership provides access to these digital resources, while the organization also accepts volunteers and donations for its preservation projects.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• CGSI Annual Membership Annual subscription membership giving individuals access to digitized archives, research databases, the digital library, the quarterly journal Naše rodina, webinars, language classes, and a global community of 2,000+ researchers focused on Czech and Slovak ancestry.
• Denní Hlasatel Archive Digitized archive of the Denní Hlasatel, the longest-running Czech serial newspaper in the world (1891–2006), being converted from microfilm (335 of 550 rolls purchased to date) into searchable PDFs and ebooks for member access.
• Naše rodina Quarterly Journal
• Language and Online Classes
• Czech/English & English/Czech Dictionary
• Genealogy and Heritage Books
• Family Heritage Certificates
• GenSocSoup Webinar Series
• Czech and Slovak Cemeteries Project
• Our Villages Project
• CGSI Research Collection
• CGSI Digital Library

Named customers1 record

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Minnesota Genealogical Society (MGS)minorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorMGS is listed as a Partner organization on the CGSI website, with their Hoffman's Research Library referenced as a resource for members.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• Find My Past: A subscription-based genealogy platform with strong UK and Irish record collections but increasingly expanding into European records. Comparable broad-incumbent subscription model competing for the same hobbyist's budget.
• Ancestry.com: The largest consumer-facing genealogy platform with global record collections, DNA testing, and subscription access. While CGSI's niche Czech/Slovak focus is not directly competitive, Ancestry.com competes for the same members' discretionary subscription dollars.
• MyHeritage: A global genealogy platform offering record access, DNA testing, and family tree tools with strong presence in Europe. Competes with CGSI for paid genealogy subscribers, particularly those with Central European ancestry.
• FamilySearch: A free, large-scale genealogy archive operated by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. A formidable free alternative to CGSI's paid membership, especially as FamilySearch continues ingesting European archival records.

Direct peers

• Minnesota Genealogical Society: A regional genealogy society operating Hoffman's Research Library, explicitly listed as a CGSI partner organization. Same membership-based, library-and-archive-anchored nonprofit model with educational programming and member resources.
• Federation of East European Family History Societies (FEEFHS): An umbrella federation of East European genealogy societies of which CGSI is an active participant at the annual conference. Directly comparable as a membership-based, volunteer-run nonprofit focused on East European heritage research and member services.
• Germanic Genealogy Society (GGS): A Minnesota-based ethnic-heritage genealogy society serving German-American researchers. Same volunteer-driven nonprofit model, member-supported research library, journal publications, and educational programs focused on a specific European ethnic heritage.
• Polish Genealogical Society of America: A US-based ethnic-heritage genealogy nonprofit serving descendants of Polish ancestry with similar offerings: membership dues, research databases, quarterly journal, language resources, and educational programming. Same operating model, parallel ethnic focus.
• JewishGen: A leading Jewish genealogical nonprofit organization offering databases, discussion groups, and educational resources to a global membership. Comparable as an ethnic-specific genealogy nonprofit with similar GTM, content library, and member community approach.

Regional players

• Czech & Slovak Heritage Society of Maryland: A US-based Czech and Slovak heritage nonprofit focused on Maryland-area community. Directly comparable ethnic focus and nonprofit model, but operates regionally and does not compete with CGSI's international research scope.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/czechoslovak-genealogical-society-international-inc

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 Czechoslovak Genealogical Society International