Club Richelieu Ottawa

What Club Richelieu Ottawa does

Club Richelieu Ottawa is a nonprofit francophone community service club founded on 18 September 1945 by Arthur Desjardins in Ottawa, Ontario, recognized as the first francophone service club in the world and the founding club of the international Richelieu movement. The club's mission centers on promoting French language and culture, supporting francophone youth and families in the Ottawa region, and funding community organizations through membership dues, fundraising galas and dinners, and donations processed via the Zeffy platform. Its documented beneficiaries include Patro d'Ottawa, Centre de service à la famille, Centre psycho-social pour enfants et familles, and École l'Alternative d'Ottawa, with cumulative community distributions exceeding CAD 3 million since creation.

The club's operational model is volunteer-led under a small governance board (President Fernand Beauchamp, Vice-President Elizabeth Allard, Treasurer Linda Garand, Secretary Guillaume Koffi, Communications lead Jean Léger) and delivers its impact through core offerings: a membership program, donation collection, community events (inter-club dinners, gala fundraisers such as the 80th anniversary gala scheduled 19 September 2026, lobster galas with peer clubs), and youth bursaries including the Jean-Louis Schryburt Bursary and contributions to the 'Impact Jeunesse francophone' campaign. A boutique online shop is under development to resell donated items as a fundraising channel. Technical infrastructure is minimal: a static website with blog/RSS, a Facebook page, a Zeffy donation form, and direct phone/email contact — there is no proprietary software, no mobile app, and no API.

Revenue mechanics combine three streams: recurring annual membership fees (amounts not publicly disclosed), event-based ticketing (e.g., CAD 75 per person for the Arthur-Desjardins dinner, CAD 40 per person for the inter-club Christmas supper), and donations and auction proceeds routed through Zeffy. Go-to-market is purely community-led: outreach through website, newsletter, Facebook, word-of-mouth within the Francophone network, and inter-club events that double as awareness vehicles for beneficiary organizations.

Name

Club Richelieu Ottawa

Legal name

Club Richelieu Ottawa

Website

https://clubrichelieuottawa.ca

Company type

Private

Founded year

1945

Operating status

Operating

Short description

Club Richelieu Ottawa is a volunteer-led nonprofit francophone service club in Ottawa founded in 1945 as the founding chapter of the Richelieu movement. It raises funds via membership dues, donations, and community events to support francophone youth, families, and partner nonprofits in the region.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Community Service Club

NAICS

Civic and Social Organizations (8134), Grantmaking and Giving Services (81321)

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600)

akta.pro primary industry

Community Fundraisers & Charity Events (Gala/Walks excluded) (MPAGAEAK)

akta.pro secondary industry

Fundraising & Annual Giving (EDALAOAB)

Keywords

• Francophone community services
• Community service club
• Charitable fundraising events
• Francophone youth bursaries
• Membership-based nonprofit

Headquarters

HQ city

Limoges

HQ country

Canada

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Operations, Others, Marketing or Sales, Personnel

Revenue model

1. Membership Fees: Revenue generated from annual membership dues collected from club members.
2. Donations and Fundraising: The club collects donations through Zeffy platform and organizes fundraising events including galas, lobster dinners, and auctions.
3. Event Revenue: Ticket sales for special events such as the Arthur-Desjardins dinner ($75 per person) and Christmas supper ($40 per person).

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Club Richelieu Ottawa is a nonprofit social service club that operates a membership-based francophone community in the Ottawa region. The club organizes fundraising events (galas, lobster dinners, Christmas suppers), processes charitable donations through the Zeffy platform, awards scholarships and bursaries (such as the Jean-Louis Schryburt Bursary) to francophone youth, and hosts inter-club networking dinners for its members and the broader Canadian francophone community.

Product overview

Club Richelieu Ottawa operates as a community organization offering a suite of membership-based services centered on supporting the francophone community in Ottawa. The core offerings include a membership program, donation collection (via Zeffy), community events (galas, inter-club dinners, conferences), and youth bursaries. The organization also maintains a boutique shop for fundraising purposes. There is no unified software platform—the services are delivered through the organization's website and in-person community activities.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Membership Program
• Donation Collection
• Community Events
• Youth Bursaries and Scholarships

Quantifiable outcome

• Over $3M distributed to the francophone community since 1945
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Ten partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• École l'Alternative d'OttawacoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 22 January 2025The club hosted an inter-club dinner where École l'Alternative d'Ottawa gave a presentation. The club presented a $1,000 donation to support the school's educational mission for students with personal challenges.
• Club Richelieu Vanier-LauriercoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 22 January 2025Regular inter-club collaboration with joint events including dinners, lobster galas, and networking gatherings to strengthen ties between francophone clubs in the Ottawa region.
• Centre de Services à la FamillecoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 6 June 2024The club presented a $1,000 donation for the Jean-Louis Schryburt bursary to the Centre de Services à la Famille. The club has a longstanding relationship with this organization considered one of its 'oeuvres' (charitable works).
• OlympiadesminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 3 April 2024Colince Donfack, Director General of Olympiades (olympiades.ca), presented at an inter-club event on April 3, 2024. Olympiades contributes to the intellectual development of francophones.
• MIFO (Mouvement d'implication francophone d'Orléans)minorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 20 March 2024Marie-Claude Doucet, DG of MIFO, gave a presentation at an inter-club event organized by Club Vanier-Laurier on March 20, 2024.
• Centre d'aide et de lutte contre les agressions à caractère sexuelminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 6 March 2024Josée Guindon, Director of the Centre, presented on the organization's history, services, and challenges at an inter-club event on March 6, 2024.
• Fédération des communautés francophones et acadienne du Canada (FCFA)minorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 30 March 2023The club hosted a virtual conference with FCFA President Liane Roy on the topic of affirming the place and status of French in Canada, held on March 30, 2023 via Zoom.
• Club Richelieu LaporteminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 8 December 2022Joint Christmas supper organized with Club Richelieu Laporte at the Rendez-vous des aînés francophones d'Ottawa (RAFO).
• Club Richelieu EmbrunminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 23 May 2022Mentioned as participant in the 2022 reunion event. Celebrating 50th anniversary during that period.
• Club Amitié FrancophoneminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 23 May 2022Participated in the 2022 reunion event along with other regional francophone clubs.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• Knights of Columbus: Catholic fraternal service organization with Canadian councils running membership-based fundraising for charitable causes including youth and education programs. Comparable as a larger fraternal service-club peer with similar dues-and-events revenue model.
• Kiwanis Club of Ottawa: Established service club with a long-standing Ottawa presence focused on youth programming and community grants. Comparable as a peer civic organization using membership dues and event fundraising to disburse funds locally.
• Lions Club International: Major international service club network with local chapters that raise funds via galas, dinners, and donations to support community causes. Comparable as a parallel, larger-scale service club operating model.
• Rotary International (Rotary Club of Ottawa): Global service club network with local Ottawa chapters that operate the same membership-driven fundraising-and-bursary model. Comparable as the dominant Anglophone analog to the francophone Richelieu movement in the same region.

Regional players

• Association des communautés francophones d'Ottawa: Regional francophone umbrella association advocating for and coordinating services to Ottawa's francophone community. Comparable as a peer mission-driven organization supporting francophone community development in the same geography.

Direct peers

• Club Richelieu Vanier-Laurier: A sibling Richelieu club in the Ottawa region that co-hosts galas and inter-club dinners with Club Richelieu Ottawa. It is directly comparable as a member of the same francophone service club network serving the same metropolitan area.
• Richelieu International (Federation): The umbrella federation of the Richelieu service club movement that Club Richelieu Ottawa founded and helped grow to 24+ clubs. Comparable as the governing body of the same network to which the subject company belongs.
• Club Amitié Francophone: A regional francophone social and community club in the Ottawa area that has participated in joint events with Club Richelieu Ottawa. Comparable as a peer francophone community organization offering networking and cultural programming.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights5 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/RichelieuOttawa

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles7 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 Club Richelieu Ottawa