Couchers
 Couchers Happy Couch Logo | |
| Type of business | 501(c)(3) organization non-profit organization |
|---|---|
| Available in | English, German, Chinese (simplified), Portuguese (Barzil) |
| Area served | Global |
| Owner | Couchers Inc |
| Founder(s) | Aapeli Vuorinen Itsi Weinstock |
| Products | Homestay |
| Services | Social networking service, Communication |
| Website | www |
| Users | 50,000 members |
| Launched | 2020 |
| Part of a series on |
| Homestays |
|---|
| Hospitality exchange services |
| Hospitality for work |
| Hospitality for money |
| Home exchange and others |
Couchers is a free, volunteer run, open-source[1], non-profit hospitality exchange service where members find like-minded travellers to interact with, offer and request short-term homestays. The platform is a gift economy — Hosts provide accommodation voluntarily, without financial obligation. The legal form is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization headquartered in Fort Myers, Florida, US.[2] Couchers, Inc. is run by a team of volunteers[3], which is ultimately led by the Board Members[4] of the non-profit, dedicated to serving the community and acting in its interests[5]. Both founders: Aapeli Vuorinen and Itsi Weinstock are also Board Members.[4] Aapeli is functioning as the president and chairman of the foundation.[6]
Couchers provides a free platform for travellers and locals to plan events and exchange hospitality. The organization is - at this stage - funded by donations to cover the costs of hosting the website, development tools and operational expenses including member verification.[7]
The project is funded through donations and receives grants due to its non-profit status.
History
Couchers was founded by Aapeli Vuorinen and Itsi Weinstock[6] during Covid-19 lockdowns and in response to CouchSurfing introducing a paywall[8] to its site. Couchers, Inc. operates the Couchers.org service and project.[9] The platform is built and maintained completely by volunteers and includes a clause which prohibits ever turning into a for-profit corporation.[10] It was designed in response to user concerns about CouchSurfing, focusing on host distribution, safety, and technical functionality
Major Milestones
Since its inception, Couchers has achieved several key milestones that have shaped its development:
- May 2020, launch of couchers.org landing site outlining the vision for couch-surfing.[11][12]
- June 2020, launch of community forum to create a centralized place for feedback.[12]
- August 2020, launch of alpha platform, allowing account creation.[12]
- April 2021, launch of beta version, a usable platform with a new frontend. [12]
- January 2022, Couchers becomes the world's first couch-surfing platform to obtain 501(c)(3) non-profit status in the US[13]
- April 2024, change the founder-leader duo to a more resilient structure with more diversity in leadership and a larger Board of Directors.[14][15]
- April 2025, Couchers reached their Milestone of 50,000 registered members.[16]
References
- ↑ Couchers-org/couchers, Couchers.org, 2025-05-10, retrieved 2025-05-10
- ↑ "Couchers.org Beta". couchers.org. Retrieved 2025-05-09.
- ↑ "Couchers.org Beta". couchers.org. Retrieved 2025-05-09.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 "Couchers.org Beta - Foundation". couchers.org. Retrieved 2024-04-24.
- ↑ "Couchers.org Beta". couchers.org. Retrieved 2025-05-09.
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 "Couchers.org Beta - Team". couchers.org. Retrieved 2024-04-24.
- ↑ "Couchers.org Beta". couchers.org. Retrieved 2025-05-09.
- ↑ "Why is Couchsurfing no longer free?". Couchsurfing FAQs. 2024-03-15. Retrieved 2025-05-09.
- ↑ "Couchers - GuideStar Profile". www.guidestar.org. Retrieved 2024-04-24.
- ↑ "Couchers.org Beta - FAQ". couchers.org. Retrieved 2024-04-24.
- ↑ "couchers.org WHOIS Domain Name Lookup - Who.is". who.is. Retrieved 2025-05-11.
- ↑ 12.0 12.1 12.2 12.3 "Couchers.org Beta". couchers.org. Retrieved 2025-05-09.
- ↑ "Couchers.org Beta". couchers.org. Retrieved 2025-05-09.
- ↑ "Couchers.org Beta". couchers.org. Retrieved 2025-05-09.
- ↑ "Couchers.org Beta". couchers.org. Retrieved 2025-05-09.
- ↑ "Couchers.org Beta". couchers.org. Retrieved 2025-05-09.
External links
This article "Couchers" is from Wikipedia. The list of its authors can be seen in its historical and/or the page Edithistory:Couchers. Articles copied from Draft Namespace on Wikipedia could be seen on the Draft Namespace of Wikipedia and not main one.
