Society of St. Vincent de Paul USA

What Society of St. Vincent de Paul USA does

The Society of St. Vincent de Paul USA (legal entity: National Council of the United States, Society of St. Vincent de Paul, Inc.) is a 501(c)(3) Catholic lay charitable organization headquartered in St. Louis, Missouri, and one of the oldest continuously operating human services nonprofits in the United States, founded in 1845. Its mission is to feed, clothe, house, and heal individuals and families who have nowhere else to turn for help, delivered through a network of more than 4,000 parish-based local conferences staffed by approximately 81,000 volunteer members known as Vincentians. Core program offerings include a Homelessness Prevention Program providing rental assistance, the annual Friends of the Poor Walk fundraising event, a retail thrift store chain, food pantry distribution, disaster recovery services operated through an affiliated Disaster Services Corporation, charitable pharmacies providing prescription access, and a Home Visit Program in which volunteers conduct in-person needs assessments, offer prayer and companionship, and deliver direct material aid.

The organization's business model is centered on voluntary charitable contributions supplemented by earned revenue. Funding streams include individual donations (one-time, recurring monthly, and planned giving vehicles such as wills, trusts, beneficiary designations, charitable gift annuities, stock donations, and donor-advised funds), thrift store sales of donated goods, and community/corporate gifts. Beneficiaries — defined as individuals and families facing housing instability, food insecurity, and disaster-related hardship — receive services free of charge. The organization reports distributing more than $1.7 billion in aid annually to over 5 million people nationwide. Its go-to-market approach is community-led: Vincentians conduct home visits, and donor acquisition flows through parish outreach, the website (ssvpusa.org), email newsletters, social media, and the annual Friends of the Poor Walk. Technology infrastructure is limited to a WordPress-based website with online donation capability; no proprietary technology platform, applications, or AI/ML capabilities are disclosed.

Name

Society of St. Vincent de Paul USA

Legal name

National Council of the United States, Society of St. Vincent de Paul, Inc.

Website

https://svdpusa.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1845

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

The Society of St. Vincent de Paul USA is a Catholic 501(c)(3) nonprofit operating through 4,000+ parish-based conferences and 81,000 volunteer Vincentians to provide food, housing, clothing, pharmacy, and disaster aid to more than 5 million low-income individuals annually.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Humanitarian Social Services

NAICS

Religious Organizations (8131), Community Food Services (624210), Emergency and Other Relief Services (624230), Grantmaking and Giving Services (81321)

SIC

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

akta.pro primary industry

Faith-Based Social Services & Community Outreach (Food Pantries, Shelters, Counseling) (BPAGAJAG)

akta.pro secondary industry

Community Foundations (BPAGAKAB)

Keywords

• Humanitarian social services
• Homelessness prevention programs
• Food pantry assistance
• Charitable thrift retail
• Disaster recovery services

Headquarters

HQ city

St Louis

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Others, Marketing or Sales, Supply Chain

Revenue model

1. Individual Donations: Charitable contributions from individuals through the organization's website, including one-time donations, monthly recurring donations, and planned giving vehicles such as wills, trusts, and beneficiary designations.
2. Thrift Store Operations: Revenue generated from retail thrift stores where donated goods are sold at discounted prices to the community.
3. Planned Giving Programs: Charitable gift annuities, stock donations, and donor-advised fund contributions that provide ongoing support.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Society of St. Vincent de Paul USA is a Catholic lay nonprofit that delivers free charitable social services to individuals and families in need. Its core offerings include rental assistance and homelessness prevention, food pantries, thrift stores, charitable pharmacies, disaster recovery, and a volunteer home visit program. These services are funded primarily by individual donations and thrift store sales and delivered through 4,000+ local conferences staffed by 81,000 volunteer Vincentians.

Product overview

The Society of St. Vincent de Paul USA is a charitable non-profit organization, not a technology company. The organization does not offer a unified product platform or software modules. Its offerings consist entirely of charitable programs and services delivered through a network of volunteer members called Vincentians. Programs include homelessness prevention, rental assistance, disaster recovery, thrift stores, food pantries, charitable pharmacies, and the Friends of the Poor Walk. The organization operates through a network of over 4,000 conferences and 81,000 volunteer members serving more than 5 million people annually with over $1.7 billion in aid provided every year.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Homelessness Prevention Program

Quantifiable outcome

• $1.7 billion in aid provided to more than 5 million people annually

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• American Red Cross: Largest US disaster relief and emergency assistance organization. Comparable on disaster recovery and emergency relief services, but operates at much larger scale and broader mission scope.
• Habitat for Humanity International: Faith-inspired nonprofit focused on affordable housing construction and homeownership. Overlaps with SVdP's homelessness prevention mission through a different (build) mechanism.

Direct peers

• Feeding America: Nationwide hunger-relief network operating food banks and pantries. Comparable to SVdP's food pantry and food distribution programs and shares the donor-supported, volunteer-aided model.
• United Way Worldwide: Federated fundraising and grantmaking organization funding local human-service programs. Comparable federation structure to SVdP's 4,000+ conferences and similar mix of community-based aid distribution.
• Catholic Charities USA: National umbrella for Catholic social service agencies delivering food, housing, refugee resettlement, and disaster relief. Closest structural analogue to SVdP, with overlapping faith-based mission and parallel program mix.
• Lutheran Services in America: Network of Lutheran social service organizations delivering aging, food, refugee, and disability services. Comparable faith-based nonprofit structure serving similar vulnerable populations.
• Goodwill Industries International: Nonprofit operating thrift stores whose proceeds fund job training and community programs. Directly overlaps SVdP's thrift store retail model and the broader social-service mission.
• Jewish Federations of North America: Federated faith-based fundraising and social service network. Comparable federation structure, donor-funded social service delivery, and community-rooted service model.
• The Salvation Army: Faith-based nonprofit operating thrift stores, food assistance, disaster relief, and shelter programs across the US. Highly comparable operating model combining retail thrift, volunteer-driven services, and disaster response.
• Volunteers of America: Faith-affiliated nonprofit providing housing, food, and recovery services nationwide. Strong overlap with SVdP's housing and homelessness prevention programs and faith-rooted volunteer identity.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/svdpscc
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/national-council-of-the-united-states-society-of-st-vincent-depaul

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds1 record

Investors1 record

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M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Society of St. Vincent de Paul USA