What St Vincent de Paul Society does

The St Vincent de Paul Society (England & Wales) is a Catholic charity and company limited by guarantee (Charity Number 1053992, Company Number 3174679) that delivers free practical and social services to people facing poverty, homelessness, social isolation, and hardship. The organisation operates through a dual delivery model: a network of 11 Community Support Centres (St Vincent's Centres) located across England and Wales in Ely, Chorley, Sheffield, Newcastle, Bradford, Brighton, Leeds, Brixton, Southend-on-Sea and Wirral, supplemented by 9,000 volunteer "Conferences" who conduct home visits and provide person-to-person befriending. Together these reach over 50,000 beneficiaries annually.

The service portfolio spans general community support (food banks, clothing, furniture, transport assistance), specialist programmes for refugees and asylum seekers, prison visiting and resettlement support, free counselling for adults with mild-to-moderate mental health needs (St Vincent's Counselling Service), deaf community services (SVP Deaf Centre Newcastle), supported accommodation, youth engagement (Mini Vinnies, Young Vincentians, Vinnie Camps), and overseas aid through twinning programmes in India, Romania, Grenada, Guyana, Sudan and South Sudan. Underlying technology is conventional charity operations tooling — a charity management platform, website CMS, Google Analytics — integrated with multiple payment processors (Virgin Money, JustGiving, WorldPay, PayPal) and an SMS donation provider (Cymba). AI is used narrowly for supporter profiling and wealth screening to support fundraising, not for service delivery.

The business model is donation-funded: revenue streams include individual donations (online, text, direct mail), the Society Lottery (Gambling Commission account 4662), corporate and legacy giving, and supporter membership. All services to beneficiaries are free of charge. The organisation is led by CEO Kate Nightingale and is governed by a board of trustees with patrons including Archbishop Richard Moth. No revenue, income, or fundraising totals are publicly disclosed in available sources.

Name

St Vincent de Paul Society

Legal name

St Vincent de Paul Society (England & Wales)

Website

https://svp.org.uk

Company type

Private

Founded year

1845

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

The St Vincent de Paul Society (England & Wales) is a Catholic charity operating 11 community support centres and 9,000 volunteer Conferences, delivering free practical assistance, befriending, counselling, and specialist services to over 50,000 vulnerable people annually across England and Wales.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Community Social Services

NAICS

Individual and Family Services (6241), Religious Organizations (8131), Emergency and Other Relief Services (624230), Community Food Services (624210)

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 industries

Housing Assistance & Homeless Services (BPAGAEAB), Community Health, Prevention & Health Education (BPAGACAC), Mental Health & Crisis Support Services (BPAGACAD)

Keywords

• Community support services
• Charitable welfare programs
• Counselling and befriending
• Refugee asylum support
• Volunteer social services

Headquarters

HQ city

London

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices4 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Supply Chain, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Donations and Fundraising: Individual donations received through text giving, online portal, and direct mail. Text giving allows £5 donations with 100% going to SVP.
2. Society Lottery: SVP operates a registered Society Lottery under Gambling Commission regulations (account number 4662). All proceeds from the lottery go to supporting SVP's charitable work.
3. Membership Contributions: Active membership through local Conferences provides volunteer-based service delivery model.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels9 records

Core offering

A Catholic lay charitable society delivering community-based welfare services across England and Wales through 11 Community Support Centres, a national Befriending programme run by approximately 9,000 volunteer members, and a portfolio of additional services including counselling, support for migrants/refugees/asylum seekers, prison visiting, children's Vinnie Camps, Young Vincentians youth groups, supported accommodation and overseas twinning aid.

Product overview

The St Vincent de Paul Society (SVP) England and Wales operates a network of 11 Community Support Projects (St Vincent's Centres) providing free practical and social services to vulnerable communities, including food banks, counselling, and clothing provisions. The organization supplements these centre-based services with befriending programs delivered through 9,000 member Conferences, youth engagement through Young Vincentians groups and Vinnie Camps, specialist support for refugees and asylum seekers, prison visiting services, and international aid through Twinning programs. Additional services include a registered Society Lottery, Text Giving SMS donations, and the St Vincent's Counselling Service. The overall offering is a charity service portfolio rather than a unified technology product.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Vinnie Camps: Children's summer camps providing supervised activities and fun for youngsters aged 8-14 who may need a break due to family problems such as unemployment, illness, bereavement or relationship breakdown.
• Young Vincentians
• Mini Vinnies
• St Vincent's Centres

Quantifiable outcome

• Reaches over 50,000 people annually
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers6 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration6 records

AI capability2 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Local Healthcare Providers (India)minorOthers · 23 January 2026Partnership with local healthcare providers in Mangalore, India for a kidney care initiative supporting families in need.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Citizens Advice: Citizens Advice provides free, confidential advice on financial hardship, benefits, and social welfare issues. SVP's benefits navigation and financial assistance work overlaps directly with Citizens Advice's core offering.
• Crisis UK: Crisis UK works to end homelessness through outreach, education, training, and supported housing. The organisation is directly comparable to SVP's supported accommodation and befriending services for homeless adults with complex needs.
• Age UK: Age UK provides services and advocacy for older people, including befriending, practical support, and advice. SVP's visiting and befriending services for isolated older people are a direct functional overlap.
• YMCA England & Wales: YMCA operates supported housing, youth programmes, and community health services across England and Wales. Its housing and youth work directly overlaps with SVP's supported accommodation, Vinnie Camps, and Young Vincentians programmes.
• Refugee Council: The Refugee Council provides advocacy and direct services for refugees and asylum seekers in the UK. SVP's Migrants, Refugees and People Seeking Asylum support, including ESOL classes and family reunion advocacy, overlaps directly with this specialist charity's mission.
• Caritas: Caritas is the Catholic Church's social action arm, operating across multiple countries with poverty relief, refugee support, and community development programmes. SVP and Caritas share Catholic heritage, faith-motivated volunteerism, and a holistic approach to tackling poverty.
• Trussell Trust: Trussell Trust operates the UK's largest network of food banks, directly comparable to SVP's community pantry and food bank services. Both charities address food insecurity through a network of local centres supported by volunteers and donations.
• The Salvation Army: The Salvation Army is a faith-based charity providing comparable social services including food aid, homeless shelters, refugee support, and prison visiting across the UK. Both organisations share a Christian heritage, volunteer-driven delivery model, and broad service portfolios targeting people in poverty.
• Shelter: Shelter is the UK's leading housing and homelessness charity, directly comparable to SVP's supported accommodation and housing assistance work. Both organisations serve vulnerable individuals and families facing housing crises through advice, advocacy, and direct service delivery.

Broad incumbents

• British Red Cross: The British Red Cross is a much larger humanitarian organisation providing refugee support, emergency aid, and community services. While not faith-motivated, it offers overlapping capabilities in refugee integration and emergency relief comparable to SVP's Twinning and overseas aid programmes.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/SVPEnglandWales
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCLERN0m5qHN-aMacYbHt_PQ
• Facebookfacebook.com/SVPenglandandwales
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/svpenglandwales
• Instagraminstagram.com/svpenglandandwales/?hl=en

Compliance4 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Subsidiaries4 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 St Vincent de Paul Society