Voluntary Action Camden
Voluntary Action Camden is a registered charity and Council for Voluntary Service supporting more than 200 voluntary and community organisations in the London Borough of Camden through free consultancy, training, safeguarding, social prescribing, and strategic representation to Camden Council and the NHS.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1907
- HeadquartersLondon, United Kingdom
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2B and B2C
- OfferingServices
What Voluntary Action Camden does
Voluntary Action Camden (VAC) is a Council for Voluntary Service (CVS) and registered charity (No. 802186), operating as umbrella infrastructure for the voluntary, community and social enterprise (VCSE) sector in the London Borough of Camden. Founded in 1907 as the Hampstead Council for Social Welfare and now a Company Limited by Guarantee headquartered at Greenwood Place, NW5 1LB, the organisation supports roughly 200+ member organisations and the wider Camden community through a portfolio of services including one-to-one consultancy, a free membership programme, training and events, safeguarding support (notably for BAME, faith and supplementary school settings), and co-delivery of the Camden Care Navigation and Social Prescribing Service in partnership with Age UK Camden and Wish+. Operational reach extends into GP practices via embedded Community Links volunteers and onto local authority and NHS boards via formal strategic representation.
VAC's product surface is delivered through a website platform with integrated community directories (including the One Camden directory and a Green Social Prescribing directory), a Salesforce CRM used for member records, service reporting, and directory maintenance, and a Mailchimp-powered weekly newsletter supplemented by on-demand workshop videos and podcasts. It also operates multiple peer networks — the Voluntary Action Forum, Camden CEO Network (launched May 2023), Trustee Network, New Groups Network, and Social Prescribing Learning Network — alongside curated guides covering governance, fundraising, GDPR, safeguarding, digital skills, and Rocket Science MEL evaluation.
The business model is a free membership (freemium) model with no fee-paying members; revenue is generated through grant funding, donations, and partnerships with public sector bodies, principally Camden Council and NHS North Central London. A £500,000 National Lottery award in 2019 underpinned the safeguarding digital resources programme. The organisation employs approximately 10-15 staff and is led by CEO Albie Stadtmiller with a board co-chaired by Chikwaba Oduka and Kathy Elliot. As a charity, VAC reinvests all income into mission delivery rather than distributing profit, and its growth is bounded by the size of the Camden VCSE ecosystem and the priorities of its statutory funders.
Voluntary Action Camden firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Voluntary Action Camden
- Legal name
- Voluntary Action Camden
- Website
- https://vac.org.uk
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1907
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- Voluntary Action Camden is a registered charity and Council for Voluntary Service supporting more than 200 voluntary and community organisations in the London Borough of Camden through free consultancy, training, safeguarding, social prescribing, and strategic representation to Camden Council and the NHS.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Voluntary Action Camden industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Voluntary and community sector infrastructure services
- NAICS
- Civic and Social Organizations (813410)
- SIC
- Services-Membership Organizations (8600)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Volunteerism, Service-Learning & Community Service (EDALAHAG)
Keywords
Where Voluntary Action Camden is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- London
- HQ country
- United Kingdom
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices1 record
Markets served
Voluntary Action Camden business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B and B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Others
Revenue model
- Membership Fees: VAC membership is completely free for community organisations working in Camden, with benefits including consultancy access, training, and networking
- Grant Funding and Donations: Funded through grants, donations, and partnerships with public sector bodies including Camden Council and NHS
- Consultancy Services: Pro bono consulting for organisational problems, with some specialized services available to members as part of free membership benefits
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Freemium | Annual | Free Membership for Camden VCS organisations |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels6 records
Marketing channels7 records
Voluntary Action Camden product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Voluntary Action Camden is a Council for Voluntary Service (CVS) infrastructure organisation that supports the voluntary, community and social enterprise sector in the London Borough of Camden. It delivers a free Membership Program, one-on-one consultancy for organisational development (governance, fundraising, safeguarding, business planning), training events, online guides and resources, fundraising/funders directories, the Camden Care Navigation and Social Prescribing Service (with Age UK Camden and Wish+), the Safeguarding Project for BAME and faith communities, and peer networks including the Voluntary Action Forum, CEO Network, Trustee Network and Social Prescribing Learning Network.
Product overview
Voluntary Action Camden operates as a Council for Voluntary Service (CVS), functioning as an umbrella infrastructure organisation that supports the voluntary and community sector in the London Borough of Camden. Founded in 1907, the organisation provides a comprehensive suite of services including the VAC Consultancy Service for organisational development, the Camden Care Navigation and Social Prescribing Service (delivered with partners Age UK Camden and Wish+), the Safeguarding Project for BAME and faith communities, and a Membership Program. Additional offerings encompass Forums and Networks (CEO Network, Trustee Network, Voluntary Action Forum), Training and Events, Workshop Videos and Podcasts, a Newsletter, Fundraising Services with funding search and funder directories, Guides and Resources covering business planning to GDPR compliance, the Rocket Science MEL Toolkit, Digital Skills support, and Community Directories. The organisation connects the voluntary sector with strategic bodies including Camden Council and the NHS.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- VAC Consultancy Service One-on-one practical support for voluntary and community groups in Camden to set up and develop organisations, covering legal structures, constitutions, governance, safeguarding, financial management, fundraising, and project development. Free to members.
- Camden Care Navigation and Social Prescribing Service Connects Camden residents aged 18+ with non-clinical health, wellbeing and community activities. Delivered in partnership with Age UK Camden and Wish+ via Community Links volunteers and Care Navigators in GP surgeries, remotely and in community settings.
- Safeguarding Project Safeguarding training, consultation and development for BAME community organisations, faith groups and supplementary school settings, delivered as part of the Camden Safeguarding Children Partnership. Includes child safeguarding, vulnerable adults safeguarding and safer recruitment training.
- Membership Program Free membership for voluntary and community sector organisations working in Camden, providing access to one-on-one support, specialist advice, free training courses, networking, weekly newsletter, event promotion, directory listing, forum participation and lobbying support.
- Forums and Networks Peer networks for the Camden VCSE sector including the Voluntary Action Forum, Camden CEO Network, Camden New Groups Network, Camden Trustee Network and Social Prescribing Learning Network. Provide sector collaboration, voice-building and leadership development.
- Weekly Newsletter Weekly e-bulletin with voluntary sector highlights, news and policy coverage, funding news, event listings, jobs, volunteer opportunities and offers for Camden organisations and residents. Distributed via Mailchimp with dedicated Social Prescribing and VAC Forum mailing lists.
- Fundraising Services Funding support for Camden VCSE organisations, including the Funding Search database, Camden Funders directory and Fundraising Guide to help organisations find and apply for funding.
- Community Directories Online directories of community resources in Camden, including the Community Organisations directory, Room Hire directory and Green Social Prescribing activities directory, powered by Advanced iFrame and maintained via Salesforce CRM.
- Guides and Resources Expert guides covering starting an organisation, business planning, digital skills, HR/employment, financial management, fundraising, GDPR, governance, safeguarding, networking, policy and representation, using statistics, DBS, Rocket Science MEL toolkit, social prescribing and cost of living resources.
- Training and Events Training programmes and workshops including child safeguarding, vulnerable adults safeguarding, safer recruitment, governance, communication, volunteer management, fire safety, digital skills, GDPR, cybersecurity, social prescribing and sector-specific workshops. Delivered online and in person; most training free to members.
- Workshop Videos and Podcasts On-demand training content covering digital transformation, GDPR, cybersecurity, Microsoft Teams, Google Workspace, SharePoint, social media marketing, CRM setup workshops and safeguarding podcasts.
Quantifiable outcome
- 70 groups supported in 2022 to set up or grow capacity
- +1 more outcomes
Companies that use Voluntary Action Camden
Customer profileNamed customers8 records
Segments4 records
Ideal customer profiles4 records
Voluntary Action Camden technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Integration7 records
Feature2 records
Voluntary Action Camden partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Nine partnerships are on record, tiered core and secondary.
- Camden CouncilcoreKey strategic partner and local authority. VAC works with Camden Council on community development, policy influence, and strategic planning. Camden Council provides observer representation on VAC's board (Cllr Nash Ali).
- North Central London NHS / Clinical Commissioning GroupcoreStrategic partner in health transformation. VAC works with NHS partners on social prescribing, Care Navigation, and health inequality initiatives. Involved in informing public policy on Integrated Care Systems (ICS).
- Age UK CamdencorePartnership to deliver the Care Navigation and Social Prescribing Service in Camden. Together with VAC and Wish+, they form the delivery team for community health and wellbeing services.
- Wish+corePartner in the Care Navigation and Social Prescribing Service alongside VAC and Age UK Camden, contributing to the integrated approach to community health support.
- MIND in CamdensecondaryPartner in the Healthy Minds programme which offered free activities to support Camden residents with health and wellbeing. VAC organised activities and information sessions with MIND and other local partners.
- Camden Infrastructure Alliance (VAC, VCC, C4)coreAlliance of Camden infrastructure organisations (VAC, VCC, C4) that jointly addresses sector challenges including cost of living crisis response and coordinated support for the VCS sector.
- London PlussecondarySimilar CVS organisation for London providing peer support and collaboration. London Plus has produced resources on the role of CVS organisations and cost of living support.
- Camden Safeguarding Children Partnership (CSCP)coreVAC's Community Safeguarding Partnership Lead coordinates safeguarding training and development for BAME community, faith groups, and supplementary school settings as part of the CSCP.
- National Council for Voluntary Organisations (NCVO)secondaryUmbrella body providing guidance, tools and resources that VAC references and uses. VAC follows NCVO frameworks for CVS functions and best practices.
Scale indicators5 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Voluntary Action Camden competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Hackney CVS: London borough CVS providing membership, training, and networking services to Hackney's VCSE sector. Direct peer in function and geography.
- Voluntary Action Islington: Neighbouring London borough CVS providing the same membership, capacity-building, and VCSE infrastructure services as VAC. Direct peer in geography, scale, and service mix.
- Voluntary Action Brent: London borough CVS providing equivalent capacity-building, membership, and training services to Brent's VCSE sector. Same operational model and geographic scope.
- Voluntary Action Lewisham: South London borough CVS offering capacity-building support, training, and forums to voluntary organisations in Lewisham. Closely comparable service model.
- Voluntary Action Haringey: London borough CVS offering comparable membership, training, and consultancy services to voluntary organisations in Haringey. Functionally interchangeable with VAC at borough level.
- London Plus: London-wide infrastructure body for the VCSE sector, formally identified in VAC's partnership data as a peer support organisation. Both perform the same CVS-style convening role, with London Plus operating at pan-London level and VAC at borough level.
- Tower Hamlets CVS: East London borough CVS performing the same CVS infrastructure role for Tower Hamlets. Comparable scale, member base, and service portfolio.
Broad incumbents
- NAVCA (National Association for Voluntary and Community Action): National membership body for local CVS infrastructure organisations across England. VAC is implicitly a member-type entity within NAVCA's network, providing national advocacy and standards that VAC operates against.
- NCVO (National Council for Voluntary Organisations): UK-wide umbrella for the voluntary sector, explicitly listed as a VAC partner. NCVO provides the policy frameworks, guidance, and benchmarking that VAC disseminates locally to its members.
- Locality: National membership body supporting community-led organisations and local infrastructure bodies. Operates at national scale with comparable themes (community organising, place-based development).
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Voluntary Action Camden social profiles
Digital presenceVoluntary Action Camden financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Voluntary Action Camden leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles14 records
Voluntary Action Camden funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Voluntary Action Camden M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Voluntary Action Camden
What does Voluntary Action Camden do?
Voluntary Action Camden is a Council for Voluntary Service (CVS) infrastructure organisation that supports the voluntary, community and social enterprise sector in the London Borough of Camden. It delivers a free Membership Program, one-on-one consultancy for organisational development (governance, fundraising, safeguarding, business planning), training events, online guides and resources, fundraising/funders directories, the Camden Care Navigation and Social Prescribing Service (with Age UK Camden and Wish+), the Safeguarding Project for BAME and faith communities, and peer networks including the Voluntary Action Forum, CEO Network, Trustee Network and Social Prescribing Learning Network.
Is Voluntary Action Camden a public or private company?
Voluntary Action Camden is a private company. It is classified as nonprofit foundation owned and is currently operating.
When was Voluntary Action Camden founded?
Voluntary Action Camden was founded in 1907. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is Voluntary Action Camden based?
Voluntary Action Camden is headquartered in London, United Kingdom, in the Europe region.
How does Voluntary Action Camden make money?
Three revenue lines are on record. Membership Fees are the primary driver. The others are grant Funding and Donations and consultancy Services.
Who are Voluntary Action Camden's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Hackney CVS, Voluntary Action Islington, Voluntary Action Brent, Voluntary Action Lewisham, Voluntary Action Haringey, London Plus and Tower Hamlets CVS. Broad incumbents are NAVCA (National Association for Voluntary and Community Action), NCVO (National Council for Voluntary Organisations) and Locality.
Does Voluntary Action Camden have an API?
No public API is recorded for Voluntary Action Camden.
What industry is Voluntary Action Camden in?
Voluntary Action Camden's product category is Voluntary and community sector infrastructure services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is EDALAHAG, Volunteerism, Service-Learning & Community Service. Its NAICS code is 813410 and its SIC code is 8600.