Student Union Netherlands

What Student Union Netherlands does

Studenten Unie Nederland (SUN), also known as Student Union Netherlands, is a Dutch nonprofit student association founded in 1995 and headquartered at Jan Rebelstraat 8, 1069 CB Amsterdam. The organization serves Muslim students in higher education (HBO/WO) across the Netherlands, positioning itself as a 'pluriform' association emphasizing tolerance and openness across political, ethnic, and cultural backgrounds, and grounding its mission in the Prophetic tradition of service to humanity. Its primary customer segment is individual Muslim students seeking halal food access, prayer spaces, culturally relevant activities, mentorship, and community belonging; a secondary interfaith audience is reached through partnerships with Jewish (IJAR) and Christian (CSFR) student associations.

SUN's product portfolio is built around a tiered monthly membership subscription priced at €2-€50 per month, granting access to a calendar of educational workshops (e.g., Tafsir, Aqidah, Science & Islam), skill workshops (calligraphy, archery, horseback riding, ceramics), study trips (Andalusia, Istanbul, European Parliament), and signature annual events such as StreetIFTAR (open-air Ramadan iftar, 5 editions through 2023) and Uniday (European-scale Muslim student gathering). The Gazali Beurs scholarship program, administered in conjunction with IGMG Kuzey Hollanda Universiteliler Başkanlığı, layers financial-aid capability on top of the membership core, and a WooCommerce donation flow accepts voluntary contributions. Distribution and marketing are executed through an owned WordPress/WooCommerce website, Facebook/Twitter/Instagram organic social, an email newsletter, and word-of-mouth referrals within the 107-affiliate IGMG-aligned network.

The business model is a hybrid of subscription recurring revenue (membership tiers), one-time event ticket fees, and voluntary donations, with no external equity funding or commercial sponsors disclosed. Operations are run by a board (Chairman Abdulkadir Geylâni Inan, Vice-Chair Zeynep Çamcı, Secretary Altuğ Karabağ, Treasurer Burak Doğan, and five general board members) supported by an 11-50 person staff. SUN is GDPR/AVG compliant, registered as a Dutch nonprofit, and operates exclusively in the domestic market despite occasional European-scope events.

Name

Student Union Netherlands

Legal name

Studenten Unie Nederland Noord-Nederland

Website

https://studentenunie.nl

Company type

Private

Founded year

1995

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Studenten Unie Nederland is a nonprofit Dutch student association founded in 1995 in Amsterdam that serves Muslim higher-education students through tiered monthly memberships, educational workshops, cultural events, the annual StreetIFTAR, and the Gazali Beurs scholarship program.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Student Association Services

NAICS

Educational Services (611), Educational Support Services (611710), Educational Support Services (61171)

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600), Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Education Grantmaking Foundations (BPAGAKAK)

akta.pro secondary industries

Foundation/NGO & Philanthropic Scholarships (EDAIAOAH), Academic & Education Conference Organizers (THAHACAE)

Keywords

• Student association services
• Membership programs
• Community events
• Educational workshops
• Scholarship administration

Headquarters

HQ city

Amsterdam

HQ country

Netherlands

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Membership Fees: Monthly recurring membership fees ranging from €2 to €50 per month depending on the chosen tier. Members receive access to events, workshops, and community activities.
2. Event Registration Fees: Fees charged for participation in events such as Streetiftar, workshops, seminars, and study trips. Pricing varies for members versus non-members.
3. Donations: Voluntary donations from supporters and members, accepted through the website donation functionality.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Studenten Unie Nederland is a Dutch student association that offers monthly memberships to higher education students, organizes community events (including StreetIFTAR and Uniday), runs educational workshops, seminars and study trips, administers the Gazali scholarship program, and operates a WooCommerce-based online merchandise store for branded goods.

Product overview

Studenten Unie Nederland (SUN) is a pluriform student association that operates primarily as a membership-based organization offering various services and events to its members. The core offerings include a monthly membership subscription (starting at €2/month) providing access to educational workshops, cultural events, seminars, and community activities. Key recurring events include the annual StreetIFTAR during Ramadan, Uniday European student gatherings, study trips, and various skill-building workshops (archery, calligraphy, ceramics, horseback riding). The organization also administers the Gazali Scholarship program and accepts donations through its WooCommerce-powered platform. The product portfolio is built on WordPress with WooCommerce for e-commerce functionality, Caldera Forms for registration, and Paytium for payment processing.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Student Membership (Lid Worden)
• StreetIFTAR
• Gazali Scholarship (Gazali Beurs)
• Educational Workshops and Seminars
• Study Trips
• Uniday
• Boat Tour Events
• Online Merchandise Store

Quantifiable outcome

• Thousands of Muslim students connected through annual events like Uniday across Europe

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• IGMG Kuzey Hollanda (Islamic Community Millî Görüş North Holland)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSUN operates as part of the IGMG (Islamic Community Millî Görüş) structure. The Gazali Bursu scholarship program is administered through IGMG Kuzey Hollanda Üniversiteliler Başkanlığı. SUN functions as the student wing within this larger religious and cultural organization network.
• MGT Jongeren FederatieminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborated with MGT Jongeren Federatie to organize the Al-Quds evening lecture with speaker Selcuk Cicek, chairman of IGMG Students.
• Multi-potentialsminorGTM or Marketing PartnerPartnered with Multi-potentials to organize the 'Banenmarkt' (job fair) event, where SUN promoted the job fair and informed guests about the labor market.
• IJAR (Jewish Student Association)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborated with Joodse studentenvereniging IJAR for the Evolution Debate event, bringing together multi-faith perspectives.
• CSFR (Christian Student Association)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborated with Christelijke studentenvereniging CSFR for interfaith events such as the Evolution Debate.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Regional players

• SPIOR (Stichting Platform Islamitische Organisaties Rijnmond): Dutch regional umbrella platform for Islamic organizations in the Rijnmond area, coordinating community institutions serving Muslim audiences; comparable on mission and constituency but operating at a regional, not student-niche, level.
• CMO (Christelijke studenten organisaties / Christelijke Studentenvereniging): Dutch federation of Christian student associations providing events, community, and identity-based programming to Christian students in the Netherlands — structurally and operationally identical to SUN but for a different faith community.

Others

• Islamic Relief Nederland: Dutch branch of a faith-rooted humanitarian NGO operating in the same donor and supporter demographic as SUN, with comparable reliance on individual donations and community events for fundraising — relevant for benchmarking the Dutch Muslim nonprofit ecosystem.
• LSVb (Landelijke Studentenvakbond): Netherlands-wide student union representing higher-education students through membership, advocacy, and events; structurally analogous to SUN in operating as a Dutch national membership organization for students, though secular in focus.

Broad incumbents

• IGMG (Islamic Community Millî Görüş): The broader transnational faith community within which SUN operates as the student wing; comparable because it shares SUN's target audience base, regional structure, and Dutch/European footprint, but operates as a wider community organization rather than a student-specific niche.

Direct peers

• Erasmus Student Network (ESN): Pan-European network of student associations supporting international and exchange students through events, trips, and community programming; comparable on membership-driven, event-centric delivery to higher-education students across multiple countries.
• FOSIS (Federation of Student Islamic Societies): UK-wide federation of Islamic student societies at universities; the closest international analogue to SUN, operating the same model of affiliated campus societies, educational events, and advocacy for Muslim students. Highly comparable on mission, structure, and programming.
• MSA National (Muslim Students Association of the US & Canada): North American umbrella for Muslim student associations on university campuses; runs conferences, dawah programming, and local chapter support — directly parallel to SUN's affiliate-based, event-driven model for Muslim university students.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xtwitter.com/sunstudenten
• Facebookfacebook.com/StudentenUnieNederland
• Instagraminstagram.com/sunstudenten
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/studenten-unie-nederland

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

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 Student Union Netherlands