Red Cross Finland

What Red Cross Finland does

The Finnish Red Cross (Suomen Punainen Risti, SPR) is a non-profit, non-governmental humanitarian organization headquartered in Helsinki, Finland, founded in 1877 and operating as the Finnish national society of the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement for over 50 years. It serves the general population of Finland and operates internationally, providing disaster relief, first aid training and event response, blood donation services through a separate data-controller subsidiary (Veripalvelu / Finnish Red Cross Blood Service), and a network of Youth Shelters (Nuorten turvatalot) in five cities — Espoo, Helsinki, Tampere, Turku, and Vantaa — offering discussion support, crisis accommodation, and independence support for young people aged 12–29, with digital extensions Nettiturvis, Sekasin chat, and Digiraati.

Its core technology stack is a digital services platform comprising online appointment booking (Outlook/Office 365), the Sekasin chat and Nettiturvis online youth shelter platforms, and the Oma Punainen Risti member/donor management system, with disclosed use of machine-learning profiling and multi-register data integration across members, volunteers, and donors. Accessibility posture is partial: the redcross.fi service is partly compliant with WCAG 2.1 levels A and AA.

The business model is diversified across six revenue streams: individual and corporate donations via SMS keyword (€15 to 16499), MobilePay, and online channels; membership fees; annual fundraising campaigns (Hunger Day, Christmas calendars, raffles under permits RA/2020/1407 and ÅLR 2025/8320); Kontti Second Hand Stores; the Red Cross web shop (e-commerce); and first aid training services. All direct services to beneficiaries are free; the organization is funded by donations, membership, and commercial activities rather than service fees. The leadership is Marja Lehto (President, elected 2026) and Sirpa Solehmainen (Director of Fundraising), with Pentti Savolainen serving as interim Manager of the Youth Shelters programme.

Name

Red Cross Finland

Legal name

Finnish Red Cross

Website

https://redcross.fi

Company type

Private

Founded year

1877

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1,001–5,000 employees

Short description

Finnish Red Cross is a non-profit humanitarian organization serving Finland and operating internationally as part of the Red Cross Movement. It delivers disaster relief, first aid training, blood donation services, and a five-site Youth Shelter network for 12–29-year-olds, funded by donations, membership fees, and retail.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Humanitarian Aid Services

NAICS

Community Food and Housing, and Emergency and Other Relief Services (6242), Emergency and Other Relief Services (624230), Child and Youth Services (62411), Temporary Shelters (624221)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300)

akta.pro primary industry

Refugee, IDP & Migration Humanitarian Assistance (BPAGAAAH)

akta.pro secondary industries

Emergency Shelter, Camp Management & Non-Food Items (NFI) (BPAGAAAC), Refugee & Immigrant Support Services (BPAGAEAI), Disaster Relief & Humanitarian Aid Volunteering (EDAIAGAF)

Keywords

• Humanitarian aid services
• Disaster relief operations
• First aid training
• Youth crisis support
• Blood donation services

Headquarters

HQ city

Helsinki

HQ country

Finland

HQ region

Europe

Offices5 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Supply Chain, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Donations: Individual donations through text messaging (SPR keyword to 16499 for €15), MobilePay, online payments, and disaster relief fund donations. Also supports monthly donor programs and company donations.
2. Membership Fees: Revenue from members who join the Finnish Red Cross through membership programs, paying periodic fees to support organizational activities.
3. Fundraising: Annual fundraising campaigns including Hunger Day collection, Christmas calendars, and raffles. Supported by fundraising permits RA/2020/1407 and ÅLR 2025/8320.
4. Kontti Second Hand Stores: Revenue from Kontti Second Hand Department Stores operated by the organization.
5. Red Cross Web Shop: E-commerce sales through the Red Cross web shop (punaisenristinkauppa.fi).
6. Training Services: Revenue from first aid training programs and services.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

The Finnish Red Cross is a non-profit humanitarian organization that helps people during accidents and crises in Finland and abroad. It runs Youth Shelters with discussion support, crisis accommodation, and independence services for 12-29 year-olds; delivers first aid training and event responder services; operates a Blood Service; collects donations for disaster relief and humanitarian operations nationally and internationally; and raises funds through membership fees, second-hand retail (Kontti), web shop, and campaigns.

Product overview

The Finnish Red Cross operates as a non-profit humanitarian organization offering a diverse portfolio of services. Core offerings include disaster relief operations, volunteer coordination, first aid training and supplies, and international humanitarian aid. The organization provides specialized youth services through Youth Shelters (Nuortenturvatalot) in five cities offering discussion support, crisis accommodation, and independence support, plus Nettiturvis for online support. Additional services include a Blood Service operating as a separate entity, Kontti Second Hand Stores for fundraising, member and donor services, and an Oma Punainen Risti digital app for member/volunteer management. The organization operates under seven fundamental Red Cross principles: humanity, impartiality, neutrality, independence, voluntary service, universality, and unity.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Youth Shelters / Nuorten turvatalot: Youth shelters offering free-of-charge support, discussion help, temporary accommodation, and independence support for young people (aged 12–29) and their loved ones. Available at five physical locations and online via Nettiturvis.
• Nettiturvis
• Sekasin chat
• Digiraati
• Kontti Second Hand Stores
• Punaisen Ristin Kauppa (Red Cross Web Shop)
• Oma Punainen Risti
• Punainen Risti Ensiapu (Red Cross First Aid)

Products and services

• Youth Shelters (Nuorten turvatalot) Specialized free support services for young people aged 12-29 and their families, offering discussion support, crisis accommodation, support for becoming independent, and help with fixing sleep patterns. Available at five physical locations (Espoo, Helsinki, Tampere, Turku, Vantaa) plus national online services.
• Nettiturvis Online discussion help service offered by the Finnish Red Cross Youth Shelters for 12-29 year-olds and their loved ones, providing 1-10 online sessions with trained professionals via chat or video. Free of charge, available by appointment.
• Sekasin Chat Online chat service where young people can talk with reliable adults about anything on their mind. Available in Finnish and Swedish, operated as part of the Youth Shelters programme.
• First Aid Training and Services First aid training courses and on-site first aid responder services at events, delivered by trained volunteers. Training is offered to the general public and schools through ensiapukoulutus.fi.
• Disaster Relief Fund Humanitarian disaster relief operations both in Finland and abroad, funded by donations to the Disaster Relief Fund (e.g., responding to the Venezuela earthquake and the Ukraine crisis).
• Kontti Second Hand Stores Second-hand department stores operated by the Finnish Red Cross (sprkontti.fi) that generate revenue for fundraising purposes through retail sales of donated goods.
• Red Cross Web Shop (Punaisen Ristin Kauppa) Online e-commerce shop selling Red Cross merchandise (punaisenristinkauppa.fi).
• Oma Punainen Risti (Member/Volunteer Portal) Digital platform and app for Red Cross members and volunteers to manage their involvement, sign up for activities, and access services.
• Blood Service (Veripalvelu) Blood donation services operated as a separate data controller within the Finnish Red Cross organization (veripalvelu.fi), serving Finland's healthcare blood supply needs.
• Membership Program Membership program allowing individuals to join the Finnish Red Cross and support its humanitarian mission through periodic membership fees.
• Digiraati Participation and influencing platform for people under 29, enabling young people to make their voice heard and engage in development work with decision-makers. Operated as part of the Youth Shelters programme.

Quantifiable outcome

• 97% of cooperation partners felt that Youth Shelters work is extremely or very significant as part of the service network

Named customers3 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration3 records

AI capability1 record

Feature2 records

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered minor, core and supporting.

• Toledo Fire & Rescue DepartmentminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerRed Cross volunteers collaborated with Toledo Fire & Rescue Department personnel on a smoke alarm distribution campaign following a fatal house fire, demonstrating international humanitarian cooperation.
• National Supervisory Authority for Welfare and Health (Valvira)coreOthersValvira grants special permissions for the use of the red cross protection symbol during peacetime, with consent of the Finnish Red Cross. This regulatory partnership enables ambulances and first aid stations to use the symbol.
• International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent SocietiescoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAs part of the worldwide Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement, Finnish Red Cross operates under the seven fundamental principles and collaborates internationally on humanitarian missions including disaster relief and crisis response.
• International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborates with ICRC on international humanitarian operations, including protection of medical services in armed conflicts and disaster response worldwide.
• MobilePaysupportingTechnology or IntegrationMobilePay is used as a donation payment method, allowing supporters to donate €15 to disaster relief or Finland activities via mobile payment.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Norwegian Red Cross: Fellow Nordic national society running first aid training, refugee integration, youth activities, and voluntary blood donor recruitment. Highly comparable operational footprint and population-scale context.
• British Red Cross: The UK national society of the Red Cross movement with a comparable service mix (refugee support, first aid training, retail fundraising shops, youth programmes). Most directly comparable European peer in size and operating model to Finnish Red Cross.
• Swedish Red Cross: Sister Nordic national society of the movement with overlapping services (first aid, refugee support, youth programmes, fundraising shops) and very similar regulatory and donor environment, making it the most natural regional peer.
• American Red Cross: The U.S. national society of the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement. Operates the same humanitarian mandate, disaster relief, blood services, and youth programmes under the same protected emblem, and is the closest structural peer to Finnish Red Cross globally.

Emerging players

• Finnish Refugee Council: Finnish NGO specialising in refugee advice, integration support, and humanitarian assistance. Directly overlaps with the Finnish Red Cross's international humanitarian and refugee-related work, competing for similar donor funding and partner mindshare in Finland.
• SOS Children's Villages Finland: Finnish affiliate providing residential and family support services for vulnerable children and youth, partially overlapping with Finnish Red Cross's Youth Shelters mission in the same wellbeing services counties.
• Save the Children Finland: Finnish affiliate of a global child-focused NGO with overlapping youth welfare, family support, and emergency relief activities. Competes for corporate partnerships, donations, and policy attention in Finland.
• Mieli Crisis Helpline (Mielenterveystuki): Finnish mental health association operating crisis helplines and online chat support for youth and adults. Directly comparable to the Sekasin chat and Nettiturvis services in target population and delivery model.

Broad incumbents

• Doctors Without Borders Finland (MSF): Finland affiliate of a large global humanitarian medical organisation. Competes for international humanitarian donations and overlaps in emergency response and disaster relief, though its service mix is more medical and less youth-focused.

Regional players

• Estonian Red Cross: Neighbouring Nordic-Baltic national society operating the same movement mandate in a smaller market. Comparable service portfolio, though smaller in scale and adjacent in geography rather than directly competing.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/punainenristi
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/suomen-punainen-risti-tampere
• Instagraminstagram.com/punainenristi
• Xx.com/PunainenRisti

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles13 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 Red Cross Finland