What Don Bosco does

Salesianer Don Boscos (Don Bosco) is the Austrian province of the international Catholic religious order Salesians of Don Bosco, headquartered in Vienna at Hagenmüllergasse 31, 1030 Wien, and operating in Austria since 1903. It runs 14 facilities across Austria, including kindergartens, schools, after-school care (Horte), student and dormitory residences, youth centers, and parishes, supported by 6 religious houses and serving approximately 2,000 children and youth aged 1.5 to 18+ years. The organization also operates specialized programs through affiliated entities: VOLONTARIAT bewegt (jointly with Jugend Eine Welt) for international volunteer placements of young Austrians abroad, Don Bosco Sozialwerk for refugee and child-welfare services including the Haus Noah residential home in Vienna, and Don Bosco Mission Austria for international development fundraising.

The underlying operational technology is the Salesian Preventive System, a pedagogical methodology developed by Saint John Bosco over 200 years ago, emphasizing reason, religion, and loving-kindness, and supported by marketing channels such as the donbosco.at website, Facebook/Instagram, a quarterly print and digital Don Bosco Magazine, a monthly email newsletter, the donboscoshop.at merchandise storefront, and an annual report. The organization's GTM is community-led: outreach occurs through parish networks, partner schools (e.g., HTL Fulpmes), regional Salesian communities (Vienna, Fulpmes, Amstetten, Klagenfurt, Unterwaltersdorf, Salzburg, Linz, Stadlau), and event-driven engagement such as Don Bosco Fest, Bible&Beach summer program, and festival chaplaincy at Donauinselfest.

The revenue model combines donations and charitable contributions (via donbosco.at/spenden and Don Bosco Mission Austria), government grants (Austrian Social Ministry and Austrian Development Agency supporting VOLONTARIAT bewegt), and subsidized educational service fees for kindergartens, schools, and dormitories. Pricing is not publicly disclosed and most services are provided free of charge as charitable activity. Customer segments are non-commercial: children and youth, Catholic families, refugees/displaced children, and young adults seeking international volunteer service. Leadership is led by Provincial P. Siegfried M. Kettner SDB, who will be succeeded by P. Peter Rinderer SDB from August 15, 2026.

Name

Don Bosco

Legal name

Salesianer Don Boscos

Website

https://donbosco.at

Company type

Private

Founded year

1903

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Salesianer Don Boscos is the Austrian province of a Catholic religious order, operating 14 facilities across Austria (kindergartens, schools, student housing, youth centers, parishes) to serve approximately 2,000 children and youth aged 1.5 to 18+, with affiliated programs in international volunteering, refugee care, and missionary fundraising.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Youth Education and Social Services

NAICS

Child Care Services (62441), Elementary and Secondary Schools (611110), Child and Youth Services (62411)

SIC

Services-Child Day Care Services (8351)

akta.pro primary industry

Faith-Based Nursery & Playgroups (EDACACAK)

akta.pro secondary industries

School-Age Wraparound Childcare Centers (Holiday/Break Care) (EDACAAAL), On-Site Employer-Sponsored Before/After Care (Early Years) (EDACAHAC)

Keywords

• Youth education services
• Student housing programs
• Religious youth work
• Social welfare services
• International volunteer programs

Headquarters

HQ city

Vienna

HQ country

Austria

HQ region

Europe

Offices11 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Donations and Charitable Contributions: Individual donors support the organization through the website donation portal (https://www.donbosco.at/spenden) and direct contributions to Don Bosco Mission Austria.
2. Government and Ministry Funding: Social ministry funding for volunteer programs; Austrian Development Agency supports international volunteer placements through VOLONTARIAT bewegt.
3. Educational Institution Operations: Running kindergartens, schools, student dormitories, and youth centers with government/subsidized educational funding.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Salesianer Don Boscos operates 14 institutions across Austria including kindergartens, schools, after-school care (Hort), student and pupil dormitories, youth centers, and parishes, serving approximately 2,000 children and youth aged 1.5 to 18+ years. The order provides faith-based educational, pastoral, and social services grounded in the Salesian Preventive System pedagogy, supplemented by international volunteer placements through VOLONTARIAT bewegt and social work with refugees through Don Bosco Sozialwerk.

Product overview

Salesianer Don Boscos in Austria operates a comprehensive portfolio of educational, pastoral, and social service programs for youth. The core offering encompasses running approximately 14 institutions across Austria including kindergartens, schools, student housing (approximately 2000 children and youth aged 1.5 to 18+ years), youth centers, and parishes. Supporting programs include the VOLONTARIAT bewegt international volunteer service, the quarterly Don Bosco Magazin publication, monthly newsletters, the Don Bosco Bildungsforum educational forum, and Don Bosco Sozialwerk social services for refugees and disadvantaged youth. The organization also organizes spiritual pilgrimages and youth programs such as Bible&Beach, providing religious education and youth development services under the Salesian educational philosophy established by Saint John Bosco.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Kindergarten, School and After-School Education
• Student and Pupil Dormitories (Schülerheime)

Quantifiable outcome

• 14 educational and social institutions serving Austria
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers5 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

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Jugend Eine WeltcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2013Joint initiative with Jugend Eine Welt to run VOLONTARIAT bewegt, sending young Austrian volunteers to international social projects. This partnership coordinates approximately 17 volunteers per year to projects in Global South countries.
• Erzdiözese WiencoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerArchdiocese of Vienna collaborates with Salesians on pastoral work, festival chaplaincy (Donauninselfest), and youth ministry.
• Catholic and Protestant Churches (Festival Chaplaincy)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerJoint festival chaplaincy team with 30 trained chaplains providing pastoral care at Donauinselfestival.
• SMDB (Salesianische Mitarbeiter Don Boscos)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAssociation of Salesian employees and laypeople working within the Salesian mission, organizing regional congresses and professional development.
• Don Bosco SozialwerkcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSocial work arm of the Salesians providing refugee services and children's residential care, including the new Haus Noah for children's WG.
• Don Bosco Mission AustriacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMission development organization supporting international Salesian projects including the Bethlehem bakery, Sri Lanka flood relief, and Cuba hurricane recovery.
• Diözese St. PöltenminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerDiocese of St. Pölten collaborates on various parish and youth ministry activities with local Salesian communities.
• Österreichische Ordenskonferenz (ICO)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerAustrian Conference of Religious Orders, of which Salesians are members, undertaking solidarity visits and coordinated advocacy.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Kolping Österreich: Catholic association focused on youth education, vocational training, and adult education across Austria — comparable faith-based educational mission with similar age-segment focus on young people.
• Jugend Eine Welt: Austrian NGO and Don Bosco's actual co-operator of VOLONTARIAT bewegt; runs international volunteer placement and development cooperation programs with directly overlapping operations and donor pools.
• Caritas Österreich: Austria's largest Catholic charity, operating parallel programs in social work, refugee services, child and youth welfare, and supported housing — directly comparable in mission and beneficiary demographics to Salesianer Don Boscos.
• Volkshilfe Österreich: Austrian social services NGO providing family, refugee, and child welfare support with similar target populations to Don Bosco Sozialwerk, including integration and educational assistance programs.
• SOS-Kinderdorf Österreich: Operates residential children's villages and youth welfare programs across Austria, directly comparable to Don Bosco Sozialwerk's Haus Noah residential model and similar child-and-youth services for disadvantaged populations.
• Don Bosco Schwestern (FMA) Österreich: The Salesian Sisters (Daughters of Mary Help of Christians) — the female branch of the Salesian family — operate parallel schools, youth programs, and faith-based education in Austria with the same Salesian pedagogy.
• Diakonie Österreich: Protestant-affiliated social services organization providing refugee care, child welfare, and youth education programs across Austria — a faith-based peer operating in the same beneficiary segments.

Broad incumbents

• Jesuiten (Jesuitenforum) Österreich: Society of Jesus operates faith-based educational institutions and youth programs in Austria (including schools and retreat centers), comparable as a fellow Catholic religious order providing values-based youth education.

Regional players

• Hilfswerk Österreich: Austrian non-profit providing family support, child care, and elderly care services — comparable as a regional non-profit operator in family and youth services with government co-funding.

Emerging players

• Vinzenzgemeinschaft Österreich: Catholic lay charity focused on poverty relief and social services in Austria — comparable as a faith-rooted social welfare provider with overlapping beneficiary demographics and donation-based funding.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/donbosco.at
• Instagraminstagram.com/donbosco.at

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles10 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 Don Bosco