Australian Business Volunteers

What Australian Business Volunteers does

Australian Business Volunteers (ABV) is a registered Australian charity and not-for-profit organization founded in 1981 that deploys skilled business volunteers to deliver capability-building programs for underserved communities. Its core proposition is donating business expertise rather than technology: ABV recruits a network of 300+ professional volunteers who provide mentoring, training, and consulting in areas such as business planning, financial management, marketing, governance, and leadership. The organization delivers programs across three principal verticals: Pacific Business Strengthening (MSME support in PNG, Fiji, Samoa, Vanuatu, Solomon Islands, Tonga, Cook Islands, and Nauru), Disaster and Economic Resilience in rural and regional Australia, and First Nations Entrepreneurship (notably the Martu Business Development Services in Western Australia).

ABV's service portfolio includes named programs such as YES GROW, Fiji THRIVE, Resilient Regions, the Apeketon Business Hub (Lihir, PNG), and the Nauru Business Hub, alongside Corporate Skilled Volunteering engagements. Delivery is geographically distributed through regional program coordinators and supported by physical business hubs. ABV does not operate a technology platform; its competitive advantage derives from 40+ years of community trust, a curated volunteer talent network, and culturally appropriate delivery models. The organization is funded through three revenue streams: government grants (Australian and Victorian, including the Disaster Ready Fund), corporate partnerships (BSP Financial Group, NAB, Newmont, Greatland Gold, Arup), and philanthropic donations. Services are provided free of charge to beneficiaries. ABV is governed by a Board chaired by Helen Conway and led by CEO Liz Mackinlay.

Name

Australian Business Volunteers

Legal name

Australian Business Volunteers

Website

https://abv.org.au

Company type

Private

Founded year

1981

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Australian Business Volunteers is a registered Australian charity founded in 1981 that deploys skilled business volunteers to deliver mentoring, training, and capacity-building programs for MSMEs, First Nations entrepreneurs, and disaster-affected communities across Australia and the Pacific Islands.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

International Development Services

NAICS

Emergency and Other Relief Services (62423), Grantmaking and Giving Services (81321)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300)

akta.pro primary industry

Disaster Relief & Humanitarian Aid Volunteering (EDAIAGAF)

akta.pro secondary industries

Refugee, IDP & Migration Humanitarian Assistance (BPAGAAAH), Education & Teaching Volunteer Programs (EDAIAGAD)

Keywords

• International development volunteering
• Business mentoring services
• MSME capacity building
• Disaster resilience programs
• First Nations entrepreneurship

Headquarters

HQ city

Sydney

HQ country

Australia

HQ region

Oceania

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Government Grants and Funding: ABV receives funding from Australian and Victorian governments through programs like the Disaster Ready Fund, Resilient Regions program, and various international development initiatives.
2. Corporate Partnerships: Partnerships with corporations like NAB, BSP Financial Group, Newmont, Greatland Gold, and others who fund and support volunteer programs and business development initiatives.
3. Philanthropic Funding: Funding from foundations and philanthropic organizations to support specific programs like First Nations entrepreneurship and Pacific business development.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

Australian Business Volunteers places skilled business professionals on pro bono assignments to strengthen MSMEs, First Nations entrepreneurs, and disaster-affected communities across Australia and the Pacific Islands. Services include business mentoring, capacity-building workshops, post-disaster economic recovery support, and dedicated community business hubs. The offering is funded through grants, corporate partnerships, and government contracts and delivered free of charge to beneficiaries.

Product overview

Australian Business Volunteers operates as a single unified service offering—providing donated business expertise through multiple named programs rather than a platform-plus-modules architecture. The core portfolio includes Pacific Business Strengthening, First Nations Entrepreneurship, and Disaster and Economic Resilience programs. These are delivered alongside specialized initiatives: YES GROW for Pacific business development, Fiji THRIVE with BSP Financial Group, Martu Business Development Services for Western Australia First Nations communities, the Apeketon Business Hub in PNG, and the Nauru Business Hub. The Resilient Regions program addresses Australian community disaster resilience, while Corporate Skilled Volunteering connects business professionals as volunteers with communities needing support.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• YES GROW (Your Enterprise Scheme): Business development program for micro, small and medium enterprises across the Pacific Islands region
• Fiji THRIVE
• Resilient Regions
• Martu Business Development Services
• Apeketon Business Hub

Products and services

• Pacific Business Strengthening

Quantifiable outcome

• 604 small businesses strengthened across Pacific Islands region
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers8 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

Eleven partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• BSP Financial Group LimitedcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSeven-year partnership between BSP Financial Group and ABV to strengthen MSMEs across the Pacific Islands. Supports the YES GROW program and Fiji THRIVE, reaching 604+ small businesses including 402 in PNG. BSP provides funding and market access while ABV delivers training and mentoring.
• Newmont Australia (formerly Newcrest Mining)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLong-standing partnership supporting Martu Business Development Program and Apeketon Business Hub in Lihir, PNG. Newmont provides funding, access to local networks, and supports Christmas celebrations for Martu communities.
• National Australia Bank (NAB)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSix-year partnership (since 2017) providing skilled volunteers through NAB's Regional Economic Resilience Pilot Program and Community Strategy Challenges. NAB employees volunteer expertise to support community projects and small businesses.
• City Pharmacy Limited (CPL) Foundation Inc.coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership to deliver business mentoring program for women-led businesses in Papua New Guinea. Supports women trailblazing local entrepreneurship with mentoring and capability development.
• Deakin UniversityminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerResearch partnership with Centre for Humanitarian Leadership (CHL) and Deakin University to explore how communities can lead their own disaster recovery with support from skilled volunteers. Includes Associate Professor Maxine Kelly's involvement in community engagement.
• ArupminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerTechnical expertise donations to ABV programs in Australia. Arup provides highly specialised skills for infrastructure design and planning supporting local economies and disaster resilience.
• Marra Worra Worra Aboriginal CorporationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership with the largest First Nations resource agency in Kimberley (41-year history) to support Martu community members and facilitate access to services and networks.
• Bank of South Pacific (BSP)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMentoring program across Vanuatu, Fiji, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Tonga and Cook Islands since August 2020, supporting micro and small to medium enterprises with training and mentoring.
• Future of Orbost & District (FoOD)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership with community-led governance group responding to impacts of end of native timber harvesting in Victoria's state forests. Supports local economic transition and community resilience.
• Gunaikurnai Land and Waters Aboriginal Corporation (GLaWAC)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership to deliver Business Acumen Workshop on Country, strengthening project planning capability for GLaWAC teams across Country Operations.
• East Gippsland Shire CouncilminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration on Simtable demonstrations and community resilience initiatives in East Gippsland communities.

Scale indicators9 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Australian Red Cross: Major humanitarian organization delivering disaster preparedness, recovery, and community resilience programs across Australia and internationally. Competes for the same government disaster-resilience funding and community-led resilience contracts as ABV.
• Caritas Australia: Australian Catholic agency for international aid and development, with Pacific community programs and disaster response work. Overlaps with ABV on Pacific MSME support, First Nations justice programming, and DFAT funding channels.
• World Vision Australia: One of Australia's largest international development NGOs with broad community, disaster response, and economic development programs across the Indo-Pacific. Overlaps with ABV's Pacific and disaster resilience work as a much larger incumbent competitor for government grants and corporate partnerships.
• Habitat for Humanity Australia: Operates community development, disaster resilience, and volunteer-engagement programs across the Asia-Pacific. Comparable in its use of skilled volunteers and corporate partnerships for community-led resilience outcomes.
• CBM Australia: International development NGO working on disability inclusion in the Indo-Pacific. While focused on a different beneficiary segment, CBM competes with ABV for similar DFAT funding and corporate skilled-volunteering partnerships.

Direct peers

• Voluntary Service Overseas (VSO): Global pioneer in skilled volunteer placement for international development, operating across Africa and Asia-Pacific. VSO's volunteer model, MSME capacity-building programs, and government/donor funding structure closely mirror ABV's approach.
• Business for Development (PwC): Connects corporate capability and skills-based volunteering with MSME development in emerging markets. Closely aligned with ABV's YES GROW, Fiji THRIVE, and Pacific Business Strengthening programs in target beneficiary and funder markets.
• Australian Volunteers International: Australia's other major skilled-volunteer placement organization. AVI deploys Australian professionals across the Indo-Pacific on international development assignments, directly overlapping ABV's Pacific Business Strengthening programs in target markets and funder base.
• Engineers Without Borders Australia: Australian nonprofit deploying skilled professional volunteers to support community development and capacity building in the Indo-Pacific. Comparable volunteer-network business model with focus on technical capacity building for underserved communities.
• RedR Australia: Specializes in deploying skilled humanitarian professionals for disaster response and recovery across the Indo-Pacific. Overlaps directly with ABV's Disaster and Economic Resilience program and shares a similar volunteer-deployment business model.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/@australianbusinessvoluntee1168
• Facebookfacebook.com/abvaustralia
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/australianbusinessvolunteers
• Instagraminstagram.com/abv_aus
• Xx.com/ABV_Australia

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles11 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Australian Business Volunteers