Sar-El
Sar-El is a non-political Israeli non-profit, founded in 1982, that places international civilian volunteers on IDF bases for 1-3 week non-combat logistical assignments. It has served over 292,000 volunteers from 60+ countries and runs paid special programs including a Holocaust remembrance delegation to Poland.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1982
- HeadquartersTel Hashomer, Israel
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingServices
What Sar-El does
Sar-El (full legal name: Sar-El - The National Project for Volunteers for Israel) is a non-political, non-profit organization founded in 1982 by Dr. Aharon Davidi during the first Lebanon War to recruit civilian volunteers who could fill workforce gaps on Israeli kibbutzim and other essential jobs while reservists were deployed. The organization is headquartered in Kiron (Tel HaShomer), Israel, with a regional office in Toronto (Sar-El Canada) and a supplementary operations/support presence via a hostel in Jaffa (Tel Aviv). Since its founding, Sar-El has placed over 292,000 volunteers from more than 60 countries on IDF bases, where participants live in barracks and perform non-combat logistical tasks including packing medical supplies, kitchen assistance, cleaning, maintenance, renovation, gardening, food preparation, and waste disposal. The organization reports approximately 5,000 volunteers per year, with 125,560 lifetime volunteers having served more than five times, indicating strong repeat engagement. It currently operates with only two paid employees in Israel; all other operational staff domestically and internationally are unpaid volunteers.
Sar-El's product portfolio comprises four core offerings: (1) an Individual Volunteering Program offering 1-, 2-, and 3-week base placements; (2) Group Volunteering programs tailored to schools, synagogues, and organizations; (3) Special Programs including Krav Maga, Magen David Adom (Israeli Red Cross) medical support, KKL (Keren Kayemeth LeIsrael) forestry, Kibbutz Mashabei Sadeh agricultural placement, and an Israel Day Parade & Summit track; and (4) the March of the Living Delegation to Poland, a paid week-long Holocaust education journey priced at $1,880-$2,580 per participant for the 2026 cycle. Supporting non-program products include a podcast, blog, photo gallery, and media publications archive. Sar-El does not operate proprietary technology beyond a multilingual registration website (English, French, Spanish) and standard social media channels.
The business model combines a donation-based revenue stream (volunteers self-pay airfare plus make a nominal contribution to participate in standard IDF base programs) with fee-based revenue from special programs such as the March of the Living delegation and donations routed through JGive.com. Go-to-market is event-driven: recruitment runs year-round through the sar-el.org website, social media, blog testimonials, newsletter, and a network of country-specific international representatives in 30+ countries (North America, Latin America, Europe, Australasia, and Africa). Sar-El Canada operates as a dedicated channel entity handling Canadian participants. Partnerships with KKL, Magen David Adom, March of the Living, and Jewish community organizations (Nefesh b'Nefesh and others) form a referral and program-delivery ecosystem. Leadership includes Chairman B. General (res.) Ronen Cohen and CEO Keren Dahan. No revenue figures, funding rounds, or institutional investors are disclosed.
Sar-El firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Sar-El
- Legal name
- SAR-EL - The National Project for Volunteers for Israel
- Website
- https://sar-el.org
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1982
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Short description
- Sar-El is a non-political Israeli non-profit, founded in 1982, that places international civilian volunteers on IDF bases for 1-3 week non-combat logistical assignments. It has served over 292,000 volunteers from 60+ countries and runs paid special programs including a Holocaust remembrance delegation to Poland.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Sar-El industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Non-profit Volunteer Service Programs
- NAICS
- Civic and Social Organizations (813410), Religious, Grantmaking, Civic, Professional, and Similar Organizations (813)
- SIC
- Services-Social Services (8300)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Emergency Response & Search-and-Rescue (SAR) (BPAGAAAA)
Keywords
Where Sar-El is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Tel Hashomer
- HQ country
- Israel
- HQ region
- Middle East
Offices3 records
Markets served
Sar-El business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others
Revenue model
- Volunteer Contributions: Volunteers pay their own airfare and make a nominal contribution to the Sar-El organization to participate in programs.
- Program Fees: Special programs such as the March of the Living delegation have specific program fees ($1,880-$2,580 per person plus single room supplement of $350).
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Other | Multi-year contract | March of the Living Delegation - Option 1 |
| Other | Multi-year contract | March of the Living Delegation - Option 2 |
| Unit Pricing | Multi-year contract | Single Room Supplement |
| Other | Pay-as-you-go | Standard Individual Volunteering |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels4 records
Marketing channels7 records
Sar-El product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Sar-El recruits and coordinates international civilian volunteers to perform non-combat logistical support work on Israel Defense Forces (IDF) bases, including packing medical supplies, kitchen assistance, warehouse work, maintenance, cleaning, gardening, and waste disposal. Programs run year-round in 1, 2, and 3-week formats, with specialized tracks such as Krav Maga, Magen David Adom (Israeli Red Cross), KKL forestry, and Kibbutz Mashabei Sadeh, plus an annual March of the Living educational delegation to Poland. Volunteers pay their own airfare and make a nominal contribution to participate.
Product overview
Sar-El (Volunteer Service for Israel) is a non-political, non-profit organization founded in 1982 that offers structured volunteer programs enabling supporters of Israel to serve on IDF military bases. The organization provides Individual Volunteering programs (1-3 weeks on bases), Special Programs (including Krav Maga, Magen David Adom, KKL, and Kibbutz experiences), and Group Volunteering for organizations. Additional offerings include the March of the Living Delegation to Poland, a podcast series, blog articles, and a media publications archive. All programs focus on non-combat logistical support work such as packing medical supplies, kitchen assistance, storage organization, and facility maintenance. The organization has facilitated over 292,000 volunteers from 60 countries since its founding.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Individual Volunteering Program
Quantifiable outcome
- 292,000 volunteers served since 1982
- +2 more outcomes
Companies that use Sar-El
Customer profileNamed customers3 records
Segments4 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
Sar-El technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Sar-El partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Six partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.
- KKL (Keren Kayemeth LeIsrael)coreSpecialized volunteer program track for KKL tree planting and environmental initiatives in Israel. Sar-El offers dedicated KKL volunteer programs as part of its special offerings.
- Magen David AdomcoreSpecialized volunteer program for Magen David Adom (Israeli Red Cross) emergency medical services training and support.
- Kibbutz Mashabei SadehminorAgricultural kibbutz offering specialized volunteer experience including desert farming and community living.
- March of the LivingcoreAnnual international Holocaust education program where Sar-El organizes delegations to Poland visiting Auschwitz, Birkenau, and other sites of Jewish historical significance.
- International Jewish OrganizationscorePartnership with Jewish community organizations worldwide that refer volunteers to the Sar-El program. Includes Nefesh b'Nefesh and various Zionist organizations.
- Sar-El CanadacoreDedicated Canadian organization (Canadian Volunteers for Israel) coordinating volunteer recruitment and program logistics for Canadian participants.
Scale indicators6 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Sar-El competitors and assessment
Company assessmentOthers
- Jewish National Fund (KKL-JNF): Sar-El's named strategic partner for its KKL volunteer track; develops land and environmental projects across Israel and runs parallel diaspora volunteer programs, making it a channel and program-extending partner rather than direct competitor.
- March of the Living: Annual international Holocaust-education program to Poland with which Sar-El operates its priced delegation product; a tightly integrated content/program partner for Sar-El's heritage-tourism revenue line.
- Magen David Adom: Israel's national emergency medical service and Red Cross society; Sar-El's named partner for its MDA volunteer track — a content and placement collaborator rather than a competitor.
- Hadassah: Major American Zionist women's organization supporting healthcare, education, and Israel-advocacy programs; comparable in mobilizing American Jewish donors and volunteers around Israel-linked causes, but with a medical-education focus rather than military-base service.
- World ORT: Global Jewish education and vocational-training network; thematically adjacent to Sar-El's diaspora-Israel engagement and skill-development mission, but focused on education and technology training rather than military-support volunteering.
Emerging players
- Masa Israel Journey: Sponsors longer-term Israel programs (study, internships, volunteering) for young Jewish adults; intersects with Sar-El in offering structured, time-bounded Israel experiences funded partly by participants, though aimed at younger post-high-school/college cohorts.
- Birthright Israel (Taglit): Sends young Jewish diaspora adults on subsidized heritage trips to Israel; comparable in mobilizing the same Jewish-diaspora customer base for Israel engagement, but delivers tourism/exposure rather than on-base volunteer service.
- Nefesh b'Nefesh: Facilitates North-American aliyah to Israel, including absorption support and community integration; comparable in mobilizing diaspora Jews toward tangible Israel connection, though focused on immigration rather than volunteer labor.
Direct peers
- Friends of the Israel Defense Forces (FIDF): US-based nonprofit supporting IDF soldiers through fundraising, wellbeing programs, and post-service transition; shares Sar-El's core mission of bolstering the IDF via diaspora engagement, though FIDF is donation-led rather than volunteer-labor-led.
Broad incumbents
- American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee (JDC): Large, established global Jewish humanitarian organization operating welfare, rescue, and development programs for Jewish communities worldwide; overlaps with Sar-El in mobilizing diaspora resources for Israel-linked causes but at much larger scale and scope.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses4 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
Sar-El social profiles
Digital presenceSar-El financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Sar-El leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles4 records
Sar-El funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Sar-El 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 Sar-El
What does Sar-El do?
Sar-El recruits and coordinates international civilian volunteers to perform non-combat logistical support work on Israel Defense Forces (IDF) bases, including packing medical supplies, kitchen assistance, warehouse work, maintenance, cleaning, gardening, and waste disposal. Programs run year-round in 1, 2, and 3-week formats, with specialized tracks such as Krav Maga, Magen David Adom (Israeli Red Cross), KKL forestry, and Kibbutz Mashabei Sadeh, plus an annual March of the Living educational delegation to Poland. Volunteers pay their own airfare and make a nominal contribution to participate.
Is Sar-El a public or private company?
Sar-El is a private company. It is classified as nonprofit foundation owned and is currently operating.
When was Sar-El founded?
Sar-El was founded in 1982. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is Sar-El based?
Sar-El is headquartered in Tel Hashomer, Israel, in the Middle East region.
How does Sar-El make money?
Two revenue lines are on record. Volunteer Contributions are the primary driver. The others are program Fees.
Who are Sar-El's main competitors?
Others on record are Jewish National Fund (KKL-JNF), March of the Living, Magen David Adom, Hadassah and World ORT. Emerging players are Masa Israel Journey, Birthright Israel (Taglit) and Nefesh b'Nefesh. Friends of the Israel Defense Forces (FIDF) is listed as a direct peer. American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee (JDC) is listed as a broad incumbent.
Does Sar-El have an API?
No public API is recorded for Sar-El.
What industry is Sar-El in?
Sar-El's product category is Non-profit Volunteer Service Programs. Its primary akta.pro industry code is BPAGAAAA, Emergency Response & Search-and-Rescue (SAR). Its NAICS code is 813410 and its SIC code is 8300.