VOW for Girls

What VOW for Girls does

VOW for Girls, Inc. is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization founded in 2018 by human rights activist Mabel van Oranje in partnership with Ford Foundation president Darren Walker. The organization addresses the global child marriage crisis — which affects 720 million women alive today and 12 million girls annually — by channeling donations and commercial partnerships from the wedding industry toward grassroots organizations providing education, economic opportunity, and protective services to at-risk girls. Since inception, VOW reports its programming has directly impacted 500,000+ girls and indirectly reached 3 million people through 200+ community-based grantees operating in 22 countries, with 85%+ of grantees being women-led organizations.

VOW's product surface consists of a charitable wedding registry and giving page (integrated with Zola, The Knot, Honeyfund, Amazon, and Evite), an online donation portal accepting credit cards, PayPal, Venmo, Apple Pay, Google Pay, DAFs, cryptocurrency, and stock gifts, and a marketplace of 20+ brand partners donating 1%–50% of sales. Subscription revenue comes from VOW Pro membership ($30/month or $360/year) serving wedding professionals, with a VOW Pro+ tier above. Recurring community engagement is driven by the Ambassador program (with quarterly posting commitments), the Girls Night hosted-fundraiser model, and the annual 'For Every Girl, With Love' retail campaign aligned with International Day of the Girl (October 9–11). Fundraising is diversified across individual donations, foundation grants (Ford Foundation, Kendeda Fund, Open Society Foundations, Start Small), corporate cause-marketing, and the 'Happily Ever After' romance community sweepstakes.

The business model separates public-facing donations — 100% of which flow to community programs — from operational costs, which are underwritten by a small set of institutional funders. Grantmaking is executed through the affiliated Girls First Fund, which holds the granting expertise while VOW retains donor-mobilization focus. The organization is led by CEO Jessica Jackley (founder of Kiva, appointed 2026), with a lean core staff of approximately five, and holds the Candid Platinum Transparency Seal (2024).

Name

VOW for Girls

Legal name

VOW for Girls, Inc.

Website

https://vowforgirls.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2018

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

VOW for Girls is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that channels donations and commercial partnerships from the global wedding industry toward grassroots organizations working to end child marriage, supporting 200+ grantees across 22 countries that have impacted 500,000+ girls since 2018.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Charitable Nonprofit (Girls' Rights & Child Marriage Prevention)

NAICS

Grantmaking and Giving Services (81321)

akta.pro primary industry

Grantmaking & Philanthropic Funds (Institutional Donors) (BPADAOAB)

Keywords

• Charitable wedding registry
• Girls rights advocacy
• Nonprofit grantmaking
• Wedding industry fundraising
• Child marriage prevention

Headquarters

HQ city

New York

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

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. Individual Donations: Direct donations from individuals via website, wedding giving pages, in-lieu-of-favors gifts, check, wire transfer, DAF, cryptocurrency, and stock gifts. No minimum donation required.
2. VOW Pro Membership: Monthly ($30) or annual ($360) membership fees from wedding professionals, providing badges, social assets, newsletters, and feature opportunities.
3. Shop Partner Revenue Share: Brand partners donate portions of sales (varying percentages from 1% to 50%) to VOW. Partners include jewelry designers, bridal retailers, hotels, and lifestyle brands.
4. Foundation & Corporate Grants: Major funding from institutional donors including Ford Foundation, Kendeda Fund, Open Society Foundations, Start Small (Jack Dorsey), and corporate sponsors who underwrite operational costs.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion4 records

Distribution channels6 records

Marketing channels10 records

Core offering

VOW for Girls is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that channels donations raised through weddings and the wedding industry to grassroots organizations working to end child marriage. Its core offerings include a charitable wedding registry, customizable wedding giving pages, a VOW Pro membership program for wedding professionals, a Shop Partner Marketplace of donating brands, and an online donation portal accepting one-time, recurring, crypto, stock, and DAF gifts. 100% of donations are passed through to grantees via a partnership with the Girls First Fund.

Product overview

VOW for Girls operates a charitable giving platform primarily designed for the wedding industry, enabling couples to incorporate philanthropy into their celebrations. The core offering is a charitable wedding registry and giving page that allows couples to add VOW for Girls alongside traditional registries (Zola, The Knot, Honeyfund, Amazon). The platform accepts donations through multiple payment processors (PayPal, Venmo, Apple Pay, Google Pay, bank transfer). Supporting programs include VOW Pro membership ($30/month or $360/year) providing wedding professionals with badges and social assets, the VOW Ambassador volunteer network, VOW for Girls Night party hosting program, the annual For Every Girl, With Love retail campaign (October 9-11), the Happily Ever After romance community sweepstakes, and a Shop partner marketplace featuring brands that donate to VOW. 100% of public donations go directly to community-based organizations working to end child marriage.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• VOW Pro: A membership program for wedding professionals and businesses that wish to make an impact through monthly or annual donations to VOW for Girls.
• VOW Pro+
• For Every Girl, With Love
• Happily Ever After Campaign

Quantifiable outcome

• 500,000+ girls directly impacted by VOW-supported programs since 2019
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers6 records

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration14 records

Partnerships

15 partnerships are on record, tiered core, major and minor.

• Girls First FundcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerVOW's sister organization and granting partner. Girls First Fund has grantmaking expertise but does not mobilize public donations. VOW and Girls First Fund complement each other's expertise. VOW finds, qualifies, and funds grassroots organizations, with Girls First Fund handling grant disbursement.
• The KnotmajorGTM or Marketing PartnerLeading wedding planning platform and registry. VOW integrated as charity option for couples' wedding registries and cash funds.
• ZolamajorGTM or Marketing PartnerWedding registry platform. VOW available as registry option for couples to add charitable giving.
• Engage (Engage! Foundation)minorGTM or Marketing PartnerLuxury wedding industry community. Engage Foundation aligned with VOW; features VOW advocacy at summits.
• WIPA (Wedding International Professionals Association)minorGTM or Marketing PartnerIndustry association for wedding professionals. VOW promoted to members as charity of choice.
• Justin Alexander / T&G AccessoriesmajorGTM or Marketing PartnerBridal designer Justin Alexander created 'Thanks & Goodluck' accessory collection. Donates $10 per product sold to VOW.
• Louise JeanminorGTM or Marketing PartnerBridal jewelry brand. Pledges 1% of every wedding ring purchase to Girls First Fund/VOW to empower girls through education.
• Brides for a CauseminorGTM or Marketing PartnerNonprofit that collects and resells wedding dresses. Proceeds support various women-focused charities including VOW.
• Engine (Hotel Booking Platform)minorGTM or Marketing PartnerWedding hotel block booking platform. Donates 3% of gross sales generated through VOW links to the organization.
• Muicui CollectionsminorGTM or Marketing PartnerUpcycled Indian silk saree fashion brand. Donates $1 per product purchased to VOW.
• Berkley Books / Penguin Random HousemajorGTM or Marketing PartnerMajor publishing houses supporting the 'Happily Ever After' romance campaign. Provided prizes, author participation, and promotional support.
• The Ripped BodiceminorGTM or Marketing PartnerRomance bookstore participating in Happily Ever After campaign. Hosted in-store events and displays.
• Zibby's BookshopminorGTM or Marketing PartnerIndependent bookstore participating in Happily Ever After campaign for romance readers.
• Love's Sweet Arrow (Romance Bookstore)minorGTM or Marketing PartnerRomance bookstore participating in Happily Ever After campaign.
• East City BookshopminorGTM or Marketing PartnerIndependent bookstore participating in Happily Ever After campaign.

Scale indicators10 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Others

• Zola: Wedding registry platform that integrates VOW as a charitable giving option. Comparable in serving the same couple personas and wedding decision journey, but as a commercial registry rather than a nonprofit.
• The Knot Worldwide: Leading wedding planning platform and registry where VOW is integrated as a charity option. Comparable audience (engaged couples) but as a commercial marketplace rather than a mission-driven nonprofit.
• Kiva: Microfinance nonprofit founded by VOW CEO Jessica Jackley (facilitated ~$3B in charitable loans). Comparable in mission-driven nonprofit operating model, digital giving product, and leadership lineage, but mission area (microfinance vs. ending child marriage) differs.

Direct peers

• Brides for a Cause: Nonprofit that collects and resells wedding dresses with proceeds supporting women-focused charities including VOW. Comparable in wedding-industry-aligned nonprofit model and donor activation through bridal commerce.
• Malala Fund: Founded by Malala Yousafzai, focused on girls' education and empowerment with grantmaking to local advocates. Directly comparable in mission (girls' futures, education as lever) and donor-driven nonprofit model, though VOW channels funding specifically through the wedding industry.
• charity: water: Nonprofit that pioneered the 100%-to-programs model with separate operational underwriting. Comparable in donor-acquisition approach, brand storytelling, and digital giving product; differs in cause area (clean water vs. child marriage).
• Girls First Fund: VOW's sister organization and granting partner, founded by Mabel van Oranje. Directly comparable in mission (funding grassroots orgs to end child marriage) and operational structure, though Girls First Fund focuses on grantmaking while VOW focuses on fundraising.
• Girls Not Brides: Global partnership to end child marriage founded by VOW co-founder Mabel van Oranje. Directly comparable mission and constituency (organizations working on child marriage), though Girls Not Brides is a membership/advocacy coalition rather than a grantmaker.

Broad incumbents

• Plan International: Large global NGO with major programs on child marriage and girls' rights. Operates broadly across child welfare, education, and humanitarian response; directly comparable mission area but at much larger scale and with traditional NGO funding model.
• UNICEF: UN agency with global programs targeting child marriage (cited as the source of VOW's 720M statistic). Overlapping mission on child rights and girls' education but vastly larger scope and traditional institutional/government funding.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks4 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/vowforgirls
• Instagraminstagram.com/vowforgirls
• Pinterestpinterest.com/vowforgirls
• Xx.com/vowforgirls

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles12 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 VOW for Girls