Lend A Hand

What Lend A Hand does

Lend A Hand is a 501(c)(3) non-profit disaster response organization founded in 1989 as a local disaster recovery and assistance program. It operates as a mission project of the Presbytery of Carlisle of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), while explicitly welcoming volunteers of all races and creeds. The organization coordinates secondary disaster recovery — distinct from rapid first response or medical triage — for uninsured and under-insured individuals and families whose homes have been damaged by wind, water, or fire, with services concentrated on handicapped, elderly, and lower-income households. End beneficiaries include disaster victims; paying participants include volunteer recruits and donors.

The core offering is volunteer trip coordination: Lend A Hand organizes week-long deployments of volunteer work teams to specific disaster-affected sites, handling transportation (via two owned 15-passenger vans and one cargo van), housing, meals, materials, and on-the-ground job assignments spanning debris removal, demolition, 'mucking out,' and full home reconstruction from sub-flooring to ceiling, with explicit emphasis on emotional support through listening, prayer, and encouragement. A secondary offering rents the two passenger vans to congregations and church-affiliated organizations at a recommended $60/day donation when not in use for disaster response.

Lend A Hand has no paid employees — it is staffed entirely by volunteers — and runs on a technology stack of WordPress CMS plus email communications, with no proprietary software, integrations, or AI components. Revenue is generated through three streams: trip fees ($50 for first-time, $125 for returning volunteers), tax-deductible donations from individuals and organizations used exclusively for transportation, housing, meals, and reconstruction materials, and van rental donations. The organization is funded via its website (lendahand.net), email newsletters, and Presbyterian Church network referrals, with no paid marketing. It has completed 150 trips since inception (as of October 2025) across more than 20 U.S. states, engaging over 3,000 cumulative volunteers, and currently operates from Christ Presbyterian Church at 421 Deerfield Rd., Camp Hill, Pennsylvania.

Name

Lend A Hand

Legal name

Lend A Hand

Website

https://lendahand.net

Company type

Private

Founded year

1989

Operating status

Operating

Short description

Lend A Hand is a 501(c)(3) non-profit, founded in 1989, that coordinates volunteer teams providing secondary disaster recovery — including debris removal, home reconstruction, and emotional support — to uninsured and under-insured victims across more than 20 U.S. states.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Nonprofit Disaster Recovery Services

NAICS

Emergency and Other Relief Services (624230)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300)

akta.pro primary industry

Disaster Relief & Humanitarian Aid Volunteering (EDAIAGAF)

Keywords

• Disaster recovery services
• Volunteer coordination
• Nonprofit disaster response
• Home reconstruction assistance
• Faith-based volunteer programs

Headquarters

HQ city

Harrisburg

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Operations, Others, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Volunteer Trip Fees: Volunteers pay trip fees ($50 for new volunteers, $125 for returning volunteers) to participate in disaster recovery trips. These fees cover transportation, housing, meals, and materials during the week-long volunteer deployments.
2. Donations: Tax-deductible donations from individuals and organizations. Financial donations are used to pay for transportation, housing, feeding volunteers, and purchasing materials used in the reconstruction process.
3. Van Rental: Rental of organization's two 15-passenger vans to congregations and church-affiliated organizations when not in use for disaster response trips. Recommended donation of $60 per day plus full tank of gas.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

Lend A Hand is a non-profit 501(c)(3) organization that coordinates a reliable system of transportation, labor, housing, meals, and job assignments for volunteers who help people suffering extraordinary hardship from natural disasters. The organization deploys week-long volunteer work teams to disaster-affected areas across the United States to perform home reconstruction, debris removal, and 'mucking out' of damaged properties for uninsured and under-insured individuals, while also providing emotional and spiritual support.

Product overview

Lend A Hand is a non-profit 501(c)(3) disaster response organization that operates as a single-service offering focused on coordinating volunteer disaster recovery assistance. The core service includes organizing volunteer work teams to help rebuild homes after natural disasters, handling all logistics including transportation (via owned vans), housing, meals, and work assignments. The organization has no paid employees and relies entirely on volunteers. Key services include the Volunteer Disaster Response Services for direct disaster recovery work and the Volunteer Trip Coordination program for scheduling and managing volunteer participation. The Van Rental Program represents an additional service offering van access to church-affiliated organizations when not in use by the main mission.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Volunteer Disaster Response Services Coordinates transportation, labor, housing, and meals for volunteers who assist uninsured and under-insured individuals and families suffering hardship from natural disasters. Includes debris removal, demolition, and full home reconstruction from sub-flooring to ceiling, along with emotional and spiritual support through listening, prayer, and encouragement.
• Volunteer Trip Coordination Organizes and schedules week-long volunteer deployment trips to designated disaster-affected areas across the United States. Handles volunteer registration, logistics planning, transportation via two 15-passenger vans, housing, and on-site coordination of work team assignments.
• Van Rental Program Rents the organization's two 15-passenger vans to congregations and church-affiliated organizations for youth group outings, session retreats, and similar events when not in use for disaster response trips. Recommended donation of $60 per day plus a full tank of gas.

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 3,000 volunteers have participated since 1989
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers1 record

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered flagship, core and minor.

• Presbytery of CarlisleflagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 1989Parent organization. Lend A Hand is a mission project of the Presbytery of Carlisle of the Presbyterian Church, U.S.A. The organization was founded in 1989 as a local disaster response program under this presbytery.
• Christ Presbyterian Church, Camp HillcoreOthersHosts the Lend A Hand office at their facility located at 421 Deerfield Rd., Camp Hill.
• Presbyterian Disaster AssistancecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLend A Hand is listed as a site with Presbyterian Disaster Assistance. Coordinates disaster response efforts through this Presbyterian Church USA agency.
• Congregations and Church-affiliated OrganizationsminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorWhen Lend A Hand vans are not in use for disaster response, they are made available to congregations and other church-affiliated organizations for youth group outings, session retreats, and similar events.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights3 records

Direct peers

• Mennonite Disaster Service: Faith-based volunteer organization that coordinates week-long volunteer trips to rebuild homes for disaster survivors. Operates almost identically to Lend A Hand — all-volunteer, faith-rooted, focused on uninsured/under-insured victims, second-stage reconstruction work.
• Team Rubicon: Veteran-led volunteer disaster response organization that deploys Greyshirts for debris removal and home repair after disasters. Comparable volunteer-driven disaster recovery mission with a more developed technology platform and paid operations staff.
• All Hands and Hearts: Volunteer-based disaster response organization providing debris removal and home rebuild services to underserved communities. Closely comparable mission (rebuilding homes for disaster victims) with a more developed volunteer infrastructure and broader geographic reach.
• Samaritan's Purse: Faith-based (evangelical Christian) disaster relief organization that mobilizes volunteers for U.S. disaster recovery including home rebuilding. Comparable volunteer-deployment model but vastly larger scale, paid staff, and broader funding base.
• NECHAMA: Jewish volunteer-based disaster response organization that sends volunteer teams for debris removal and rebuilding after natural disasters. Highly comparable faith-rooted, volunteer-deployment model to Lend A Hand.

Broad incumbents

• Habitat for Humanity International: Major nonprofit focused on building and repairing affordable housing, including post-disaster reconstruction. Overlaps with Lend A Hand in home reconstruction for low-income households but operates globally with paid staff, ReStores, and mortgage products.
• American Red Cross: Largest U.S. humanitarian organization responding to disasters with shelter, supplies, and recovery assistance. While primarily rapid-response focused, its long-term recovery programs overlap with Lend A Hand's second-stage reconstruction niche.
• Episcopal Relief & Development: Faith-based (Episcopal) international relief and development agency that funds and coordinates disaster recovery including volunteer deployment. Comparable faith-affiliated funding-and-deployment model but operates at significantly larger scale with paid staff.
• United Methodist Committee on Relief (UMCOR): Faith-based disaster response arm of the United Methodist Church that funds and coordinates volunteer reconstruction teams. Comparable denominational volunteer-deployment structure but with substantially larger denominational footprint than Lend A Hand's PCUSA base.
• Presbyterian Disaster Assistance: The PCUSA agency under which Lend A Hand operates as a deployment site. PDA coordinates disaster response across all PCUSA presbyteries, providing Lend A Hand with national reach and a parent network structure.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/Lend-A-Hand-100068616913939

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

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 Lend A Hand