Australasian Union of Jewish Students

What Australasian Union of Jewish Students does

The Australasian Union of Jewish Students (AUJS) is an Australian-registered nonprofit (Charity number 68058740024) and the recognized peak representative body for Jewish university students across Australia and New Zealand. Founded in 1948 at the University of Sydney and affiliated with the World Union of Jewish Students, AUJS operates a federated model of 28 affiliated Jewish student societies across 7 regions (NSW, VIC, QLD, WA, SA, ACT and NZ), coordinated from offices at Shalom College (UNSW, Sydney) and a regional headquarters in Caulfield South, Melbourne. The organization runs on approximately 35 staff supported by student volunteers who lead campus committees.

AUJS delivers a portfolio of member-facing services and programs: a free digital membership platform that onboards students in roughly two minutes into their local campus club; flagship leadership development programs including the Leadership Development Program (LDP) — now featuring international programming in Chile, Argentina and Israel — and the Political Training Seminar (PTS); social and educational events such as Shabbat dinners, trivia nights and national conferences; international Israel programs including Birthright tours; an advocacy and campaigns function that has included public statements and rating 38 Australian universities on antisemitism policy adoption; a confidential incident reporting system with 24-hour named-staff response routed through regional Community Security Groups; and an online reimbursement claim system that pays out approved campus expenses within 5 business days. Underlying technology is light: the digital membership, reimbursement, incident-report, and donation flows are web-based with Stripe as the only disclosed integration, and the organization characterizes itself as not running a significant technology platform.

AUJS is funded almost entirely by philanthropy rather than earned revenue. It holds Deductible Gift Recipient (DGR) status, enabling tax-deductible donations of A$2 or more. Revenue streams consist of individual and community-partner donations, tiered community-partner support (Mishpacha-, Legends-, and Mates-level), and earmarked program funds such as the JCA Dave Burnett Leadership Fund, which has granted over $150,000 since 2009 to AUJS's LDP, PTS, and emerging-leader scholarships. Named institutional supporters include The Jewish Community Appeal (JCA), The Millie Phillips Jewish Education Fund, The Susan and Isaac Wakil Foundation, The Gandel Foundation, The Besen Family Foundation, The Zionist Federation of Australia, Zionism Victoria, Shalom College, the Executive Council of Australian Jewry, the Jewish Agency for Israel, the Jewish Community Council of Victoria, the NSW Jewish Board of Deputies, and law firm Arnold Bloch Leibler (pro bono).

Name

Australasian Union of Jewish Students

Legal name

Australasian Union of Jewish Students

Website

https://aujs.com.au

Company type

Private

Founded year

1948

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

The Australasian Union of Jewish Students is the peak representative body for Jewish university students across Australia and New Zealand, operating a federation of 28 campus clubs across 7 regions that delivers leadership programs, social events, advocacy, and incident-reporting services to its student membership.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Melbourne

HQ country

Australia

HQ region

Oceania

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Tax-Deductible Donations: AUJS holds DGR (Deductible Gift Recipient) status in Australia, making donations tax-deductible. The organization receives one-off and recurring donations from individuals and community partners.
2. Community Partner Support: Support from community partners including foundations and individual benefactors who fund AUJS programs, leadership development, and campus activities.
3. JCA Dave Burnett Leadership Fund: Established fund that grants over $150,000 to support AUJS programs including Political Training Seminar (PTS) and Leadership Development Program (LDP), as well as scholarships for emerging leaders.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

AUJS is a federation of Jewish student societies across 26 universities in Australia and New Zealand, providing free student membership, leadership development programs (LDP, PTS), campus social and religious events (Shabbat dinners, conferences), international Israel programs, advocacy on antisemitism and university policy, and an incident reporting service with 24-hour staff response. All offerings are delivered through a federated campus-club model supported by national staff in Sydney and Melbourne.

Product overview

AUJS operates as a federation of Jewish student societies offering a unified membership platform that connects students to their campus clubs, national events, leadership programs, and advocacy campaigns. The core offering combines a digital membership system with regional campus club networks (28 clubs across 7 regions), flagship leadership programs (LDP and PTS), campus events programming (Shabbat dinners, social nights, conferences), an incident reporting and safety system with Community Security Group integration, a reimbursement claims system for approved expenses, and international Israel programs. All services are coordinated through national and regional committees with administrative offices in Sydney and Melbourne.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• AUJS Student Membership Free online sign-up membership connecting Jewish university students to their local AUJS campus club, group chats, event invitations, and community networks across Australia and New Zealand. Targeted at Jewish students at higher-education institutions.
• Leadership Development Program (LDP) AUJS's flagship leadership development program for the next generation of young Jewish leaders, featuring an international experience in Chile, Argentina and Israel. Targeted at emerging Jewish student leaders across Australia and New Zealand.
• Political Training Seminar (PTS) Political and leadership training seminar for emerging Jewish student leaders, supported by the JCA Dave Burnett Leadership Fund. Targeted at Jewish university students developing advocacy and political engagement skills.
• Campus Events Program AUJS campus events program providing Shabbat dinners, trivia nights, social gatherings, holiday celebrations, and national conferences across Jewish student communities at Australian and New Zealand universities.
• Israel Programs International programs including Birthright Israel tours and global Jewish exchange opportunities open to AUJS students from any campus across Australia and New Zealand.
• Antisemitism Incident Reporting Service Confidential online reporting service for antisemitism and safety incidents on campus, with every report reaching a named AUJS staff member within 24 hours and regional Community Security Group escalation pathways. Targeted at Jewish university students experiencing antisemitism.
• Advocacy Campaigns National advocacy initiatives mobilising Jewish students on social, policy, and political issues affecting Jewish communities on campus, including University Report Card sectoral assessments and Royal Commission submissions. Targeted at Jewish students and the broader university policy environment.

Quantifiable outcome

• Every report reaches a named staff member within 24 hours
• +1 more outcomes

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration1 record

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered major and supporting.

• The Zionist Federation of AustraliamajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerLegends-level partner in the Jewish community ecosystem, aligned on Zionist advocacy and education
• Zionism VictoriamajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerLegends-level partner aligned on Zionist education and advocacy in Victoria
• Shalom CollegemajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerLegends-level partner, hosting AUJS Sydney office at Shalom College UNSW
• The Executive Council of Australian JewrymajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerMates-level partner, the peak representative body of Australian Jewry working on shared advocacy goals
• The Jewish Agency for IsraelmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerMates-level partner supporting Israel programs and global Jewish exchange initiatives
• The Jewish Community Council of VictoriasupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerMates-level partner for Victorian Jewish community coordination
• The NSW Jewish Board of DeputiessupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerMates-level partner for NSW Jewish community representation and advocacy

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Regional players

• National Union of Jewish Students (NUS) UK: UK equivalent of AUJS, serving as the national federation of Jewish student societies across British universities. Direct peer in mission and federated campus club model, but focused on UK higher education.
• South African Union of Jewish Students (SAUJS): Founded in 1936, the South African equivalent of AUJS. AUJS is a member of WUJS alongside SAUJS, making it a direct peer in mission, federated campus structure, and Jewish student advocacy.
• Canadian Federation of Jewish Students (CFJS): Canadian national federation of Jewish student societies. AUJS explicitly mentioned partnership with CFJS in international Jewish student networks. Same federated model and audience.

Broad incumbents

• Hillel: The Foundation for Jewish Campus Life: Global Jewish campus organization offering student programming, leadership development, and Israel engagement. Most comparable international peer given similar functions targeting Jewish university students, though operating primarily in North America.

Others

• Jewish Agency for Israel: Global Jewish organization supporting Israel programs and Jewish student exchange. Direct named partner of AUJS for Birthright and Israel programming, sharing the broader Jewish community engagement mission.
• Zionist Federation of Australia: Australian peak body for Zionist organizations and a major strategic partner of AUJS. Direct peer in Zionist advocacy targeting Australian Jewish community, with overlapping leadership and aligned mission.
• NSW Jewish Board of Deputies: Peak representative body of the NSW Jewish community and named AUJS partner. Comparable in advocacy role but operating at broader community level rather than student-focused.
• Executive Council of Australian Jewry (ECAJ): Peak representative body of Australian Jewry working on shared advocacy goals with AUJS. Comparable mission around Jewish community representation and antisemitism response, but operating at national, non-student level.
• B'nai B'rith Australia: Australia's oldest continuously operating Jewish service organization. Peer in the Jewish community organizational ecosystem with overlapping advocacy and community-building functions.

Direct peers

• World Union of Jewish Students (WUJS): Global umbrella federation of Jewish student unions. AUJS is explicitly affiliated with WUJS, making it the most direct peer given shared mission, federated model, and target audience of Jewish university students.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/aujs

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Australasian Union of Jewish Students