Dona Ajuda

What Dona Ajuda does

Dona Ajuda is the operating brand of Associação Boa Vizinhança, a Portuguese Instituição Particular de Solidariedade Social (IPSS, NIF 513421548) founded in 2014 in Lisbon and rebranded commercially as Dona Ajuda around 2016. It runs a triple-pillar program — social, environmental, and cultural — anchored at a single physical site in the former Mercado do Rato (Rua Alexandre Herculano 64, Lisbon), comprising a charity shop (Loja Social Dona Ajuda) selling donated clothing, books, household goods, toys, and electronics at voluntary donation values, and an Environmental and Cultural Space (Espaço Ambiental e Cultural) housing a bookstore, sewing workshop, artist residencies, and event programming. Goods are either purchased by the general public at symbolic prices or distributed free via monthly vouchers to beneficiaries referred by a network of 30+ partner social solidarity institutions.

Revenue mechanics are entirely nonprofit in nature: donated monetary contributions accepted via MBWay, bank transfer, and IRS tax consignation (1% of personal income tax), plus charity-shop sales and biannual charity auctions. There is no proprietary technology platform, no e-commerce or mobile app, no API, and no disclosed AI component; the operational model is labor-light, with ~5 paid employees and a near-100% volunteer workforce of 180+ (2024 figure). Hosted projects — Fruta Feia (weekly food-waste market), Dress a Girl Around the World (permanent garment-making nucleus), Clube do Livro Vozes, and Podcast Lisboa — occupy space at the same address, contributing to a multi-tenant community-hub model rather than a vertically integrated operation.

Strategic positioning relies on a community-led, event-driven GTM anchored by recurring signature initiatives: the annual Jardim das Artes exhibition (since 2018), biannual Leilão Solidário charity auctions, the annual Luís Vilaça Literary Award (producing published Portuguese short-story collections), monthly Hora do Conto storytime, biweekly DA Mercado Aberto for artists and creators, and the Dona Ajuda Canta community choir launched October 2024. Distribution is exclusively physical at the single Lisbon site (open daily 11:00–19:00); channel reach beyond Lisbon is partner-mediated (e.g., book donations to PALOP school libraries, partner institution network) rather than via direct geographic expansion. 2024 disclosed impact metrics (4,700+ entities supported, 3,200+ beneficiaries, 100,000+ articles donated, €500,000+ in support granted) indicate the scale of program throughput, though audited financials are not publicly disclosed.

Name

Dona Ajuda

Legal name

Associação Boa Vizinhança

Website

https://donaajuda.pt

Company type

Private

Founded year

2014

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Dona Ajuda is a Lisbon-based Portuguese IPSS nonprofit (Associação Boa Vizinhança) running a charity shop and cultural space at Mercado do Rato that redistributes donated goods at symbolic prices to the public and free of charge — via vouchers — to beneficiaries referred by 30+ partner social solidarity institutions.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Charity Shop and Social Solidarity Services

NAICS

Grantmaking and Giving Services (81321), Religious, Grantmaking, Civic, Professional, and Similar Organizations (813), Arts, Entertainment, and Recreation (71), Convention and Trade Show Organizers (56192)

SIC

Retail-Apparel & Accessory Stores (5600), Costume Jewelry & Novelties (3960), Services-Amusement & Recreation Services (7900)

akta.pro primary industry

Federated Giving Organizations (e.g., United Way-type) (BPAGAKAG)

akta.pro secondary industries

Donation, Resale & Textile Recycling Coordination (HSAFABAI), Cultural Festivals & Events Organizations (BPAGAHAG), Literary Arts & Writing Organizations (BPAGAHAK), Arts, Culture, Entertainment & Fan Conventions Organizers (THAHABAN), Volunteer Program Funding, Scholarships & Fundraising Support (EDAIAGAO)

Keywords

• Charity shop services
• Social solidarity programs
• Circular economy reuse
• Community cultural events
• Nonprofit volunteer organization

Headquarters

HQ city

Lisbon

HQ country

Portugal

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure, Others

Revenue model

1. Charity Shop Sales: Proceeds from the sale of donated items (clothing, books, toys, home goods, electronics) made available at symbolic donation values in the physical charity shop. All revenue is directed toward supporting families, associations, and social causes.
2. Monetary Donations: Direct monetary contributions via MBWay, bank transfer, or IRS tax consignation (1% of IRS to NIF 513421548). These funds support operational costs and social programs.
3. Voucher System for Beneficiaries: Beneficiaries from partner social solidarity institutions receive monthly vouchers to obtain goods for free from Dona Ajuda's spaces, funded by the charity shop revenue.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Dona Ajuda runs a volunteer-led physical charity shop and cultural center at the former Mercado do Rato in Lisbon. It accepts donations of clothing, books, toys, home goods, and small items, then resells them at symbolic donation values to the general public or redistributes them free of charge to beneficiaries referred by 30+ partner social solidarity institutions. The adjacent Environmental and Cultural Space adds artist residencies, a bookstore, sewing workshop, biweekly creative market, community choir, literary award, and exhibitions, integrating social, environmental, and cultural programming under one roof.

Product overview

Dona Ajuda is the brand of Associação Boa Vizinhança, a social solidarity institution operating on three fundamental pillars: social, environmental, and cultural. The core offering consists of the Loja Social Dona Ajuda (charity shop) and the Espaço Ambiental e Cultural (Environmental and Cultural Space), both located at Rua Alexandre Herculano 64 in the former Mercado do Rato, Lisbon. The charity shop accepts donations of used items and redistributes them at symbolic prices or free to beneficiaries from partner institutions. The Environmental and Cultural Space hosts artistic initiatives including a bookstore, DA Mercado Aberto events, artist residencies, sewing workshops, community choir, and various cultural activities. Supporting projects include Re.Vira.Volta for clothing transformation, plus hosted initiatives like Fruta Feia, Dress a Girl, Clube do Livro Vozes, and Podcast Lisboa. The organization also organizes signature events including the Charity Auction (twice yearly), Luís Vilaça Literary Award, Storytime, and Jardim das Artes annual exhibition.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Loja Social Dona Ajuda (Charity Shop) A physical charity shop at the former Mercado do Rato in Lisbon that accepts donations of used items and resells them at symbolic donation values to the general public; beneficiaries referred by 30+ partner social solidarity institutions obtain goods free of charge through monthly vouchers.
• Espaço Ambiental e Cultural (Environmental and Cultural Space) A multifunctional cultural and environmental space adjacent to the charity shop at the same Lisbon address, hosting a bookstore, sewing workshop, artist residencies, the biweekly DA Mercado Aberto creative market, the Dona Ajuda Canta community choir, and other cultural programming.
• Re.Vira.Volta A reuse and upcycling project that transforms donated clothing into an exclusive customized line, supporting circular-economy objectives and complementing the charity shop's clothing stream.
• Leilão Solidário (Charity Auction) A biannual charity auction event featuring unique, valuable donated items such as antiques, artworks, and collectibles, with all proceeds directed to social projects and beneficiary support.
• Prémio Literário Luís Vilaça (Luís Vilaça Literary Award) An annual literary award promoting emerging Portuguese authors in the short story genre, selecting the ten best entries for publication as an author's edition with cover and illustrations by Portuguese creators.
• Hora do Conto (Storytime) A monthly storytime activity at the Environmental and Cultural Space hosting primary school students for interactive readings led by a volunteer expert, promoting reading habits and early community connection.
• Dona Ajuda Canta (Community Choir) A community choir bringing together volunteers, beneficiaries, and community members around a diverse musical repertoire to promote inclusion and well-being through musical art; officially started in October 2024.
• Jardim das Artes (Garden of Arts) An annual outdoor exhibition in the Jardim das Amoreiras welcoming visual artists to showcase and sell work including painting, drawing, photography, jewelry, sculpture, and mixed techniques; launched in 2018.
• Donation Services (in-kind and monetary) A donation intake service accepting in-kind goods (clothing, books, toys, home goods, electronics, small furniture) Thursday to Sunday on-site, plus monetary donations via MBWay, bank transfer, and IRS 1% tax consignation to NIF 513421548; unusable items are recycled through Reto à Esperança.
• Volunteering Program A structured volunteer program offering roles in clothing and book sorting, customer service, event promotion, and recycling projects, with applicants specifying availability and preferred function via an application form.

Quantifiable outcome

• 100,000+ articles donated and given second life in 2024
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers2 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

15 partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• Amazonia HotéisminorOthersPartner listed on the Dona Ajuda partnerships page. Nature of partnership not specified.
• Binary BrigademinorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerDesign partner credited for the website design. Listed as a partner on the partnerships page.
• CormipeminorOthersPartner listed on the Dona Ajuda partnerships page. Nature of partnership not specified.
• ENDALminorOthersPartner listed on the Dona Ajuda partnerships page. Nature of partnership not specified.
• Isabel NolascominorOthersPartner listed on the Dona Ajuda partnerships page. Nature of partnership not specified.
• Lets-CopyminorOthersPartner listed on the Dona Ajuda partnerships page. Nature of partnership not specified.
• Pingo DoceminorOthersPartner listed on the Dona Ajuda partnerships page. Nature of partnership not specified.
• PWT (PowerWT)minorOthersPartner listed on the Dona Ajuda partnerships page. Nature of partnership not specified.
• Quiosque AmoreirasminorOthersPartner listed on the Dona Ajuda partnerships page. Nature of partnership not specified.
• UzinaminorOthersPartner listed on the Dona Ajuda partnerships page. Nature of partnership not specified.
• Reto à Esperança AssociationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerUnusable donated items in poor condition are sent for recycling, generating funds for the Reto à Esperança Association which supports people recovering from addiction, free of charge. This creates a closed-loop recycling partnership.
• Fruta Feia (Ugly Fruit Cooperative)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Ugly Fruit cooperative uses Dona Ajuda's space every Tuesday to sell 'ugly' fruit and vegetables that would otherwise go to waste, fighting food waste while creating value for farmers and consumers.
• Dress a Girl Around the WorldcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerDona Ajuda provides space and equipment for a permanent nucleus of Dress a Girl where volunteers make dresses for girls and shorts for boys to be donated to children in underserved countries, bringing dignity, protection, and hope.
• Clube do Livro VozescoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Vozes Book Club uses Dona Ajuda's space one Saturday per month to bring together readers around books, focusing on non-central voices in Portuguese culture and stimulating civic and democratic participation.
• Podcast LisboacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerDona Ajuda provides its facilities for the Lisbon Podcast to record episodes that profile the work of people and organizations in Lisbon across culture, education, health, architecture, associativism, and citizenship.

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• Cáritas Portuguesa: Largest Catholic social-services network in Portugal, with parish-level charity shops, social centres, and humanitarian programmes. Comparable to Dona Ajuda because it operates charitable retail and programmes across social, environmental and cultural areas, but at national scale.
• Goodwill Industries International: Global nonprofit operating thrift/charity retail stores that fund job training and community programmes. Comparable in donation collection, resale, and funding social programming through retail surplus.
• Cruz Vermelha Portuguesa: Portuguese Red Cross, which runs donation-supported social programmes including second-hand shops. Comparable in mix of voluntary donations, charity retail, and beneficiary support through partner institutions.
• Oxfam (Portugal): Affiliated charity-shop network raising funds through second-hand retail. Comparable in the donation-and-resale model, but operates at international scale with established logistics and digital channels.
• Habitat for Humanity ReStores: Charity retail arm of Habitat for Humanity selling donated furniture and home goods to fund housing programmes. Comparable model of monetising donated goods to fund social mission.
• AMI (Assistência Médica Internacional): Large Portuguese NGO running donation-supported social programmes including second-hand shops and humanitarian aid. Comparable broad nonprofit model with charity retail and donor-funded beneficiary support.
• Salvation Army (Portugal/EU): International charity operating thrift stores and social services. Comparable charity retail + social services model, but at vastly larger multinational scale.

Direct peers

• EntrAjuda: Portuguese nonprofit that collects and distributes goods (food, clothing, hygiene) to social-solidarity institutions across Portugal. Most directly comparable to Dona Ajuda because it operates the same collection-to-institution channel and beneficiary-voucher model.
• Re-Food: Portuguese volunteer-led NGO rescuing surplus food and distributing it to people in need. Highly comparable as a volunteer-driven, hub-based nonprofit in Lisbon emphasising reuse and social impact.
• Banco Alimentar: Portuguese food bank that collects surplus goods and redistributes them through partner social institutions. Similar hub-and-spoke redistribution model and institutional partner network to Dona Ajuda's voucher programme.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks7 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/adonaajuda
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/a-dona-ajuda
• Instagraminstagram.com/dona.ajuda

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles9 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 Dona Ajuda