Humanist Society Scotland

Name

Humanist Society Scotland

Legal name

Humanist Society Scotland

Website

https://humanism.scot

Company type

Private

Founded year

1989

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Non-religious ceremony services

NAICS

Religious, Grantmaking, Civic, Professional, and Similar Organizations (813), Religious Organizations (8131), Religious Organizations (813110)

SIC

Services-Amusement & Recreation Services (7900)

akta.pro primary industry

Ceremony Planning & Officiant Coordination (HSACABAL)

akta.pro secondary industries

Places of Worship & Religious Facilities Operations (Cemeteries, Retreat Centers, Pilgrimage Sites) (BPAGAJAL), Religious & Spiritual Festivals/Observances (Public Events) (MPAGAEAC)

Keywords

• Humanist ceremonies
• Non-religious weddings
• Secular advocacy
• Charity campaigns
• Celebrant services

Headquarters

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

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. Ceremony Services: Revenue from conducting legal humanist weddings, civil partnerships, and vow renewals. Fee covers the cost of the celebrant and two-year membership of Humanist Society Scotland.
2. Membership Fees: Members pay annual or lifetime membership fees that fund the charity's campaign work for secularism, rationalism, and social justice in Scotland.
3. Donations: Campaign work is funded by the generous support of members and supporters through one-time and recurring donations.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels10 records

Core offering

Humanist Society Scotland provides legally recognized non-religious ceremonies (weddings, funerals, naming ceremonies, civil partnerships, and vow renewals) conducted by permanently authorized and fully trained humanist celebrants across Scotland. Since 2005, the organization has conducted over 50,000 legal humanist weddings. Beyond ceremonies, it functions as a member-powered charity campaigning for secularism, rationalism, assisted dying legislation, LGBT+ rights, and educational reform in Scotland.

Product overview

Humanist Society Scotland is Scotland's national humanist charity offering a portfolio of services centered on humanist ceremonies, campaigns, and education. The core offering is Humanist Ceremonies — legally authorized weddings, funerals, naming ceremonies, and civil partnerships conducted by trained celebrants, with over 50,000 weddings conducted since 2005. The organization also runs policy campaigns on assisted dying, secularism, reproductive rights, and religious observance reform; provides free education resources; operates Young Humanists Scotland for youth engagement; publishes the bi-annual Humanitie magazine; and hosts the annual Festival of Humanism. The organization also provides humanist chaplaincy services for healthcare and institutional settings.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Young Humanists Scotland: Youth-focused humanist organization and ambassador program under Humanist Society Scotland

Products and services

• Humanist Ceremonies Legally recognised humanist weddings, funerals, naming ceremonies, civil partnerships, and vow renewals conducted by permanently authorised and fully trained celebrants across Scotland. Available to individuals and families seeking non-religious ceremonies.
• Campaigns and Advocacy Policy campaigns on assisted dying, secularism, LGBT+ rights, reproductive rights, religious observance in schools, and other social justice issues, aimed at making Scotland more secular, rational, and socially just. Conducted with coalition partners including Dignity in Dying Scotland and Friends at the End.
• Education Resources Free educational resources on humanism, supplied to teachers, students, and parents. Includes materials on humanist perspectives, ethics, and critical thinking.
• Young Humanists Scotland Youth programme and ambassador network for young people interested in humanism, offering volunteering opportunities and community engagement activities.
• Humanitie Magazine Bi-annual magazine featuring articles on campaigns, children's rights, education, and humanist perspectives. Available digitally to email supporters and members.
• Festival of Humanism Annual festival featuring talks, performances, and discussions on topics including LGBT+ rights, arts, ecology, politics, and religion in education. Held at venues in Glasgow and Edinburgh.
• Humanist Chaplaincy Services Non-religious pastoral and existential care services in healthcare and institutional settings, provided by trained humanist chaplains who support people through difficult moments regardless of religious belief.

Named customers1 record

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Dignity in Dying ScotlandcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCoalition partner in Assisted Dying for Terminally Ill Adults (Scotland) Bill campaign. The bill was created with support from Dignity in Dying Scotland alongside Friends at the End.
• Friends at the EndcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCoalition partner in assisted dying campaign work. Co-signatory on letters to MSPs and joint advocacy for end-of-life choice legislation.
• Humanists InternationalcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerHumanist Society Scotland CEO Fraser Sutherland elected to board of Humanists International. Scotland is a full member of Humanists International. Partnership involves global humanist advocacy and coordination.
• Young Humanists ScotlandcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerYouth arm of the humanist movement in Scotland, with ambassadors and volunteers engaging young people in humanist values and activities.
• Church of ScotlandminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerJoint education reform initiative and shared calls for changes to religious observance in schools to Time for Reflection, demonstrating cross-faith collaboration on inclusivity.
• Together (Scottish Alliance for Children's Rights)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership on children's rights manifesto including school worship opt-out as key priority.
• EngenderminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration on reproductive rights and gender equality issues in Scotland.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• American Humanist Association: U.S. national humanist organization offering humanist ceremonies, advocacy on church-state separation, and community programs. Closely comparable as a national-level humanist body delivering ceremonies alongside secularism campaigns.
• Humanists UK: The national humanist charity for England and Wales, providing humanist weddings, funerals, and naming ceremonies through an authorized celebrant network and campaigning on secularism — directly comparable in mission, services, and revenue model to Humanist Society Scotland but operating in a different UK nation.
• Humanist Canada: Canadian federation of humanist organizations coordinating ceremonies and advocacy across provinces. Comparable as a national humanist body delivering both ritual services and secularism campaigns.
• Humanist Society of Victoria: Australian state-level humanist charity delivering authorized ceremonies (weddings, funerals, namings) and secular advocacy in Victoria — closely comparable operating model, scale, and service mix to Humanist Society Scotland.

Regional players

• Interfaith Scotland: Scotland-based interfaith organization promoting dialogue between religious and non-religious worldviews. Operates in the same Scottish values-and-belief space and engages in some overlapping policy areas, but does not deliver ceremonies.

Emerging players

• National Secular Society: UK-based advocacy organization campaigning for separation of religion and state. Adjacent to Humanist Society Scotland's secularism advocacy but does not deliver ceremonies, making it a partial-overlap peer.
• Atheist Ireland: Irish advocacy organization campaigning for a secular state and atheist-friendly services. Comparable advocacy focus to Humanist Society Scotland but without Scotland's ceremony-delivery scale.

Others

• Scottish Council on Humanism: Adjacent values-based organization in Scotland working on rights and equality issues. Partially overlapping on social justice advocacy but focused on broader rights rather than humanist-specific service delivery.

Broad incumbents

• Humanists International: Global umbrella body of the humanist movement, of which Humanist Society Scotland is a member. Comparable as a coordinating organization for humanist advocacy and standards, but operating at a much broader international scope.
• Church of Scotland: Scotland's national Protestant church, a long-standing provider of weddings, funerals, and pastoral care. Comparable as a Scotland-wide institution delivering ceremonies and chaplaincy, but operating from a religious rather than humanist perspective.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xtwitter.com/humanistsociety
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UC7LJDpLrSZU1XhUeUmOKGyQ
• Facebookfacebook.com/HumanistSocietyScotland
• Instagraminstagram.com/humanistsociety
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/humanist-society-of-scotland

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 Humanist Society Scotland