Kingston Voluntary Action

What Kingston Voluntary Action does

Kingston Voluntary Action (KVA) is a registered UK charity (charity number 1160403) headquartered at Siddeley House, 50 Canbury Park Road, Kingston upon Thames. It operates as a community-led infrastructure support organization with 14 staff, serving as the central hub for the local voluntary, community, and social enterprise (VCSE) sector in the borough. Its mission is to help local groups develop skills, build resources, and amplify their voice, while delivering direct wellbeing programs to Kingston residents.

KVA's offering is structured in two lines. "Help for Groups" provides organizational support including funding guidance, training and events, one-to-one expert advice, digital/data/tech support delivered via the Superhighways partnership, free charity legal advice, safeguarding guidance, volunteer support, networking and representation, and access to community spaces. "Help for Communities" runs direct programs including the Kingston Buddy Scheme (befriending for adults with learning disabilities and/or autism), Kingston Eco-Op (physical and wellbeing activities for adults with additional needs), Community Food (food insecurity), Connected Kingston (social prescribing), Mental Health Support, Community Health, and the Surplus to Supper food-redistribution Hub. Sub-brands include Connected Kingston, Kingston Buddy Scheme, Kingston Eco-Op, Community Voice in Action, and Surplus to Supper.

The business model is non-commercial: all core services are free to registered community groups and beneficiaries. Revenue is generated through public donations processed via the CAF Donate platform, grants from partners such as RM Partners, in-kind partnerships (RBK Community Safety Team, Hampton Court Palace, Voice Online Communities, Superhighways), and an unquantified layer of local-authority and trust funding. Distribution relies on a knack.com-powered self-serve registration portal, a monthly e-bulletin, in-person training and events, and direct field delivery of community programs, all geographically restricted to Kingston upon Thames.

Name

Kingston Voluntary Action

Legal name

Kingston Voluntary Action

Website

https://kva.org.uk

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Kingston Voluntary Action is a registered UK charity supporting voluntary and community groups in Kingston upon Thames with free training, funding guidance, legal advice, and digital support, alongside direct wellbeing programs including befriending, food redistribution, and social prescribing for residents.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Voluntary Sector Infrastructure Support

NAICS

Social Advocacy Organizations (8133), Civic and Social Organizations (8134), Other Individual and Family Services (62419)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300), Services-Misc Health & Allied Services, Nec (8090)

akta.pro primary industry

Community Centers & Neighborhood Support Services (BPAGAEAL)

Keywords

• Voluntary sector support
• Community development services
• Social prescribing services
• VCSE infrastructure support
• Charity capacity building

Headquarters

HQ city

Kingston upon Thames

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Donations: The organization accepts donations through CAF Donate platform, indicating a charitable donations revenue stream from the public.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

Kingston Voluntary Action provides free infrastructure support services to voluntary, community and social enterprise (VCSE) groups in Kingston upon Thames, including funding guidance, training and events, legal advice, safeguarding, digital and data support, representation, and volunteer support. Alongside organisational capacity-building, it runs direct community programmes such as the Kingston Buddy Scheme (befriending for adults with learning disabilities/autism), Kingston Eco-Op (wellbeing activities for adults with additional needs), Community Food (food insecurity response), Connected Kingston (social prescribing), community health, and mental health support.

Product overview

Kingston Voluntary Action (KVA) operates as a support organisation for voluntary and community groups in Kingston upon Thames. The organisation offers a portfolio of interconnected services structured into two main areas: Help for Groups (supporting organisational development through funding, training, digital support, legal advice, and volunteer management) and Help for Communities (direct wellbeing programs including the Kingston Buddy Scheme, Kingston Eco-Op, Community Food initiative, Connected Kingston social prescribing, community health, and mental health support). The offering functions as a hub-and-spoke model where core support services enable community groups to operate, while direct community programs address specific needs such as food insecurity, disability befriending, and mental health. Tech and data support is delivered through a partnership with Superhighways.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Connected Kingston: Social prescribing service connecting residents to community health and wellbeing resources
• Kingston Buddy Scheme
• Kingston Eco-Op
• Community Voice in Action
• Surplus to Supper

Products and services

• Help for Groups Core umbrella service offering comprehensive capacity-building support for local voluntary, community and social enterprise (VCSE) groups in Kingston upon Thames, covering funding support, training and events, Ask the Expert one-to-one support, digital/data/tech support, networks and groups, representation and partnership, safeguarding, online resources, volunteer support, free charity legal advice, Data about Kingston, community spaces and venues, and Social Value skilled volunteer offers.
• Help for Communities Core umbrella service offering direct health and wellbeing programmes for Kingston upon Thames residents, including community health, Community Food, Kingston Buddy Scheme, Connected Kingston social prescribing, Kingston Eco-Op, and mental health support.
• Kingston Buddy Scheme Befriending programme for adults with learning disabilities and/or autism in Kingston upon Thames, supporting participants to take part in leisure activities and reduce social isolation.
• Kingston Eco-Op Programme delivering physical and wellbeing activities for adults with additional needs in Kingston upon Thames.
• Community Food Initiative working with partners (including Surplus to Supper hubs) to combat food insecurity in Kingston upon Thames by redistributing surplus food into community support.
• Connected Kingston (Social Prescribing) Social prescribing service connecting Kingston upon Thames residents to community support, activities, and non-clinical resources that improve health and wellbeing outcomes.

Quantifiable outcome

• Impact Report 2024/25 published celebrating community achievements

Named customers4 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• SuperhighwayscoreTechnology or IntegrationSuperhighways provides digital, data, and tech support services to local charities in Kingston through KVA. The partnership offers organizations access to digital skills support and appropriate technology setup guidance.
• Voice Online CommunitiescoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerKingston Voluntary Action is part of Voice Online Communities, a network of voluntary action organizations providing shared infrastructure and platform services.
• Royal Borough of Kingston (RBK) Community Safety TeamminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerRBK Community Safety Team partners with KVA to deliver domestic abuse and MARAC training for the local community sector.
• RM PartnersminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerRM Partners Cancer Alliance provides Community Grant Programme for 2026/2027 to help increase cancer awareness in local communities, facilitated through KVA.
• Hampton Court PalaceminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCommunity Access Scheme (CAS) at Hampton Court Palace provides community groups access to cultural heritage experiences.
• CAF (Charities Aid Foundation)coreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorCAF Donate platform is used by KVA to process public donations to support the organization's charitable activities.

Scale indicators1 record

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• Locality: National membership body supporting community-led organizations across England, including local CVSs and voluntary action bodies. A broader incumbent that aggregates and represents the same operational category KVA belongs to, providing shared resources and advocacy.
• NCVO (National Council for Voluntary Organisations): Largest umbrella body for the voluntary sector in England and Wales, providing research, policy, and infrastructure support to voluntary organizations including borough-level CVSs like KVA. Operates at national scale across the same broader sector.
• NAVCA (National Association for Voluntary and Community Action): National membership association for local voluntary and community action infrastructure bodies in England. Represents the broader category KVA operates in and provides sector-level advocacy, training, and network coordination.

Others

• Superhighways: Digital, data, and technology support provider for London-based charities, delivering services to KVA's beneficiary groups through a partnership arrangement. An enabling/adfrastructure partner rather than a competitor, but operates in an adjacent space supporting the same VCSE customer base.

Direct peers

• Voluntary Action Camden: Borough-level infrastructure body for the voluntary sector in Camden offering training, funding support, and community development services. Structurally and operationally analogous to KVA, serving the same customer segment in a different London geography.
• Westminster Voluntary Action: Direct peer operating the identical CVS/Voluntary Action model in a London borough, providing capacity-building support, training, and community programs. Same target customer base (local VCSEs) and comparable size and scope.
• Hackney Voluntary Action: London borough-level voluntary sector support organization providing capacity-building, training, and partnership services to local community groups. Operates the same hub-and-spoke model as KVA in a different London borough.
• Hammersmith & Fulham Voluntary Action: A borough-level voluntary action organization in London delivering the same infrastructure support model — training, funding advice, and networking — to local VCSE groups. Closely comparable organizational form, revenue model, and service portfolio to KVA.
• Tower Hamlets CVS: Council for Voluntary Service in Tower Hamlets delivering infrastructure support, training, and representation for the local VCSE sector. Direct operational peer to KVA in the borough-level voluntary action category.

Emerging players

• Voice Online Communities: Network of voluntary action organizations (of which KVA is a member) providing shared digital infrastructure and platform services. Comparable as a collaborative platform peer rather than a service-delivery competitor, but increasingly relevant as it standardizes service delivery across member organizations.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/kingston-voluntary-action

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 Kingston Voluntary Action