What Solidar Suisse does

Solidar Suisse is a Swiss non-profit development organization founded in 1936 and headquartered in Zürich, with a regional office in Geneva. It operates approximately 60 projects across four continents (Africa, Asia, Latin America, and Southeastern Europe) focused on fair work conditions, social justice, democratic participation, and humanitarian aid. Its core programmatic products are development cooperation programs (implemented through local partner organizations such as CWAO in South Africa and CWCC in Cambodia), humanitarian action (including 2024 Venezuela earthquake response with ASB and Funvape), and advocacy campaigns targeting Swiss corporations and policymakers on issues such as inequality, climate justice, and corporate accountability. The organization is governed by a board of directors and led by Managing Director Felix Gnehm (Geschäftsleiter).

Solidar Suisse has no technology product, proprietary software, or AI/ML capability. Its "platform" is its website (solidar.ch), which serves as the primary donation and membership enrollment channel, supported by newsletter distribution in German and French, social media presence (Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, YouTube, X), door-to-door fundraising, media relations (Communications Manager Melanie Wirz), and events such as the Human Rights Film Festival in Zurich. The organization is ZEWO-certified, which confers Swiss quality-seal status and tax-deductibility for donations.

The revenue model is diversified across five streams: individual donations (one-time and recurring, with suggested tiers of 50/100/250 CHF), membership fees, bequests and legacies, partnerships with foundations/cantons/municipalities, and symbolic "hourly wage" donations. Go-to-market is hybrid: bottom-funnel fundraising via door-to-door and direct website donation widgets, mid-funnel engagement via newsletter, and top-of-funnel awareness via earned media, content marketing, and public events. Donors and Swiss policymakers constitute the demand-side audience; workers, women, refugees, migrants, and disadvantaged populations in the Global South constitute the beneficiary population served through local implementing partners.

Name

Solidar Suisse

Legal name

Solidar Suisse

Website

https://solidar.ch

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

Solidar Suisse is a ZEWO-certified Swiss non-profit founded in 1936 that runs approximately 60 development and humanitarian projects across Africa, Asia, Latin America, and Southeastern Europe. It is funded by individual donations, memberships, bequests, and institutional partnerships with foundations and cantons.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

International Development and Humanitarian Aid

NAICS

Social Advocacy Organizations (8133), Religious, Grantmaking, Civic, Professional, and Similar Organizations (813), Other Similar Organizations (except Business, Professional, Labor, and Political Organizations) (813990)

akta.pro primary industry

Humanitarian-Development-Peace Nexus & Resilience Programming (BPADAEAK)

akta.pro secondary industry

United Nations System & Specialized Agencies (BPADAAAA)

Keywords

• International development cooperation
• Humanitarian aid services
• Fair work advocacy
• Disaster relief programs
• Social justice campaigns

Headquarters

HQ city

Zürich

HQ country

Switzerland

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Individual Donations: Solidar Suisse relies primarily on donations from private individuals. The website features a donation widget with preset amounts (50 CHF, 100 CHF, 250 CHF) and custom donation options, accepting one-time and recurring contributions. Donations are tax-deductible in Switzerland.
2. Membership Fees: The organization recruits members who pay annual dues to support its mission. Becoming a member is listed as one of several ways to support Solidar Suisse's work.
3. Bequests and Legacies: Solidar Suisse encourages supporters to include the organization in their wills and estate planning as a way to provide long-term financial support.
4. Partnerships with Foundations, Cantons, and Municipalities: Solidar Suisse partners with foundations, cantons, and municipalities as an important pillar of funding. These partnerships are based on shared values and contribute to project financing.
5. Hourly Wage Donations: Supporters are invited to calculate their hourly wage and donate one or several hours of their work as a symbolic gesture of solidarity with workers in the Global South.

Pricing tiers

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels9 records

Core offering

Solidar Suisse is a Swiss nonprofit development organization that implements approximately 60 international cooperation projects across Africa, Asia, Latin America, and Southeastern Europe. The organization delivers development programs focused on fair work, social security, human rights, and democratic participation, provides humanitarian assistance following disasters, and runs advocacy campaigns targeting Swiss corporations and policymakers on inequality, tax justice, and corporate accountability.

Product overview

Solidar Suisse is a Swiss development organization operating as a charitable foundation rather than a technology company. The organization does not offer a unified software product or platform; instead, it provides a portfolio of charitable programs including international development cooperation projects (60 projects across Africa, Asia, Latin America, and Europe), humanitarian action for disaster response, advocacy campaigns for social justice, an online donation platform, and publications including annual reports and the Soli magazine. The organization's activities focus on combating inequality, promoting fair work conditions, and supporting democratic participation worldwide.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• International Development Cooperation Programs A portfolio of approximately 60 active projects across Africa, Asia, Latin America, and Southeastern Europe that promote fair working conditions, social security, human rights protections, and democratic participation for workers, women, refugees, migrants, and disadvantaged populations in the Global South.
• Humanitarian Action Programs Emergency response and disaster relief operations delivered in partnership with local and international organizations, including earthquake response (e.g., Venezuela earthquake with ASB and Funvape), flood assistance, and support for refugees and displaced populations.
• Advocacy Campaigns Public campaigns targeting Swiss corporations, policymakers, and consumers on themes including extreme inequality, tax justice, climate justice, corporate accountability, fair supply chains, and worker rights, including initiatives such as Black Friday opposition and challenges to the super-rich.
• Online Donation and Membership Services Online donation platform with preset amounts (50 CHF, 100 CHF, 250 CHF) and custom donation options, supporting one-time donations, recurring contributions, bequests and legacies, themed donations, gift donations, hourly wage donations, and paid annual membership enrollment for Swiss supporters. Donations are tax-deductible through ZEWO certification.
• Institutional Partnership Programs Co-funded development projects and partnerships with foundations, cantons, and municipalities in Switzerland, based on shared values, to support program financing and project implementation.

Named customers1 record

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Alliance SudcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSolidar Suisse is a member of Alliance Sud, a coalition of Swiss development organizations. Alliance Sud conducts policy advocacy, publishes analyses on international cooperation, and campaigns on issues such as development finance, climate justice, and Swiss corporate responsibility. Solidar Suisse participates in joint campaigns and releases co-branded press releases with Alliance Sud.
• OxfamcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSolidar Suisse partners with Oxfam, a global confederation fighting inequality. Solidar Suisse publishes and presents Swiss-specific data and analyses from Oxfam's annual inequality reports, including the Oxfam Inequality Report (Ungleichheitsbericht). The organizations collaborate on campaigns and advocacy related to extreme inequality, corporate responsibility, and climate justice.
• EPFL (École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSolidar Suisse collaborates with EPFL on a project in northern Pakistan aimed at making housing more earthquake-resistant. EPFL contributes scientific expertise while Solidar Suisse provides on-the-ground implementation.
• UN WomenminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSolidar Suisse partners with UN Women in the context of women's rights projects, including in Bangladesh, where UN Women provides support for women workers.
• Casual Workers Advice Office (CWAO)coreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerCWAO is Solidar Suisse's South African partner organization. CWAO assists people in precarious employment by providing legal advice and meeting spaces. Solidar Suisse supports CWAO's operations and collaborates on advocacy for workers' rights in South Africa.
• Cambodian Women's Crisis Center (CWCC)coreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerSolidar Suisse partners with CWCC in Cambodia to support women who have experienced trafficking and violence, providing protection and assistance to vulnerable women and girls.
• Arbeiter-Samariter-Bund (ASB)minorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerSolidar Suisse works with ASB (German Workers' Samaritan Federation) alongside local organization Funvape to provide humanitarian aid following the Venezuela earthquake, supporting the most affected populations.
• FunvapeminorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerFunvape is a local Venezuelan partner organization collaborating with Solidar Suisse and ASB to deliver humanitarian assistance to communities affected by the 2024 Venezuela earthquake.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Oxfam Switzerland: Swiss affiliate of Oxfam confederation, focused on inequality and global justice. Solidar Suisse is a formal partner of Oxfam for joint inequality reporting and campaigns, and the two compete for Swiss individual and institutional donors.
• Swissaid: Swiss development foundation fighting global inequality through long-term projects in Africa, Asia, and Latin America. Comparable in scale, donor base, and ZEWO-certified governance model.
• Caritas Switzerland: Major Swiss humanitarian and development organization with similar programmatic focus on poverty, social justice, and humanitarian aid. Operates on a comparable donor and institutional funding model and competes for the same Swiss charitable giving pool.
• Helvetas Swiss Intercooperation: Swiss development organization with similar size, scope, and operational model. Runs development and humanitarian projects across Africa, Asia, and Latin America, supported by individual donations and institutional partnerships — directly comparable to Solidar Suisse's mission and funding model.
• HEKS/EPER (Swiss Reformed Church Aid): Swiss development and humanitarian organization operating projects in roughly 30 countries with similar headcount and funding structure. Direct competitor for Swiss institutional donor funding and individual donations.

Broad incumbents

• Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) Switzerland: Global humanitarian medical organization with a Swiss section. Overlaps with Solidar Suisse on humanitarian action and disaster response, though focused on medical emergencies; competes for the same Swiss donor base.
• Swiss Red Cross: Large Swiss humanitarian organization with broader mandate spanning domestic and international work. Comparable on humanitarian action and disaster relief, but significantly larger and more diversified than Solidar Suisse.

Others

• Alliance Sud: Coalition of Swiss development organizations of which Solidar Suisse is a member. Functions as an industry association and joint advocacy platform — relevant for understanding Solidar Suisse's positioning within the Swiss development NGO ecosystem.

Regional players

• Greenpeace Switzerland: Swiss affiliate of Greenpeace, operating on advocacy and campaign-based fundraising. Solidar Suisse has partnered with Greenpeace on climate justice campaigns, and both compete for Swiss donor attention through similar channels.
• Amnesty International Switzerland: Swiss section of a global human rights organization with overlapping human rights and advocacy mandate. Comparable in donor base and advocacy style, though Amnesty's primary focus is human rights rather than development cooperation.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/solidarsuisse
• YouTubeyoutube.com/user/solidarsolidar
• Facebookfacebook.com/solidar.ch
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/solidar-suisse
• Instagraminstagram.com/solidarsuisse

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Subsidiaries1 record

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 Solidar Suisse