Service Over Self

What Service Over Self does

Service Over Self (SOS) is a Christian nonprofit organization founded in 2011 and headquartered at 2505 Poplar Avenue in Memphis, Tennessee. Its mission is to serve underserved Memphis neighborhoods through free home repair paired with youth and young-adult leadership development. SOS operates five integrated programs: Summer Camp (week-long home repair immersion for junior high and high school students), Spring Break (service trips for college students), SOS Academy (a nine-month community development residency for adults aged 19-26), SOS Builds (after-school construction training for neighborhood youth), and Home Repair Services (free total roof replacements for income-qualified homeowners). Eligible homeowners must live in three designated partner ZIP codes — Binghampton (38112), The Heights (38122), and Orange Mound (38114) — own and occupy the home, be current on taxes, and have household income below 80% of area median income. In 2021, SOS completed 21 full roof replacements across these neighborhoods.

SOS is funded through a diversified philanthropic model: individual donations (including the Endless Bucket Club monthly giving program starting at $5/month), church and corporate partnerships (including an Adopt-a-Week program where congregations commit volunteer teams for specific weeks of summer camp), and government and foundation grants, including a partnership with the City of Memphis Housing and Community Development. Summer staffers are paid $2,400 for six weeks of service. The organization has approximately 18 full-time staff, supplemented by 25+ college-aged summer staffers and 300+ student volunteers annually. Its strategic partnerships include the City of Memphis Housing and Community Development, Carpenter Art Garden in Binghampton, World Relief, and Oasis of Hope (the latter two hosting SOS Academy residents). Digital infrastructure is minimal: a Squarespace-hosted website, blog, email newsletter, and standard social media channels, with no proprietary technology platform, no AI or API capabilities, and no mobile application. As a Tennessee-incorporated 501(c)-style nonprofit with no parent company, subsidiaries, or outside investment, SOS sustains operations entirely through donations, grants, and volunteer labor.

Name

Service Over Self

Legal name

Service Over Self, Inc.

Website

https://sosmemphis.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2011

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Service Over Self is a Memphis-based Christian nonprofit, founded in 2011, that provides free roof replacements and home repairs to income-qualified homeowners in three underserved neighborhoods while running youth service-learning programs (Summer Camp, Spring Break, SOS Academy, and SOS Builds) funded by donations and grants.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Community Development Services

NAICS

Religious Organizations (8131), Community Housing Services (62422), Child and Youth Services (62411), Other Individual and Family Services (624190)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300), Services-To Dwellings & Other Buildings (7340)

akta.pro primary industry

Faith-Based & Mission Service Programs (EDAIAGAI)

akta.pro secondary industries

Volunteerism, Service-Learning & Community Service (EDALAHAG), Affordable Housing & Community Development (Housing, Community Land Trusts) (BPAGALAC)

Keywords

• Home repair services
• Youth development programs
• Community development residency
• Volunteer service camps
• Faith-based nonprofit ministry

Headquarters

HQ city

Memphis

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure, Others

Revenue model

1. Individual Donations: Recurring and one-time donations from individuals, including alumni, supporters, and community members. The Endless Bucket Club (EBC) monthly giving program starts at $5/month with alumni reunion benefits for members.
2. Church and Corporate Partnerships: Support from local churches that commit volunteers for each week of camp (Adopt-a-Week program) and corporate sponsors who fund specific programs or provide in-kind donations.
3. Government and Foundation Grants: Grants from government entities and foundations supporting community development and neighborhood revitalization work. City of Memphis Housing and Community Development partnership on certain projects.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Service Over Self is a Memphis-based Christian nonprofit that provides free roof replacements and home repairs to income-qualified homeowners in the Binghampton, The Heights, and Orange Mound neighborhoods, while running immersive volunteer service programs (Summer Camp, Spring Break, SOS Academy, and SOS Builds) for junior high, high school, college students, and young adults. Programming combines hands-on construction work, leadership development, and faith-based discipleship delivered by full-time staff, paid summer staffers, and student volunteers.

Product overview

Service Over Self is a faith-based nonprofit organization offering a portfolio of youth development and community service programs. The core offerings include Summer Camp (immersive service experience for junior high and high school students), Spring Break (service opportunities for college students), SOS Academy (nine-month community development residency for young adults), SOS Builds (after-school construction training for youth), and Home Repair Services (roof replacements for qualified low-income homeowners). These programs work together to fulfill the organization's mission of glorifying God by proclaiming the gospel through home repair and leadership development in underserved Memphis neighborhoods.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• SOS Summer Camp: Immersive service experience for junior high and high school students involving home repair in Memphis neighborhoods
• SOS Spring Break
• SOS Academy
• SOS Builds
• Endless Bucket Club (EBC)
• SOS 114
• SOS Leadership Summit

Products and services

• Summer Camp Immersive week-long service experience for junior high and high school students who travel to Memphis to partner with homeowners and complete home repairs in the Binghampton, The Heights, and Orange Mound neighborhoods. Combines hands-on construction, leadership development, and faith-based discipleship.
• Spring Break Camp Service trip program for college students who travel from across the country to Memphis during spring break to partner with homeowners, perform home repairs, and engage in relationship building and faith-based community work.
• SOS Academy Nine-month community development residency in Memphis for young adults aged 19-26 who have a concern for the poor, marginalized, or unreached. Residents live in partner neighborhoods, are equipped through a Gospel-driven lifestyle of justice and compassion, and complete placements with community organizations such as World Relief and Oasis of Hope.
• SOS Builds After-school program for youth in SOS partner neighborhoods providing educational, character, and leadership enrichment through hands-on construction training. Youth gain practical vocational skills, learn to be servant leaders, and grow as followers of Jesus.
• Home Repair Services Free total roof replacements and home repairs for qualifying homeowners in the Binghampton, The Heights, and Orange Mound neighborhoods. Eligibility requires household income under 80% AMI, homeownership and occupancy, current property tax status, and residence in a partner neighborhood. Repairs are completed by student volunteers under supervision of experienced year-round staff and delivered at no cost to the homeowner.

Quantifiable outcome

• 21 full roof replacements provided in 2021 alone
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers8 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• City of Memphis Housing and Community DevelopmentcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartners with SOS on certain home repair projects, providing funding or coordination for qualified repairs in eligible neighborhoods.
• World ReliefminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerTwo SOS Academy residents work with World Relief as part of their nine-month community development residency, gaining experience in refugee services and community development.
• Oasis of HopeminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerOne SOS Academy resident works with Oasis of Hope as part of their community development residency.
• Carpenter Art GardencoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerStrategic community partner in Binghampton providing creative programs and spaces for neighborhood youth. SOS staffer serves as Program Development Coordinator. Located across from Princeton House where Academy residents live.

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• Young Life: National faith-based youth development organization reaching middle and high school students. Comparable on the faith-based youth engagement dimension that anchors SOS Summer Camp, though Young Life does not operate a home repair service line.
• AmeriCorps NCCC / AmeriCorps VISTA: Federal national service program placing young adults in year-long service terms at nonprofits and communities. Comparable to SOS Academy in target demographic (young adult service-year) and community-development focus, though secular and government-funded rather than faith-based.
• ServiceYear Alliance: Coalition promoting paid national-service opportunities for young adults across nonprofits. Comparable to SOS Academy in advocating for and supporting young-adult service-year models, though operating as an umbrella/advocacy organization rather than a direct program operator.

Direct peers

• Youth Villages: Memphis-headquartered nonprofit providing residential and community-based programs for at-risk youth and families. Comparable to SOS on the youth development, family support, and Memphis footprint dimensions, though with a clinical rather than faith-based orientation.
• Habitat for Humanity of Greater Memphis: Affordable home repair and construction for low-income homeowners in Memphis. Most directly comparable peer: shares the same volunteer-driven home repair model, low-income homeowner target population, and Memphis geography as SOS's roof replacement program.
• World Relief Memphis: Faith-based nonprofit in Memphis serving refugees and immigrants through resettlement, education, and community development. Named partner of SOS (Academy residents serve with World Relief), with overlapping faith-based identity and community-development mission in the same city.
• Christ in the City: Faith-based nonprofit running urban mission/service-year programs for young adults that combine service with intentional community and formation. Closely mirrors SOS Academy's nine-month residency model and Gospel-driven formation approach.
• Mission Year: Urban service-year and residency program for young adults focused on justice, community development, and spiritual formation in underserved neighborhoods. Direct analog to SOS Academy in structure, target demographic (19-26), and faith-based urban ministry approach.
• Project Transformation Tennessee: Faith-based nonprofit running summer youth programs that pair service-learning with academic enrichment in underserved neighborhoods. Closely comparable to SOS Summer Camp and SOS Builds in serving youth in partner neighborhoods through faith-based service-learning.

Regional players

• Bethel Bible Village: Faith-based nonprofit in the Memphis/Southeast region providing residential and community programs for at-risk children and youth. Overlaps with SOS Builds and SOS Academy on faith-based youth and family services in the same regional geography.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/SOSmemphis
• Facebookfacebook.com/sosmemphis
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/service-over-self
• Instagraminstagram.com/sosmemphis

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 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 Service Over Self