Student Volunteer Army
Student Volunteer Army is a New Zealand charitable trust that mobilizes students through an in-school Service Award program, university volunteer clubs, and coordinated disaster response, supported by a mobile/web app with AI-assisted service summaries.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2010
- HeadquartersChristchurch, Canterbury, New Zealand
- Headcount51–100
- GTM typeB2B and B2C
- OfferingServices
What Student Volunteer Army does
Student Volunteer Army (SVA) is a New Zealand-registered charitable trust founded in 2010 in the aftermath of the Christchurch earthquake by Sam Johnson. The organization mobilizes young people to undertake community service through three core programmes: the SVA Service Award (a structured in-school volunteering credential recognized across 250+ secondary schools), SVA U (university-based volunteer clubs with chapters at every NZ university), and rapid disaster response deployments. Across its 15-year operating history, SVA states it has engaged more than 80,000 students and contributed over 3.49 million volunteer hours.
SVA's core product is a mobile and web application that lets students log volunteer hours, find opportunities, and generate a personal portfolio of community service. The platform has been extended with an AI-powered "Summary of Service" feature built on OpenAI's enterprise API, which synthesizes a student's logged activity into a narrative document usable for resumes, scholarship and university applications. The trust operates in New Zealand and Australia, and has deployed volunteers in response to the Kaikōura earthquake, Christchurch mosque shootings, Cyclone Gabrielle, the Auckland Anniversary floods, the Nelson-Tasman floods, and the 2023 North Island severe weather events.
As a registered charitable trust, SVA is funded through a mix of individual donations, corporate sponsorship, philanthropic partners, and government grants — most recently a $50,000 NZD grant from the New Zealand government in July 2025 for Nelson-Tasman flood relief operations. The organization employs 56 staff and is governed as a trust rather than as a commercial entity, meaning there is no equity, valuation, or revenue disclosure in the conventional sense.
Student Volunteer Army firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Student Volunteer Army
- Legal name
- Student Volunteer Army Charitable Trust
- Website
- https://sva.org.nz
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2010
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 51–100 employees
- Short description
- Student Volunteer Army is a New Zealand charitable trust that mobilizes students through an in-school Service Award program, university volunteer clubs, and coordinated disaster response, supported by a mobile/web app with AI-assisted service summaries.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Student Volunteer Army industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Youth Volunteer Services
- NAICS
- Civic and Social Organizations (813410), Emergency and Other Relief Services (624230)
- SIC
- Services-Social Services (8300)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Volunteerism, Service-Learning & Community Service (EDALAHAG)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Disaster Relief & Humanitarian Aid Volunteering (EDAIAGAF), Youth Mentoring & Positive Youth Development Nonprofits (BPAGADAD)
Keywords
Where Student Volunteer Army is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Christchurch, Canterbury
- HQ country
- New Zealand
- HQ region
- Oceania
Offices1 record
Markets served
Student Volunteer Army business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B and B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Others
Revenue model
- Government Grants: One-off government grants for specific disaster response and recovery initiatives, such as the $50,000 Nelson-Tasman flood response grant.
- Donations and Fundraising: Public donations through the SVA Foundation Raisely site to support volunteer action across New Zealand and Australia.
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels4 records
Marketing channels6 records
Student Volunteer Army product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Student Volunteer Army runs a national framework for youth volunteering in New Zealand, anchored by the SVA Service Award and supported by a web/mobile application where students log volunteer hours, join SVA Clubs at schools and universities, and generate a verified Summary of Service. The organisation also coordinates rapid Disaster Response mobilisation of student volunteers during crises such as floods, earthquakes, and pandemics. Programs are delivered free to students and funded through public donations and government grants.
Product overview
Student Volunteer Army operates as a youth volunteering organization offering a portfolio of interconnected programs. The central offering is the SVA Service Award — a national framework supported by a web application enabling students to record, reflect on, and develop impactful volunteering. The SVA App and Web Portal serves as the primary platform for volunteers to log hours, join clubs, and track their impact. Complementary programs include SVA Clubs (student-led groups in schools and universities) and Disaster Response (coordinated crisis mobilisation). The portfolio is unified by the core mission of strengthening young people, supporting communities, and embedding volunteering at the heart of civic life in Aotearoa New Zealand.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- SVA Service Award: A national framework supporting students to record, reflect, and develop impactful volunteering.
- SVA Clubs
- SVA Volunteer-a-thon
Products and services
- SVA Service Award A national framework and associated web application that supports New Zealand students to record, reflect on, and develop impactful volunteering. It produces a verified Summary of Service (AI-assisted via OpenAI) that students can use for employment and tertiary education applications. Targeted at secondary and tertiary students and delivered in partnership with schools.
- SVA App and Web Portal A web and mobile application that enables student volunteers to log hours, join SVA Clubs, sign up for events, and track their volunteering activities and impact. Operated by SVA in partnership with School Kit (Ministry of Done Ltd). Used by 80,000+ students across New Zealand.
- SVA Clubs Student-led groups that create collective volunteering action in New Zealand secondary schools and universities, including the University of Waikato, University of Canterbury, and Victoria University of Wellington. SVA Clubs provide peer-led structure for ongoing service activities.
- Disaster Response Programme A coordinated volunteer mobilisation service that SVA delivers during times of crisis, enabling rapid, organised youth volunteer response to natural disasters and emergencies in New Zealand. Activated in partnership with civil defence, emergency management agencies, and local councils.
Quantifiable outcome
- 3,490,000+ volunteer hours contributed to communities
- +3 more outcomes
Companies that use Student Volunteer Army
Customer profileNamed customers3 records
Segments4 records
Ideal customer profiles4 records
Student Volunteer Army technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
AI capability2 records
Feature2 records
Student Volunteer Army partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Five partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.
- School Kit (Ministry of Done Ltd)coreOperational technology partner providing the School Kit platform that assists SVA in delivering services. SVA shares personal information with this partner for service delivery purposes. School Kit is bound by contract and not permitted to share information further or use it for any purpose other than delivering services on SVA's behalf.
- Idea ServicescorePartner working with SVA to ensure that the power of giving back is accessible to every young New Zealander, including those with additional needs. Collaboration focused on inclusive volunteering programs.
- International Association of Volunteering EffortminorResearch partner receiving non-identifiable information for understanding and advancing volunteerism.
- Volunteering New ZealandminorResearch partner receiving non-identifiable information for recording New Zealand's contribution to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals.
- NZ Ministry of Foreign Affairs and TrademinorResearch partner receiving non-identifiable information for recording New Zealand's contribution to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals.
Scale indicators6 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Student Volunteer Army competitors and assessment
Company assessmentBroad incumbents
- New Zealand Red Cross: A large established humanitarian organization in New Zealand that mobilizes volunteers for disaster response and community programs. Comparable in disaster-response volunteer mobilization, though operating at much greater scale across health, refugee, and emergency services.
- AmeriCorps: The US federal national service program engaging citizens in community service. Comparable in offering a structured, nationally-recognized service framework with credentialed outcomes.
- Salvation Army New Zealand: A large faith-based nonprofit in New Zealand with extensive volunteer mobilization for social services and disaster response. Comparable in disaster-response volunteer capacity, though operating across a much broader service portfolio.
- St John New Zealand: A major volunteer-driven emergency services organization in New Zealand. Comparable in mobilizing large volunteer workforces during emergencies and disasters, though focused on medical and ambulance services.
Emerging players
- Youth Volunteer Corps (YVC): US-based organization engaging youth ages 11–18 in volunteer service projects. Directly comparable in youth-led community service framework, with parallel Service Award/recognition programs.
Direct peers
- DoSomething.org: A digital platform mobilizing young people in volunteer campaigns. Comparable as a youth volunteer activation platform, though more digital-first and US-focused.
- Volunteering New Zealand: The national umbrella body for volunteering in New Zealand. Directly comparable as a domestic peer advancing the same volunteer-infrastructure mission, with overlap in research, advocacy, and policy engagement.
- Habitat for Humanity New Zealand: Mobilizes volunteers for community construction and recovery work. Comparable in its use of volunteer labor for disaster recovery and community resilience projects, with overlap in youth engagement.
- VSA (Volunteer Service Abroad): A New Zealand-based nonprofit sending volunteers overseas for development assignments. Comparable as a domestic volunteering nonprofit, though focused on international placements rather than domestic disaster response.
Regional players
- Australian Red Cross: Australia's primary humanitarian volunteer organization. Comparable as a regional peer with parallel disaster-response volunteer mobilization, representing a potential expansion market for SVA's model.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses4 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Student Volunteer Army social profiles
Digital presenceStudent Volunteer Army financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Student Volunteer Army leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles1 record
Student Volunteer Army funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Student Volunteer Army M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Student Volunteer Army
What does Student Volunteer Army do?
Student Volunteer Army runs a national framework for youth volunteering in New Zealand, anchored by the SVA Service Award and supported by a web/mobile application where students log volunteer hours, join SVA Clubs at schools and universities, and generate a verified Summary of Service. The organisation also coordinates rapid Disaster Response mobilisation of student volunteers during crises such as floods, earthquakes, and pandemics. Programs are delivered free to students and funded through public donations and government grants.
Is Student Volunteer Army a public or private company?
Student Volunteer Army is a private company. It is classified as nonprofit foundation owned and is currently operating.
When was Student Volunteer Army founded?
Student Volunteer Army was founded in 2010. It employs 51 to 100 people.
Where is Student Volunteer Army based?
Student Volunteer Army is headquartered in Christchurch, Canterbury, New Zealand, in the Oceania region.
How does Student Volunteer Army make money?
Two revenue lines are on record. Government Grants are the primary driver. The others are donations and Fundraising.
Who are Student Volunteer Army's main competitors?
Broad incumbents on record are New Zealand Red Cross, AmeriCorps, Salvation Army New Zealand and St John New Zealand. Youth Volunteer Corps (YVC) is listed as an emerging player. Direct peers are DoSomething.org, Volunteering New Zealand, Habitat for Humanity New Zealand and VSA (Volunteer Service Abroad). Australian Red Cross is listed as a regional player.
Does Student Volunteer Army have an API?
No public API is recorded for Student Volunteer Army.
What industry is Student Volunteer Army in?
Student Volunteer Army's product category is Youth Volunteer Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is EDALAHAG, Volunteerism, Service-Learning & Community Service, with a secondary code of EDAIAGAF, Disaster Relief & Humanitarian Aid Volunteering. Its NAICS code is 813410 and its SIC code is 8300.