Voluntary Action Islington
Voluntary Action Islington is a registered charity operating as the accredited Volunteer Centre for the London Borough of Islington, supporting local voluntary organizations, individual volunteers, and residents in need through volunteer matching, training, funding advice, venue hire, and crisis and food hub services.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded-
- HeadquartersLondon, United Kingdom
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2B and B2C
- OfferingServices
What Voluntary Action Islington does
Voluntary Action Islington (VAI) is a registered charity (No. 291890) and private company limited by guarantee, operating as the accredited Volunteer Centre for the London Borough of Islington. Founded in 1971 and headquartered at 200a Pentonville Road, London N1 9JP, with a secondary operations hub at 56 Benwell Road (Arsenal Hub), VAI serves four primary constituencies: local voluntary and community organizations, individual volunteers, residents in need of crisis/food/housing support, and charity trustees and leaders. Its service portfolio spans volunteer matching and management, funding and fundraising advice, policy and toolkit development, training programs (project management, safeguarding, mental health first aid, food safety), venue hire (meeting rooms, conference rooms, training rooms, hot desks), networking forums (Islington Community Network, Local Wellbeing Networks, Environment Forum), food hub operations, and crisis and homelessness support.
The organization runs on standard commodity technology — a WordPress website with GDPR cookie compliance, email newsletter distribution, event management and online booking systems for venue hire and training registration — with no proprietary platforms, patents, or application integrations. VAI's revenue model is multi-stream and grant-dependent: the predominant funding comes from trusts, foundations, and government bodies (Islington Council, Big Lottery / National Lottery Community Fund, City Bridge Trust, Cripplegate Foundation, Islington Giving), supplemented by fee-based venue hire, annual membership subscriptions from voluntary sector organizations, donations via LocalGiving, and pro bono legal advice delivered through a Russell-Cooke Solicitors helpline.
Go-to-market is community-led and relationship-driven: VAI reaches users through direct community engagement, partnerships with hundreds of local organizations, referral networks, community events, training workshops, social media, and an annual newsletter cycle. The organization is governed by a Board of Trustees (Chair: Andy Murphy), led by Chief Executive Mike Sherriff, and operates with approximately 13 staff. VAI is a member of NAVCA, holds London Living Wage employer accreditation since 2012, and operates under a published 2024-2027 strategy. Notable past context includes a significant funding-driven activity scale-down following cuts from statutory agencies, context that frames its current operational footprint.
Voluntary Action Islington firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Voluntary Action Islington
- Legal name
- Voluntary Action Islington Limited
- Website
- https://vai.org.uk
- Company type
- Private
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- Voluntary Action Islington is a registered charity operating as the accredited Volunteer Centre for the London Borough of Islington, supporting local voluntary organizations, individual volunteers, and residents in need through volunteer matching, training, funding advice, venue hire, and crisis and food hub services.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Voluntary Action Islington industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Voluntary and Community Sector Support Services
- NAICS
- Individual and Family Services (6241), Civic and Social Organizations (81341), Other Community Housing Services (624229)
- SIC
- Services-Social Services (8300), Services-Membership Organizations (8600)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Affordable Housing & Community Development (Housing, Community Land Trusts) (BPAGALAC)
- akta.pro secondary industry
- Homelessness Prevention, Shelter & Supportive Housing Services (BPAIANAC)
Keywords
Where Voluntary Action Islington is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- London
- HQ country
- United Kingdom
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices2 records
Markets served
Voluntary Action Islington business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B and B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Others, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- Venue Hire: Revenue from hiring out meeting rooms, conference rooms, training rooms, seminar rooms, and desk space to community organizations and businesses.
- Membership Fees: Annual membership fees for voluntary and community sector organizations with benefits including access to support services, training discounts, and networking opportunities.
- Grants and Charitable Funding: Funding from trusts, foundations, and government bodies including Islington Council, Big Lottery Fund, National Lottery Community Fund, City Bridge Trust, and other charitable organizations to support specific projects and operational costs.
- Donations: Charitable donations from individuals and organizations supporting the organization's mission. Accepts donations through LocalGiving platform.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Freemium | Annual | Free core services for community organizations |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Venue hire rates |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels4 records
Marketing channels6 records
Voluntary Action Islington product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Voluntary Action Islington operates as the accredited Volunteer Centre for the London Borough of Islington, providing volunteer matching and placement services, organisational development support (policies, toolkits, governance advice), funding and fundraising assistance, training courses, food hub coordination, community network facilitation, and crisis support for residents. It also earns revenue through hire of its meeting rooms, conference rooms, training rooms, seminar rooms, and desk space, and runs an annual membership scheme for local voluntary and community sector organisations.
Product overview
Voluntary Action Islington (VAI) is a charitable organization that provides a portfolio of community support services rather than a unified technology product. Core offerings include volunteer matching and management services, meeting venue hire, funding and fundraising support, training programs, food hub operations, and crisis support services. The organization operates from 200a Pentonville Road, London, serving the Islington borough.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Meeting and Desk Space (Venue Hire) Hire of desk space, hot desks, conference rooms, training rooms, and seminar rooms at 200a Pentonville Road, London, available to community organisations and businesses.
- Volunteering Services Volunteer matching, placement coordination, and volunteer management support for individuals seeking volunteering opportunities and for local organisations in Islington.
- Funding and Fundraising Support Grant application assistance, fundraising guidance, peer-to-peer fundraising support groups, and the Islington Funding Toolkit for local community organisations.
- Policies, Resources and Toolkits Sample policies, role descriptions, induction forms, supervision templates, and DBS-check guidance made available to volunteer-involving organisations.
- Together We Can Employment-support programme that helps Islington volunteers use their volunteering experience to improve their job prospects, including skills development and confidence building.
- Strengthening Volunteering Project Project supporting 15 local Islington organisations to develop and strengthen their volunteering programmes, policies, and management practice.
- Food Hub Services Food distribution and support services including volunteer training for food hub operations, customer service, and food safety certification across Islington food hubs.
- Training Programmes Training courses including Mental Health First Aid, project management, safeguarding, customer service for work, employment skills, and food safety for community organisation staff and volunteers.
- Crisis and Homelessness Support Emergency crisis support for Islington residents including food banks, hot meals, shower and laundry facilities, housing advice, and storage for homeless individuals.
- Community Network Coordination Coordination of the Islington Community Network, Local Wellbeing Networks, and the Islington Environment Forum, providing convening and collaboration infrastructure for local voluntary-sector organisations.
- VAI Membership Scheme Annual paid membership for voluntary and community sector organisations providing access to advice services, training discounts, governance support, and networking opportunities.
Quantifiable outcome
- Supported 15 local organizations on Strengthening Volunteering project in 2015
- +2 more outcomes
Companies that use Voluntary Action Islington
Customer profileNamed customers7 records
Segments4 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
Voluntary Action Islington technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Voluntary Action Islington partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Eight partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.
- DoubleTree by Hilton Angel Kings CrosscoreOfficial sponsor for the Islington Volunteer of the Year Awards, providing prizes for award winners. This partnership supports recognition of volunteers across Islington's voluntary, community, and faith sectors.
- London Metropolitan UniversityminorVAI Annual General Meeting and Volunteer of the Year Awards 2025 held at London Metropolitan University venue.
- London Voluntary Service Council (LVSC)minorLVSC moved to share premises with VAI at Pentonville Road in 2011, enabling collaboration and knowledge sharing between organizations supporting London's voluntary sector.
- Russell-Cooke SolicitorscorePartnership to provide a free telephone advice helpline for VAI members. The helpline offers 15-minute consultations with legal professionals on charity governance, contracting, employment, data protection, safeguarding, and property matters.
- Islington CouncilcoreLong-standing partnership with Islington Council to support the local voluntary and community sector. Council provides core funding and works with VAI on various initiatives including the Islington Compact.
- NAVCA (National Association for Voluntary and Community Action)coreVAI is a member organization of NAVCA. Joe Irvin, Chief Executive of NAVCA, has visited VAI and spoken at community conferences, strengthening sector voice and advocacy.
- Islington GivingcorePartnership to support Islington Giving, a local giving initiative. VAI facilitates grant programs and supports organizations in accessing funding through Islington Giving.
- Volunteer Centre CamdencoreVAI collaborates with Volunteer Centre Camden for joint volunteering fairs, combining resources to serve volunteers across both boroughs.
Scale indicators5 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights6 records
Voluntary Action Islington competitors and assessment
Company assessmentOthers
- Islington Giving: Islington-based local giving initiative that VAI partners with to administer grant programmes. While an ecosystem partner rather than competitor, it is a directly comparable Islington-focused community investment organization that touches VAI's donor and funder base.
- Citizens UK: UK-wide community organizing alliance that is the awarding body for VAI's London Living Wage accreditation. While not a direct service competitor, Citizens UK operates in adjacent community infrastructure territory and is a key partner/accreditor of VAI's employer practices.
- Centre for London: London-focused think tank and policy organization producing research and advocacy on London civic and social issues. Operates in adjacent territory to VAI's policy and Islington Compact work but is research/advocacy-led rather than a service delivery peer.
Broad incumbents
- NAVCA (National Association for Voluntary and Community Action): National membership body for local voluntary sector infrastructure organizations (CVS/CVAs), of which VAI is itself a member. NAVCA operates the national infrastructure network that VAI belongs to and provides sector-wide representation, making it a directly comparable but national-scale peer.
- Locality: National membership body for community-led organizations and local CVS-style infrastructure bodies. Locality supports similar community organizations with advice, resources, and advocacy, and represents a comparable operating model at greater scale and broader geographic reach.
- NCVO (National Council for Voluntary Organisations): UK-wide umbrella body for the voluntary sector that provides advocacy, policy, and infrastructure support to voluntary organizations including Volunteer Centres. NCVO operates at national scale while VAI operates borough-level, but they share the same voluntary sector infrastructure mission and overlapping member/audience base.
- London Voluntary Service Council (LVSC): London-wide voluntary sector support body that previously shared premises with VAI at Pentonville Road in 2011. LVSC operates a broader pan-London remit supporting voluntary and community sector organizations, overlapping directly with VAI's borough-level infrastructure role.
- Groundwork UK: National federation of community development charities delivering neighbourhood-level community engagement, training, and environmental programmes. Comparable to VAI in combining community development with practical service delivery, though with a stronger environmental focus.
Direct peers
- Volunteer Centre Camden: Adjacent London borough Volunteer Centre that operates an identical volunteer-matching and voluntary sector support model. VAI already collaborates with Volunteer Centre Camden on joint volunteering fairs, making it the most directly comparable peer in terms of service mix, geography, and target audience.
- Voluntary Action Westminster: Westminster borough CVS/Volunteer Centre providing the same volunteer matching, training, funding advice, and venue services for the voluntary and community sector. Operates an essentially identical service model to VAI but in a neighbouring London borough.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
Voluntary Action Islington social profiles
Digital presenceVoluntary Action Islington compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance2 records
Voluntary Action Islington financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Voluntary Action Islington leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles6 records
Voluntary Action Islington funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Voluntary Action Islington 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 Voluntary Action Islington
What does Voluntary Action Islington do?
Voluntary Action Islington operates as the accredited Volunteer Centre for the London Borough of Islington, providing volunteer matching and placement services, organisational development support (policies, toolkits, governance advice), funding and fundraising assistance, training courses, food hub coordination, community network facilitation, and crisis support for residents. It also earns revenue through hire of its meeting rooms, conference rooms, training rooms, seminar rooms, and desk space, and runs an annual membership scheme for local voluntary and community sector organisations.
Is Voluntary Action Islington a public or private company?
Voluntary Action Islington is a private company. It is classified as nonprofit foundation owned and is currently operating.
When was Voluntary Action Islington founded?
Voluntary Action Islington was founded in -1. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is Voluntary Action Islington based?
Voluntary Action Islington is headquartered in London, United Kingdom, in the Europe region.
How does Voluntary Action Islington make money?
Four revenue lines are on record. Venue Hire is the primary driver. The others are membership Fees, grants and Charitable Funding and donations.
Who are Voluntary Action Islington's main competitors?
Others on record are Islington Giving, Citizens UK and Centre for London. Broad incumbents are NAVCA (National Association for Voluntary and Community Action), Locality, NCVO (National Council for Voluntary Organisations), London Voluntary Service Council (LVSC) and Groundwork UK. Direct peers are Volunteer Centre Camden and Voluntary Action Westminster.
Does Voluntary Action Islington have an API?
No public API is recorded for Voluntary Action Islington.
What industry is Voluntary Action Islington in?
Voluntary Action Islington's product category is Voluntary and Community Sector Support Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is BPAGALAC, Affordable Housing & Community Development (Housing, Community Land Trusts), with a secondary code of BPAIANAC, Homelessness Prevention, Shelter & Supportive Housing Services. Its NAICS code is 6241 and its SIC code is 8300.