VGS

What VGS does

VGS (Vereniging voor Gereformeerd Schoolonderwijs), founded in 1921 by ds. G.H. Kersten, is a Dutch membership association (vereniging) headquartered in Ridderkerk, Netherlands, that serves 199 Christian-reformatory member schools educating approximately 70,000 students, alongside 170 affiliated churches. The organization operates as a non-profit structured around three integrated service pillars: Belangenbehartiging (advocacy and political representation to government and 17 political party factions in The Hague and Brussels), Advies (advisory services spanning financial, HRM, legal, governance, and strategy), and Administratie (administrative services including payroll, financial administration, and parent/child administration managed on the AFAS ERP platform). VGS generates revenue through recurring membership dues paid by member schools and supplementary service fees, distributing its services directly via its own specialist team of approximately 70 colleagues.

Beyond the core three pillars, VGS extends its value proposition through the VGS Academie (professional development and training), Detachering (temporary staffing of advisors and administrators), a Juridische Helpdesk (legal helpdesk), and related sub-brands GS-Vitaal and Capensis. The organization maintains active partnerships with VBSO (closely allied Protestant school association), RMU (trade union for collective labor agreements), Driestar Educatief (joint professional development), and broader coalitions including Verus, CIO, and MissieNederland for joint advocacy on religious freedom and education policy. Distribution is direct-to-member with no reseller or marketplace channels; marketing relies on the website, newsletter, podcast series, lectures, and annual events such as the Schoolleidersdag.

Name

VGS

Legal name

Vereniging voor Gereformeerd Schoolonderwijs (VGS)

Website

https://vgs.nl

Company type

Private

Founded year

1921

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

VGS is a Dutch membership association founded in 1921 that serves 199 Christian-reformatory schools and 70,000 students across the Netherlands via advocacy, advisory, and administrative services, supported by 170 affiliated churches and a team of about 70 colleagues.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Education Support Services

NAICS

Business Associations (813910), Business, Professional, Labor, Political, and Similar Organizations (8139), Educational Support Services (611710)

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600)

akta.pro primary industry

Student Information Systems (SIS) & Master Data Management (EDAJAHAA)

Keywords

• School advocacy services
• Education administration services
• HR advisory education
• Financial advisory schools
• Membership association education

Headquarters

HQ city

Ridderkerk

HQ country

Netherlands

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Membership Fees: VGS operates as a membership organization (Vereniging). Schools pay membership dues to access advocacy representation, advisory services, administrative support, and member benefits. The membership structure is the primary revenue mechanism.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

VGS (Vereniging voor Gereformeerd Schoolonderwijs) is a Dutch membership association founded in 1921 that represents approximately 199 Christian-reformatory primary schools across the Netherlands. It provides three integrated pillars of service: Belangenbehartiging (advocacy and lobbying before government and political parties), Advies (advisory services covering financial, HRM, legal, governance, and strategy), and Administratie (administrative services including personnel & payroll administration, financial administration, and parent & child administration).

Product overview

VGS is an association for Christian-reformatory education in the Netherlands offering a comprehensive portfolio of services organized around three core pillars: Belangenbehartiging (advocacy/lobbying), Advies (advisory services), and Administratie (administrative services). The advisory services span financial advisory, HRM advisory, legal advisory, governance & supervision, and strategy & policy. Administrative services include personnel & payroll administration, financial administration, and parent & child administration. Additional offerings include the VGS Academie for professional development, staffing services (detachering) for both advisors and administrative staff, and a legal helpdesk. The organization serves approximately 199 member schools with 70,000 students across the Netherlands.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Named customers1 record

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Nine partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• VBSOcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerVBSO (Vereniging van Bijzondere Scholen voor Orthodox Protestant Christelijk Onderwijs) is a closely allied organization with shared goals in representing Orthodox Protestant schools. VGS and VBSO jointly submit consultative responses to government on education policy, coordinate advocacy efforts, and collaborate on initiatives such as the Schoolleidersdag and joint publications. The relationship is characterized by mutual alignment on values and policy positions.
• AFAScoreTechnology or IntegrationAFAS is a Dutch software company providing ERP and HRM software. VGS manages financial administration and personnel administration for member schools entirely within the AFAS software package. This partnership enables VGS to offer integrated administrative services to schools, with AFAS serving as the underlying technology platform for VGS's service delivery.
• CapensisminorOthersCapensis is referenced as a related organization/service within the VGS ecosystem. It appears to be a service partner offering additional support to VGS member schools.
• GS-VitaalminorOthersGS-Vitaal is a related service offered by VGS, focusing on vital organization/health for schools. It is part of the broader portfolio of VGS advisory services.
• RMU (Reformatorische Maatschappelijke Unie)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerRMU is the trade union with which VGS negotiates collective labor agreements (CAO) for the sector. VGS and RMU jointly developed the Werk-naar-Werk (Job-to-Job) Policy 2025-2027, and VGS represents member schools in labor negotiations with the RMU.
• Driestar EducatiefminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerDriestar Educatief co-organizes the annual Schoolleidersdag (School Leaders Day) together with VGS and VBSO/KOC, providing professional development for school leaders in the Christian-reformatory educational sector.
• CIO (Centrum Informatie en Documentatie Europa)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCIO is a Dutch knowledge center on Europe. VGS co-signed a letter with CIO, MissieNederland, and Verus addressed to political party election program committees, arguing against government supervision of informal education.
• MissieNederlandminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerMissieNederland is a Christian mission and diaconal organization. VGS partnered with MissieNederland, CIO, and Verus to submit joint advocacy positions to political parties regarding religious freedom and education freedom.
• VerusminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerVerus is a Christian educational association in the Netherlands. VGS collaborated with Verus on joint advocacy letters to political parties concerning religious freedom and the position of parents in education policy.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• VBSO: VBSO (Vereniging van Bijzondere Scholen voor Orthodox Protestant Christelijk Onderwijs) is the closely allied association representing Orthodox Protestant Christian schools in the Netherlands. It is a direct peer in advocacy, advisory, and member services for faith-based primary education, with overlapping leadership and joint programming (Schoolleidersdag, joint consultations).
• Verus: Verus is a Dutch association for Christian education that represents a broader coalition of faith-based schools (Protestant, Reformed, and other denominations). It is directly comparable to VGS as a peer membership association offering advocacy, advisory, and administrative services to member schools, though it serves a wider denominational umbrella than VGS's strictly gereformeerd focus. VGS and Verus have already collaborated on joint advocacy letters.

Broad incumbents

• PO-Raad: PO-Raad is the Dutch trade association for all primary schools (public and private combined), representing the entire sector. It is comparable to VGS as a peer membership/advocacy body for primary education in the Netherlands, but at much broader scale and covering the public school majority that VGS does not serve.
• VO-Raad: VO-Raad is the Dutch trade association for secondary education (voortgezet onderwijs). It is comparable to VGS as a sector-level advocacy and advisory body, though it covers all secondary schools rather than the Christian-reformatory primary school niche that defines VGS.

Others

• AFAS Software: AFAS is a Dutch ERP, HRM, and payroll software provider that powers VGS's financial administration and personnel/salary administration services for member schools. It is comparable to VGS as a critical infrastructure/technology partner but is not a peer — it is the underlying technology vendor enabling VGS's administrative service delivery.
• RMU (Reformatorische Maatschappelijke Unie): RMU is the trade union representing Reformed (gereformeerd) professionals that negotiates the collective labor agreement (CAO) for VGS member schools. It is comparable to VGS as part of the same Christian-reformatory ecosystem and is a strategic counterpart in labor relations, though it is not a direct competitor in school advocacy or administration services.

Emerging players

• Driestar Educatief: Driestar Educatief is a Dutch Christian teacher training institution and educational knowledge center that co-organizes the Schoolleidersdag with VGS. It overlaps with VGS in professional development for Christian-reformatory school leaders, though its core focus is teacher training rather than school association services.
• AVS (Algemene Vereniging van Scholleiders): AVS is the Dutch professional association for school leaders across primary, secondary, and special education. It is comparable to VGS through its VGS Academie training and professional development offerings for school leaders, though AVS serves as an individual-membership professional body rather than a school-membership association.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/vgs

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Subsidiaries2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about VGS