Volunteer Iowa

What Volunteer Iowa does

Volunteer Iowa is a state government agency operating under the Iowa Commission on Volunteer Service (ICVS), headquartered at 200 E. Grand Ave., Suite 113 in Des Moines, Iowa. It serves as Iowa's designated state service commission, administering federal AmeriCorps State, VISTA, and Seniors programs, and operating the Iowa MENTOR platform for youth-mentoring certification. The agency serves individual Iowa residents, nonprofit organizations, employers, and educational institutions across all 99 Iowa counties, providing all services free of charge. Its customer base includes adults aged 55+, youth, mentor practitioners, and grant-funded community programs.

The agency's core technology consists of the Galaxy Digital volunteer matching platform, which functions as a statewide database connecting volunteers with opportunities. It also operates the Iowa Volunteer Hall of Fame recognition program (active since 1989) and the Governor's Volunteer Awards, alongside promotional toolkits and the annual Capitol Day advocacy event. No proprietary software, mobile app, or AI capabilities are disclosed; the technology footprint is limited to this third-party matching platform plus standard web/marketing infrastructure.

Volunteer Iowa's revenue model is a public-sector appropriations-and-grant model. The agency is funded through state appropriations plus federal AmeriCorps grants, with the $8M AmeriCorps National Service Programs allocation (June 2026) and $289,737 Volunteer Generation Fund grant (July 2026) representing the principal recent inflows. Federal AmeriCorps allocations primarily function as pass-through funding to sub-grantee programs across the state, while state appropriations and the Volunteer Generation Fund support the agency's 18-person operational core. Services are delivered free of charge, with no pricing model, subscription, or fee-based revenue stream.

Name

Volunteer Iowa

Legal name

Volunteer Iowa

Website

https://volunteeriowa.org

Company type

Public

Founded year

1989

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Volunteer Iowa is a state government agency that administers AmeriCorps programs and operates statewide volunteer and mentoring infrastructure across all 99 Iowa counties, serving individual volunteers, nonprofits, employers, and educational institutions free of charge.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Public Volunteer Service Programs

NAICS

Civic and Social Organizations (813410), Business, Professional, Labor, Political, and Similar Organizations (8139)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300)

akta.pro primary industry

Volunteer Program Funding, Scholarships & Fundraising Support (EDAIAGAO)

akta.pro secondary industries

Youth Mentoring & Positive Youth Development Nonprofits (BPAGADAD), Environmental Conservation & Sustainability Volunteering (EDAIAGAB)

Keywords

• Volunteer service programs
• AmeriCorps state commission
• Mentoring program support
• National service grants
• Volunteer recognition programs

Headquarters

HQ city

Des Moines

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. State Government Appropriations: Volunteer Iowa operates as the Iowa Commission on Volunteer Service (ICVS), a state government agency receiving funding through state appropriations.
2. AmeriCorps Federal Grants: Manages AmeriCorps State and National funding, including AmeriCorps VISTA for poverty elimination and AmeriCorps Seniors programs. Awarded $289,737 in AmeriCorps funding (July 2026) and $8 million for AmeriCorps National Service Programs (June 2026).
3. Volunteer Generation Fund: Grant awarded by AmeriCorps to support volunteer engagement infrastructure across Iowa.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Volunteer Iowa is the Iowa Commission on Volunteer Service, a state government agency that administers AmeriCorps programs (State, VISTA, Seniors), operates Iowa MENTOR for mentoring quality assurance, maintains a free statewide volunteer opportunity database through the Galaxy Digital platform, and delivers recognition programs such as the Governor's Volunteer Awards and Iowa Volunteer Hall of Fame. All services are provided free of charge to individuals, nonprofits, and employers across Iowa's 99 counties.

Product overview

Volunteer Iowa (also known as the Iowa Commission on Volunteer Service or ICVS) is a state government agency that operates as a platform of volunteer and national service programs. The core offerings include AmeriCorps programs (State, VISTA, and Seniors), Iowa MENTOR for mentoring services, and various recognition programs (Governor's Volunteer Awards, Volunteer Hall of Fame, What's Your 50? campaign). The organization provides supporting resources including the volunteer opportunity database via Galaxy Digital, communication toolkits, monthly newsletters, and annual advocacy events like Day at the Capitol. The portfolio connects volunteers with organizations, supports youth service projects, and recognizes outstanding volunteer contributions across Iowa.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Iowa MENTOR: Program that promotes, supports, and builds quality mentoring relationships by elevating programs across Iowa

Products and services

• AmeriCorps National service program that improves lives, strengthens communities, and fosters civic engagement through service and volunteering. Includes AmeriCorps State, AmeriCorps VISTA (focused on poverty elimination), and AmeriCorps Seniors programs operating across Iowa. Members receive education awards for college and student loan repayment.
• Iowa MENTOR Program that promotes, supports, and builds quality mentoring relationships by elevating mentoring programs across Iowa. Provides certification and training for mentoring programs, recognition through Excellence in Mentoring Awards, and statewide advocacy for youth mentoring.
• Iowa Volunteer Hall of Fame Prestigious state-level recognition program honoring volunteers who have freely given their time and talent to benefit others. Inductees are recognized at the Iowa State Capitol and names are engraved on a permanent plaque at the State Historical Museum. Nearly 200 inductees have been honored since 1989.
• Governor's Volunteer Awards Recognition program providing a way to honor dedicated volunteers, including individual awards, group awards, Length of Service awards (5, 10, 15, 20 years), and Youth Service awards. The 2026 ceremony was held July 14 at Urbandale High School.
• What's Your 50? Campaign encouraging Iowans to volunteer at least 50 hours per year. Research indicates 50+ hours is a tipping point for maximizing both individual volunteer benefit and recipient impact, compared to the current Iowa average of 34.2 hours per year.
• Youth Service Program offering resources and opportunities to engage youth in volunteer service, including the What's Your Why Service Project Toolkit, which provides a five-step IPARD process (Investigation, Planning, Action, Reflection, Demonstration) for designing and implementing youth service projects.
• Volunteer Generation Fund Grant program awarded by AmeriCorps to support volunteer engagement infrastructure across Iowa, helping organizations build capacity for volunteer programs. Volunteer Iowa was awarded $289,737 in July 2026 under this grant.

Quantifiable outcome

• Nearly 200 Iowans inducted into the Iowa Volunteer Hall of Fame since 1989
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers5 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

Feature2 records

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered core and secondary.

• AmeriCorpscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAmeriCorps is the federal agency that provides funding and oversight for national service programs. Volunteer Iowa serves as the state commission managing AmeriCorps State, AmeriCorps VISTA, and AmeriCorps Seniors grants in Iowa. This is the primary federal funding relationship enabling Volunteer Iowa's operations.
• Iowa Department of Health and Human Services (IDPH)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerIDPH recognizes the preventative nature of high-quality mentoring programs. Funding opportunities provide concrete collaboration between IDPH and Iowa MENTOR. Mentoring programs applying for IDPH grants must first become certified through Iowa MENTOR.
• MENTOR (National Mentoring Partnership)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe national unifying champion for expanding quality youth mentoring relationships. MENTOR serves the mentoring field by providing public voice, developing resources for mentoring programs nationwide, and promoting quality standards through research and tools.
• America's PromisesecondaryStrategic or Co-development PartnerIowa MENTOR is committed to mobilizing Iowans to fulfill America's Promise - specifically the first of Five Promises (Caring Adults). America's Promise works to ensure each of the Five Promises for children are met: Caring Adults, Safe Places, Healthy Start, Marketable Skills, and Opportunities to Serve.
• Million Women Mentors IowasecondaryStrategic or Co-development PartnerStatewide initiative to get at least 5,000 male and female volunteers to serve as mentors to girls and young women in STEM across all 99 Iowa counties. Part of national Million Women Mentors program goal of providing one million STEM mentors.
• Galaxy DigitalcoreTechnology or IntegrationTechnology platform provider for Volunteer Iowa's statewide volunteer database (volunteeriowa.galaxydigital.com). The platform enables organizations to post volunteer opportunities and individuals to search and register for volunteer activities across Iowa.
• Iowa Department of Natural ResourcessecondaryStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership supporting Iowa Project AWARE (A Watershed Awareness River Expedition), the largest annual river cleanup event in Iowa. DNR collaborates with county conservation boards and tribal partners on environmental service initiatives.
• Ho Chunk NationsecondaryStrategic or Co-development PartnerTribal partner collaborating with Iowa Project AWARE and other Volunteer Iowa environmental service initiatives, strengthening cultural connections in conservation efforts.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Points of Light: Large, established national nonprofit focused on volunteer service and civic engagement. Operates HandsOn Network affiliates across the U.S., overlapping directly with Volunteer Iowa's statewide volunteer infrastructure and recognition programming.
• Big Brothers Big Sisters of America: Largest youth mentoring organization in the U.S., operating affiliate programs in Iowa and across the country. Comparable to Iowa MENTOR's mentoring portfolio and operates within the same national mentoring ecosystem.
• AmeriCorps (Corporation for National and Community Service): Federal agency that funds and oversees national service programs, including the State and National grants that Volunteer Iowa administers. Direct upstream funder and program framework provider; comparable in mission but not in scope (national vs. Iowa-only).

Direct peers

• HandsOn Network: National volunteer-mobilization network affiliated with Points of Light, connecting volunteers with local service opportunities. Directly comparable to Volunteer Iowa's statewide volunteer opportunity database, though operating at national scale.
• Serve Washington: Washington state's commission on national and community service. Direct functional peer administering AmeriCorps programs in a single U.S. state, providing a comparable model for state-level service commission operations.
• VolunteerMatch: National nonprofit operating the largest online volunteer matching platform in the U.S. Directly comparable to Volunteer Iowa's Galaxy Digital-powered statewide volunteer database, with overlapping mission of connecting individuals to nonprofit volunteer opportunities.
• Serve Minnesota: Minnesota's state commission on national and community service, administering AmeriCorps programs in Minnesota. Direct functional peer to Volunteer Iowa as a state-level service commission managing AmeriCorps State, VISTA, and Seniors grants in an adjacent Midwestern state.
• MENTOR (National Mentoring Partnership): National organization championing youth mentoring relationships and providing resources, training, and standards to mentoring programs. Directly comparable to Volunteer Iowa's Iowa MENTOR program, which operates as an affiliate state chapter.
• CaliforniaVolunteers: California's state service commission, one of the largest in the nation. Direct peer in function (state service commission administering AmeriCorps and managing statewide volunteer infrastructure), though operating at much larger scale and budget.

Emerging players

• Idealist (Action Without Borders): Global nonprofit operating a volunteer and job-matching platform for social-impact organizations. Comparable to Volunteer Iowa's Galaxy Digital database with overlapping volunteer-matching functionality, though operating at broader (national/international) scale and including paid roles.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/VolunteerIowa
• YouTubeyoutube.com/@VolunteerIowa
• Facebookfacebook.com/VolunteerIowa
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/volunteer-iowa
• Instagraminstagram.com/volunteeriowa

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

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 Volunteer Iowa