Quaker Voluntary Service

What Quaker Voluntary Service does

Quaker Voluntary Service (QVS), incorporated as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit (EIN 38-3858580) and headquartered by mailing address at 500 Westover Dr #16026, Sanford, North Carolina, operates a year-long, residential service fellowship for young adults that integrates full-time nonprofit work with intentional Quaker community living and spiritual practice. The core product is the QVS Fellowship Program, originally an 11-month program for ages 21-30 that now runs 9.5 months; Fellows are placed at social justice-oriented nonprofit site partners (e.g., The Frazer Center, Massachusetts Bail Fund, U.S. Federation of Worker Cooperatives, Northeast Emergency Food Program) in cities including Boston, Minneapolis, Philadelphia, and (reopening 2026) Portland. A second product, the Summer Leadership Lab, was launched as a 2024 pilot in Philadelphia as a five-week program for ages 18-20.

The program delivers comprehensive Fellow support: housing in shared QVS houses, monthly stipend, food allowance, transportation allowance, health insurance, week-long orientation, mid-year and closing retreats, biweekly QVS Days, and an end-of-service award. Each house operates under the formal spiritual "care" of one or more local Quaker meetings (programmed and unprogrammed), and program design includes Quaker worship, conflict resolution training, and spiritual accompaniment. Underlying technology is limited to standard WordPress-based web infrastructure for applications, communications, and program management; no proprietary platform, app, or API exists.

QVS is funded through a mix of revenue streams: individual donations and Quaker-meeting gifts (its primary mechanism), agency fees from site-placement organizations (which the 2012-2013 budget indicated covered nearly half of operating costs), and foundation/individual challenge grants (e.g., a $20,000 challenge grant from Bill Graustein in 2012). The organization is governed by a Board of Directors, has no parent company or venture backing, and is actively accepting applications for the 2026-27 program year under Executive Director Greg Stefanski (appointed December 2025), succeeding founding ED Christina Repoley (2012-2018) and Hilary Burgin (2018-2025).

Name

Quaker Voluntary Service

Legal name

Quaker Voluntary Service

Website

https://quakervoluntaryservice.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2012

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Quaker Voluntary Service is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit running residential service fellowships that place young adults at social justice nonprofits, combining full-time nonprofit work with intentional Quaker community living, spiritual practice, and comprehensive Fellow support.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Youth Service Fellowship Program

NAICS

Religious Organizations (8131), Civic and Social Organizations (8134), Business, Professional, Labor, Political, and Similar Organizations (8139)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300)

akta.pro primary industry

Faith-Based Social Services & Community Outreach (Food Pantries, Shelters, Counseling) (BPAGAJAG)

akta.pro secondary industries

Volunteerism, Service-Learning & Community Service (EDALAHAG), Faith-Based & Mission Service Programs (EDAIAGAI)

Keywords

• Youth service fellowship
• Social justice volunteering
• Faith-based service program
• Intentional community living
• Nonprofit fellowship program

Headquarters

HQ city

Sanford

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices5 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure, Others

Revenue model

1. Individual Donations: QVS relies on individual donors and Quaker meetings for operational funding. The organization conducts end-of-year appeals and matching campaigns to raise funds.
2. Agency Fees: Site placement partner organizations pay fees that cover a portion of the program budget. The 2012-2013 budget had nearly half covered by agency fees from placement organizations.
3. Foundation Grants: QVS has received challenge grants from individual philanthropists (e.g., Bill Graustein provided $20,000 challenge grant in 2012) and potentially other foundations supporting youth service and Quaker ministries.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Quaker Voluntary Service runs a roughly 9.5- to 11-month residential fellowship program for young adults aged 21-30 that places Fellows full-time at social justice nonprofit host organizations while providing housing, monthly stipend, food and transportation allowances, health insurance, spiritual accompaniment, and intentional community living rooted in Quaker practice. A companion five-week Summer Leadership Lab for young adults aged 18-20 extends the model into a shorter summer pilot.

Product overview

Quaker Voluntary Service offers two distinct service programs: the year-long QVS Fellowship Program (an 11-month service opportunity for young adults aged 21-30) and the Summer Leadership Lab (a 5-week summer program for ages 18-20). Both programs place participants in social justice organizations, provide housing and living stipends, and incorporate Quaker spiritual practices, intentional community living, and regular QVS Days with programming. The Fellowship is the core program, while the Summer Lab is a newer pilot initiative targeting younger adults.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• QVS Fellowship Program An approximately 9.5- to 11-month full-time residential service and fellowship program for young adults aged 21-30 who are placed at social justice nonprofit host organizations while living in intentional Quaker-rooted community. Fellows receive housing, monthly stipend, food and transportation allowances, health insurance, training, spiritual accompaniment, and an end-of-service award. Open to applicants through an online application with essays and references.
• Summer Leadership Lab A five-week summer service and leadership pilot program for young adults ages 18-20 based in Philadelphia, offering volunteer opportunities at local organizations, intentional community living, spiritual exploration with local Friends, and workshops facilitated by QVS staff.

Quantifiable outcome

• Fellows report transformed sense of self, deeper spiritual understanding, and clarity on career and calling direction
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers7 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles4 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.

• Atlanta Friends MeetingcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPrimary spiritual support and community partner for Atlanta QVS house. Provided worship, spiritual nurturing relationships, and community integration for Atlanta Fellows.
• Philadelphia Quarterly MeetingcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborative partnership with Philadelphia Quarterly Meeting for Philadelphia QVS program launch in 2013.
• Germantown, Chestnut Hill, and Green Street MeetingscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPhiladelphia Meetings that provided minuted support for Philadelphia QVS program.
• West Hills Friends ChurchcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerOne of three Portland congregations jointly caring for Portland QVS house under joint care arrangement.
• Multnomah Monthly MeetingcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerUnprogrammed Quaker meeting providing support for Portland QVS program.
• Reedwood Friends ChurchcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerEvangelical Friends church providing support for Portland QVS program alongside Multnomah and West Hills.
• The Frazer CenterminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerAtlanta site placement serving adults and young children with disabilities; hosted QVS Fellows as classroom assistants.
• Massachusetts Bail FundminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerBoston site placement; QVS Fellows supported bail reform work and advocacy efforts.
• U.S. Federation of Worker CooperativesminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPhiladelphia site placement supporting worker cooperative movement and economic justice.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• AVODAH: Jewish Service Corps running a year-long fellowship placing young adults in anti-poverty placements with spiritual community components — directly analogous to QVS but faith-rooted in Judaism rather than Quakerism.
• Brethren Volunteer Service: Church of the Brethren year-long volunteer program for young adults focused on service, peace, and simple living — analogous faith-based service year program in the historic peace church tradition.
• Episcopal Service Corps: Network of year-long young adult service programs in Episcopal/Anglican tradition with intentional community and justice work — same faith-based service year category as QVS.
• Young Adult Volunteers (YAV) - PC(USA): Presbyterian Church USA year-long young adult volunteer program with domestic and international placements, intentional community living, and spiritual formation — closely mirrors QVS's structure and target demographic.
• Mennonite Voluntary Service: Anabaptist peace-church volunteer service program placing young adults in social justice and community work — comparable faith-rooted service year model with similar intentional community ethos.
• Jesuit Volunteer Corps (JVC): Catholic year-long volunteer program placing young adults in social justice nonprofits with intentional community living and spiritual formation — a structural and missional twin to QVS.
• Lutheran Volunteer Corps (LVC): Year-long fellowship for young adults rooted in Lutheran tradition, combining nonprofit service placements with intentional community and spiritual practice — comparable model and scale to QVS.
• Christian Appalachian Project: Faith-based service program placing volunteers in under-resourced Appalachian communities — comparable faith-rooted service and community integration model, though more geographically concentrated.

Broad incumbents

• AmeriCorps: Federal service program funding hundreds of thousands of members in year-long placements — the dominant incumbent against which small faith-based programs like QVS must differentiate.
• Public Allies: National service-year program placing young adults in nonprofit leadership apprenticeships with alumni network and AmeriCorps funding — a broader, better-capitalized competitor in the same service-year category.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/quakerservice
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCalCkY1IoZHXw-faTGL3Niw
• Facebookfacebook.com/QuakerVoluntaryService
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/quaker-voluntary-service
• Instagraminstagram.com/quakervoluntaryservice

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 records

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 Quaker Voluntary Service