Serve On

What Serve On does

Serve On is a UK-registered charity (Charity No. 1156504; Company Limited by Guarantee No. 07883243) founded in 1994 and headquartered at 155 Tulse Hill, London. Originally established to support veterans transitioning to civilian life, the organisation was transformed in 2014 by a merger with an established International Response Team (IRT) and now provides specialist humanitarian search and rescue services. Its three core service lines are: (i) the International Response Team, which deploys self-sufficient volunteer teams to overseas earthquakes and collapsed-structure disasters with over 30 years of operational history spanning Pakistan, Haiti, Nepal, Türkiye, Morocco, and Venezuela; (ii) a DEFRA-accredited Flood Response Team that supports UK flood emergencies; and (iii) UK Resilience Operations providing domestic community and emergency-service support. The organisation's technology stack centres on specialist Urban Search and Rescue (USAR) equipment — acoustic detectors, Vibraphone listening devices, Snake Eye cameras, CO2 monitors, thermal cameras, sniffer dogs, and heavy rescue tools — supplemented by a proprietary mapping and coordination app first deployed at scale in the 2023 Morocco earthquake response.

The organisation is entirely volunteer-run with no paid operational staff and currently has 17 trainees enrolled in a demanding two-year training programme to become qualified international search and rescue technicians. Selection is rigorous, with fewer than half of applicants successfully joining the response teams, and many volunteers come from military or emergency-services backgrounds. The organisation is led by Chairman Paul Rose, Vice Chair Farooq Muzammal, and Trustees Neil Donaldson, Nigel Hindle, and Abbas Dhanani, with Joanna Lumley serving as Ambassador. It maintains a wide partnership ecosystem including DEFRA, EVOLSAR, K9 SAR NI, Gruppo Edelweiss, UK ISAR, Off-Grid Water, and the Brigade of Gurkhas, and is actively pursuing INSARAG accreditation for formal UN recognition.

Serve On is funded entirely through voluntary contributions with no commercial revenue streams. Income sources include individual donations (via Wonderful.org), sponsored challenges, school/youth fundraising, community events, online and workplace fundraising, in-memory giving, the tiered 'Sponsor a Trainee' programme (£25/month to £6,000 full sponsorship), and charity poll participations. Disclosed 2024 income was £97,676 against spending of £199,375, with the gap covered by reserves and volunteer commitment. The organisation's headquarters is hosted by Oasis St Martin's Village, and distribution is delivered as direct field deployment rather than through any commercial channel.

Name

Serve On

Legal name

Serve On

Website

https://serveon.org.uk

Company type

Private

Founded year

1994

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

251–500 employees

Short description

Serve On is a UK-registered volunteer-run charity providing specialist international and domestic search and rescue services. It deploys self-sufficient teams to earthquake and flood disasters using proprietary USAR equipment, funded entirely by public donations.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Humanitarian Search and Rescue Services

NAICS

Emergency and Other Relief Services (62423), Emergency and Other Relief Services (624230)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300)

akta.pro primary industry

Disaster Response & Search and Rescue (SAR) (BPADADAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Disaster Recovery, Reconstruction & Resilience Programs (BPAGAAAK), Community Resilience, Preparedness Training & Exercises (HLAJAGAL), Humanitarian Coordination, Information Management & Needs Assessment (BPADADAL)

Keywords

• Disaster search rescue
• Humanitarian emergency response
• Volunteer rescue services
• Flood rescue response
• Urban search rescue

Headquarters

HQ city

London

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Public Donations: Serve On relies entirely on public donations to fund its search and rescue operations, training, and equipment. Donations can be made through the Wonderful.org platform.
2. Sponsor a Trainee Programme: Individuals and organisations can sponsor trainees through a structured programme (£25/month, £100, £500 one-off, £3,000/year, £6,000 for full two-year programme) to help cover training equipment, kit, travel, accommodation, and time away from work.
3. Fundraising Activities: Sponsored challenges, school/youth fundraising, community events, online fundraising, workplace fundraising, and in-memory giving all generate voluntary contributions.
4. Charity Poll / Public Funding: Serve On participates in the Discount Promo Codes Charity Poll, where public votes during July 2026 can direct 20% of the company's July profits to Serve On.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

Serve On is a UK-registered charity that deploys trained volunteer teams to deliver rapid disaster response, urban search and rescue (USAR), flood rescue, and community resilience services both domestically and internationally. Its operations comprise three interconnected service lines: the International Response Team (IRT) for overseas earthquake and collapsed-structure rescue, a DEFRA-accredited Flood Response Team for UK flooding emergencies, and UK Resilience Operations for domestic community support. A rigorous two-year training programme converts volunteers into qualified rescue technicians, funded in part through a public Sponsor a Trainee programme.

Product overview

Serve On is a humanitarian search and rescue charity operating three interconnected service lines: the International Response Team (IRT) for overseas earthquake and disaster response, a DEFRA-accredited Flood Response Team for UK flooding emergencies, and UK Resilience Operations for domestic community support. All operational teams are powered by a rigorous two-year training programme that transforms volunteers into qualified rescue technicians. The organisation also runs a Sponsor a Trainee programme enabling public donations to fund training costs. The IRT operates under the Serve On Diamond emblem, representing completion of the demanding selection and training process.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• International Response Team (IRT) Specialist volunteer earthquake and collapsed-structure search and rescue team that deploys internationally to locate and rescue people trapped in collapsed structures after earthquakes and extreme weather events. Deploys self-sufficient teams capable of operating independently in hostile environments, liaising with international partners, UN agencies, and local authorities.
• Flood Response Team DEFRA-accredited swiftwater and flood rescue team that deploys to flood emergencies across the UK, working alongside emergency services and partners to locate, rescue, and support those affected by floods and severe weather.
• UK Resilience Operations UK-based resilience and community support operations that assist people in need, support other organisations, help prepare communities, and work with partners to create positive impact during domestic emergencies and crises, including missing person searches, logistics assistance, and emergency service support.
• International Response Team Training Programme Rigorous two-year volunteer training programme that prepares individuals to become qualified international search and rescue technicians, covering urban search and rescue, rope techniques, technical search equipment, disaster operations, medical care, and leadership training. Currently 17 volunteers are selected per cohort, with fewer than half of applicants succeeding.
• Sponsor a Trainee Programme Public fundraising initiative allowing donors to support the training of international search and rescue volunteers, with sponsorship tiers ranging from £25 per month to £6,000 for fully sponsoring a trainee through the entire two-year programme. The current campaign aims to raise £102,000 to train all 17 volunteers.

Quantifiable outcome

• Deployed team of 8 within 24 hours of Nepal 2015 earthquake, being one of the first international aid agencies on the ground
• +5 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature6 records

Partnerships

15 partnerships are on record, tiered core, supporting and minor.

• K9 Search & Rescue NIcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerServe On works in close partnership with K9 Search & Rescue Northern Ireland, collaborating as equal, highly trained teams in both international deployment and advanced search-and-rescue training. K9 SAR NI provides certified area search (live victim) and victim recovery canines for coastal, urban, rural and disaster response. The partnership covers flood response, earthquake response, and missing persons search operations. During the Venezuela earthquake deployment, Serve On was accompanied by a live-scent search dog from partner K9SARNI.
• EVOLSARcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerEVOLSAR is a European network dedicated to strengthening disaster response through cooperation, training, and shared expertise among volunteer search-and-rescue teams. Serve On benefits from access to a network of training centres across the world, joint response capabilities in Urban Search and Rescue, and shared specialist expertise exchanging proven techniques and best practice. EVOLSAR promotes high standards in civil protection and ensures teams are prepared to act swiftly across borders.
• Oasis St Martin's VillagecoreOthersOasis St Martin's Village kindly hosts Serve On's headquarters within their community space at 155 Tulse Hill, providing a welcoming and supportive base for operations. This enables Serve On to coordinate work effectively while staying connected to the communities it serves.
• Off-Grid WatersupportingTechnology or IntegrationOff-Grid Water generously supports Serve On's work by providing a high-quality, innovative water system that strengthens operational capability. Their reliable, field-ready equipment enables the team to deliver vital support in disaster zones where clean water access is critical.
• ThruDark x Devizes WestminsterminorGTM or Marketing PartnerServe On provides safety support for the ThruDark x Devizes to Westminster Race in April 2026, ensuring a secure and well-coordinated environment for all participants. This endurance event partnership raises visibility for the charity.
• Gruppo EdelweisscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerGruppo Edelweiss planned and led an international disaster response training exercise in Soverato, Italy. The exercise was attended by around 15 international teams and was designed to share skills, foster collaboration, and confirm teams work to internationally recognised standards. The exercise formed part of Serve On's ongoing work towards INSARAG accreditation leading to UN recognition.
• Italian Police Search Dog TeamminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborated with Serve On during the Italy joint exercise in scenarios involving collapsed structure searches using live scenting dogs.
• Hungarian Reformed Church Aid Search & Rescue TeamminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborated with Serve On during the Italy joint exercise alongside Italian civil and military rescue assets.
• Croce Rossa Italiana (Italian Red Cross)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborated with Serve On during the Italy joint exercise scenario operations.
• Epomea (Greece)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerGreek search and rescue organisation that operated with Serve On during the Italy joint exercise.
• Bombardeiros Peniche (Portugal)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPortuguese Urban Search and Rescue team that operated alongside Serve On during complex rescue scenarios in the Italy exercise.
• DEFRAcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe UK Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs (DEFRA) accredits Serve On's Flood Rescue Team as an audited and approved national asset that can be deployed by the government during flood emergencies.
• Discount Promo CodesminorGTM or Marketing PartnerServe On was nominated as one of three charities in the Discount Promo Codes Charity Poll for July 2026. The public can vote for free, with the winning charity receiving 20% of Discount Promo Codes' July profits.
• UK ISARminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerServe On worked hand in hand with UK ISAR during the Nepal 2015 earthquake response.
• UK Brigade of Gurkhas (in Nepal)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerServe On benefited from an existing relationship with the Brigade of Gurkhas in Nepal, coordinating on the ground. Serve On eventually donated its lifesaving technical search equipment to the Brigade of Gurkhas to enhance their future response capability.

Scale indicators10 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• UK International Search and Rescue (UK ISAR): UK government-affiliated international search and rescue team that Serve On worked alongside during the Nepal 2015 earthquake response. Operates in the same international USAR category with overlapping deployment profile and partner base.
• SARAID: UK-based charity providing international disaster response and search and rescue, including collapsed-structure rescue. Directly comparable volunteer-based UK SAR charity with similar USAR and water rescue capabilities.
• RE:ACT: UK-based disaster response charity providing rapid deployment teams for international emergencies and domestic community support. Closely comparable mission and operational model to Serve On.
• International Rescue Corps (IRC): UK-based humanitarian search and rescue organisation deploying volunteer teams to international disasters. Comparable in mission, volunteer model and USAR focus to Serve On.
• K9 Search & Rescue Northern Ireland: Northern Ireland volunteer canine search and rescue organisation that operates as a close operational partner with Serve On, including joint deployments to Venezuela. Comparable in volunteer-based SAR mission and capabilities.
• Gruppo Edelweiss: Italian volunteer Urban Search and Rescue organisation that co-led the Italy joint exercise with Serve On as part of INSARAG accreditation work. Directly comparable USAR NGO operating in the same international disaster response space.

Others

• Off-Grid Water: Provider of field-ready water purification equipment that supports Serve On's disaster response operations (e.g., 8,000 litres of safe water in Nepal 2015). Adjacent enabling supplier in the humanitarian response ecosystem.

Broad incumbents

• British Red Cross: Large UK humanitarian organisation with international disaster response, emergency relief and community support programmes. Overlapping with Serve On's mission at a much larger scale and broader portfolio.
• Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI): Major UK water and flood rescue charity with established government and public support. Comparable in UK flood/water rescue capability, though focused on maritime rather than international USAR.
• Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) / Doctors Without Borders: Global humanitarian medical organisation deploying to natural disasters and conflict zones. Comparable in international disaster response mission and rapid-deployment ethos, though focused on medical rather than USAR.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/serveonUK
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/serve-on
• Instagraminstagram.com/serveon_uk
• Xx.com/SERVE_ON

Compliance3 records

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 Serve On