Sos Ticino

What Sos Ticino does

Associazione SOS Ticino is a non-profit humanitarian association founded in 1984 and headquartered in Lugano, Switzerland, operating as a regional affiliate of the national Soccorso Operaio Svizzero (SOS Svizzera) network, which was itself founded in 1936 by the Swiss Trade Union Federation (USS) and the Swiss Socialist Party (PS). The organization delivers professional and social integration services for two primary beneficiary groups: unemployed individuals (through temporary occupational programs and youth insertion services) and migrants/asylum seekers (through legal advice and representation, social accompaniment, professional insertion, and intercultural mediation in over 60 languages). SOS Ticino supports more than 3,000 individuals annually through individual integration pathways and over 5,000 people in fragile situations, employing approximately 136 staff across seven offices covering the entire canton of Ticino (Lugano, Viganello, Bellinzona, Chiasso, Rivera, Giubiasco, Locarno).

The organization's business model is characteristic of a Swiss charitable association: revenue derives from individual membership fees (CHF 50-200/year), public donations, likely cantonal government commissions for integration services, and earned income from social enterprise activities including second-hand shops, bicycle recovery and resale (with some bicycles donated to Africa), and apartment clearing services. All services to beneficiaries are provided free of charge. The organization holds ZEWO certification, the Swiss quality seal for non-profits that collect donations, validating transparent use of funds. Its technology infrastructure is deliberately modest and non-proprietary: Joomla CMS for the institutional website at sos-ti.ch, Brevo (formerly Sendinblue) for newsletter distribution, Twint for mobile donation processing, and Google Analytics for consent-based web analytics. There are no proprietary technology platforms, AI/ML capabilities, or commercial software products.

Governance operates under the standard Swiss non-profit association structure with a Comitato (committee), a Director (Amato Mario) who also heads Communication, and dedicated department heads for Migration (56 staff), Legal Protection (36 staff), Unemployment programs, Legal Advisory, IT, Finance/HR, Training, and Agenzia Derman. The organization sits within a broader national network of 10 regional SOS associations coordinated by a National Secretariat in Bern (created 2008) under the SOS Svizzera umbrella association (founded 2011), which links Swiss national activities to international operations managed by the related entity Solidar Suisse.

Name

Sos Ticino

Legal name

Associazione SOS Ticino

Website

https://sos-ti.ch

Company type

Private

Founded year

1984

Operating status

Operating

Short description

SOS Ticino is a non-profit humanitarian association in the canton of Ticino, Switzerland, delivering professional and social integration services—including occupational programs, legal representation, social accompaniment, and intercultural mediation in 60+ languages—to unemployed individuals and migrants free of charge, as a regional affiliate of the national SOS Svizzera network.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Social Integration and Humanitarian Services

NAICS

Social Assistance (624), Other Individual and Family Services (62419), Vocational Rehabilitation Services (6243)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300), Services-Legal Services (8111), Services-Employment Agencies (7361)

akta.pro primary industry

Integration & Inclusion Services (Housing, Education, Employment) (BPADAHAI)

akta.pro secondary industries

Immigrant & Refugee Workforce Integration Programs (EDAAAOAJ), Refugee & Migrant Integration Enterprises (Livelihoods, Services) (BPAGALAN), Migrant & Refugee Legal Aid and Documentation Services (BPADAHAE)

Keywords

• Nonprofit integration services
• Migration legal assistance
• Vocational reintegration programs
• Intercultural mediation services
• Unemployment support programs

Headquarters

HQ city

Lugano

HQ country

Switzerland

HQ region

Europe

Offices7 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure, Others

Revenue model

1. Membership fees, donations and charitable contributions: As a non-profit charitable organization, SOS Ticino operates through membership fees (CHF 50-200 annually), public donations, and likely government/commissioned funding for integration services. Services to beneficiaries are provided free of charge. Revenue supports operational costs for unemployment programs, migration services, legal advice, social accompaniment, and intercultural mediation.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

SOS Ticino provides free integration services to unemployed persons, migrants, and asylum seekers throughout the Swiss canton of Ticino. Core offerings include temporary occupational programs and youth insertion for unemployed individuals, legal advice and representation for asylum seekers and foreigners, social accompaniment, professional insertion for migrants, and intercultural mediation in over 60 languages. The organization also operates social enterprise activities (second-hand shops, apartment clearing, bicycle recovery) and public services such as training courses and job placement.

Product overview

SOS Ticino is a non-profit humanitarian association that operates as a social services organization rather than a technology product company. The organization offers a diversified portfolio of user-facing services organized into two main categories: Servizi all'utenza (User Services) covering unemployment support, migration assistance, and social enterprise programs; and Servizi al pubblico (Public Services) including intercultural interpreting, second-hand shops, apartment clearing services, bicycle recovery and sales, training courses, and placement services. The core offering consists of integration programs for unemployed individuals and migrants, including occupational programs, legal advice, social accompaniment, professional insertion, and intercultural mediation in over 60 languages.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 3,000 people supported annually through individual integration pathways (2025)
• +2 more outcomes

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration3 records

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Dipartimento della socialità e della sanità (Department of Social Affairs and Health)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2025Cantonal government department that supports volunteer programs. The volunteer project is sustained by this department, indicating ongoing program funding and partnership for integration activities.
• Parish (Locarno area)minorOthers · 1 January 2025
• SOS Svizzera Association (National Secretariat)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2005After 2005 restructuring, SOS Ticino operates as one of 10 regional SOS associations under the national SOS Svizzera umbrella with secretariat in Bern. The national association coordinates regional activities and maintains connection with Solidar Suisse for international operations.
• Solidar SuissecoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 1995International operations of the former Soccorso Operaio Internazionale (founded 1951) were reorganized under Solidar Suisse in 1995. SOS Svizzera maintains connection with Solidar Suisse as related organizations.
• Unione Sindacale Svizzera (USS) - Swiss Trade Union FederationcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 1936SOS Ticino is part of the SOS Svizzera (Soccorso Operaio Svizzero / Swiss Workers' Relief) network. The parent organization was founded in 1936 by the Swiss Trade Union Federation (USS) and Swiss Socialist Party (PS). SOS Svizzera is the largest Swiss organization committed to professional and social integration, with over 800 collaborators across Switzerland through 10 regional associations.
• Partito Socialista Svizzero (PS) - Swiss Socialist PartycoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 1936Co-founding organization of SOS Svizzera (Soccorso Operaio Svizzero) alongside USS. The organization was established in 1936 to mitigate negative effects of the 1929 global economic crisis and support needy working families.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves9 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Market position

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/sosticino/?locale=it_IT
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/sos-ticino

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles9 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 Sos Ticino