Skolens Venner

What Skolens Venner does

Skolens Venner is a Danish nonprofit association (forening) founded in 2013 that recruits, screens, and places adult volunteers - called skolevenner (school friends) - in Danish public school (folkeskole) classrooms from grade 0 through grade 9. Volunteers commit 2-4 hours per week to a fixed class, where they serve as an extra present adult supporting individual students' personal, social, and academic wellbeing, without taking on teaching or disciplinary responsibility. In 2022, 2,140 students across member schools had a skoleven in their class, and the organization has stated a goal to double that figure. The organization operates as a national association with local associations and a small paid secretariat of approximately eight staff based in Copenhagen (C/O FishTank, Ingerslevsgade 44).

The business model is a hybrid of school membership fees, individual supporting memberships at 150 DKK per year, three-tiered corporate sponsorships (Bronze 5,000 DKK, Sølv 15,000 DKK, Guld 25,000 DKK annually), and foundation grants from major Danish philanthropic institutions including Egmont Fonden, Lauritzen Fonden, Den A.P. Møllerske Støttefond, Villum Fonden, and Sportsgoodsfonden. Disclosed multi-year grant commitments include 5.4 million DKK from Den A.P. Møllerske Støttefond (2022, 4 years, 75 schools) and 1.7 million DKK from Villum Fonden (2022, 2 years, refugee/migrant-background students). Schools become paying members based on the number of skolevenner they host, with fees covering volunteer insurance, recruitment, quality assurance, and national coordination. There is no proprietary technology platform; service delivery is relationship-driven and human-mediated.

The go-to-market is community-led, with two parallel motions: direct engagement with Danish public schools and municipalities (the latter through formal cooperation agreements), and individual volunteer sign-up via the website followed by interview, matching, and a friendship agreement (venskabsaftale). The model was developed in collaboration with and is endorsed by Danmarks Lærerforening and Skolelederforeningen, who have approved the friendship agreement template - a regulatory and reputational anchor that distinguishes Skolens Venner from ad hoc volunteer initiatives. Marketing relies on the website, LinkedIn, Facebook, a Mailchimp newsletter, and significant earned media through Danish education press.

Name

Skolens Venner

Legal name

Skolens Venner

Website

https://skolensvenner.dk

Company type

Private

Founded year

2013

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Skolens Venner is a Danish nonprofit association founded in 2013 that recruits and places adult volunteer school friends in Danish public school classrooms (grades 0-9) for 2-4 hours weekly to support student wellbeing and academic outcomes.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Education Support Services

NAICS

Educational Support Services (611710), Educational Services (611)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200), Services-Social Services (8300)

akta.pro primary industry

Volunteerism, Service-Learning & Community Service (EDALAHAG)

akta.pro secondary industries

Newcomer & Refugee Student Support Programs (EDAJAGAH), Literacy & Numeracy Intervention (Reading/Math Support) (EDAJALAD)

Keywords

• Volunteer school programs
• Classroom mentorship services
• Student wellbeing support
• Nonprofit education services
• School volunteer matching

Headquarters

HQ city

Copenhagen

HQ country

Denmark

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. School Membership Fees: Schools pay membership fees based on the number of school friends they have. The fees cover insurance for volunteers, recruitment support, quality assurance, and national coordination.
2. Corporate Sponsorships: Three-tiered sponsorship packages (Bronze 5,000 kr., Sølv 15,000 kr., Guld 25,000 kr. annually) offering logo placement, press templates, social media mentions, and for Gold sponsors, annual lectures on topics related to child well-being.
3. Individual Support Members: Individual members pay 150 kr. annually to support the organization's mission of expanding school friends to more Danish schools.
4. Foundation Grants: Funding from foundations including Egmont Fonden, Lauritzen Fonden, Den A.P. Møllerske Støttefond, Villum Fonden, and Sportsgoodsfonden for specific projects and expansion initiatives.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Skolens Venner recruits, screens, and matches adult volunteers (skolevenner) with Danish public school classrooms (grades 0–9), where volunteers spend 2–4 hours per week supporting students' personal, social, and academic well-being as an additional present adult. The service is delivered to schools and municipalities through membership fees and partnerships, with a national secretariat coordinating recruitment, quality assurance, and the friendship agreement template approved by Danmarks Lærerforening and Skolelederforeningen.

Product overview

Skolens Venner is a nationwide volunteer association that organizes and places volunteer 'school friends' in Danish public school classrooms. The core offering is the Skolevenner program, where volunteers commit 2-4 hours weekly to support students in grades 0-9. The organization also offers corporate sponsorship tiers (Bronze, Silver, Gold at 5,000/15,000/25,000 kr annually) and individual support memberships (150 kr annually). The model was developed in collaboration with Danmarks Lærerforening and Skolelederforeningen, and the organization was founded in 2013.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Skolevenner (Volunteer School Friends Program) A volunteer program that recruits, interviews, and matches adult volunteers (skolevenner) with Danish public school classrooms (grades 0-9). Volunteers attend 2-4 hours per week during school hours to support students' personal, social, and academic well-being as an additional present adult. Services are delivered to schools and municipalities through annual membership and partnership agreements, and include volunteer screening, matching, insurance, and a friendship agreement template approved by Danmarks Lærerforening and Skolelederforeningen.
• Skolevenssponsor (Corporate Sponsorship) Annual corporate sponsorship package offered to businesses in three tiers (Bronze 5,000 kr., Silver 15,000 kr., Gold 25,000 kr.). Benefits include a diploma, logo placement on the website, press release template, social media mentions, and for Gold sponsors an annual themed lecture on topics such as children's well-being, volunteer organization development, or cross-sector collaboration.
• Støttemedlemskab (Support Membership) Annual individual support membership at 150 kr. per year for private individuals who want to support the organization's mission of expanding school friends to more Danish schools. Revenue funds the nationwide expansion of the volunteer school friend program.

Quantifiable outcome

• 3 out of 4 teachers experience that school friends contribute to well-being for one or more students in class
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered core and secondary.

• Danmarks LærerforeningcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerDanmarks Lærerforening supports Skolens Venner and has approved the friendship agreement template. They ensure that the school friend initiative aligns with teachers' professional roles and responsibilities.
• SkolelederforeningencoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSkolelederforeningen is a member of Skolens Venner and provides ongoing dialogue to ensure good cooperation between schools and volunteer school friends. They have approved the friendship agreement.
• Skole og ForældresecondaryStrategic or Co-development PartnerSkole og Forældre works for strong and safe child communities in Danish public schools and supports Skolens Venner's volunteer work as a natural extension of their mission.
• Danske SkoleleversecondaryStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner organization representing Danish school students, supporting the school friend initiative.
• AstrasecondaryStrategic or Co-development PartnerAstra is a central organization in the Danish school area that supports Skolens Venner's initiatives.
• Socialt Udviklingscenter SUSsecondaryStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration with SUS for evaluation and child involvement, including development of impact areas (virkefelter) that identify where school friends make a difference.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Emerging players

• Dansk Flygtningehjælp (Danish Refugee Council): Danish NGO supporting refugees and migrants with integration programming including in schools. Overlaps directly with Skolens Venner's Villum-funded refugee/migrant student support initiative, but at much broader scope.
• Ungdommens Røde Kors (Danish Youth Red Cross): Danish youth arm of the Red Cross running education and well-being programs for vulnerable young people. Overlaps with Skolens Venner on school-based youth support, including refugee and socially vulnerable children.

Direct peers

• Reading Partners: US-based nonprofit mobilizing community volunteers to provide one-on-one literacy tutoring to elementary students. Closely comparable volunteer-in-classroom model targeting academic outcomes, with documented teacher-reported impact metrics similar to Skolens Venner.
• Big Brothers Big Sisters of America: Largest US youth mentoring nonprofit pairing vetted adult volunteers with young people for sustained relationships. Directly comparable volunteer-mentoring model targeting youth well-being and educational outcomes, though not classroom-based.
• Mentor Danmark: Danish mentoring nonprofit pairing adults with at-risk youth for sustained one-to-one relationships. Operates a directly comparable volunteer-mentoring model in Denmark, targeting similar well-being and inclusion outcomes among young people.
• Lær for Livet: Danish nonprofit providing educational support and stable adult relationships to vulnerable children and youth in care. Highly comparable mission around supplemental learning support and trusted adult presence for at-risk school-age children in Denmark.

Others

• Astra: Central Danish organization coordinating national school-area initiatives, listed as a strategic partner of Skolens Venner. Adjacent enabling role in the Danish education ecosystem that supports similar student well-being objectives.
• Skole og Forældre: Danish national organization advocating for strong and safe child communities in folkeskoler. Strategic partner of Skolens Venner and shares the same school-well-being mission, making it a thematically adjacent peer in the Danish school-support ecosystem.
• Børns Vilkår: Danish children's well-being organization providing counseling, advocacy, and child-friendly complaint services. Adjacent mission in protecting and promoting children's well-being in Denmark, including in school contexts.

Broad incumbents

• Red Barnet (Save the Children Denmark): Major Danish children's rights organization with broad programs spanning education, protection, and well-being. Overlaps with Skolens Venner on classroom-based child well-being initiatives but operates as a much larger portfolio organization, not a volunteer-friends specialist.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/skolens-venner

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles12 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 Skolens Venner