Kirkens Sos
Kirkens SOS is Norway's largest volunteer-driven 24/7 crisis hotline, offering free anonymous phone, chat, and messaging support to people in emotional distress across 11 nationwide centers.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1974
- HeadquartersOslo, Norway
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingServices
What Kirkens Sos does
Kirkens SOS is Norway's largest 24/7 crisis telephone and internet service, founded in Oslo on February 15, 1974. The organization provides immediate emotional support to people experiencing life crises, suicidal thoughts, and loneliness through three core channels: SOS-telefonen (crisis phone at 22 40 00 40), SOS-chat (real-time chat at soschat.no, particularly used by young people under 30), and SOS-melding (asynchronous messaging available in Norwegian and North Sami with responses within 48 hours). Services are free and anonymous for users, and the organization is staffed by approximately 1,000-1,100 trained volunteers operating across 11 SOS centers nationwide plus a national secretariat in Oslo.
The underlying technology is a relatively low-tech, human-centered platform architecture: volunteers operate secure digital shift management tools to answer phone, chat, and messaging contacts around the clock every day of the year, including holidays. The organization explicitly avoids AI or automated tools, positioning itself as "exclusively human-powered." Geographic reach spans all major Norwegian regions (Agder, Bjørgvin, Borg, Digital, Innlandet, Møre og Romsdal, Nord-Hålogaland, Oslo, Rogaland, Telemark, Trøndelag, Tunsberg), with annual contact volumes of approximately 265,000-280,000, including ~52 conversations about suicidal thoughts per day.
Kirkens SOS operates as a non-profit voluntary organization (landsforening) funded through a mix of Norwegian government grants (~20 million NOK base state support), private donations (Vipps, bank transfers, gift certificates), corporate and foundation partnerships (Stiftelsen DAM, Gjensidigestiftelsen, Sparebankstiftelsen, Kavlifondet), and modest municipal contributions. Its annual operating budget is approximately 40 million NOK (with volunteer hours valued at over 70 million NOK if paid), and it is governed as a unified national association since January 2019. Crown Princess Mette-Marit serves as Royal Patron (since 2023). The organization is a member of IFOTES and Lifeline International, linking it into the global crisis helpline network.
Kirkens Sos firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Kirkens Sos
- Legal name
- Kirkens SOS
- Website
- https://kirkens-sos.no
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1974
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- Kirkens SOS is Norway's largest volunteer-driven 24/7 crisis hotline, offering free anonymous phone, chat, and messaging support to people in emotional distress across 11 nationwide centers.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Kirkens Sos industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Mental Health Crisis Support Services
- NAICS
- Emergency and Other Relief Services (624230), Individual and Family Services (6241), Other Individual and Family Services (624190)
- SIC
- Services-Social Services (8300)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Crisis Support, Suicide Prevention & Acute Behavioral Triage Platforms (HLALAEAI)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Behavioral Health Crisis Services Management (988/Hotlines/Mobile Crisis Coordination) (HLAEAHAK), Crisis Intervention & Suicide Prevention Services (EDALAFAD), Crisis Management & Communications Support (Mass Notification) (BPABANAF)
Keywords
Where Kirkens Sos is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Oslo
- HQ country
- Norway
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices2 records
Markets served
Kirkens Sos business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure, Others
Revenue model
- Government Grants: State subsidies and public funding from Norwegian government; received approximately 20 million NOK in base state support with additional extraordinary allocations
- Private Donations: Individual giving through Vipps (2407), bank transfers (give account 1506.90.51054), and gift certificates; also receives donations via Facebook
- Corporate & Foundation Partnerships: Support from businesses and foundations including Stiftelsen DAM, Gjensidigestiftelsen, Sparebankstiftelsen Telemark-Grenland, Sparebanken Møre, and corporate campaign partners
- Municipal Support: Operational funding applications submitted to municipalities annually, e.g., Vinje municipality allocated 60,000 NOK in 2025 budget
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Unit Pricing | One time/ perpetual license | Gift certificate for donation - 375 NOK |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels4 records
Marketing channels10 records
Kirkens Sos product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Kirkens SOS provides free, anonymous, 24/7 crisis support services to individuals in life crises, suicidal distress, or emotional emergency through three core channels: a national crisis telephone line (SOS-telefonen, 22 40 00 40), a real-time online chat (SOS-chat at soschat.no), and an asynchronous written messaging service (SOS-melding, available in Norwegian and North Sami). The service is staffed entirely by approximately 1,000-1,100 trained volunteers across 11 regional SOS centres in Norway and a national secretariat in Oslo.
Product overview
Kirkens SOS is Norway's largest 24/7 crisis telephone and internet service staffed entirely by trained volunteers. The service consists of three core contact channels — SOS-telefonen (crisis telephone), SOS-chat (real-time chat), and SOS-melding (asynchronous written messaging available in Norwegian and North Sami) — supported by a national network of 11 local SOS centres and a national secretariat. Additional offerings include 'God å snakke med', a conversation skills course and book, and an international helplines directory. The service is exclusively human-powered, relying on volunteer listeners rather than automated or AI-driven tools.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- SOS-telefonen (Crisis Phone) A 24/7 crisis telephone service at 22 40 00 40 staffed by trained volunteers who provide emotional support and compassionate listening to people in life crises. Available every day including holidays, it is Norway's largest round-the-clock crisis phone service.
- SOS-chat (SOS Chat) A real-time chat-based crisis service accessible at soschat.no, particularly used by young people under 30 (77% of chat users). Operated by trained volunteers with extended hours.
- SOS-melding (SOS Message) An asynchronous messaging service where users can send anonymous written messages and receive a reply within 48 hours. Available in Norwegian and North Sami languages.
- God å snakke med (Good to Talk With) A conversation course and published book by Kirkens SOS providing tools, tips and exercises to help people become better conversation partners, particularly in supporting others through difficult conversations.
- Internasjonale hjelpetelefoner (International Helplines) A curated guide linking users to 100+ national crisis helplines worldwide, including those affiliated with IFOTES and Lifeline International.
- Lokale SOS-sentre (Local SOS Centres) A network of 11 regional SOS centres across Norway (Agder, Bjørgvin, Borg, Digital, Innlandet, Møre og Romsdal, Nord-Hålogaland, Oslo, Rogaland, Telemark, Trøndelag, Tunsberg) plus a national secretariat in Oslo, coordinating volunteer recruitment, training, scheduling, and crisis response regionally.
Quantifiable outcome
- 265,000+ annual contacts from people in life crises
- +5 more outcomes
Companies that use Kirkens Sos
Customer profileNamed customers4 records
Segments4 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
Kirkens Sos technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature3 records
Kirkens Sos partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Nine partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.
- VippscoreMajor Norwegian payment and financial services platform participating in 'Chat for livet' campaign by linking to SOS-chat in their customer app, helping reach more young people needing crisis support
- SpareBank 1coreNorwegian banking group participating in 'Chat for livet' campaign by linking to SOS-chat in their platforms
- TeliacoreMajor Norwegian telecommunications company participating in 'Chat for livet' campaign by linking to SOS-chat in their customer channels
- GjensidigecoreNorwegian insurance company participating in 'Chat for livet' campaign by linking to SOS-chat in their customer platforms
- KLPcoreNorwegian mutual insurance company for public sector employees participating in 'Chat for livet' campaign
- TikTok NorgecoreSocial media platform sending push notifications to all Norwegian users with the message 'Du er ikke alene' (You are not alone) as part of Chat for livet campaign
- Vy (NSB)minorNorwegian railway company participating in Chat for livet campaign by sharing messaging about Kirkens SOS services
- IFOTESminorInternational Federation of Telephone Emergency Services - Kirkens SOS is part of this international network of crisis helplines
- Lifeline InternationalminorInternational network promoting and supporting member organizations in delivering lifesaving services to people in crisis - Kirkens SOS Norway participates
Scale indicators11 records
Recent moves7 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Kirkens Sos competitors and assessment
Company assessmentRegional players
- Livslinjen (Denmark): Danish crisis helpline offering phone and chat support for people in suicidal distress; closely comparable in mission and operating model, serving the neighboring Nordic market.
- Telefonseelsorge (Germany): German church-affiliated 24/7 crisis telephone and chat service; closely comparable as a faith-rooted, volunteer-driven, multi-channel crisis helpline operating at national scale.
Direct peers
- Mental Helse: Norwegian peer-support and advocacy organization for people with mental health challenges; directly comparable as a community-led, volunteer-involved mental health support provider operating in the same Norwegian market.
- Kirkens Bymisjon: Norwegian church-affiliated social services organization offering community support, counseling, and crisis services; comparable as a faith-rooted non-profit with overlapping service lines and shared personnel pipelines.
- Crisis Text Line: US-based 24/7 text-based crisis support service relying on trained volunteers; directly comparable to Kirkens SOS's chat and messaging channels and volunteer-driven delivery model.
- Hjelpetelefonen for psykisk helse (Mental Helse Hjelpetelefonen): Norway's national 24/7 mental health helpline at 116 123, operated by Mental Helse; directly competes with Kirkens SOS's SOS-telefonen for the same crisis-caller population in Norway.
- 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline (US): US national 24/7 suicide and crisis hotline offering phone, chat, and text; directly comparable in service model (free, anonymous, multi-channel crisis support) and national scale, though US-based.
- Samaritans (UK & Ireland): Long-established UK volunteer-led 24/7 emotional support helpline; directly comparable as a heritage volunteer-driven crisis hotline serving a national population.
Others
- IFOTES (International Federation of Telephone Emergency Services): International federation of crisis helplines of which Kirkens SOS is a member; relevant as a peer network and ecosystem participant rather than a direct competitor.
Broad incumbents
- Røde Kors (Norwegian Red Cross): Large Norwegian humanitarian organization that runs mental health support and crisis response activities; comparable as a broad incumbent with overlapping volunteer-driven crisis services.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses4 records
Competitive moat6 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
Kirkens Sos social profiles
Digital presenceKirkens Sos financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Kirkens Sos leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles12 records
Kirkens Sos subsidiaries and ownership
Company hierarchySubsidiaries12 records
Kirkens Sos funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Kirkens Sos M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Kirkens Sos
What does Kirkens Sos do?
Kirkens SOS provides free, anonymous, 24/7 crisis support services to individuals in life crises, suicidal distress, or emotional emergency through three core channels: a national crisis telephone line (SOS-telefonen, 22 40 00 40), a real-time online chat (SOS-chat at soschat.no), and an asynchronous written messaging service (SOS-melding, available in Norwegian and North Sami). The service is staffed entirely by approximately 1,000-1,100 trained volunteers across 11 regional SOS centres in Norway and a national secretariat in Oslo.
Is Kirkens Sos a public or private company?
Kirkens Sos is a private company. It is classified as nonprofit foundation owned and is currently operating.
When was Kirkens Sos founded?
Kirkens Sos was founded in 1974. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is Kirkens Sos based?
Kirkens Sos is headquartered in Oslo, Norway, in the Europe region.
How does Kirkens Sos make money?
Four revenue lines are on record. Government Grants are the primary driver. The others are private Donations, corporate & Foundation Partnerships and municipal Support.
Who are Kirkens Sos's main competitors?
Regional players on record are Livslinjen (Denmark) and Telefonseelsorge (Germany). Direct peers are Mental Helse, Kirkens Bymisjon, Crisis Text Line, Hjelpetelefonen for psykisk helse (Mental Helse Hjelpetelefonen), 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline (US) and Samaritans (UK & Ireland). IFOTES (International Federation of Telephone Emergency Services) is listed as an others. Røde Kors (Norwegian Red Cross) is listed as a broad incumbent.
Does Kirkens Sos have an API?
No public API is recorded for Kirkens Sos.
What industry is Kirkens Sos in?
Kirkens Sos's product category is Mental Health Crisis Support Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is HLALAEAI, Crisis Support, Suicide Prevention & Acute Behavioral Triage Platforms, with a secondary code of HLAEAHAK, Behavioral Health Crisis Services Management (988/Hotlines/Mobile Crisis Coordination). Its NAICS code is 624230 and its SIC code is 8300.