vsoint.org
VSO is a UK-registered international development charity that mobilises professional volunteers and partners with 500+ local organisations to deliver poverty reduction programmes across 20+ countries in Africa, Asia, and the Middle East, funded primarily by UK FCDO, Dutch MoFA, and major foundations.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1959
- HeadquartersLondon, United Kingdom
- Headcount—
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What vsoint.org does
VSO (Voluntary Service Overseas) is a UK-headquartered international development charity founded in 1958 (registered charity in England and Wales, 313757) that mobilises professional volunteers to work alongside local partners on poverty reduction programmes. Operating in approximately 23 to 29 countries across Africa, Asia, and increasingly the Middle East, VSO deploys volunteers through its proprietary Volunteering for Development (VfD) methodology, supported by a network of 500+ local partner organisations and a 5,000+ alumni base. Its current portfolio spans flagship programmes including ACTIVE (inclusion of persons with disabilities with FCDO), Make Way (SRHR inclusive advocacy), Building Learning Foundations, Let's Learn Through Play (with the LEGO Foundation), From Waste to Work (with the IKEA Foundation), and the Challenge Fund for Youth Employment (with the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs), targeting a reach of 24.8 million people over the 2022-2028 strategy period. VSO's core technology stack includes the VSOSCHOOL mobile application, the MILE monitoring and evaluation methodology, and the Intersectionality Community Scorecard.
VSO's business model is that of a non-profit international NGO: revenue is generated through restricted and unrestricted grants from institutional donors (principally UK FCDO, Dutch MoFA, IKEA Foundation, LEGO Foundation), individual giving, and corporate partnerships (including Citi), with delivery executed through a hybrid of directly employed country staff, secondee professional volunteers, and local implementing partners. Operating subsidiaries (VSO Ireland, VSO Netherlands, VSO USA) extend the fundraising footprint. Grant cycles of 3-5 years with multi-million-pound ticket sizes dominate the income mix, and programmatic IP (VfD, MILE, Community Scorecard) is productised both for internal use and for adaptation by partner consortia. VSO is governed as a company limited by guarantee and is accountable to the UK Charity Commission and to donor compliance regimes.
VSO's competitive position rests on institutional credibility built over more than six decades, codified methodologies that are cited in major donor proposals, and a deeply embedded partner ecosystem that creates switching costs for local counterparts and donors. Revenue concentration on a small number of large institutional grants creates renewal-cycle risk, while diversification across thematic verticals (education, disability inclusion, youth employment, SRHR, circular economy) reduces thematic concentration risk.
vsoint.org firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- vsoint.org
- Legal name
- VSO
- Website
- https://vsoint.org
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1959
- Operating status
- Operating
- Short description
- VSO is a UK-registered international development charity that mobilises professional volunteers and partners with 500+ local organisations to deliver poverty reduction programmes across 20+ countries in Africa, Asia, and the Middle East, funded primarily by UK FCDO, Dutch MoFA, and major foundations.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
vsoint.org industry classification
Industry- Product category
- International Development and Volunteering Services
- NAICS
- Educational Support Services (61171), Educational Support Services (611710), Human Rights Organizations (813311), Grantmaking and Giving Services (81321)
- SIC
- Services-Social Services (8300)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Program & Project Implementation (TA Delivery) (BPADAEAA)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Education, Skills & Workforce Development Aid Programs (BPADABAE), Health Systems Strengthening & Global Health Technical Assistance (BPADAEAH), Climate, Environment & Natural Resource Management Aid Programs (BPADABAI), Humanitarian-Development-Peace Nexus & Resilience Programming (BPADAEAK), Volunteer Program Funding, Scholarships & Fundraising Support (EDAIAGAO)
Keywords
Where vsoint.org is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- London
- HQ country
- United Kingdom
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices3 records
Markets served
vsoint.org business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Others
Revenue model
- Donations from individuals: Individual donors contribute monthly or one-time donations to support VSO's programs. The organization promotes regular giving through various donation tiers.
- Government grants: Major grants from UK government through FCDO (Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office). The Volunteering for Development programme was a £70.5 million multi-year grant from UK government.
- Foundation funding: Funding from foundations such as IKEA Foundation for specific projects like From Waste to Work, and LEGO Foundation for education programs.
- Corporate partnerships: Partnerships with corporations such as Citi Bank for youth employment programs and other corporate funders for development initiatives.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Subscription | Monthly | Monthly giving program with tiered amounts |
| Subscription | Pay-as-you-go | One-time donation amounts |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels4 records
Marketing channels8 records
vsoint.org product offering
Product offeringCore offering
VSO delivers international development programmes through a Volunteering for Development approach, mobilising skilled international, national and e-volunteers to work alongside local communities, civil society organisations, and governments in developing countries. The organisation runs programmes in inclusive education, adolescent and youth health and wellbeing, resilient livelihoods, climate resilience, and humanitarian aid across more than 23 countries in Africa and Asia. Services are funded through grants from governments and foundations, corporate partnerships, and individual donations, with operational delivery supported by proprietary tools such as the VSOSCHOOL mobile learning app, the MILE human-centered design framework, and the Intersectionality Community Scorecard.
Product overview
VSO is a volunteer organization that brings about lasting change through a volunteering for development approach. The organization operates several programmes and projects including the ACTIVE programme for active citizenship, Make Way for sexual and reproductive health rights, Building Learning Foundations for education in Rwanda, Let's Learn Through Play for early childhood education, From Waste to Work for green livelihoods, Challenge Fund for Youth Employment, and the VSOSCHOOL mobile application for educational support. These initiatives focus on health, education, livelihoods, and climate resilience across multiple countries in Africa and Asia, with the goal of empowering marginalized communities through volunteer-driven development.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- VSOSCHOOL App Android mobile application that supports children's learning by providing videos, lesson plans, and electronic versions of resource toolkits. Accessible offline, allowing teachers to watch videos, develop lessons, and enhance their knowledge and skills through training on mobile phones.
- ACTIVE (Active Citizenship Through Inclusive Volunteering and Empowerment) Programme funded by UK FCDO that supports the development of active citizenship across the Global South, enabling marginalised people to lead their own development, claim their rights to better public services, and hold people in power to account.
- Make Way Project ensuring that everyone, including those who are most marginalised, can realise their sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR), enhancing access to SRHR for youth facing discrimination through innovative lobby and advocacy by youth civil society organisations.
- Building Learning Foundations Programme in Rwanda developing long-term, sustainable solutions to improve basic teaching for every child, working with schools, teacher training colleges and the Rwandan Government to overcome educational challenges, reaching 4 million children through 30,000 teachers across 2,600 primary schools.
- Let's Learn Through Play (Twigire Mumikino Rwanda) Four-year project funded by the LEGO Foundation promoting play-based learning as the foundation of early childhood education for three to six year-olds in Rwanda, targeting 250,000 children.
- From Waste to Work Project in Kenya in partnership with Taka Taka Solutions and ICDI, with IKEA Foundation support, that strengthens green youth-led start-ups to create decent jobs through waste recovery and value addition.
- Challenge Fund for Youth Employment (CFYE) Five-year programme funded by the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs that supports youth employment initiatives across West Africa/Sahel, Horn of Africa, North Africa and the Middle East, targeting 200,000 young people.
- UK Aid Volunteering for Development (VfD) Multi-year grant programme from the UK government that funded programmes in health, education, livelihoods, resilience and active citizenship across 24 countries in Africa and Asia, reaching over 5 million people.
Quantifiable outcome
- 24.8 million people reached using current strategy (2022-2028)
- +3 more outcomes
Companies that use vsoint.org
Customer profileNamed customers7 records
Segments7 records
Ideal customer profiles5 records
vsoint.org technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature3 records
vsoint.org partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
15 partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.
- Taka Taka Solutions (TTS)coreKenyan waste management company and implementing partner for From Waste to Work project, extending operations and constructing buy-back centres for waste pickers.
- Stichting International Child Development Initiatives (ICDI)coreInternational child development organization and implementing partner for From Waste to Work project.
- PalladiumcoreConsortium partner managing Challenge Fund for Youth Employment alongside VSO and Randstad.
- RandstadcoreConsortium partner managing Challenge Fund for Youth Employment alongside VSO and Palladium.
- UNICEF RwandaminorPartner in Rwanda programs including health initiatives and education projects.
- Kenya Ministry of EducationcoreGovernment partner for education programs in Kenya including Education for Life and Building Learning Foundations approach.
- Kenya Ministry of HealthcoreGovernment partner for health programs including Make Way and other health initiatives.
- ActionAidminorPartner in Education for Life project implementation in Kenya.
- Leonard CheshireminorPartner in disability inclusion and education programs.
- Education Development TrustcoreLead of consortium for Building Learning Foundations programme in Rwanda, working with VSO to reach 4 million children.
- Potohar Mental Health Association (PMHA)coreCivil society partner in Pakistan that led coordination on Disability Act advocacy, translating draft bills and facilitating community dialogues.
- PS KenyaminorHealth-focused partner organization in Kenya.
- Empower RwandaminorLocal partner organization in Rwanda education programs.
- Rwanda Education BoardcoreGovernment education authority partnered for education system strengthening in Rwanda.
- IREXminorPartner in YALI program in East Africa, with VSO facilitating executive mentorship and professional development placements.
Scale indicators17 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights5 records
vsoint.org competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Mercy Corps: Global humanitarian and development INGO operating across multiple African and Asian countries with similar livelihoods, education, and youth employment programmes to VSO.
- CARE International: Major international development INGO with comparable focus on women's empowerment, health, education and livelihoods across similar geographies.
- Concern Worldwide: Ireland-headquartered INGO with similar poverty-focused programming in education, health, and livelihoods, and a comparable donor mix of public and institutional funding.
- Plan International: INGO with closely aligned focus on children's rights, girls' education, and youth empowerment across VSO's operating geographies.
- ActionAid: Rights-based INGO operating in overlapping countries (including Kenya partnership with VSO) with shared focus on women, education, and community accountability.
- Habitat for Humanity: Global volunteer-driven development INGO that mobilises skilled volunteers similarly to VSO, though focused on housing rather than education, health, and livelihoods.
- Peace Corps: US government volunteer-sending programme with an analogous model of placing skilled professionals in developing countries for development outcomes — closest functional analogue to VSO's volunteering-for-development approach.
Broad incumbents
- Oxfam: Large global INGO with overlapping programmatic areas (education, gender, livelihoods) and similar institutional donor base, but operating at significantly greater scale and brand recognition.
- Save the Children: Major child-focused INGO working across many of the same countries as VSO on education, health, and child protection, with broader scale and fundraising reach.
- World Vision: Large faith-inspired INGO with overlapping child welfare, education, and livelihoods programming across VSO's geographies, competing for the same institutional donors.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
vsoint.org social profiles
Digital presencevsoint.org financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
vsoint.org leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
vsoint.org subsidiaries and ownership
Company hierarchySubsidiaries3 records
vsoint.org funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
vsoint.org 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 vsoint.org
What does vsoint.org do?
VSO delivers international development programmes through a Volunteering for Development approach, mobilising skilled international, national and e-volunteers to work alongside local communities, civil society organisations, and governments in developing countries. The organisation runs programmes in inclusive education, adolescent and youth health and wellbeing, resilient livelihoods, climate resilience, and humanitarian aid across more than 23 countries in Africa and Asia. Services are funded through grants from governments and foundations, corporate partnerships, and individual donations, with operational delivery supported by proprietary tools such as the VSOSCHOOL mobile learning app, the MILE human-centered design framework, and the Intersectionality Community Scorecard.
Is vsoint.org a public or private company?
vsoint.org is a private company. It is classified as nonprofit foundation owned and is currently operating.
When was vsoint.org founded?
vsoint.org was founded in 1959.
Where is vsoint.org based?
vsoint.org is headquartered in London, United Kingdom, in the Europe region.
How does vsoint.org make money?
Four revenue lines are on record. Donations from individuals are the primary driver. The others are government grants, foundation funding and corporate partnerships.
Who are vsoint.org's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Mercy Corps, CARE International, Concern Worldwide, Plan International, ActionAid, Habitat for Humanity and Peace Corps. Broad incumbents are Oxfam, Save the Children and World Vision.
Does vsoint.org have an API?
No public API is recorded for vsoint.org.
What industry is vsoint.org in?
vsoint.org's product category is International Development and Volunteering Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is BPADAEAA, Program & Project Implementation (TA Delivery), with a secondary code of BPADABAE, Education, Skills & Workforce Development Aid Programs. Its NAICS code is 61171 and its SIC code is 8300.