Empowering Saudi Women in the Non-Profit Sector under Saudi Vision 2030

Below is the women’s bulletin from the Saudi Press Agency (SPA), part of the women’s media service file of the Federation of Arab News Agencies (FANA).

Riyadh, 10 July (KUNA) -- Amid the major national transformations underway in the Kingdom, Saudi women have emerged as key partners in development and agents of change in the non-profit sector. This shift is driven by an ambitious vision that reshapes the role of society, opens broad horizons for volunteerism and social innovation, and empowers the most vulnerable groups.

Vision 2030 has aligned with the passion of Saudi women, resulting in growing presence in leadership, expansion of professional roles, and a qualitative transformation in the nature of initiatives they lead. Today, women are a pivotal element in building a more aware, cooperative, and sustainable society.

**National Transformations and Women’s Role in the Non-Profit Sector**

The non-profit sector in the Kingdom has witnessed unprecedented growth in recent years, driven by national transformation programs and direct support from the wise leadership. According to the National Center for the Non-Profit Sector’s 2025 report, issued today, June 30, the number of non-profit organizations increased by over 341 percent compared to previous years, reaching 7,200 organizations by the end of 2025. The number of specialized organizations supporting national priorities rose to 5,495, representing a 96.8 percent increase.

The sector’s contribution to GDP reached 1.40 percent, valued at approximately SAR 66 billion. Additionally, the workforce base has expanded, enhancing sustainability and the capacity to generate tangible developmental impact, with the number of employees reaching 141,432, compared to no more than 19,200 in 2017.

The number of volunteers exceeded 1.7 million during the same year, while the economic value of volunteering per individual reached approximately SAR 305 today, up from no more than SAR 4 in 2018. The number of available volunteer opportunities for residents of the Kingdom rose to approximately 552,000, compared to just 43,000 in 2018. Total volunteer hours exceeded 80 million, according to the 2024 Annual Report of Saudi Vision 2030.

Furthermore, the number of volunteers serving the guests of Allah (Hajj and Umrah pilgrims) exceeded 184,000 in 2025, a 20 percent growth compared to 2024, reflecting a clear operational shift in harnessing and directing energies in the field according to the highest standards.

Regarding the redirection of resources toward impact, developmental spending within the total non-profit sector expenditure rose to SAR 1.6 billion, compared to approximately SAR 1.6 billion in 2017, confirming the growth in the efficiency of directing resources toward high-yield developmental programs.

In terms of service quality and beneficiary experience, indicators show that beneficiary satisfaction rates in non-profit organizations reached nearly 90 percent, compared to a baseline of 73 percent in 2019. This development reflects the impact of work on governance, improved operational efficiency, enhanced quality, and strengthened transparency.

Commenting on this, Dr. Fardous Jibreel Flatah, Executive Director of the Learning Disabilities Association, told SPA: "This growth has directly reflected in women’s participation, which has become an integral part of the developmental work system, whether in leadership, execution, or volunteering. Women’s initiatives have diversified, ranging from educational and awareness programs, support for persons with disabilities, economic empowerment of productive families, health and preventive initiatives, cultural and heritage preservation initiatives, and child and family programs."

She noted that the importance of this presence extends beyond the volume of participation to building what is known as social capital—enhancing trust, cooperation, and solidarity among community members—which is one of the key indicators of sustainable development and quality of life.

**Women’s Presence in the Non-Profit Sector in Recent Years**

Her Highness Princess Noura bint Mohammed bin Saud, Chairwoman of the Women’s Committee for Community Development in the Riyadh Region, told SPA that the focus on women in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia is a strategic principle firmly embedded in the state’s approach since its founding. She explained that from the beginning, the Saudi leadership—may God protect it—believed that the nation’s renaissance and prosperity are incomplete without the participation of all its sons and daughters in the journey of construction and development.

She pointed out that observers of women’s participation in the non-profit sector note that, within the framework of Saudi Vision 2030, women’s presence in this sector has shifted from being primarily beneficiaries of its charitable programs to significantly contributing to directing the sector toward achieving sustainability requirements, moving its programs from charitable practices to financially sustainable models.

She emphasized that this change in the sector’s character—from charitable to sustainable—has opened the door for women to participate actively in empowering its initiatives, programs, and projects. This is evident in figures reflecting women’s contribution through various fields, including endowments, charitable work, humanitarian aid, relief work, corporate social responsibility, and volunteering. She noted that women’s participation in this field has helped direct the path of endowments to support the non-profit sector’s contribution to the national product, which reached 1.4 percent according to the 2025 Vision report.

**Women’s Leadership and Decision-Making**

Data from the National Women’s Observatory shows that the women’s participation index in development reached 73 points in 2023, with a notable rise in the economic axis (59 points) and the social axis (80 points), reflecting their expanding presence in developmental sectors, including the non-profit sector.

Reports from the National Center indicate that the percentage of specialized organizations supporting developmental priorities reached 92 percent, an environment that provided women with greater opportunities to assume leadership positions, whether on boards of directors or in managing programs and initiatives.

Her Highness Princess Noura bint Mohammed confirmed that women’s participation in managing and leading non-profit sector organizations is witnessing a steady increase in the number of female leaders. The percentage of women’s participation in leadership positions in developmental institutions has jumped, thanks to national empowerment programs and Vision 2030 targets to enhance women’s role in sustainable development.

Dr. Malak Yahya Qattan, Advisor to the Vice President of King Saud University for Projects, told SPA that what has been achieved during the past decade for women has transcended the concept of traditional empowerment to a more mature and impactful stage: creating impact and leading transformation. She explained that the non-profit sector represents one of the most prominent models embodying this transformation, as Saudi women have moved from execution and participation roles to leadership, planning, and decision-making roles.

She noted that the sector has seen significant growth in the number of female leaders within associations, civil institutions, and endowment entities, whether on boards of directors, in executive management, or in specialized committees. She highlighted the existence of pioneering national institutions preparing a new generation of female leaders capable of managing developmental initiatives and strategic projects, and innovating sustainable solutions to community challenges, including the Al-Nahda Association, the Walid bin Talal Foundation, and the Misk Foundation, among others.

In this context, Dr. Sanaa Mohsen Al-Otaibi, Director of the National Women’s Observatory, told SPA that 2025 marked a qualitative stage in the path of empowering Saudi women. She noted that achievements during the year reflect rapid developmental momentum under Saudi Vision 2030, which has made investment in human capital a central pillar of national development.

Dr. Al-Otaibi explained that women’s empowerment is no longer just about numbers or reports, but has become tangible developmental impact supported by official indicators confirming progress in various economic, social, and developmental fields. Performance indicators for Saudi Vision 2030 showed an increase in women’s participation in the labor market to 34.2 percent, while the economic participation rate for Saudi females (aged 15 and above) reached 36.3 percent. This reflects the growing integration of women in economic activity and the expansion of participation opportunities.

Regarding leadership empowerment, Dr. Al-Otaibi pointed to an increase in the percentage of women in middle and senior management positions to 44 percent, confirming growing confidence in women’s capabilities and their enhanced presence in decision-making sites. The unemployment rate among Saudi women also recorded a historic decline, supported by flexible work and remote work policies that contributed to expanding participation opportunities.

**New Professional Roles for Women**

The role of women in the non-profit sector is no longer limited to traditional volunteering but has expanded to include managing developmental projects, analyzing social data, designing community programs, leading financial sustainability, and overseeing governance and compliance, among other fields. Data from the National Center indicates the training and qualification of 30,000 sector workers, including a large percentage of women, enhancing their readiness to assume advanced roles.

Dr. Malak Qattan, Advisor for Project Management, believed that one of the most prominent transformations observed is the shift of women from traditional roles associated with field execution or direct volunteering to more impactful strategic roles. These include membership and chairmanship of boards of directors and specialized committees, developing governance and compliance, risk management, portfolio and major developmental project management, designing performance indicators, measuring social impact, developing financial sustainability models, diversifying income sources, managing social investment and endowment programs, and leading environmental sustainability and corporate social responsibility initiatives.

Dr. Fardous Flatah noted that through leading many developmental programs, women have contributed to developing qualitative initiatives in education, health, psychosocial support, vocational training, and community entrepreneurship. Sector indicators showed an increase in beneficiary satisfaction to 90 percent, with more than 75 percent of spending directed toward direct developmental programs, reflecting the sector’s growing efficiency in achieving sustainable social impact.

Regarding the transition from traditional to strategic roles, Her Highness Princess Noura bint Mohammed stated that initiatives, programs, and projects aimed at empowering women in the non-profit sector, stemming from Saudi Vision 2030 targets, have contributed to changing their role from traditional practices to sustainable institutional practices. This has been achieved by developing their capabilities in areas contributing to sustainability, such as project management, data building and analysis, and the application of artificial intelligence in development. It has also empowered women in governance and risk management. Furthermore, the development of legislation has changed the role women play in the non-profit sector.

**Social and Economic Impact of Women’s Participation**

Women have contributed to improving quality of life through qualitative initiatives targeting the empowerment of needy groups, supporting persons with disabilities, enhancing health awareness, protecting the environment, and supporting children and youth. The non-profit sector contributed 0.99 percent of the total GDP in 2024, exceeding the actual target and moving toward achieving the 5 percent goal by 2030. Data from the National Women’s Observatory shows an increase in women’s participation in development across education, health, and social axes, reflecting their growing impact on society.

In this regard, Dr. Malak Qattan stressed that the change we are witnessing is not merely an increase in the number of women working in the non-profit sector, but a fundamental transformation in the nature of roles women assume and the level of responsibilities they undertake. She affirmed that Vision 2030 has enhanced women’s participation as a key partner in achieving national targets.

Dr. Fardous Flatah noted that the non-profit sector is one of the promising professional paths for Saudi women, especially with the growing concept of the social economy and sustainable development. It offers specialized jobs, including volunteer and project management, relations and strategic partnerships, and social studies and research. This comes within a broader context of rising women’s participation in the labor market to approximately 36 percent, reflecting the success of economic and social empowerment programs linked to the Vision.

Dr. Wafa bint Hamad Al-Tuwaijri, Member of the Board of Trustees of the Prince Talal Bin Abdulaziz Charitable Foundation, told SPA that measuring the impact of women’s participation in improving quality of life is an important step to develop women’s role in contributing to the developmental sector. The impact of their participation in development is measured through economic empowerment, quality of life, and social services indicators, using national and international indicators to evaluate their effective contribution.

Dr. Al-Tuwaijri stressed that the most important measure for this aspect is the women’s participation index in development, recently launched. It measures the level of women’s contribution in various developmental sectors and relies on five main axes: economic empowerment and labor market participation, education and knowledge, health, leadership and institutional participation, and community participation.

She also mentioned the index for measuring women’s community participation in the Riyadh Region, recently launched by the Women’s Committee for Community Development in the Emirate of the Riyadh Region and the National Women’s Observatory, in partnership with the Prince Talal Bin Abdulaziz Charitable Foundation and the National Center for the Non-Profit Sector. The index focused in its foundational phase (2026) on four main axes measured through sub-indicators reflecting the reality of women’s participation in the non-profit sector: economic empowerment, volunteer participation, leadership participation, and institutional participation.

She added that this index comes amid the rapid growth witnessed by the non-profit sector in the Kingdom generally and in the Riyadh Region specifically. Latest data from the National Center for the Non-Profit Sector indicates that the number of civil entities reached 7,849 entities nationwide, with the Riyadh Region leading with 2,122 developmental entities, distributed among 1,414 associations, 342 institutions, and 366 family funds. These numbers do not represent mere numerical growth but reflect a qualitative expansion in the scope of developmental work and a growth in the volume of opportunities in the sector.

**Digital Transformation Led by Women**

Digital transformation has become a fundamental element in developing the non-profit sector, with women emerging in this field through developing digital platforms for volunteering, building beneficiary databases, and using artificial intelligence to analyze community needs and design technical solutions to enhance service efficiency. Reports on Saudi Vision 2030 indicate that the National Platform for Volunteering hosts 2.1 million volunteers and 7,000 entities, an environment that has contributed to enhancing women’s digital participation.

Regarding women’s role in leading digital transformation within non-profit sector organizations, Dr. Wafa Al-Tuwaijri said that women play an active role in empowering digital transformation in the sector by utilizing modern technologies such as artificial intelligence and cloud computing to develop innovative solutions to improve performance, enhance operational efficiency, strengthen sustainability, and meet digital government requirements in cybersecurity. Today, we see women playing a crucial role in these fields, armed with high qualifications, expertise, and policy support to empower them in this regard.

In this context, Dr. Flatah explained that capacity-building and professional qualification programs have contributed to enhancing women’s readiness to assume responsibilities in various fields, especially the non-profit sector, in parallel with rising governance and institutional efficiency requirements within the sector amid modern digitalization. This has reflected in higher governance standards in the sector and increased participation of specialized female talents in management, finance, law, and corporate communications.

She affirmed that the Saudi non-profit sector has witnessed rapid digital transformation in recent years, with women being one of the most prominent driving forces behind this transformation, whether by leading digital transformation projects or developing electronic services that enhanced access to beneficiaries and raised operational efficiency. Many female leaders now oversee beneficiary management systems, volunteer platforms, data analysis, and information database management using modern digital tools, contributing to developing innovative solutions including remote consultations, e-learning, platforms supporting persons with disabilities, and digital economic empowerment programs.

Dr. Flatah noted that women’s participation in developmental work is directly linked to improving social service efficiency and raising quality of life in the non-profit sector in the Kingdom. She affirmed that women today are partners in producing development, creating its impact, and measuring its results, contributing significantly to improving the quality of life for the most vulnerable groups, as they are best able to understand their needs, especially children, persons with disabilities, the elderly, low-income families, and women seeking economic empowerment.

**National and International Partnerships**

The National Center for the Non-Profit Sector signed more than 20 local partnerships and 3 international partnerships during 2024, enhancing organizations’ capacity to expand and innovate. Women played a pivotal role in leading these partnerships, especially in associations specializing in women’s empowerment, supporting persons with disabilities, family development, culture, and arts.

Dr. Al-Otaibi noted that the Kingdom has maintained a high ranking in the World Bank’s *Women, Business and the Law 2026* report and recorded improvement in the gender gap index. Saudi women have also emerged in international representation, with female talents winning global awards in innovation, scientific research, and sustainability. This presence reflects the transition of the women’s empowerment experience from a local scope to global influence.

The Director of the National Women’s Observatory pointed to the growing presence of distinguished female models in various sectors, emphasizing the importance of historical documentation of Saudi women’s contributions. She cited the project to document the history of pioneering women in institutional charitable work, spanning more than six decades, under the patronage of Her Royal Highness Princess Mouda bint Khalid bin Abdulaziz, in cooperation with the Al-Nahda Association. She affirmed that oral documentation and narrated stories represent an important knowledge source for preserving national memory.

Dr. Flatah considered strategic partnerships one of the most important tools of modern development, affirming that Saudi women have proven their ability to build these partnerships between the for-profit sector and the government and private sectors by leading joint initiatives, corporate social responsibility programs, and developmental alliances that contribute to unifying efforts and resources and achieving sustainable social impact.

She drew attention to women leading coordination and planning processes between government entities, companies, and civil associations to unify resources and expertise and achieve greater social impact. This role is evident in designing joint developmental initiatives, building community alliances, attracting financial partnerships, managing corporate social responsibility programs, and measuring the impact of joint projects.

Her Highness Princess Noura bint Mohammed noted that women play an important role in attracting partnerships between the non-profit sector and the government and private sectors, and in the successful execution thereof, utilizing their innate and acquired capabilities. They employ their skills in managing community initiatives and emerge as a pivotal element in building an integrated system through activating governance and building effective communication networks.

**Education: A Developmental Partner for the Non-Profit Sector**

Dr. Najwa Al-Qarawi, Advisor at the Ministry of Education, spoke about the importance of the relationship between universities and the non-profit sector, stating that community service is not a side function in universities but their third authentic function, alongside education and scientific research. Universities can no longer be considered merely educational institutions concerned with cognitive qualification and scientific research, nor can any university exist in isolation from the surrounding society. It has become one of the most fundamental premises governing the relationship between the university and its community. She stressed that our universities create our societies; the connection between universities and their local community is no longer optional but has become a strategic goal and an inevitable necessity under Saudi Vision 2030.

Dr. Al-Qarawi affirmed that universities fulfill their role in community service through their role in corporate social responsibility toward their communities, in a legislative and institutionalized manner, by establishing a general framework for activating it by university staff through