What UNO-Flüchtlingshilfe does

UNO-Flüchtlingshilfe e.V. is a Bonn-headquartered charitable nonprofit association (eingetragener Verein) founded in 1980 as the official German national partner of UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency. Its core operational function is to raise donations in Germany and channel them to UNHCR's global refugee-protection programs across more than 30 active countries spanning Europe, the Middle East, Africa, South Asia, and Latin America. In 2025 the organization directed 38.4 million euros to UNHCR projects, and 8.2 million euros have gone to the Sudan regional response since April 2023. Its offerings are not a technology product but a multi-stream donation infrastructure: one-time and recurring (Dauerspende) giving starting at 5 EUR per month, a unit-priced donation shop (Spendenshop), corporate Nothilfe-Partner emergency-aid partnerships, court-fine donations (Geldauflagen), and testamentary giving via the affiliated UNO-Flüchtlingshilfe Stiftung.

Underlying technology is conventional rather than differentiated: payment processing is operated through FundraisingBox integrated with SEPA direct debit, credit card, PayPal, Apple Pay, and Google Pay; the public website uses Mapbox for an interactive global crisis map and eyeAble for accessibility adjustments. Distribution is direct-to-consumer digital, supplemented by television campaigns fronted by celebrity ambassadors such as Annette Frier, school and education programs, and PR-driven crisis appeals (Ukraine, Sudan, Venezuela, Middle East). The organization carries the DZI Spendensiegel, is a member of the Deutscher Spendenrat, and has confirmed Gemeinnützigkeit (charitable tax-exempt status) via Freistellungsbescheid from Finanzamt Bonn-Innenstadt dated 27 November 2025.

Customers and beneficiaries split into two populations: on the demand side, more than 117 million forcibly displaced persons worldwide benefit from funded UNHCR operations; on the supply side, the organization's paying constituencies are German individual donors, corporate partners (Nothilfe-Partner), and high-net-worth donors served through the Stiftung foundation arm. Governance rests with a Chairwoman (Vorsitzende) Dr. Ricarda Brandts, two Deputy Chairs (Günter Burkhardt, Dietrich Suhlrie), National Directors Mark Ankerstein and Peter Ruhenstroth-Bauer, and a content/press lead Marius Tünte; a newly elected Vorstand and Aufsichtsrat took office in June 2026. Headcount is 11-50 employees, consistent with a lean fundraising intermediary model that passes the substantial majority of inflows to UNHCR.

Name

UNO-Flüchtlingshilfe

Legal name

UNO-Flüchtlingshilfe e.V.

Website

https://uno-fluechtlingshilfe.de

Company type

Private

Founded year

1980

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

UNO-Flüchtlingshilfe, founded 1980 in Bonn, is the official German national partner of UNHCR (the UN Refugee Agency), raising and channeling donations from German individuals, corporates, and foundations to UNHCR's global refugee-protection and emergency-aid programs in 30+ countries.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Humanitarian Aid Services

NAICS

Emergency and Other Relief Services (624230), Community Food and Housing, and Emergency and Other Relief Services (6242), Voluntary Health Organizations (813212)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300), Services-Membership Organizations (8600)

akta.pro primary industry

Refugee, IDP & Migration Humanitarian Assistance (BPAGAAAH)

akta.pro secondary industries

Refugee, Migration & Displacement Support (BPAGABAH), Resettlement, Relocation & Repatriation Support (BPADAHAD)

Keywords

• Refugee humanitarian aid
• Online donation platform
• Nonprofit fundraising
• Emergency aid partnership
• Corporate philanthropy programs

Headquarters

HQ city

Bonn

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Others

Revenue model

1. Individual Donations: One-time and recurring (Dauerspende) donations from individuals, ranging from monthly commitments starting at 5 EUR to one-time gifts and special occasion donations. Dauerspender receive the FLUCHTPUNKT magazine and annual donation receipts.
2. Corporate Partnerships: Companies engage as Nothilfe-Partner (emergency aid partners) providing ongoing financial support, with options for large-scale donations, foundations, bequests, and testamentary gifts.
3. Donation Shop (Sachspenden): Sale of tangible aid items (clean water for one month at 30 EUR, school boards at 112 EUR, family tents at 360 EUR) where purchases fund specific humanitarian goods delivered to refugees.
4. Campaign-Based Fundraising: Donation campaigns for specific crises (e.g., Venezuela earthquake, Sudan war) and donation actions for schools and events, enabling supporters to raise funds collectively.
5. Court Fines & Penalties (Geldauflagen & Bußgelder): Acceptance of court-ordered fines and penalties as donations, a common German mechanism for charitable giving.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels10 records

Core offering

UNO-Flüchtlingshilfe e.V. is the official German national partner of UNHCR (the UN Refugee Agency). The organization raises funds from individuals and corporations in Germany through an online donation portal (one-time and recurring donations), a donation shop for tangible aid items, corporate emergency aid partnerships, and legacy giving structures, channeling all proceeds to UNHCR's global refugee protection, shelter, education, and humanitarian assistance programs.

Product overview

UNO-Flüchtlingshilfe e.V. is a German nonprofit organization and official national partner of UNHCR (the UN Refugee Agency). The organization does not operate a technology product in the traditional sense but offers a suite of fundraising, donation management, and advocacy tools to support UNHCR's global refugee protection and humanitarian aid operations. Core offerings include an online donation portal (Online-Spenden) enabling one-time and recurring donations via multiple payment methods, a corporate emergency aid partnership program (Nothilfe-Partner), legacy giving options, and a foundation structure for endowed philanthropy. The organization channels funds to UNHCR programs including refugee camp operations, mobile Refugee Housing Units (RHU), education through the DAFI scholarship program, and women's protection initiatives. Content and advocacy tools include a podcast, blog (Blaupause), exhibition materials, and fact-checking resources. The organization focuses on humanitarian crises in Ukraine, Sudan, Syria, Afghanistan, Venezuela, DR Congo, and other regions.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Online-Spenden (Online Donation Portal) A web-based donation portal allowing individuals to make one-time or recurring donations to support refugee aid worldwide, with multiple payment methods including SEPA direct debit, credit cards, PayPal, Apple Pay, and Google Pay.
• Dauerspende (Recurring Monthly Donation) A monthly recurring donation program with a minimum of 5 EUR/month enabling sustained support for UNHCR emergency response and refugee programs. Donors receive the FLUCHTPUNKT magazine and annual donation receipts.
• Nothilfe-Partnerprogramm (Emergency Aid Partnership) Corporate partnership program enabling companies to become emergency aid partners, supporting rapid response capabilities and long-term humanitarian operations through financial contributions, employee campaigns, and Sachspenden.
• Spendenshop (Donation Shop) E-commerce-style shop selling tangible aid items at fixed prices including clean water for one month (30 EUR), school boards (112 EUR), and family tents (360 EUR), with proceeds funding specific humanitarian goods delivered to refugees.
• UNO-Flüchtlingshilfe Stiftung (Foundation) A foundation structure for long-term charitable giving, enabling donors to establish endowed funds that support refugee aid in perpetuity as part of the foundation/endowment arm of the organization.
• Testamentarische Spenden (Legacy Giving Program) Bequest and legacy giving options allowing donors to include refugee aid provisions in their wills, including large-scale donations and testamentary gifts to the organization.
• DAFI-Stipendienprogramm (Higher Education Scholarship) A higher education scholarship program for refugees enabling self-determined and economically independent lives, with emphasis on increasing female participation, funded through UNHCR education programs.
• Refugee Housing Unit (RHU) A mobile refugee shelter unit developed with Better Shelter and the IKEA Foundation providing 17 m² of dignified shelter for families of up to five persons, with solar power, lockable doors, and 5-6 hour assembly time.

Quantifiable outcome

• 38.4 Millionen Euro sent to UNHCR projects worldwide in 2025
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers2 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration11 records

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• UNHCR (Flüchtlingshilfswerk der Vereinten Nationen)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerUNO-Flüchtlingshilfe is the official German national partner of UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency. The organization channels donated funds to UNHCR's global programs for refugee protection, emergency humanitarian aid, and durable solutions. This is the organization's primary and defining partnership, operating as UNHCR's national partner in Germany for fundraising, advocacy, and public awareness.
• Berliner PhilharmonikerminorGTM or Marketing PartnerJoint engagement between Berliner Philharmoniker and UNO-Flüchtlingshilfe reached an important milestone of over 500,000 euros in donations raised, demonstrating cultural institution partnership for humanitarian advocacy and fundraising.
• Deutscher Spendenrat e.V.minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerUNO-Flüchtlingshilfe is a member of the Deutscher Spendenrat, a German self-regulatory organization for charitable fundraising organizations, demonstrating commitment to transparency and ethical fundraising standards.
• Annette Frier (Schauspielerin / Celebrity Ambassador)minorGTM or Marketing PartnerGerman actress Annette Frier serves as a celebrity ambassador in UNO-Flüchtlingshilfe's TV campaign, promoting recurring donations (Dauerspende) for refugee assistance and lending public visibility to humanitarian appeals.

Scale indicators12 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• UNICEF Deutschland: German national committee for UNICEF, raising funds from German donors to support UN children's programs. Directly comparable as another UN-agency national partner organization operating in Germany with similar donation-based revenue model and DZI-certified transparency standards.
• SOS-Kinderdörfer (SOS Children's Villages Germany): Major German humanitarian nonprofit supporting children and families, with recurring donor programs, corporate partnerships, legacy giving, and DZI Spendensiegel. Closely comparable donor-acquisition model and Germany-centric fundraising footprint.
• Deutsche Welthungerhilfe: One of Germany's largest humanitarian aid NGOs, with DZI Spendensiegel, individual/corporate/legacy giving, and recurring donation infrastructure. Operates as a peer in the German humanitarian nonprofit space with comparable funding scale and donor model.
• Ärzte ohne Grenzen / Médecins Sans Frontières Germany: German section of MSF, raising private donations for emergency medical humanitarian response. Direct peer in raising unrestricted private funds in Germany for global humanitarian emergencies, with comparable transparency certifications.
• Aktion Deutschland Hilft (ADH): German alliance of more than 20 humanitarian aid organizations coordinating joint fundraising and disaster response appeals. Highly relevant peer given UNO-Flüchtlingshilfe's participation in joint emergency appeals and shared German humanitarian donor ecosystem.
• CARE Deutschland: German arm of CARE International, focused on humanitarian aid, refugee support, and emergency response. Comparable in mission (global humanitarian assistance with refugee focus) and German-donor fundraising model.
• Save the Children Deutschland: German national organization of Save the Children, with school engagement, individual/corporate giving, and child refugee programming. Direct peer in Germany-based child and family humanitarian work, including refugee crisis appeals.
• Misereor: German Catholic development and relief agency funding international humanitarian and development projects, including refugee support. Comparable as a major DZI-certified Germany-based nonprofit with individual donor, corporate, and legacy fundraising programs.
• Brot für die Welt: German development and relief service of the Protestant churches, supporting humanitarian aid and refugee programs globally. Comparable peer operating in the same German humanitarian nonprofit space with similar donor base, DZI certification, and recurring giving infrastructure.

Broad incumbents

• Caritas international (Deutscher Caritasverband): Largest German welfare organization with a much broader domestic and international portfolio, including refugee integration services. Comparable as a major Germany-headquartered humanitarian nonprofit but with a substantially larger and more diversified footprint.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/unofluechtlingshilfe
• LinkedInde.linkedin.com/company/uno-flüchtlingshilfe
• Instagraminstagram.com/unofluechtlingshilfe
• Xx.com/unoflucht

Compliance4 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles7 records

Subsidiaries1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about UNO-Flüchtlingshilfe