What VENRO does

VENRO – Verband Entwicklungspolitik und Humanitäre Hilfe deutscher Nichtregierungsorganisationen e.V. is a registered non-profit association (eingetragener Verein) under German civil law, founded in 1995 and headquartered at Stresemannstraße 72, Berlin. It functions as the federal umbrella association for approximately 150 German development policy and humanitarian NGOs, providing collective policy advocacy, regular dialogue with the Federal Minister for Economic Cooperation and Development, and a portfolio of member services spanning training, e-learning, and knowledge management. Its member-facing products include the VENRO E-Learning platform (recordings of practice-oriented seminars), the Good-Practice-Bibliothek (a searchable resource library organized by Istanbul Principles), the VENRO-Fortbildungsangebot (in-person and online training courses), and an events service (workshops, conferences, and collaborative forums such as the VENRO Forum). All training participation is offered free of charge to members.

Revenue is generated through membership fees from approximately 150 member organizations and government grants, with the Bundesministerium für wirtschaftliche Zusammenarbeit und Entwicklung (BMZ) identified as the sole funder providing more than 10% of annual revenue. The organization is member-governed through a general assembly and elected board, currently led by Vorstandsvorsitzende Anica Heinlein (CARE Deutschland) and Carsten Montag following the 17.12.2025 election. VENRO is affiliated with CONCORD at the European level and holds memberships in the Initiative Transparente Zivilgesellschaft; it adopted a Code of Conduct on Transparency, Organizational Governance and Control in 2008. The underlying technology is conventional: a CMS-driven website (venro.org), a blog (blog.venro.org), an e-learning portal, and a document library — with no disclosed API, AI capabilities, or proprietary software products.

Name

VENRO

Legal name

VENRO – Verband Entwicklungspolitik und Humanitäre Hilfe deutscher Nichtregierungsorganisationen e.V.

Website

https://venro.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1995

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

VENRO is the German federal umbrella association of approximately 150 development policy and humanitarian NGOs, providing collective policy advocacy, free training programs, e-learning, and knowledge-sharing services to its member organizations.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

NGO Umbrella Association / Development Policy Advocacy

NAICS

Business, Professional, Labor, Political, and Similar Organizations (8139), Business Associations (813910)

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600)

akta.pro primary industry

Democracy, Human Rights & Governance Assistance (BPADABAG)

Keywords

• Development policy advocacy
• Humanitarian aid coordination
• NGO umbrella association
• Capacity building training
• Policy representation

Headquarters

HQ city

Berlin

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Membership Fees: VENRO operates as a membership-based association funded by contributions from its approximately 150 member organizations, which are German development policy and humanitarian NGOs.
2. Government Grants (BMZ): The organization receives significant funding from the Bundesministerium für wirtschaftliche Zusammenarbeit und Entwicklung (BMZ), which represents more than 10% of annual total revenues.

Pricing tiers

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

VENRO is the federal association of development policy and humanitarian NGOs in Germany, representing approximately 150 member organizations. It delivers its core offering through four service streams: policy advocacy and representation vis-à-vis federal government and EU institutions; free practical training (in-person and online) based on the proprietary VENRO-Leitlinien eight quality guidelines; an e-learning portal hosting recordings of seminars and interactive learning videos; and the Good-Practice-Bibliothek, a searchable online resource library organized by the Istanbul Principles for sharing implementation knowledge among members.

Product overview

VENRO is a federal association of development policy and humanitarian non-governmental organizations (NGOs), not a software product company. VENRO provides a portfolio of services to its approximately 150 member organizations, including the VENRO E-Learning platform for online training recordings, the Good-Practice-Bibliothek for sharing implementation knowledge, the VENRO-Fortbildungsangebot for in-person and online training courses, and an Events (Veranstaltungen) service hosting workshops and conferences. These services support member NGOs in improving quality and effectiveness of their development and humanitarian work.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• VENRO E-Learning Online learning platform providing recordings of practice-oriented training seminars on humanitarian and development topics, led by qualified trainers, VENRO experts, and partners from the Global South. Includes interactive learning videos on various themes; available to VENRO members and the broader NGO sector.
• Good-Practice-Bibliothek (Good Practice Library) Searchable online collection of implementation examples and handbooks organized by Istanbul Principles, enabling VENRO member NGOs to access and share knowledge for improving the quality and effectiveness of their development and humanitarian work. Some documents require member login.
• VENRO-Fortbildungsangebot (VENRO Training Program) Practical training courses delivered both in-person and online for employees of development and humanitarian NGOs, covering development project work, humanitarian action, and development education. Courses are anchored in the eight VENRO quality guidelines and are free of charge for participants.
• Veranstaltungen (Events) Events programme and archive comprising workshops, seminars, conferences, and training sessions on topics including humanitarian action, development cooperation, climate, gender, safeguarding, and other development policy themes. Includes flagship events such as the VENRO Forum and collaborative events with partner organizations.

Named customers2 records

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• CONCORD (European NGO Confederation for Relief and Development)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerVENRO is affiliated with CONCORD, the European NGO confederation for relief and development, as shown by the CONCORD logo in VENRO's footer. This affiliation provides European-level representation and networking for German NGOs.
• Forum Fairer Handel e.V.coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerVENRO collaborates with Forum Fairer Handel e.V. on joint events including the annual Jahrestagung (Annual Conference) on fair trade topics.
• Brot für die WeltminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner organization participating in VENRO events on topics including Gewaltfreie Kommunikation and Parliamentary Evenings on climate conferences.
• Klima-Allianz DeutschlandminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerVENRO co-organizes climate-related events and dialogues with Klima-Allianz Deutschland, including Berliner Klimagespräch series.
• Global Policy ForumminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerVENRO collaborates with Global Policy Forum on events related to UN Financing for Development and UN summits.
• Stiftung Nord-Süd-BrückenminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerFoundation partner for various VENRO events on international policy topics including Iran solidarity events.
• KOLPING INTERNATIONALminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner organization for Financial Administration & Risk Management training events.
• Aktion Deutschland HilftminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerMember organization participating in VENRO events on safeguarding and security management topics.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• CONCORD (European NGO Confederation for Relief and Development): European-level umbrella of development and humanitarian NGOs. Directly comparable to VENRO as an NGO confederation; VENRO is an affiliate member, making CONCORD the closest structural peer at the supranational level.
• Forum Fairer Handel e.V. German umbrella association for fair trade organizations, with which VENRO co-hosts the annual Jahrestagung. Operates the same membership-association model serving NGOs in a related development-policy vertical.
• Aktion Deutschland Hilft: German alliance of relief and humanitarian aid organizations, a VENRO member. Comparable as a network/umbrella body aggregating German humanitarian NGOs around joint fundraising and advocacy.
• Klima-Allianz Deutschland: Broad German civil-society coalition on climate with whom VENRO co-organizes the Berliner Klimagespräche. Similar membership-association model, overlapping member base, and adjacent advocacy focus.
• Global Policy Forum: International policy NGO focused on UN and global governance reform with which VENRO collaborates on UN Financing for Development events. Comparable as a mission-aligned advocacy NGO working at the intergovernmental-policy interface.
• Forus International: Global network of national NGO platforms and volunteer-involving organizations. Closest structural peer to VENRO at a multi-country level, sharing the 'NGO of NGOs' federation model.
• Stiftung Nord-Süd-Brücken: German foundation supporting development cooperation and VENRO partner for international policy events (e.g., Iran solidarity). Comparable as a Berlin-based intermediary institution in the same ecosystem serving German development NGOs.

Regional players

• Bond (UK network for global development and humanitarian issues): UK membership association of NGOs working in international development and humanitarian action. Closest international analog to VENRO outside the DACH region, with parallel advocacy, training, and member-services mandate.
• Canadian Council for International Cooperation (CCIC): Canadian umbrella of international development and humanitarian NGOs, with policy advocacy, member services, and training mandate paralleling VENRO but in a different national context.

Broad incumbents

• Brot für die Welt: Large German development NGO and church-backed aid organization that is a VENRO member and event partner. Comparable due to overlapping mission and VENRO membership, though much larger and service-delivering rather than purely umbrella.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/venro_eV
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/venro

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 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 VENRO