Misereor

What Misereor does

Bischöfliches Hilfswerk Misereor e.V. is the official development agency of the Catholic Church in Germany, headquartered in Aachen (Mozartstraße 9) with a secondary event venue in Berlin. Founded over 60 years ago and registered as a non-profit association (e.V.), it channels private donations, church collections during the annual Fastenaktion (Lenten campaign), public funding, corporate giving, and legacy bequests into humanitarian and development projects spanning more than 25 countries across Africa, Asia, Latin America, and the Middle East. The organization directs 89.7% of incoming funds directly to project work and operates with the DZI Spendensiegel and Transparente Zivilgesellschaft transparency certifications.

The core operating surface consists of a digital donation platform (Online-Spende and recurring 'Dauerspende'/'Du tust gut.' program), a DIY fundraising campaign toolkit (Spendenaktionen), and a portfolio of thematic and regional Spendenprojekte. Underlying technology is non-proprietary: online donation processing runs on FundraisingBox from Wikando GmbH, and newsletter/marketing automation runs on Salesforce Marketing Cloud. The product mix extends well beyond donation flows into editorial publications (frings. magazine, welt-sichten journal, annual Weltrisikobericht and Schuldenreport), educational resources for schools aligned with BNE curricula, traveling exhibitions, the annual Fastenaktion campaign, and an active policy-advocacy program.

Revenue is generated across five distinct streams — private one-time and recurring donations, parish collections, public/government grants, corporate donations, and testamentary giving — with micro-ticket recurring donations (€15-€54/month) forming a predictable base. The go-to-market combines direct-to-consumer digital engagement (website, blog, Instagram, LinkedIn, newsletter) with community-led activation through Catholic parishes, schools, and a coalition of 130+ civil society organizations (Initiative Lieferkettengesetz), plus strategic co-publications with Brot für die Welt, Greenpeace, Germanwatch, CIDSE, Oxfam Germany, and erlassjahr.de. Banking is handled by Pax-Bank, the church-affiliated cooperative bank, and 2025 donations and collections combined with public funds reached €60 million.

Name

Misereor

Legal name

Bischöfliches Hilfswerk Misereor e.V.

Website

https://misereor.de

Company type

Private

Founded year

1958

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

International Development Aid / Humanitarian Relief

NAICS

Grantmaking and Giving Services (81321), Religious, Grantmaking, Civic, Professional, and Similar Organizations (813), Social Advocacy Organizations (8133), Civic and Social Organizations (813410)

SIC

International Affairs (9721)

akta.pro primary industry

International & Local Implementing NGOs (HLAJAKAD)

akta.pro secondary industries

Environmental & Climate Grantmaking Foundations (BPAGAKAM), Monitoring, Evaluation, Learning (MEL) & Reporting for Donor Programs (BPADAOAL), Dropout Prevention, Alternative Education & Re-Engagement Nonprofits (BPAGADAL)

Keywords

• Humanitarian aid
• Development cooperation
• Donation programs
• Charity organization
• Advocacy work

Headquarters

HQ city

Aachen

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Private Donations: Individual one-time and recurring donations from private supporters. Monthly recurring donors ('Dauerspende') create predictable funding streams. Donors can give via SEPA direct debit, credit card, or PayPal.
2. Church Collections: Collections during Catholic church services, particularly during the annual Fastenaktion (Lenten campaign) and other liturgical periods.
3. Public Funding: Government grants and public funding as documented in the annual reports and transparency section. Misereor receives state funding for development projects.
4. Corporate Donations: Donations from businesses, including dedicated corporate giving programs and partnerships for responsible business practices.
5. Legacy Giving: Testamentary bequests and inheritance donations as an important long-term funding stream.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels10 records

Core offering

Misereor is the development agency of the German Catholic Bishops' Conference, raising donations and co-financing from the German federal government (BMZ) to fund poverty reduction, climate justice, human rights, education, and humanitarian relief projects implemented by local partner organizations in Africa, Asia, Latin America, and the Middle East. It combines fundraising, advocacy, and education with partner-led project work and emergency relief.

Product overview

Misereor is the German Catholic bishops' development aid organization (Bischöfliches Hilfswerk Misereor e.V.) headquartered in Aachen. It does not offer a technology product in the conventional SaaS sense; its 'offerings' are charitable programs and content. The core digital presence centers on an online donation platform (Online-Spende) supporting one-time and recurring contributions (Dauerspende), with donor self-service for fundraising campaigns (Spendenaktionen) and project-specific giving (Spendenprojekte). Editorial and educational content includes the Misereor-Magazin 'frings.', the annual Weltrisikobericht, the welt-sichten journal, and Schuldenreport publications. Engagement programs encompass the annual Fastenaktion (Lenten Campaign), school educational resources (Schule und Unterricht), traveling exhibitions (Ausstellungen), and policy advocacy (Politische Arbeit). The organization operates under the Kirchliches Datenschutzgesetz (KDG) framework.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• One-time and recurring online donations Digital donation service allowing individual donors in Germany to make one-time or recurring financial contributions to support Misereor's development cooperation and humanitarian relief projects; intended for private supporters.
• Fastenaktion (Lent campaign) Annual nationwide Lenten campaign providing parishes, schools, and congregations with educational materials, liturgical resources, and a solidarity collection action; intended for Catholic parishes, schools, and broader supporters.
• 2-Euro-Aktion Parish collection action collecting €2 contributions from parishioners, often organized in solidarity with specific partner countries or projects; intended for Catholic parish communities across Germany.
• Development cooperation project funding Grants and co-financing provided to local partner organizations in Africa, Asia, Latin America, and the Middle East for poverty reduction, climate justice, human rights, education, and food security projects; intended for local NGO and community partners in the Global South.
• Humanitarian emergency relief Emergency relief funding and partner support provided in response to humanitarian crises and natural disasters; intended for affected populations via local relief partners.
• Educational publications and advocacy materials Print and digital educational resources covering global social, ecological, and developmental topics, used in schools, parishes, and by the general public to support advocacy and global learning.

Quantifiable outcome

• 89.7% of donations go directly to project work
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Ten partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• erlassjahr.de (German Debt Relief Coalition)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2026Annual co-publisher of Schuldenreport (Debt Report) analyzing global sovereign debt situations. Misereor partners with erlassjahr.de to produce comprehensive annual debt analysis focusing on developing and emerging countries. The 2026 report shows 35% of surveyed states in threatening debt crisis.
• Brot für die WeltcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2025Co-publisher of EU-Mercosur study and other policy publications. Both German Protestant and Catholic development agencies collaborate on trade policy analysis and advocacy for sustainable, fair trade practices.
• PowerShiftminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2025Co-published EU-Indonesia Agreement guide and EU-Mercosur study. Berlin-based organization focusing on trade and investment policy.
• GreenpeacecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-published legal opinion on EU-Mercosur Agreement analyzing weaknesses in sustainability chapters and providing concrete proposals for effective human rights clauses.
• CIDSE (International Catholic Development Cooperation Network)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMisereor is a member of CIDSE network. Collaborated on legal opinion proposing rules for UN Business and Human Rights treaty to establish primacy of human rights over trade interests.
• Initiative Lieferkettengesetz (Supply Chain Act Initiative)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCoalition of 130+ civil society organizations. Misereor co-leads successful campaign for German and EU supply chain legislation. Active in ongoing advocacy for ambitious implementation.
• GermanwatchcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerJoint annual report on German Supply Chain Act (LkSG) effects in practice. Collaborative publication documenting how affected people use the law to defend their rights.
• Oxfam GermanyminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerJointly supported complaints against German retailers regarding labor rights violations at Ecuadorian banana suppliers. Collaboration on supply chain due diligence advocacy.
• Treaty Alliance DeutschlandcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCoalition advocating for ambitious UN treaty on business and human rights. Misereor works with Treaty Alliance to establish international standards for corporate accountability.
• Pax-Bank für Kirche und Caritas eGminorOthersChurch bank serving as the official donation account holder. Provides banking services aligned with Catholic values for processing donations.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Caritas Deutschland: The official welfare agency of the Catholic Church in Germany, operating the parallel charitable arm to Misereor's development work. Shares the Catholic institutional infrastructure, donor base, and parish-anchored fundraising model.
• Germanwatch: Documented Misereor partner producing joint annual reports on the German Supply Chain Act's practical effects. Focused on climate, trade, and corporate accountability - overlapping themes with Misereor's Politische Arbeit & Advocacy work.
• Brot für die Welt: The Protestant counterpart to Misereor in Germany, jointly publishing EU-Mercosur trade studies and co-hosting Berlin events. Same development aid mandate, similar donation-driven revenue model, and direct co-publication partnership documented in Misereor's data.
• Deutsche Welthungerhilfe: One of Germany's largest private development aid NGOs, similarly focused on hunger/food security and emergency relief with comparable donation, public funding, and legacy giving streams. Competes for the same private German donor pool on overlapping themes.
• terre des hommes Deutschland: German child-rights-focused development NGO with similar donation-funded model, project partnerships in the Global South, and engagement programs through schools and parishes. Directly comparable in fundraising mechanics and programmatic scope.
• Kindernothilfe: German child-focused development NGO operating comparable recurring (Dauerpatenschaft/sponsorship) donation programs, school engagement, and project work across Africa, Asia, and Latin America. Closely aligned donor proposition and operating geographies.
• Oxfam Germany: German branch of the global Oxfam confederation, co-advocate on supply chain due diligence and trade justice (documented partner on Ecuador banana complaints). Competes for the same progressive German donor and runs similar policy advocacy campaigns.

Broad incumbents

• Amnesty International Deutschland: Major German human-rights NGO operating comparable recurring donation programs, policy advocacy, and coalition work. Overlaps with Misereor's human rights and corporate accountability focus but with a broader rights mandate.
• Greenpeace: Documented Misereor partner co-publishing legal opinions on EU-Mercosur sustainability chapters. A much larger incumbent with overlapping climate/environmental advocacy but broader campaigning remit beyond development cooperation.

Others

• CIDSE: International Catholic development cooperation network of which Misereor is a member; co-developed the legal opinion on a UN Business and Human Rights treaty. Functions as both a peer consortium and a coordination body for Misereor's international advocacy work.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/misereor
• Instagraminstagram.com/misereor
• Xx.com/misereor
• Facebookfacebook.com/misereor

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

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 Misereor