Spenden & Sparen

What Spenden & Sparen does

Spenden & Sparen e.V. is a registered charitable association (eingetragener Verein / non-profit) founded in 2002 in Bonn, Germany, by two former Oxfam employees. The organization operates a single physical retail storefront at Kölnstraße 154, Bonn — positioned as a small "Kaufhaus" rather than a typical secondhand shop — where donated clothing, shoes, household goods, decor, linens, toys, and CDs/DVDs are resold at symbolic prices to people in need. All operational staff are unpaid volunteers, with a core team of more than 25 women who have worked with the organization for over 20 years.

The business model combines two revenue mechanics: in-store retail sales of donated goods and redistribution of funds to other charitable organizations. Over 80% of revenue is donated onward, with €103,500 distributed to 17 Bonn-area charitable organizations (hospices, women's shelters, children's cancer support, crisis counseling, etc.) in 2024. The largest single recipient was Frauen helfen Frauen e.V. at €20,500. The organization holds German tax-office-recognized gemeinnützig (charitable) status and is a free member of the AWO-Dachverband Bonn/Rhein-Sieg.

There are no technology products, software platforms, or digital channels. Distribution is exclusively a single physical storefront; the website is informational only with no e-commerce functionality. Marketing is word-of-mouth and community-driven, and the organization has no disclosed funding rounds, no subsidiaries, and no paid workforce.

Name

Spenden & Sparen

Legal name

Spenden & Sparen e.V.

Website

http://www.spendenundsparen.de/

Company type

Private

Founded year

2002

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Spenden & Sparen e.V. is a Bonn-based non-profit charity operating a single retail storefront that resells donated clothing and household goods at symbolic prices to people in need, redistributing over 80% of revenue to local charitable organizations.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Charitable Retail / Nonprofit Thrift Services

NAICS

Business Support Services (5614)

SIC

Services-Help Supply Services (7363)

akta.pro primary industry

Donation, Resale & Disposal Coordination (HSAFAAAK)

akta.pro secondary industries

Donation Pickup & Reuse Hauling (HSAKALAI), Donation, Consignment & Resale Coordination (HSAFAFAG)

Keywords

• Charitable retail services
• Donated goods resale
• Thrift store operations
• Social welfare support
• Nonprofit community services

Headquarters

HQ city

Bonn

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Operations, Infrastructure, Others

Revenue model

1. Retail sales of donated goods: Collects donated items (clothing, household goods, shoes, decor, linens, toys, CDs/DVDs) and sells them at symbolic prices to those in need. Revenue is generated through in-store retail sales to the general public and those seeking affordable goods.
2. Charitable donations redistribution: Over 80% of revenues are redistributed as donations to charitable organizations in Bonn and surrounding area. In 2024, total donations amounted to €103,500 to support 17 charitable organizations.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

Spenden & Sparen e.V. is a charitable non-profit association based in Bonn, Germany, that collects donated clothing, household goods, shoes, decor, linens, toys, and CDs/DVDs, prepares them, and sells them at symbolic low prices to people in need. Operating as a small department store rather than a typical second-hand shop, it channels over 80% of its revenue to charitable organizations in the Bonn/Rhein-Sieg area, distributing €103,500 to 17 charities in 2024. All operations are carried out by an all-volunteer workforce of 25+ women.

Product overview

Spenden & Sparen e.V. is a charitable nonprofit organization (eingetragener Verein) based in Bonn, Germany, not a technology company. It operates as a 'Kaufhaus' (small department store) where donated items including clothing, household goods, shoes, decor, toys, and CDs/DVDs are sold at symbolic prices to people in need. Over 80% of the organization's revenue is donated to charitable facilities in Bonn and the surrounding area. The organization does not offer technology products or software services.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Spenden & Sparen e.V. Charity Store
• Donated Goods Collection Program

Quantifiable outcome

• €103,500 in donations distributed to 17 charitable organizations in 2024
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers15 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• AWO-Dachverband Bonn/Rhein-SiegcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2002Spenden & Sparen e.V. is a free member of AWO-Dachverband Bonn/Rhein-Sieg, providing organizational support, visibility, and connection to the broader AWO charitable network since founding in 2002.
• Signal IdunaminorOthersProfessional liability insurance provider for the organization. Located at Joseph-Scherer-Str. 3, 44139 Dortmund. Coverage area: Germany.
• ReweminorOthersAdjacent parking lot available for customer parking (1 hour with parking disc). This is not a formal partnership but a nearby business amenity.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves4 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Oxfam Deutschland Shops: German arm of Oxfam operating charity second-hand shops selling donated goods. Direct peer — Spenden & Sparen's founders were former Oxfam employees, and both operate donation-driven retail models funding charitable causes.
• DRK Kaufhaus (German Red Cross): German Red Cross operates charity second-hand retail stores ("Kaufhaus" format) selling donated goods at low prices with proceeds funding humanitarian programs. Direct peer — same retail format, same donor and beneficiary model, but at much larger national scale.
• FairWertung: German association/quality label for charity second-hand shops, of which Spenden & Sparen would be eligible to join. Comparable charitable retail operators across Germany share the donation-collection, low-price-resale, and proceeds-redistribution model.
• Humana People to People Deutschland: German second-hand clothing retailer operating a chain of charity shops that collect, sort, and resell donated clothing, with proceeds funding development cooperation projects. Direct peer — same retail format, same donation-and-resale cycle.

Broad incumbents

• Caritas Deutschland: Largest German Catholic welfare organization, operating second-hand shops (Caritas Kaufhaus) and broader social services across Germany. Broad incumbent — overlapping charitable-retail activity but as part of a much wider service portfolio.
• Diakonie Deutschland: German Protestant welfare federation operating charity retail and a wide range of social services. Broad incumbent — comparable donation-and-resale activity exists within their network, alongside much larger social-service operations.
• AWO Bundesverband (and Bonn/Rhein-Sieg): Spenden & Sparen's own umbrella organization, AWO operates charity second-hand retail and broader welfare services across Germany. Broad incumbent — Spenden & Sparen is a free member of AWO-Dachverband Bonn/Rhein-Sieg, making this the natural parent-network peer.

Regional players

• Brocki Brockenhaus (Schweiz): Swiss chain of large-format charity second-hand shops ("Brockenhäuser") operated by various non-profits. Regional peer — directly comparable retail format and donation-resale model, but Switzerland-focused rather than competing in Germany.

Emerging players

• Vinted: Online peer-to-peer resale marketplace popular in Germany for second-hand clothing and household goods. Emerging player — competes for the same donor/buyer attention that Spenden & Sparen captures via physical store, particularly among younger demographics.

Others

• Bahnhofsmission Deutschland: Charitable network operating at German railway stations providing support to homeless and people in need. Adjacent peer — addresses overlapping beneficiary population (homeless, those in need) but delivers direct services rather than donation-retail redistribution.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

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 Spenden & Sparen