Diakonisches Werk Koln und Region

What Diakonisches Werk Koln und Region does

Diakonisches Werk Köln und Region gGmbH is an evangelical Protestant welfare organization (Wohlfahrtsverband) founded in 1924 and headquartered at Kartäusergasse 9-11, 50678 Köln, Germany. It operates as a non-profit charitable limited liability company (gGmbH) under the umbrella of Diakonisches Werk Rheinland-Westfalen-Lippe e.V., with approximately 700 paid employees and over 200 volunteers. The organization delivers a comprehensive portfolio of free, confidential social services to vulnerable populations in Köln, the Rhein-Erft-Kreis, and the Rheinisch-Bergischer Kreis, organized into five professional service divisions: Beratung (counseling including state-recognized debt/insolvency counseling under §305 InsO), Kinder/Jugend/Familie (children, youth, and family services), Migration (refugee support, integration, church asylum), Sozialpsychiatrie & Suchtberatung (psychiatric care, addiction counseling in German/Turkish/Russian), and Wohnungsnotfallhilfe (homelessness services). Service delivery is decentralized through a network of physical locations including four DiakoniePunkte neighborhood centers, two SPZ psychiatric centers, refugee housing, off-site consultation offices in Brühl and Bergheim, the Bahnhofsmission at Köln Hauptbahnhof (jointly operated with IN VIA), and 23 kindergartens managed through the wholly-owned subsidiary Diakonie Kitas Köln und Region gGmbH.

The business model is non-commercial: no fees are charged to end beneficiaries for core services, and there is no traditional GTM sales motion. Instead, the organization is funded through three primary revenue streams — recurring church tax allocations and contributions from the Evangelischer Kirchenverband Köln und Region, government contracts and public commissioning from Stadt Köln, Land NRW, Jobcenter and other public authorities (including Beratungsgutscheine for some services), and donations/corporate partnerships (collected via KD-Bank and Sparkasse KölnBonn). The technology base is modest: the public website runs on TYPO3 CMS, and compliance reporting is handled through an external digital whistleblower system (Securcon DSMS). A second wholly-owned subsidiary, CSH Christliche Sozialhilfe Köln gGmbH (founded 1964, operating in Köln-Mülheim), provides additional child/youth welfare and employment support services. Leadership consists of dual managing directors Martina Schönhals and Sonja Wiekenberg-Mlalandle (the latter also leading the Kitas subsidiary), with Dr. Dirk Ehle chairing the supervisory board. The organization is currently celebrating its 100-year anniversary under the 2025 motto 'Diakonie Köln – 100 Jahre' and the Woche der Diakonie (#raumgeben) campaign.

Name

Diakonisches Werk Koln und Region

Legal name

Diakonisches Werk Köln und Region gGmbH

Website

https://diakonie-koeln.de

Company type

Private

Founded year

1924

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Diakonisches Werk Köln und Region is an evangelical Protestant welfare organization (gGmbH) delivering free debt counseling, migration support, childcare, psychiatric, and homelessness services to vulnerable populations across Cologne, Rhein-Erft-Kreis, and Rheinisch-Bergischer Kreis, funded by church subsidies, public contracts, and donations.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Social Welfare and Human Services

NAICS

Community Housing Services (62422), Temporary Shelters (624221), Emergency and Other Relief Services (624230), Community Food and Housing, and Emergency and Other Relief Services (6242)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300), Services-Nursing & Personal Care Facilities (8050), Services-Child Day Care Services (8351)

akta.pro primary industry

Housing Assistance & Homeless Services (BPAGAEAB)

akta.pro secondary industries

Homelessness Prevention, Shelter & Supportive Housing Services (BPAIANAC), Places of Worship & Religious Facilities Operations (Cemeteries, Retreat Centers, Pilgrimage Sites) (BPAGAJAL), Independent Living with Supportive Services (Light ADL/IADL Support) (HLADAAAE)

Keywords

• Social welfare services
• Debt counseling
• Migration support
• Homelessness assistance
• Child and family services

Headquarters

HQ city

Cologne

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices8 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Others

Revenue model

1. Church Subsidies & Membership Fees: As an evangelically affiliated welfare organization (Diakonie), Diakonie Köln und Region receives financial support from the Protestant Church, including church tax allocations and contributions from the Evangelischer Kirchenverband Köln und Region.
2. Government Contracts & Public Funding: Services such as Schuldnerberatung (debt counseling), migration services, youth welfare, and housing support are commissioned and co-funded by German public authorities (Länder NRW, Stadt Köln, Jobcenter, etc.). The organization is recognized as an approved counseling center under state law (e.g., §305 InsO for consumer insolvency).
3. Donations & Charitable Contributions: Individual donations, corporate partnerships, memorial/bequest giving, and campaign-specific fundraising (e.g., Woche der Diakonie). Donation collection via KD-Bank (Kirchenbank) and Sparkasse KölnBonn.
4. Service Charges & Cost Coverage: Some services (e.g., budgetberatung for Bürgergeld recipients) are covered via Beratungsgutscheine from Jobcenter/authorities. No fees are charged to end clients for core services.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels9 records

Core offering

Diakonisches Werk Köln und Region is a Protestant welfare organization that delivers a comprehensive range of free, confidential social services across Cologne and the surrounding region. Its core offerings include debt and insolvency counseling, social and senior counseling, migration and refugee support, children/youth/family services including 23 kindergartens, social psychiatry and addiction counseling (with multilingual support), and homelessness prevention and supported housing, all delivered through neighborhood-based DiakoniePunkte centers and outreach programs.

Product overview

Diakonie Köln und Region is a Protestant social welfare organization offering a comprehensive portfolio of social services across Cologne and the surrounding region. The organization operates as a platform of interconnected service categories including counseling services (debt counseling, senior counseling, social counseling, preventive home visits), children/youth/family services (23 daycare facilities through Diakonie Kitas subsidiary), migration services, social psychiatry and addiction counseling, homelessness prevention, and neighborhood-based DiakoniePunkte centers. The services are provided through the main organization and two subsidiaries: CSH (Christian Social Aid Cologne) and Diakonie Kitas Köln und Region gGmbH. The organization employs approximately 700 staff members and over 200 volunteers.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Sozial Banal: Blind-Date Podcast of Diakonie Köln und Region, featuring conversations between employees from different departments
• FIVE 4 US

Products and services

• Schuldner- und Insolvenzberatung (Debt and Insolvency Counseling)

Quantifiable outcome

• Free debt and insolvency counseling available for all Köln and Rhein-Erft-Kreis residents regardless of income
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers1 record

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered core and major.

• CSH – Christliche Sozialhilfe Köln gGmbHcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCSH is a wholly owned subsidiary of Diakonie Köln und Region (with Caritasverband as minority shareholder). CSH provides child and youth welfare services and employment support, operating since 1964 in Köln-Mülheim. It is managed under the same umbrella, sharing the organization's mission and values.
• Diakonie Kitas Köln und Region gGmbHcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerA wholly owned subsidiary operating 23 kindergartens across the region, combining modern pedagogy with Christian values. It is co-represented by Sonja Wiekenberg-Mlalandle (Geschäftsführerin).
• IN VIA – Verband katholischer MädchensozialarbeitmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerIN VIA and Diakonie jointly operate the Bahnhofsmission Köln at the main train station, providing emergency aid and support for travelers and people in crisis.
• Sozialpädagogisches Zentrum Kerpen (SPZ-Kerpen)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSPZ-Kerpen is operated in cooperation with AWO and Paritätischer, providing services for children, youth, and families in the Rhein-Erft-Kreis.
• Evangelischer Kirchenverband Köln und RegionmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Protestant Church district organization that Diakonie supports in its social-diakonal tasks, and which provides church backing and coordination for community outreach.
• Diakonie Rheinland-Westfalen-Lippe e.V. (Diakonie RWL)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe regional umbrella organization (Landesverband) for Diakonie in NRW, representing Diakonie's interests vis-à-vis state authorities and providing support structures.
• Diakonie DeutschlandmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerNational-level Diakonie federation, representing all Protestant welfare organizations in Germany at the federal policy level.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Diakonie Rheinland-Westfalen-Lippe e.V. Regional parent/umbrella organization (Landesverband) for Diakonie entities in NRW. Provides back-office support, advocacy, and coordination; not a direct service competitor but the structural anchor for Diakonie Köln.
• Diakonie Deutschland: National federation of Protestant welfare organizations in Germany. Operates as a Spitzenverband at the federal policy level and provides brand standards, but does not deliver local services directly in Köln.

Direct peers

• AWO Bezirksverband Mittelrhein: Secular welfare organization operating across the Köln/Rhein-Erft region with comparable services in youth and family work, senior care, and social counseling. Competes for the same Wohlfahrtsverband contract pool.
• Deutsches Rotes Kreuz Kreisverband Köln: Local chapter of the German Red Cross offering social services, refugee work, and family support in the same geography. Competes directly for refugee housing contracts and family service commissions.
• Deutscher Paritätischer Wohlfahrtsverband NRW: Umbrella association for non-confessional social service providers in NRW. Acts as both a Spitzenverband competitor to Diakonie and a coordinating body for member organizations offering overlapping services in Köln.
• Caritasverband für die Stadt Köln: Catholic counterpart welfare organization operating in the same Köln catchment area, providing the same integrated portfolio of debt counseling, social psychiatry, housing aid, migration services, and senior support. Directly competes for municipal contracts and donor share.
• SKM Köln – Katholischer Verein für soziale Dienste: Catholic social services association in Köln focused on homelessness prevention, debt counseling, and prison welfare services. Direct peer in the Wohnungsnotfallhilfe vertical where Diakonie Köln operates Diakoniehaus Salierring.

Emerging players

• IN VIA Köln: Catholic girls' and women's social work association jointly operating the Bahnhofsmission Köln with Diakonie. Overlaps in migration services and youth welfare but with narrower target demographic.
• Sozial-Betriebe Köln gGmbH: Municipal non-profit operator of senior services and neighborhood programs in Köln, co-funding partner on Pröventive Hausbesuche. Partially overlapping mission with focus on elderly care rather than full-service welfare.

Regional players

• Malteser in Köln: Catholic relief organization active across Germany with Köln presence in social welfare, refugee aid, and senior services. Operates more broadly across multiple German regions, with narrower service intensity in Köln than Diakonie Köln.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/DiakonieKoeln
• LinkedInde.linkedin.com/company/diakonie-koeln
• Instagraminstagram.com/diakonie_koeln_und_region

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 records

Subsidiaries2 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 Diakonisches Werk Koln und Region