arche noVa – Initiative für Menschen in Not e.V.
Arche noVa is a German non-profit humanitarian aid organization founded in 1992, headquartered in Dresden, with 114 employees implementing WASH, food security, disaster risk reduction, and emergency aid programs in 45+ countries. Revenue comes from institutional grants (BMZ, AA, ECHO), individual donations, and corporate CSR partnerships.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1992
- HeadquartersDresden, Germany
- Headcount101–250
- GTM typeB2B and B2C
- OfferingServices
What arche noVa – Initiative für Menschen in Not e.V. does
Arche noVa – Initiative für Menschen in Not e.V. is a Dresden-based, German-registered non-profit humanitarian aid organization (eingetragener Verein) founded in 1992, with 114 employees and a secondary office in Berlin. Its core mission is WASH (Water, Sanitation & Hygiene) program implementation, supported by disaster risk reduction, food security, emergency aid, and Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) programming. The organization operates in 45+ countries, with long-tenure field operations in Syria (since 2012), Lebanon (since 2016), and Ukraine, and serves conflict-affected populations, refugees, IDPs, and communities lacking access to safe water and sanitation.
The organization's 'products' are charitable giving vehicles and corporate partnership programs rather than a software platform. Core offerings include Brunnenaktie (Well Stock Certificates) — personalized gift donation certificates priced at €25/€50/€100 across 9 country themes; the WasserSpender corporate CSR program (€1,000/year minimum); CSR-Partnerschaft for project sponsorship; Charity-Co-Branding (e.g., Hartkorn Red Cap spice jars with per-unit donations); Fördermitgliedschaft recurring membership at €10–€100/month; and an online fundraising action tool for occasion-based giving. Underlying technology is non-proprietary: standard SaaS tools including Fundraisingbox for donations, MailChimp for email, Matomo for analytics, and YouTube for video content.
Revenue is generated through five streams: institutional grants from BMZ, Auswärtiges Amt, and ECHO/UNICEF (the primary backbone); individual donations (one-time and recurring); corporate CSR partnerships; Fördermitgliedschaft memberships; and occasion-based or commemorative giving. The organization has held the DZI Seal-of-Approval continuously since 1993 and spent 3.35% of total expenditure on marketing and administration in 2023, placing it in the highest efficiency bracket. Arche noVa is governed by a 4-member honorary board (Chair: Stefan Mertenskötter) and managed by Dr. Jens Ola (Managing Director), with Frank Engel as Deputy Managing Director and Head of Finance & Controlling.
arche noVa – Initiative für Menschen in Not e.V. firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- arche noVa – Initiative für Menschen in Not e.V.
- Legal name
- arche noVa – Initiative für Menschen in Not e.V.
- Website
- https://arche-nova.org
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1992
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 101–250 employees
- Short description
- Arche noVa is a German non-profit humanitarian aid organization founded in 1992, headquartered in Dresden, with 114 employees implementing WASH, food security, disaster risk reduction, and emergency aid programs in 45+ countries. Revenue comes from institutional grants (BMZ, AA, ECHO), individual donations, and corporate CSR partnerships.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
arche noVa – Initiative für Menschen in Not e.V. industry classification
Industry- Product category
- International Humanitarian Aid Services
- NAICS
- Emergency and Other Relief Services (624230), Grantmaking and Giving Services (8132)
- SIC
- Services-Social Services (8300)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Refugee, Migration & Displacement Support (BPAGABAH)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- International Grantmaking & Development Foundations (BPAGAKAH), Climate, Environment & Natural Resource Management Aid Programs (BPADABAI)
Keywords
Where arche noVa – Initiative für Menschen in Not e.V. is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Dresden
- HQ country
- Germany
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices2 records
Markets served
arche noVa – Initiative für Menschen in Not e.V. business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B and B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Others
Revenue model
- Institutional Funding / Grants: Arche noVa receives funding from government institutions including the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ), the German Federal Foreign Office (Auswärtiges Amt), and the European Commission's Directorate-General for European Civil Protection and Humanitarian Aid Operations (ECHO). This constitutes the primary revenue backbone for large-scale project implementation.
- Individual Donations: One-time and recurring donations from individual supporters, collected via online donation forms (Fundraisingbox), bank transfer, direct debit, PayPal, credit card, and instant transfer. Fördermitgliedschaft (supporting membership) programs provide regular monthly, quarterly, semi-annual, or annual contributions.
- Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) Partnerships: Companies engage through CSR partnerships including project partnerships, charity co-branding (e.g., Hartkorn Red Cap spice packaging with per-unit charitable contributions), employee giving programs (Restcent-Spende), sponsorship, and the WasserSpender program (minimum €1,000/year). Partners receive supporter logos, certificates, and communication rights.
- Supporting Membership / Fördermitgliedschaft: Recurring membership contributions at self-selected amounts (€10, €50, €100/month or custom), with tax deductibility in Germany under the organization's recognized charitable status.
- Occasion-Based Giving: Donations made to mark special occasions (birthdays, weddings, company jubilees, funerals) via online fundraising tools, collection boxes, or direct bank transfer with reference codes.
- Well Stock Certificates (Brunnenaktien): Branded gift certificates sold at €25, €50, €100 price points, themed around countries (Ethiopia, Kenya, Lebanon, Mali, Myanmar, Somalia, Syria, Uganda, Ukraine). Sold as personalized gifts for special occasions.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Subscription | Annual | WasserSpender corporate program – minimum annual donation €1,000 |
| Subscription | Multi-year contract | Fördermitgliedschaft (Supporting Membership) – recurring donations |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Brunnenaktien (Well Stock Certificates) – gift certificates at fixed prices |
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels6 records
Marketing channels8 records
arche noVa – Initiative für Menschen in Not e.V. product offering
Product offeringCore offering
arche noVa is a German humanitarian aid organization that implements WASH (Water, Sanitation & Hygiene), disaster risk reduction, food security, emergency relief, and education-for-sustainable-development projects in more than 45 countries. It funds these projects through individual donations, supporting memberships, corporate CSR partnerships, and institutional grants from BMZ, the German Federal Foreign Office, and the EU's ECHO. It also offers donors digital fundraising tools, occasion-based giving products such as Brunnenaktie (well stock certificates), and corporate partnership programs including WasserSpender and charity co-branding.
Product overview
arche noVa is a humanitarian aid organization, not a software product company. Its offerings consist of charitable donation products and fundraising tools rather than a unified software platform. The core product portfolio includes Brunnenaktie (well share certificates) as gift donations in various country themes (Ethiopia, Kenya, Lebanon, Mali, Myanmar, Somalia, Syria, Uganda, Ukraine), an online fundraising campaign tool for individual supporters, and corporate partnership programs including WasserSpender (for KMUs), CSR-Partnerschaft (for project-specific sponsorship), Charity-Co-Branding (for product-based donations), and Fördermitgliedschaft (recurring membership donations). These products support the organization's thematic focus areas: Water, Sanitation & Hygiene (main focus), Disaster Risk Reduction, Emergency Aid & Rehabilitation, Food Supply & Health, and Education for Sustainable Development, delivered across Africa, Asia, Europe, and Germany.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- WasserSpender: A program for small and medium-sized enterprises (KMUs) that enables companies to become official 'WasserSpender Unternehmen' supporters starting at 1,000€ donations, receiving a supporter seal, email signature, and thank-you certificate.
Products and services
- Brunnenaktie (Well Stock Certificate)
Quantifiable outcome
- 60 home gardens created; 384 people reached (including 19 persons with disabilities) in Lebanon backyard garden project
- +2 more outcomes
Companies that use arche noVa – Initiative für Menschen in Not e.V.
Customer profileNamed customers7 records
Segments5 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
arche noVa – Initiative für Menschen in Not e.V. technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Integration9 records
arche noVa – Initiative für Menschen in Not e.V. partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
14 partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.
- Rural Water Supply Network (RWSN)minorArche noVa has been a member of RWSN since 2010. This international network of NGOs represents the interests of those lacking access to safe and clean water in rural areas worldwide. Organizations exchange knowledge and experience, improving competence and project quality.
- Sustainable Sanitation Alliance (SuSanA)minorArche noVa has been a member of SuSanA since 2010. SuSanA is an international network of partner organizations from 45 countries sharing the vision of a sustainable solution for the global sanitary crisis. It serves as a working and discussion platform advancing the political discussion on sanitation.
- Dresden hilft (Active Alliance)coreIn 2005, arche noVa and the city of Dresden signed a cooperation agreement called 'Dresden hilft' ('Dresden helps') triggered by the devastating tsunami in Southeast Asia. The cooperation has continued to implement several projects. The Mayor of Dresden has accompanied arche noVa's work with collective appeals for donations and joint public relations.
- Aktion Deutschland Hilft (ADH)coreThrough membership in Der Paritätische, arche noVa became a member of Germany's Relief Coalition 'Aktion Deutschland Hilft' (ADH) in 2003. ADH is an association of German relief organizations providing quick and effective aid during major catastrophes. In urgent times of major catastrophes, ADH addresses the public with a collective appeal for donations. The money is distributed among member organizations based on a distribution key according to their capacity and performance profile.
- Der Paritätische / Paritätischer Landesverband SachsencoreArche noVa is a member of the Paritätischer Landesverband Sachsen. The Paritätische is one of Germany's biggest umbrella associations connecting about 10,000 member organizations from all fields of social work. Through this membership, arche noVa also accesses ADH network benefits.
- Global WASH ClustercoreInternational Alliance for the Coordination of Emergency Assistance in the Areas of Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene (WASH). Arche noVa is a member and is committed to individually defined standards for each country. The cluster approach was introduced in the humanitarian reform of 2005 to improve coordination of humanitarian work.
- WASH-Netzwerk (German WASH Network)coreFounded in 2011; arche noVa is among its founding members. All member organizations implement international projects in water, sanitation, and hygiene and are involved in political lobbying. Activities focus on professionalizing work through continuous knowledge exchange and improving the connection between emergency/transitional aid and development cooperation.
- VENROminorAssociation of development NGOs in Germany, located in Bonn. About 120 organizations are members. Arche noVa adheres to VENRO Codes of Conduct including transparency, organizational management, children's rights, and development-related public relations.
- VENRO (Code of Conduct Compliance)minorArche noVa is committed to VENRO's Code of Conduct on Transparency, Organisation Management and Control; Code of Conduct for Children's Rights; and Code of Conduct for Development-Related Public Relations.
- UN OCHAminorUnited Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, part of the UN secretariat. Responsible for bringing relevant actors of humanitarian aid together to ensure coherent response to emergencies.
- UNICEFminorUnited Nations Children's Fund. Arche noVa cooperates with UNICEF on humanitarian programs.
- Entwicklungspolitisches Netzwerk Sachsen (ENS)minorArche noVa is one of the major actors in this development policy network in Saxony. Cooperates especially in the field of Education for Sustainable Development / Global Learning with conceptual development and joint events.
- Berliner Entwicklungspolitischer Ratschlag (BER)minorNetwork of developmental initiatives, associations, and groupings in Berlin promoting Global Learning at schools. Arche noVa has been listed as a recommended NGO since 2010 and actively supports BER's lobbying and networking activities.
- Transparente Zivilgesellschaft (Transparency International Germany)minorArche noVa participates in the initiative of Transparency International Germany, committing to 10 fundamental transparency standards for civil society organizations.
Scale indicators6 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights5 records
arche noVa – Initiative für Menschen in Not e.V. competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Malteser International: German humanitarian relief organization focused on disaster relief, WASH, and health in crisis contexts. Direct peer on emergency response, German institutional funding (BMZ/AA/ECHO), and Catholic-affiliated NGO structure with broad country footprint.
- Welthungerhilfe: One of Germany's largest privately funded humanitarian and development NGOs, also headquartered with strong government (BMZ) funding ties. Directly comparable on German humanitarian NGO positioning, institutional funder reliance, and public donation fundraising model.
- CARE Deutschland: German affiliate of CARE International providing humanitarian aid and development cooperation, including WASH and emergency response. Direct peer on donor base, project focus areas, and CSR partnership programs targeting German companies.
- Oxfam Deutschland: German branch of Oxfam confederation working on humanitarian response, WASH, and inequality. Directly comparable on multi-channel fundraising, German institutional funding, and advocacy-driven humanitarian programs in 45+ countries.
- Help – Hilfe zur Selbsthilfe: German humanitarian NGO implementing WASH and food security projects in conflict and disaster contexts. Direct peer on BMZ-funded project implementation, 'helping people to help themselves' approach, and comparable organizational scale.
- Johanniter Unfall-Hilfe (International Assistance): German humanitarian aid organization delivering international disaster relief, WASH, and emergency medical care. Direct peer on BMZ-funded humanitarian programming, German network memberships, and project implementation across crisis-affected countries.
Broad incumbents
- Caritas international: Larger German Catholic confederation providing humanitarian aid, disaster response, and development cooperation. Broader incumbent offering WASH, emergency relief, and reconstruction overlapping with arche noVa's portfolio but at significantly greater scale.
- Deutsche Welthungerhilfe (merged entity reference): Major German development and humanitarian organization with broader food security and rural development mandate than arche noVa's WASH specialization. Functions as both direct peer and larger incumbent shaping the same BMZ funding competitive landscape.
- UNICEF Deutschland: German national committee of UNICEF partnering with arche noVa on humanitarian programs. Broader incumbent representing a global UN agency with far greater scale, overlapping on WASH, child-focused humanitarian response, and institutional fundraising.
Others
- Aktion Deutschland Hilft (ADH): German relief coalition of which arche noVa is a member since 2003. Functions as an enabling partner/distributor for collective catastrophe fundraising rather than a direct competitor — provides amplified donor access during major crises.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses4 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
arche noVa – Initiative für Menschen in Not e.V. social profiles
Digital presencearche noVa – Initiative für Menschen in Not e.V. compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance2 records
arche noVa – Initiative für Menschen in Not e.V. financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
arche noVa – Initiative für Menschen in Not e.V. leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles10 records
arche noVa – Initiative für Menschen in Not e.V. funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
arche noVa – Initiative für Menschen in Not e.V. M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about arche noVa – Initiative für Menschen in Not e.V.
What does arche noVa – Initiative für Menschen in Not e.V. do?
arche noVa is a German humanitarian aid organization that implements WASH (Water, Sanitation & Hygiene), disaster risk reduction, food security, emergency relief, and education-for-sustainable-development projects in more than 45 countries. It funds these projects through individual donations, supporting memberships, corporate CSR partnerships, and institutional grants from BMZ, the German Federal Foreign Office, and the EU's ECHO. It also offers donors digital fundraising tools, occasion-based giving products such as Brunnenaktie (well stock certificates), and corporate partnership programs including WasserSpender and charity co-branding.
Is arche noVa – Initiative für Menschen in Not e.V. a public or private company?
arche noVa – Initiative für Menschen in Not e.V. is a private company. It is classified as nonprofit foundation owned and is currently operating.
When was arche noVa – Initiative für Menschen in Not e.V. founded?
arche noVa – Initiative für Menschen in Not e.V. was founded in 1992. It employs 101 to 250 people.
Where is arche noVa – Initiative für Menschen in Not e.V. based?
arche noVa – Initiative für Menschen in Not e.V. is headquartered in Dresden, Germany, in the Europe region.
How does arche noVa – Initiative für Menschen in Not e.V. make money?
Six revenue lines are on record. Institutional Funding / Grants are the primary driver. The others are individual Donations, corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) Partnerships, supporting Membership / Fördermitgliedschaft, occasion-Based Giving and well Stock Certificates (Brunnenaktien).
Who are arche noVa – Initiative für Menschen in Not e.V.'s main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Malteser International, Welthungerhilfe, CARE Deutschland, Oxfam Deutschland, Help – Hilfe zur Selbsthilfe and Johanniter Unfall-Hilfe (International Assistance). Broad incumbents are Caritas international, Deutsche Welthungerhilfe (merged entity reference) and UNICEF Deutschland. Aktion Deutschland Hilft (ADH) is listed as an others.
Does arche noVa – Initiative für Menschen in Not e.V. have an API?
No public API is recorded for arche noVa – Initiative für Menschen in Not e.V..
What industry is arche noVa – Initiative für Menschen in Not e.V. in?
arche noVa – Initiative für Menschen in Not e.V.'s product category is International Humanitarian Aid Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is BPAGABAH, Refugee, Migration & Displacement Support, with a secondary code of BPAGAKAH, International Grantmaking & Development Foundations. Its NAICS code is 624230 and its SIC code is 8300.