bee4change e.V.

What bee4change e.V. does

bee4change e.V. is a registered nonprofit association (eingetragener Verein) founded in Hamburg in Spring 2015 by young residents with personal migration backgrounds. It operates a portfolio of social programs — beeMentor, HamWatan, mehmani, HRD Mentoring, HaM:STER, and E³ (Ehrenamt, Engagement & Exil) — that provide mentorship, integration support, diaspora networking, and accompaniment for refugees, the Afghan diaspora in Northern Germany, and exiled human rights defenders in the Hamburg region. Since inception it has facilitated over 250 mentorships through beeMentor and runs on a community-led operating model, with the leadership team historically sitting alongside 62 volunteers.

The organization has no commercial technology product or SaaS platform; its 'products' are human-delivered social programs. Underlying infrastructure is limited to a Squarespace-hosted website and an Instagram channel for outreach, with no proprietary technology, patents, or AI/ML assets disclosed. Operations are supported through personal migration experience of the founders, direct outreach into refugee accommodations, and referrals from partner organizations including churches and the Hamburger Flüchtlingsrat.

Revenue is generated exclusively through donations, project grants, and a forthcoming Fördermitgliedschaft recurring membership program. Major funders include BMFSFJ (Menschen stärken Menschen, Vitamin P), Staatsministerin für Migration, Gerda Henkel Stiftung, Brot für die Welt / Diakonie Hamburg, and the Nader Etmenan Stiftung. As of 2023 the paid team comprised 2 full-time and 6 part-time employees, and the organization relocated its office to the eeden space x community hub in February 2025.

Name

bee4change e.V.

Legal name

bee4change e.V.

Website

https://bee4change.eu

Company type

Private

Founded year

2015

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

bee4change e.V. is a Hamburg-based nonprofit association founded in 2015 that runs community social programs — notably beeMentor, HamWatan, and HRD Mentoring — to support refugees, the Afghan diaspora, and human rights defenders in Northern Germany.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Refugee and migrant integration services

NAICS

Other Individual and Family Services (624190), Religious, Grantmaking, Civic, Professional, and Similar Organizations (813)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300), Services-Membership Organizations (8600)

akta.pro primary industry

Refugee & Immigrant Support Services (BPAGAEAI)

akta.pro secondary industries

Refugee & Migrant Integration Enterprises (Livelihoods, Services) (BPAGALAN), Refugee & Humanitarian Newcomer Orientation (Resettlement Support) (EDAAADAI)

Keywords

• Refugee integration services
• Mentorship programs
• Community support services
• Nonprofit social services
• Migration assistance

Headquarters

HQ city

Hamburg

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Donations: Individual donations from supporters who contribute to fund the organization's work. Donors can specify which project they wish to support.
2. Project Funding: Government grants and foundation funding for specific projects such as beeMentor (Bundesministerium), HamWatan (Staatsministerin), and HRD (Gerda Henkel Stiftung).
3. Fördermitgliedschaft (Supporting Membership): Planned membership program for ongoing supporters (Coming Soon as of current website).

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

bee4change e.V. is a Hamburg-based nonprofit association that runs community integration programs pairing refugees and migrants with local volunteer mentors and running group workshops. Its portfolio of six named programs (beeMentor, HamWatan, mehmani, HRD Mentoring, HaM:STER, and E³) addresses social orientation, language practice, professional networking, and community building for newcomers in Germany. The organization is delivered by a small paid team and a large volunteer base, with funding from donations, grants, and foundations.

Product overview

bee4change e.V. is a non-profit social organization (eingetragener Verein) founded in Hamburg in 2015. Rather than a commercial technology product, the organization operates a portfolio of social programs supporting refugees and migrants in Germany. The organization does not offer a commercial software product or SaaS platform. Its 'products' are social projects and programs designed to facilitate integration, provide mentoring, and promote social justice. These programs include: beeMentor (a mentoring program connecting young people with refugee families), HamWatan (support for Afghan diaspora), mehmani (support program), HRD Mentoring (human rights defender mentoring), HaM:STER (mentoring initiative), and E3 (Ehrenamt, Engagement & Exil - volunteering, engagement, and exile). The organization operates under the tagline 'equal chances, equal opportunities' and focuses on providing refugees rapid access to German society and self-determined living.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• beeMentor One-to-one mentorship program pairing refugees and migrants in Hamburg with local volunteer mentors to support social integration, orientation, and day-to-day settlement in Germany.
• HamWatan Community-based program under the bee4change portfolio that supports refugees, migrants, and host communities in Hamburg through group activities and integration-oriented engagement.
• mehmani Named program within the bee4change portfolio providing structured support to refugees and migrants in Hamburg, delivered as part of the association's integration service offering.
• HRD Mentoring Human-rights or human-resource-development oriented mentoring track for refugees and migrants in Hamburg, designed to strengthen professional skills, rights awareness, and self-development.
• HaM:STER Specialized program in the bee4change portfolio delivering targeted activities to refugees, migrants, and host communities in Hamburg as part of the association's integration mandate.
• E³ Named program within the bee4change portfolio offering structured educational or empowerment-focused activities to refugees and migrants in Hamburg.

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 250 mentorships established since project inception
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core, major and minor.

• Verband für interkulturelle Wohlfahrtspflege, Empowerment und Diversity e.V.coreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorPass-through organization for BMFSFJ funding for Vitamin P project - funds are channeled through this organization.
• eeden space x communitymajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCommunity space provider where bee4change moved their office in February 2025. A collaborative workspace designed for openness and community building.
• Mentor-Ring / UBM (Unabhängige Beratungsstelle für Mentoringprojekte)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerProvides counseling and support for mentoring projects, offering conflict resolution and support services for mentors and mentees.
• Imani e.V.minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner organization where bee4change held their founding event in 2015, working on topics of flight and integration.
• Hamburger FlüchtlingsratminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerHamburg refugee council - activist network providing support and advocacy for refugees.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Diakonie Deutschland: National Protestant welfare association operating extensive refugee and migrant support programs. Overlaps with bee4change's integration and social services portfolio but operates at vastly broader scale and geographic reach.
• Caritas Deutschland: Germany's largest Catholic welfare organization with national refugee and migrant integration services. Far larger scale but overlapping in refugee support, social counseling, and volunteer-based service delivery.
• Arbeiterwohlfahrt (AWO): Major German welfare organization with refugee integration, mentoring, and family support services. Operates nationwide with similar program categories to bee4change but at much larger scale.
• International Rescue Committee (IRC) Germany: International humanitarian organization running refugee resettlement and integration programs in Germany. Comparable refugee support methodology and mentoring-style programs, with significantly larger funding base.

Direct peers

• Hand in Hand – Patenschaften für Integration: Germany-wide mentoring initiative matching volunteers with refugee newcomers. Directly comparable to bee4change's beeMentor program in format, beneficiary focus, and volunteer-led delivery model.
• Save me Hamburg: Hamburg-based initiative supporting refugees through volunteer engagement and integration programs. Comparable in size and community-led GTM, focused on similar refugee beneficiary segments in the same regional geography.
• Hamburger Flüchtlingsrat: Hamburg-based refugee council providing advocacy and support services to refugees. Already listed as a bee4change partner and operates in the same city with overlapping beneficiary focus on refugee integration support.
• Neue deutsche Organisationen (NDO): Federation of migrant-led organizations in Germany including several with refugee support missions. Closely aligned with bee4change's lived-experience-led, community-driven model and similar NGO scale.

Others

• Bundesamt für Migration und Flüchtlinge (BAMF): German federal agency administering refugee integration programs including 'Menschen stärken Menschen' which funds bee4change. Acts as both a funder and ecosystem participant in the same refugee support space.
• startsocial: German initiative supporting emerging social projects with capacity-building, coaching, and access to networks. Not a direct peer but operates in the same Hamburg civic ecosystem and shares the small-NGO support mission.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Instagraminstagram.com/bee4change
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/bee4change

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 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 bee4change e.V.