Caritas Dienstleistungsgenossenschaft im Erzbistum Paderborn gemeinnützige eG

What Caritas Dienstleistungsgenossenschaft im Erzbistum Paderborn gemeinnützige eG does

Caritas Dienstleistungsgenossenschaft im Erzbistum Paderborn gemeinnützige eG (cdg) is a registered non-profit cooperative (gemeinnützige eG) founded in April 2018 as the first diocesan-wide Caritas cooperative in Germany. Headquartered in Paderborn, North Rhine-Westphalia, it serves Caritasverbände, church-affiliated social service providers, and charitable facilities — initially across the Archdiocese of Paderborn and, since July 2025, across all of North Rhine-Westphalia. The organization operates three core service lines: joint procurement (Einkauf), e-mobility and sustainability advisory (E-Mobilität/Nachhaltigkeit), and data protection and compliance services (Datenschutz/Compliance), structured to deliver volume-based pricing, regulatory support (KDG, HinSchG, LkSG), and operational efficiencies that individual small and medium Caritas organizations cannot obtain independently.

The cooperative's technology stack is modest and partnership-driven rather than proprietary. It operates a Moodle-based e-learning platform (wissen.caritas-cdg.de) through partner eLeDia, deploys otris privacy software for data protection management, and resells KnowBe4 security awareness training (with Cypax as implementation partner) under a negotiated framework agreement. E-mobility services span EV and transporter procurement, charging infrastructure advisory, photovoltaic feasibility (via Auxolar drone inspections), green electricity and gas procurement (via Vattenfall and others), and sustainable workshop solutions through Fastgarage GmbH. Since 2018, the cooperative has brokered over 1,000 electric vehicles into Caritas fleets, served over 60 facilities with energy procurement, and during COVID-19 supplied over 1,000 organizations with millions of units of PPE.

cdg is self-financed with no external venture or private equity investors. Revenue is generated through cooperative membership dues, transaction-fee economics on procurement volumes (PPE, vehicles, energy), recurring subscription retainers for external data protection officer services, and per-user/per-event fees for training and network meetings (e.g., KnowBe4 at €0.85-0.95/user/month, data protection network meetings at €69-125 per occurrence). Governance combines a Vorstand (Patrick Wilk, Christoph Becker, Esther van Bebber), an Aufsichtsrat chaired by Lutz Gmel, and a membership base of 57-58 organizations that hold voting rights and receive profit distributions (Rückvergütung) after successful fiscal years. Leadership of both the management board and supervisory board is drawn from the Caritasverband ecosystem, reinforcing institutional embedding but also binding the cooperative to the strategic priorities of the Catholic social welfare sector in NRW.

Name

Caritas Dienstleistungsgenossenschaft im Erzbistum Paderborn gemeinnützige eG

Legal name

Caritas Dienstleistungsgenossenschaft in NRW gemeinnützige eG

Website

https://caritas-cdg.de

Company type

Private

Founded year

2018

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Caritas Dienstleistungsgenossenschaft im Erzbistum Paderborn gemeinnützige eG (cdg) is a non-profit cooperative serving Caritas and church-affiliated social service providers in North Rhine-Westphalia through joint procurement, e-mobility/sustainability advisory, and KDG-based data protection and compliance services.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Paderborn

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Purchasing/Bundling Services: The cooperative generates revenue by negotiating framework contracts for products and services on behalf of members and customers. Revenue comes from the volume and value of products procured through these collective purchasing arrangements.
2. Data Protection Services: Provides external data protection officer services, compliance consulting, data protection initial checks, and training to over 60 charitable facilities.
3. E-Mobility Services: Facilitates procurement of electric vehicles, charging infrastructure, and related services for Caritas fleets. Revenue from vehicle procurement facilitation and advisory services.
4. Security Awareness Training: KnowBe4 Security Awareness Training offered through a negotiated framework agreement. Revenue generated through per-user subscription fees.
5. Energy Procurement: Joint procurement of green electricity and gas for over 60 social organizations, creating volume-based pricing advantages.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

Caritas Dienstleistungsgenossenschaft (cdg) is a non-profit cooperative that negotiates framework contracts and provides bundled procurement, e-mobility/sustainability, and data protection/compliance services to Caritas organizations and church-affiliated social service providers in North Rhine-Westphalia. Core offerings include joint procurement of goods and energy, electric vehicle and charging infrastructure brokerage, external data protection officer services under KDG, whistleblower protection, and security awareness training.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 1,000 electric vehicles brokered into Caritas fleets since 2018
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration3 records

AI capability2 records

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Fastgarage GmbHcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSpecialized workshop and fleet management partner for e-mobility services. Fastgarage provides vehicle maintenance, repair, accident reconstruction, and fleet management services tailored for social economy organizations. Certified E-mobility specialist with 'Nachhaltig im Handwerk 360°' certification. Hosts regular fleet management network meetings (Fuhrparktreffen) for Caritas organizations.
• CypaxminorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerSpecialized IT consulting and trading company for cybersecurity. Serves as the exclusive sales partner and implementation partner for the KnowBe4 framework agreement with cdg. Handles customer onboarding and support.
• AuxolarminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSolar/photovoltaic partner for the PV Week initiative. Conducts drone-based roof inspections and feasibility assessments for photovoltaic installations at Caritas facilities across Brilon, Paderborn, Gütersloh, and Delbrück.
• VattenfallminorOthersEnergy supplier that presented at the 2025 General Assembly. Provides electricity and gas procurement services for collective purchasing arrangements.
• Genossenschaftsverband Verband der RegionenminorOthersStatutory auditing association for cooperatives (Prüfungsverband gemäß § 54 Abs. 2 GenG). Located at Peter-Müller-Straße 26, 40468 Düsseldorf.
• CaritasStiftung im Erzbistum PaderbornminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerJointly sponsors the Pauline-von-Mallinckrodt-Preis with cdg, including the €2,000 sustainability prize awarded annually since 2023.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves10 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Others

• Diakonie Deutschland: Protestant counterpart to Caritas in Germany, representing Diakonie welfare organizations. Comparable as the parallel church-affiliated social services umbrella that could in principle host its own service or purchasing cooperative — directly analogous to the role cdg plays for Caritas.

Direct peers

• GWQ ServicePlus AG: Health insurer-owned purchasing and services cooperative in Germany, pooling volume to negotiate better conditions on pharmaceuticals, utilities, and benefits for statutory health insurance funds. Closely comparable to cdg in cooperative structure, member-driven governance, and bundled procurement / service delivery model.
• Datenschutz cert GmbH: Specialized data protection certification body in Germany providing GDPR audits, KDG reviews, and compliance certifications. Direct functional peer for cdg's data protection audit and certification offerings.
• Naturstrom AG: Germany's largest cooperative-style renewable energy supplier, offering green electricity and gas to social organizations and households. Comparable as a renewable energy procurement partner competing for the same energy contracts cdg bundles for its Caritas members.
• intersoft consulting services GmbH: Germany-based data protection and compliance consultancy offering external DPO services, GDPR audits, and training. Direct functional peer for cdg's data protection officer business and KDG compliance offerings.
• coop eG: One of Germany's largest retail cooperatives, owned by independent retailers pooling purchasing volume. Comparable at the structural/governance level as a Genossenschaft demonstrating the cooperative model at much larger scale across a different vertical.

Broad incumbents

• Caritas Deutschland: National umbrella association of German Caritas organizations. Provides overarching advocacy and coordination services but does not run a purchasing/compliance cooperative at the diocesan level; cdg effectively fills a service layer beneath this umbrella.
• TÜV Rheinland Service GmbH: Large international testing, inspection and certification group offering data protection, cybersecurity, and compliance audits across industries. Overlaps with cdg's compliance certification and Hinweisgeberschutz work but as a broad incumbent rather than a Caritas specialist.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/caritas-dienstleistungsgenossenschaft-im-erzbistum-paderborn-gemeinnuetzige-eg

Compliance3 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles12 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 Caritas Dienstleistungsgenossenschaft im Erzbistum Paderborn gemeinnützige eG