Caritas Salzburg

What Caritas Salzburg does

Caritas Salzburg (legally Caritasverband der Erzdiözese Salzburg) is the Catholic Church's regional charitable organization for the Archdiocese of Salzburg, founded in 1900 and operating across Salzburg and Tiroler Unterland. The organization delivers a broad portfolio of social services rather than a single product, organized into program areas: emergency assistance and social counseling (including overnight shelters, the Virgilambulanz mobile medical clinic, Virgilbus, cold-weather phone line, and online live-chat counseling), elderly care (20 Betreutes Wohnen sites with 518 assisted-living apartments, the 1968-era Schloss Kahlsperg residence, and home care), services for children, youth and families (eight Lerncafés supporting roughly 170 children, the Exit Nova youth shelter, and the Easy employment project), programs for women including the SafeHome transitional housing and the 2026-launched Horizont mobile case management, disability and inclusion services (Caritas Dorf St. Anton, Mathiashof, SOALP addiction program), refugee housing and integration support, plus retail operations through the carla second-hand chain and the carlavelorep non-profit bicycle workshop.

The organization's underlying technology stack is conventional non-profit infrastructure: a website built on standard CMS frameworks, donation platforms (wirhelfen.shop, the Caritas online donation module with Spendenabsetzbarkeitsnummer SO-1257), the Freiwilligenbörse volunteer-matching portal, and the Plaudernetz phone service. The only device-level technology referenced is the Livy Care fall-detection system at Betreutes Wohnen Thalgau, deployed as a third-party showcase rather than developed in-house. Operations rely on standard office and case-management software with no proprietary AI/ML or platform products.

Caritas Salzburg is funded through a diversified mix of private donations (tax-deductible in Austria), corporate partnerships (e.g., Salzburger Sparkasse, IKEA Salzburg, Rotary Clubs), government contracts and subsidies (Land Salzburg, City of Salzburg, Federal Chancellery, European Social Fund), and retail revenue from the carla shop chain. The legal entity is wholly owned by the Archdiocese of Salzburg and operates as part of the Caritas Austria confederation. The organization employed 496 paid staff and engaged 4,651 volunteers contributing 41,145 hours in 2025, with co-directors Andrea Schmid and Kurt-Adrian Sonneck leading the Direktion.

Name

Caritas Salzburg

Legal name

Caritasverband der Erzdiözese Salzburg

Website

https://caritas-salzburg.at

Company type

Private

Founded year

1900

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

Caritas Salzburg is the Catholic charitable organization of the Archdiocese of Salzburg, delivering emergency aid, social counseling, elderly care, disability services, refugee support, and youth programs across Salzburg and Tiroler Unterland through 496 paid staff, 4,651 volunteers, and 20+ service locations.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Social Services & Charitable Welfare

NAICS

Individual and Family Services (6241), Community Housing Services (62422), Emergency and Other Relief Services (62423), Community Food Services (624210)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300)

akta.pro primary industry

Homelessness Prevention, Shelter & Supportive Housing Services (BPAIANAC)

akta.pro secondary industries

Health Equity, Access & Social Determinants Programs (BPAIAJAO), Immigrant & Refugee Rights Advocacy (BPAGAFAG), Diaspora, Family Reunification & Case Management Services (BPADAHAM), Child Welfare, Foster Care & Adoption Services (BPAGAEAE)

Keywords

• Social welfare services
• Emergency assistance
• Elderly care services
• Refugee integration support
• Community charity programs

Headquarters

HQ city

Salzburg

HQ country

Austria

HQ region

Europe

Offices9 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Others, Supply Chain

Revenue model

1. Private Donations: Donations from private individuals through online platforms, direct mail campaigns, volunteer fundraising, and events. Donations are tax-deductible in Austria (Spendenabsetzbarkeitsnummer SO-1257).
2. Corporate Partnerships: Sponsorships, corporate volunteering, in-kind donations from businesses, and event-based giving programs like 'Ticket mit Herz' and 'Spenden bei Anlässen'.
3. Social Services Contracts: Government-funded social services including care for elderly, people with disabilities, refugees, and families in need. Partially funded by public contracts and subsidies.
4. Retail Operations: Revenue from carla second-hand shops, carlavelorep bicycle workshop, and the Wirhelfen.shop online store selling donated and crafted items.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Caritas Salzburg (Caritasverband der Erzdiözese Salzburg) is a Catholic charitable non-profit organization that delivers free social, care, and emergency services to vulnerable populations across Salzburg and Tiroler Unterland. Its portfolio spans emergency assistance and social counseling (shelters, mobile medical care, streetwork), elderly care (home care, assisted living, senior residences), children's and family programs (Lerncafés, youth shelters), women's services (SafeHome, Horizont), disability and inclusion (residential villages, day centers), refugee housing and integration, addiction counseling, employment programs (carlavelorep, Easy), and educational offerings (vocational schools for social care). It also operates a second-hand retail chain (carla), an online donation marketplace (wirhelfen.shop), and volunteer engagement programs.

Product overview

Caritas Salzburg (Caritasverband der Erzdiözese Salzburg) is the charitable aid organization of the Catholic Church in Salzburg, providing comprehensive social services across Salzburg and Tiroler Unterland. The organization operates a broad, multi-service portfolio organized around distinct programmatic areas rather than a single software product. Core service domains include: (1) Emergency & Social Counseling (Nothilfe & Beratung) — overnight shelters, mobile medical units (Virgilambulanz, Virgilbus), a cold-weather phone line, streetwork, day centers, and an online live-chat counseling service; (2) Elderly Care (Caritas Pflege) — senior residences, home care, and Assisted Living (Betreutes Wohnen) at 20 sites with 518 apartments, including a digitally assisted pilot using Livy Care fall-detection technology at Thalgau; (3) Children, Youth & Family — Lerncafés (free after-school learning for ~170 children), youth emergency shelter (Exit Nova), holiday camps, and youth employment programs; (4) Women — SafeHome transitional housing, women's emergency shelter, and Horizont mobile case management for poverty-risk women; (5) Disability & Inclusion — residential villages (Caritas Dorf St. Anton, Mathiashof), day centers, workshops, and community participation projects; (6) Asylum & Integration — refugee housing, counseling, and international aid in Syria, Lebanon, Egypt, and Jordan; (7) Employment — carlavelorep bicycle workshop and the Easy youth employment project. Complementary programs include donation and retail operations: carla second-hand shops (6 locations plus pop-up and online store), the wirhelfen.shop donation marketplace, Schenk mit Sinn symbolic gift catalog, Ticket mit Herz event fundraising, Patenschaften long-term sponsorships, and volunteer management (Freiwilligenbörse, Digital dabei, Freiwilliges Soziales Jahr). Educational offerings include the SOB school for social care professions and caritas.schule for business and social sciences. A free public lecture series (Weit.Blick.) covers dementia, caregiving, and personal directives. The Kongenial program addresses social isolation among seniors through physical Plauderbankerl benches. No AI-enabled products were identified.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Nothilfe & Beratung (Emergency Assistance and Social Counseling)

Quantifiable outcome

• 41,145 hours of voluntary work from 4,651 volunteers in 2025
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments8 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

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, minor and significant.

• Heimat ÖsterreichcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 17 June 2026Heimat Österreich is the developer for Betreutes Wohnen Thalgau and financing partner for the 96-bed Seniorenresidenz Schloss Kahlsperg renovation (20 million euros).
• Empathia - Pflege und Hilfe im AlltagminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 8 May 2026Supporting Kongenial project for elderly social participation and Plauderbankerl initiative.
• SV SeekirchenminorGTM or Marketing Partner · 14 March 2026Sports partner for 'Ticket mit Herz' campaign - 1 euro per ticket donated to Caritas, raising 1,000 euros for people in need.
• IKEA SalzburgsignificantOthers · 31 December 2025IKEA Salzburg donated approximately 25,000 euros worth of furniture, textiles, dishes, toys and more in 2025 to support people with disabilities, children, women with experience of violence, and those unable to meet basic needs.
• Arbeiterkammer SalzburgminorGTM or Marketing Partner · 20 May 2023Donated 250 kg of children's clothing and toys from Kindersachenbörse to Caritas.
• Toihaus Theater SalzburgminorGTM or Marketing Partner · 25 February 2023BimBam Festival invited children from Caritas Lerncafés to free theater performances.
• Erzdiözese SalzburgcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2023Parent organization. Created 500,000 euro solidarity fund for heating costs. Provided property for carla Pop-up Store at Kaigasse 8.

Scale indicators13 records

Recent moves12 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Caritas Wien: Largest diocesan Caritas in Austria, operating social services, housing, and refugee programs in Vienna. Strong comparison for scale, service breadth, and operational structure given the shared Caritas framework.
• Hilfswerk Österreich: Major Austrian nonprofit operating home care, mobile nursing, and family support services nationwide. Direct overlap with Caritas Salzburg's elderly care and assisted living programs.
• Arbeiter-Samariter-Bund Österreichs: Austrian ASB organization offering home care, mobile nursing, refugee support, and social services. Major competitor in Salzburg/Tirol for both care workers and government contracts.
• Lebenshilfe Österreich: National association for disability inclusion providing residential living, workshops, and personal assistance — directly comparable to Caritas Salzburg's Behinderung & Inklusion offering (e.g., Caritas Dorf St. Anton, Mathiashof).
• Volkshilfe Österreich: Large Austrian social services NGO offering family support, refugee integration, and poverty-relief programs. Comparable mission and funding mix (donations plus public contracts) with overlapping Salzburg/Tirol operations.
• Diakonie Österreich: Protestant counterpart providing nearly identical services — refugee assistance, elderly care, family support, disability inclusion, and social counseling — across Austria. Closest functional peer given overlapping service portfolio and regional presence.

Broad incumbents

• Austrian Red Cross (Österreichisches Rotes Kreuz): Large-scale humanitarian organization providing nursing, refugee assistance, emergency relief, and social services across Austria. Comparable institutional capacity and volunteer-driven model, though broader in scope.
• Caritas Österreich: National umbrella organization of which Caritas Salzburg is a diocesan member. Operates the same model — emergency aid, social counseling, refugee support, and donation fundraising — across nine Austrian dioceses, providing direct comparison for shared service lines and scale.

Emerging players

• SOS Kinderdorf Österreich: Austrian affiliate of SOS Children's Villages providing alternative residential care, family support, and education services. Comparable in child welfare and youth services such as Exit Nova and Lerncafés.

Others

• Caritas International: Confederation of 160+ Catholic relief organizations worldwide, of which Caritas Salzburg is part through Caritas Austria. Provides the network layer for international aid operations referenced in Syria, Lebanon, Egypt, and Jordan.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xbsky.app/profile/caritas-austria.bsky.social
• YouTubeyoutube.com/user/CaritasAustria
• Facebookfacebook.com/Caritas.Salzburg
• Instagraminstagram.com/caritasoesterreich
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/caritas-salzburg

Compliance4 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles12 records

Subsidiaries10 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 Salzburg