ChildFund Deutschland

What ChildFund Deutschland does

ChildFund Deutschland e.V. is a registered non-profit charitable organization (eingetragener Verein) founded in 1978 and headquartered in Nürtingen, Baden-Württemberg, with 36 employees. It is a German child protection and humanitarian aid NGO that funds and implements development cooperation projects across more than 30 countries — spanning Africa, Asia, Latin America, and Eastern Europe — and reaches over 80,000 children and their families each year. As a founding member of the ChildFund Alliance (a network of 11 child protection organizations active in 70+ countries) and a participant in the Joining Forces coalition of the six largest child-focused NGOs, it delivers programming in education, nutrition, livelihood support, and child protection, alongside humanitarian emergency response (e.g., Venezuela 2026, Ukraine, Turkey/Syria earthquakes).

The organization runs three core giving products: Patenschaft (long-term child sponsorship, minimum €30/month), Zukunftsgeber (regular giving, minimum €10/month), and Einmalspende (one-time donations €25–€500), supplemented by a Spendenshop for symbolic gift donations and a Vererben legacy-giving pathway. Supporting modules include a Patenbereich sponsor portal, Patenbrief letter-writing service, Geschenkgeld (capped at €100/year), and a sponsorship-increase feature. Its primary customer base consists of individual donors and sponsors in Germany, with secondary engagement programs for schools (Schulen) and corporate partners (Unternehmen). Public grants from the German Federal Foreign Office (Auswärtiges Amt) and foundations (Sternstunden, Stiftung RTL) round out the funding mix.

Go-to-market is direct-to-consumer via the childfund.de website with online payment processing (SEPA, PayPal, credit card through Bank für Sozialwirtschaft), supplemented by social channels (Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn, YouTube, Xing), email newsletters, and event-driven humanitarian emergency campaigns. The organization holds the DZI-Spendensiegel continuously since 1995 and reported 81.18% of FY2024 expenditures directed to project promotion and support. Technology infrastructure is conventional nonprofit web stack; no proprietary AI/ML or platform products are offered.

Name

ChildFund Deutschland

Legal name

ChildFund Deutschland e.V.

Website

https://childfund.de

Company type

Private

Founded year

1978

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

ChildFund Deutschland e.V. is a German non-profit founded in 1978 that funds child protection, education, nutrition, and humanitarian aid projects across 30+ countries, serving 80,000+ children and families annually through individual sponsorships, regular giving, and public grants.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

International Development and Humanitarian Aid

NAICS

Child and Youth Services (62411), Child and Youth Services (624110)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300)

akta.pro primary industry

Child Protection & Child Rights (BPAGABAG)

akta.pro secondary industry

International Development & Donor-Funded Education Programs (EDADALAB)

Keywords

• Child sponsorship programs
• Humanitarian aid services
• International development cooperation
• Charitable donation programs
• Child protection services

Headquarters

HQ city

Nürtingen

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Operations, Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Paten­schaften (Sponsorships): Long-term individual child sponsorships providing sustained financial support to specific children and their families and communities. Sponsorship-funded projects are characterized by particularly close cooperation between partner organizations in the respective project country and local communities.
2. Spenden (Donations): One-time and recurring donations from individual supporters, including the Zukunftsgeber (Future Giver) regular giving program. Donors can direct funds to specific regions, themes, or projects, or allow flexible allocation where need is greatest.
3. Öffentliche Gelder (Public Funding): Funding from government sources and public institutions to support humanitarian and development projects. Spendenbasierte und öffentlich geförderte Projekte have shorter timeframes requiring more intensive planning and accompaniment.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

ChildFund Deutschland is a non-profit child protection organization that raises funds through long-term child sponsorships, recurring donations, one-time donations, and a gift donation shop to support education, nutrition, livelihood, and child protection projects in over 30 countries. It also delivers humanitarian aid in crisis situations through local partner organizations and operates in 70 countries via the ChildFund Alliance network. The organization functions as a fundraising and project-implementing intermediary between German donors and development/humanitarian programs in Africa, Asia, Latin America, and Eastern Europe.

Product overview

ChildFund Deutschland operates a unified nonprofit platform offering multiple interconnected donation and sponsorship products. The core offerings include Patenschaft (child sponsorship) for long-term, personalized support of specific children; Zukunftsgeber (regular donations) for flexible ongoing assistance; Einmalspende (one-time donations) for immediate contributions; and the Spendenshop for purchasing meaningful gifts like livestock or supplies. Supporting modules include Patenbrief (letter writing), Geschenkgeld (gift money transfers), and a Patenbereich (sponsor portal) for account management. All offerings are unified under the ChildFund Deutschland brand and support the organization's focus on child protection, education, nutrition, and livelihood programs in over 30 countries.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Patenschaft (Child Sponsorship) A long-term sponsorship program where individual donors support a specific child until the child can stand on their own feet; sponsorship also benefits the child's family and entire community through education, nutrition, livelihood, and child protection projects. Minimum contribution is €30 per month.
• Zukunftsgeber (Future Giver) A regular monthly or annual donation program supporting projects with the greatest need, strengthening education, nutrition, livelihoods, and child protection in many countries. Minimum contribution is €10 per month.
• Einmalspende (One-time Donation) A single donation that can be directed to a specific project or used where help is most urgently needed, at the donor's discretion. Preset amounts range from €25 to €500, with custom amounts available.
• Spendenshop (Donation Shop) A gift shop offering meaningful presents that concretely support children and families worldwide — items such as milk goats and mosquito nets are funded through the donor's gift and delivered to projects.
• Vererben (Bequest / Legacy Giving) Long-term and particularly sustainable support option enabling donors to include ChildFund Deutschland in their wills or through a foundation structure.

Quantifiable outcome

• 81.18% of expenditures used directly for project promotion and support (fiscal year 2024)
• +2 more outcomes

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

15 partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• WeWorld (ChildFund Alliance partner)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 25 June 2026Italian child protection organization and ChildFund Alliance member. Partnered for Gaza humanitarian aid, Afghanistan earthquake relief, Morocco earthquake response, and Venezuela earthquake operations. Has long-standing presence in Gaza with own staff and locations.
• Fundana (Venezuela)coreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting Partner · 25 June 2026Local Venezuelan partner organization. Specializes in child protection, psychosocial support (PSS), family reunification, and temporary safe care. Responsible for identifying and protecting unaccompanied and separated children (UASC), providing emergency PSS, and expanding temporary care and shelter services in Venezuela earthquake response.
• Hogar Bambi VenezuelacoreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting Partner · 25 June 2026Local Venezuelan partner organization. Specializes in child protection, temporary shelter, and family reunification. Manages temporary safe spaces and shelters for vulnerable children and supports family reunification efforts in Venezuela.
• CECODAP (Venezuela)coreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting Partner · 25 June 2026Local Venezuelan partner organization. Specializes in mental health and psychosocial support (MHPSS), child protection, and community capacity building. Implements MHPSS programs, addresses protection risks through specialized case management, and coordinates with national systems and humanitarian actors in Venezuela.
• EDUCO (Spain, ChildFund Alliance member)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 25 June 2026Spanish child protection organization and ChildFund Alliance member. ChildFund International is coordinating Venezuela response in close partnership with EDUCO to ensure a coherent and complementary response.
• VOICE — Verband Entwicklungspolitik und Humanitäre HilfecoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 25 June 2026Founded in 1992, VOICE is the largest European alliance of humanitarian NGOs, advocating for efficient humanitarian aid worldwide. ChildFund Deutschland became a member in June 2026. The membership enables exchange with other member organizations, strengthens collaborative humanitari an work in crisis contexts, and provides advocacy platform.
• UNOCHA (United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerUNOCHA leads the humanitarian coordination mechanisms in crisis contexts. ChildFund Deutschland participates in OCHA-led humanitarian coordination including Foros Locales de Coordinacion and Grupos de Coordinacion in affected regions like Venezuela.
• Auswärtiges Amt (German Federal Foreign Office)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerGerman government funding partner supporting humanitarian and development projects. Provides public funding for projects in countries including Ethiopia and Burkina Faso under the Joining Forces coalition.
• Terre des hommescoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerInternational child relief organization. Partnered with ChildFund Deutschland for humanitarian projects including earthquake relief in Turkey, responding to the Syria earthquake with local networks.
• ChildFund AlliancecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerGlobal network of eleven child protection organizations established in 2002. ChildFund Deutschland is a founding member. The alliance enables projects in over 70 countries and facilitates coordinated humanitarian responses such as Venezuela earthquake relief.
• Aktionsbündnis KatastrophenhilfeminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerGerman humanitarian aid coalition that coordinates emergency relief efforts. Listed as a cooperation partner in humanitarian assistance initiatives.
• VENRO — Verband Entwicklungspolitik und Humanitäre Hilfe deutscher NichtregierungsorganisationencoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerGerman NGO umbrella association for development policy and humanitarian aid. ChildFund Deutschland is a member, positioning the organization within the German NGO development and humanitarian community.
• Joining ForcescoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCoalition of the six largest child protection organizations in the world that jointly implement certain projects. ChildFund participates in this coalition to amplify impact and share resources. Partners include Auswärtiges Amt for joint project funding.
• ChildFund Ethiopia (local partner)coreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerLocal partner organization in Ethiopia. Works with ChildFund Deutschland on projects in Wukro and Adigrat in the eastern Tigray region, focusing on protection of displaced women and children.
• TBCFDO (Ethiopia, local partner)minorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerLocal partner organization in Ethiopia collaborating on child protection and nutrition security projects in the Tigray region.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• SOS-Kinderdorf: Germany-headquartered international child welfare NGO operating child sponsorship, family strengthening, and humanitarian programs — direct peer in funding model, donor base, and child welfare mission, but at materially larger scale.
• Plan International Deutschland: German arm of Plan International; runs Patenschaft (sponsorship) and humanitarian programs for children with very similar offerings (sponsorships, regular giving, project-based appeals).
• UNICEF Deutschland: National committee fundraising for UNICEF Germany; competes for the same individual German donors supporting children's welfare globally, with similar transparency certifications (DZI seal).
• World Vision Deutschland: German arm of World Vision International; competes directly with Patenschaft (sponsorship) program, regular giving, and child-focused humanitarian appeals — a top-volume German sponsorship NGO.
• terre des hommes Deutschland: German child rights and humanitarian aid NGO; partner of ChildFund on Turkey/Syria earthquake response and direct peer in child protection advocacy, project sponsorship, and emergency fundraising.
• Kindernothilfe: German child sponsorship NGO with similar sponsorship model, project focus on education and child protection, and comparable fundraising footprint — closest like-for-like peer in the German market.
• Save the Children Deutschland: German branch of global Save the Children; competes for the same individual donor pool in Germany with overlapping child sponsorship, education, and emergency humanitarian programs.
• ChildFund International (USA): Founding member and lead network partner of ChildFund Deutschland within ChildFund Alliance; operates near-identical child sponsorship model globally and coordinates joint responses (e.g., Venezuela).

Broad incumbents

• Welthungerhilfe: Larger German humanitarian NGO focused on hunger/food security and child welfare; overlapping donor base and project focus (Ethiopia, Burkina Faso) make it a broader incumbent peer rather than direct sponsor competitor.
• CARE Deutschland: German arm of CARE International; operates humanitarian and development programs with similar transparency credentials; broader incumbent competing for German donations and public funds.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/user/ChildFundDeutschland
• Facebookfacebook.com/ChildFundDeutschland
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/childfund-deutschland
• Instagraminstagram.com/childfunddeutschland

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 ChildFund Deutschland