Franziskaner Helfen

What Franziskaner Helfen does

Franziskaner Helfen (legal entity: Missionszentrale der Franziskaner e.V.) is a Bonn-headquartered Catholic charitable aid organization founded in 1970, operating as the international humanitarian arm of the Franciscan order in the German-speaking market. It is owned and governed by its member organizations — the German Franciscan Province plus seven additional European Franciscan provinces — and managed by a small Bonn staff of approximately 30 people, including three Franciscans, with a board elected by the membership assembly for five-year voluntary terms. The organization holds the DZI Spendensiegel donation seal and is recognized as gemeinnützig by the Finanzamt Bonn, making donations tax-deductible in Germany.

The core product is project funding: donor contributions are solicited and channeled to approximately 900 social, pastoral, and ecological projects annually initiated by Franciscan brothers and sisters already living in communities across 80+ countries in Africa, Asia, Latin America, Central/Eastern Europe, and the Middle East. The donor-facing product portfolio includes one-time online donations, recurring monthly 'Immer-Spende' / 'Dauerspende' gifts, gift donations (Geschenk-Spende), personalized fundraising campaigns (Spendenaktionen), legacy/bequest donations (Nachlassspende), and named foundations (Namensstiftung). A secondary commercial stream, terrAssisi, is an ethical investment fund family aligned with Franciscan values; a portion of fund assets supports the charity. Institutional co-funding from the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) and corporate giving programs supplement private donations. The technology stack is minimal: a WordPress website integrated with FundraisingBox for donation processing, email newsletters, social media (Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn), and annual reports; no proprietary AI, software platform, or API is described.

Revenue is generated almost entirely through donations, with no church-tax funding. Pricing is donation-tiered: preset options of €25, €50, €100, and €200, plus custom amounts, with annual donation receipts issued for German tax purposes. Distribution of aid is direct via the embedded Franciscan network, while donor acquisition is omnichannel — website, email, direct mail, social media, earned media, and event partnerships (e.g., Bonn Open 2026). The organization follows a 'Hilfe zur Selbsthilfe' (help for self-help) methodology, emphasizing co-developed, sustainable projects over short-term relief.

Name

Franziskaner Helfen

Legal name

Missionszentrale der Franziskaner e.V.

Website

https://franziskaner-helfen.de

Company type

Private

Founded year

1970

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Franziskaner Helfen is a Bonn-based Catholic charitable aid organization founded in 1970 that funds approximately 900 humanitarian, social, and ecological projects annually across more than 80 countries through a global network of Franciscan brothers and sisters, financed primarily by small-ticket private donations.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Humanitarian Aid and International Development Fundraising

NAICS

Grantmaking Foundations (813211)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300)

akta.pro industry

PRIMARYBPAGAKAH

International Grantmaking & Development Foundations

Business & Public Services/Nonprofit, NGO & Social Services/Philanthropy, Foundations & Grantmaking

SECONDARYBPAGAKAE

Public Charities & Grantmaking Intermediaries

Business & Public Services/Nonprofit, NGO & Social Services/Philanthropy, Foundations & Grantmaking

SECONDARYBPAGAKAM

Environmental & Climate Grantmaking Foundations

Business & Public Services/Nonprofit, NGO & Social Services/Philanthropy, Foundations & Grantmaking

SECONDARYBPAGAKAN

Social Justice & Human Rights Grantmaking Foundations

Business & Public Services/Nonprofit, NGO & Social Services/Philanthropy, Foundations & Grantmaking

Keywords

• Humanitarian aid donations
• International development relief
• Franciscan charitable giving
• Ethical investment funds
• Disaster relief projects

Headquarters

HQ city

Bonn

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Private Donations (Individual): The organization is financed predominantly through donations from private individuals in Europe. Donors give one-time or recurring (monthly) contributions via online portal, bank transfer, or postal mail. The organization also offers a permanent donation (Immer-Spende) for ongoing monthly support.
2. Corporate and Institutional Partnerships: Corporate partners can support through dedicated company giving programs. The organization also collaborates with government bodies such as the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) for co-funded projects.
3. Ethical Investment Products (terrAssisi Funds): Through the terrAssisi fund family, ethical investment products are offered to investors seeking to grow wealth without compromising ethics and morality. A portion of these assets supports the organization's charitable mission.
4. Legacy and Bequest Donations: Donors can make legacy (inheritance) donations or establish named foundations (Namensstiftung) as long-term funding instruments.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

Franziskaner Helfen is a Catholic non-profit aid organization that collects donations from individuals and corporations and channels them into approximately 900 humanitarian projects annually across more than 80 countries. Projects span disaster relief, education, healthcare, clean water access, human-rights advocacy, and social work, delivered through the global Franciscan order. The organization also operates recurring donation programs, gift donations, fundraising campaigns, estate/bequest giving, named foundations, and the terrAssisi ethical investment fund in cooperation with Bank für Kirche und Caritas.

Product overview

Franziskaner Helfen is a Catholic Franciscan charitable aid organization based in Bonn, Germany, operating primarily as a donation collection and project funding platform. The organization facilitates humanitarian aid through various donation products including online donations, recurring 'Immer-Spende' programs, gift donations, legacy bequests, and named foundations. Additional offerings include ethical investment funds (terrAssisi®-Fonds), corporate giving programs, and volunteer service opportunities. The organization supports approximately 900 humanitarian projects annually across over 80 countries in areas including disaster relief, water access, healthcare, education, human rights, and environmental protection. The digital offering consists mainly of an informational website integrated with FundraisingBox for donation processing, supplemented by newsletters and annual reports for donor engagement.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• terrAssisi: Ethical investment fund family aligned with Franciscan values

Products and services

• Online-Spende (Online Donation)

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 900 social, pastoral, and ecological projects supported annually across more than 80 countries.
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers10 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Franciscans InternationalcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFranciscans International is a partner organization with general consultative status at the United Nations, with offices in New York and Geneva. It bridges the local Franciscan family network (~160 countries) to UN policy forums, submitting statements to the Human Rights Council and advocating for human rights, peace, and environmental justice. The organization was awarded 'Best Practice' status by UNICEF for its UN advocacy work.
• Bonn Open (Tennis Tournament)minorGTM or Marketing PartnerFranziskaner Helfen was the official Charity Partner of the Bonn Open 2026 tennis event, where every serve contributed to better future opportunities for children and youth.

Scale indicators9 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights7 records

Direct peers

• Brot für die Welt: The development and relief service of the Protestant churches in Germany (Evangelisches Werk für Diakonie und Entwicklung). Closely comparable faith-based German NGO fundraising model with overseas project portfolios in similar geographies and causes.
• Welthungerhilfe: One of Germany's largest privately funded aid organizations, focusing on hunger, food security, and rural development. A direct peer in DACH fundraising scale, DZI certification status, and BMZ co-funded international project delivery.
• Diakonie Katastrophenhilfe: The humanitarian relief arm of the German Protestant social welfare organization. Direct peer in emergency-response fundraising, DZI seal status, and co-funding partnerships with BMZ for disaster and recovery work.
• Kindernothilfe: German Christian child-focused aid NGO with a child-sponsorship and self-help project model in Africa, Asia, and Latin America. Comparable in faith-rooted framing, DZI certification, recurring-sponsorship revenue model, and DACH-based fundraising.
• Misereor: German Catholic development and relief organization (Bischöfliches Hilfswerk Misereor e.V.), the most direct analogue to Franziskaner Helfen — both are faith-based, donation-funded, and channel German Catholic donor money to humanitarian/development projects in the Global South through a partner-network model.
• World Vision Germany: German affiliate of World Vision International, a child-focused humanitarian and development NGO. Comparable in recurring-sponsor donor model, DACH-based fundraising footprint, and project portfolios in the same Global South geographies.
• Oxfam Germany: German branch of Oxfam, a globally federated humanitarian/development NGO. Overlaps with Franziskaner Helfen in DACH-based fundraising, DZI certification, and project funding across similar Africa, Asia, and Latin America geographies.

Broad incumbents

• Caritas Germany: Germany's largest Catholic welfare organization. Operates as a broad-incumbent across both domestic welfare and international humanitarian aid, with DACH-wide fundraising, BMZ co-funding, and a much larger operational footprint, partially overlapping Franziskaner Helfen's international project work.
• German Red Cross (DRK): Germany's national Red Cross society — broad incumbent in domestic and international humanitarian response, with significantly larger fundraising, government integration, and disaster-relief capacity that overlaps Franziskaner Helfen's emergency-aid work.
• HelpDirect (Spenden-Siegel peers e.g., Ärzte ohne Grenzen / MSF Germany): Larger humanitarian-aid organization with a strong DACH fundraising operation, DZI seal status, and BMZ co-funding track record; a benchmark for donation volume and brand reach in the German humanitarian-giving market where Franziskaner Helfen competes.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/FranziskanerHelfen
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/franziskaner-helfen
• Instagraminstagram.com/franziskaner_helfen

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Franziskaner Helfen