Evangelische Frauenhilfe in Westfalen e.V.

What Evangelische Frauenhilfe in Westfalen e.V. does

Evangelische Frauenhilfe in Westfalen e.V. (EFHiW) is a registered nonprofit association (eingetragener Verein) headquartered in Soest, Nordrhein-Westfalen, Germany, founded in 1906 as a help and education association for women and now in its 120th year of operation. The organization operates a hybrid model combining a membership-based women's association with a network of 36 district, city, and synodal associations encompassing approximately 700 community groups and 21,000 evangelical women members, alongside a portfolio of 17+ social-diakonal facilities. Its service lines span elderly care (Lina-Oberbäumer-Haus, Haus Phöbe), disability integration assistance (Frauenheim Wengern, Haus Wegwende), violence protection and counseling (Frauenhaus Soest, Frauenberatung Soest, Gewaltschutz-Zentrum, NADESCHDA trafficking counseling, YUNA FGM prevention, THEODORA and TAMAR prostitution counseling), and a newly established vocational nursing education institute (Bildungs-Institut für Pflegeberufe).

Revenue is generated through a mix of NRW state and local district government funding (via Diakonie RWL membership granting free welfare organization status), membership fees, donations (individual, birthday, funeral, wedding/baptism collections, corporate), educational materials sales via an online shop, and educational travel programs. Membership grants discounts on materials, courses, and event participation. Distribution is primarily regional and direct, leveraging the church-affiliated community group network and 17+ owned facilities across Westphalia, supplemented by a mobile app ('Frauenhilfe unterwegs'), newsletters, social media, and travel diaries.

The technology footprint is conventional: a standard web platform built on HTML, PHP, CSS, and JavaScript, hosted on IONOS, with Google Analytics, Google Tag Manager, Usercentrics consent management, Adobe Fonts, and OpenStreetMap. The 'Frauenhilfe unterwegs' mobile application, launched in July 2018, is the organization's primary digital engagement tool for cross-regional member networking. Governance is led by Managing Director and Leading Pastor Birgit Reiche (since 2021), with Angelika Waldheuer as Chairperson of the board; the association charter was most recently updated in January 2026.

Name

Evangelische Frauenhilfe in Westfalen e.V.

Legal name

Evangelische Frauenhilfe in Westfalen e.V.

Website

https://frauenhilfe-westfalen.de

Company type

Private

Founded year

1906

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Evangelische Frauenhilfe in Westfalen e.V. is a 1906-founded German Protestant women's association headquartered in Soest, operating a 36-association network of 21,000 members plus 17+ social-diakonal facilities across Westphalia including care homes, women's shelters, integration assistance, and a new nursing education institute.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Social Welfare Services

NAICS

Religious Organizations (8131), Services for the Elderly and Persons with Disabilities (62412), Civic and Social Organizations (8134)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300), Services-Nursing & Personal Care Facilities (8050), Services-Membership Organizations (8600)

akta.pro primary industry

Faith-Based Social Services & Community Outreach (Food Pantries, Shelters, Counseling) (BPAGAJAG)

akta.pro secondary industries

Local Congregations & Worship Communities (Churches, Mosques, Temples, Synagogues) (BPAGAJAA), Faith-Based / Nonprofit Assisted Living Providers (HLADABAH), Elder Services & Aging Support (BPAGAEAF)

Keywords

• Women welfare services
• Elderly care homes
• Anti-violence counseling
• Adult education programs
• Community group organizing

Headquarters

HQ city

Soest

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Donations and Membership Fees: The organization collects membership fees and accepts donations for various work areas including anti-violence work, training, and integration assistance. Individual donations, birthday donations, funeral donations, wedding baptisms collections, organization charity events, corporate donations.
2. Government and Public Funding: Government funding for social services including care facilities, integration support, and anti-violence programs. Funding comes from NRW state and local districts for facilities including nursing education, elderly care, integration assistance, and women's shelters.
3. Educational Services and Materials Sales: Sale of educational materials, working aids, information materials through the Materialdienst and Service shop. Members receive discounts on purchases.
4. Travel and Educational Tours: Organized educational and encounter trips for women, with revenues from travel programs and associated services.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Evangelische Frauenhilfe in Westfalen e.V. is a Protestant women's welfare association that runs a membership-based community network of ~21,000 women across 36 regional associations, while also directly operating more than 17 social-diakonal facilities in elderly care, disability integration, anti-violence protection and nursing education, and selling educational materials and travel programs through its Materialdienst shop and Reisen travel offering.

Product overview

Evangelische Frauenhilfe in Westfalen e.V. is a membership-based women's association within the Protestant Church of Westphalia offering a diverse portfolio of services across three main areas: (1) A women's association with thousands of members organized in regional groups across 36 districts, providing educational programs, spiritual activities, and networking; (2) Social-diakonal facilities including care homes (Lina-Oberbäumer-Haus, Haus Phöbe), integration assistance (FRAUENHEIM WENGERN, Haus Wegwende), and anti-violence services (Gewaltschutz-Zentrum Soest, Frauenhaus Soest, Frauenberatung Soest); and (3) Specialized counseling centers addressing trafficking (NADESCHDA), FGM (YUNA), and prostitution (THEODORA, TAMAR). Digital offerings include the "Frauenhilfe unterwegs" mobile app, a member portal with exclusive resources, newsletters, and an online shop for educational materials.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Frauenhilfe unterwegs (Mobile App) Mobile application that enables information sharing, communication and networking among the organization's members across different regions.
• Verbands-Newsletter und Bildungs-Newsletter (Email Newsletters) Two free email newsletters: the Verbands-Newsletter for organizational updates, positions and actions, and the Bildungs-Newsletter for educational programs and travel offerings.
• Materialdienst und Service (Material Service Shop) Online and order-based service department offering materials, work aids and information on various topics including political education materials, exhibition materials, organizational materials and commemorative items, with member discounts available.
• Reisen (Educational and Encounter Travel Program) Organized educational and encounter trips for women, including domestic and international destinations, documented through online travel diaries.
• Bildungsangebote (Educational Programs) Certified adult-education courses across categories including volunteering & career, nutrition & cooking, society & politics, health & care, culture, life questions & relationships, media literacy, theology & spirituality, inclusive and diversity programs.
• Gewaltschutz-Zentrum Soest (Violence Protection Center) Violence protection center providing shelter and support services for women and children facing domestic violence in the Soest district.
• Frauenhaus Soest (Women's Shelter) Protective shelter with 8 places for women with children affected by domestic violence in the Soest district, operating since 1990.
• Frauenberatung Soest (Women's Counseling Center) General women's counseling center and specialized counseling against sexualized violence for women and girls from age 16 in the Soest district.
• NADESCHDA (Counseling for Trafficking Victims) Specialized counseling center for women affected by human trafficking in East Westphalia-Lippe; the only such specialized service in rural areas of the region.
• YUNA Westfalen Lippe (FGM/C Prevention and Counseling) Specialized center for prevention and counseling on female genital mutilation/cutting (FGM/C), advocating for the self-determined and unharmed life of girls and women.
• THEODORA (Prostitution and Exit Counseling, East Westphalia-Lippe) Prostitution and exit counseling center for women in East Westphalia-Lippe, providing counseling and support since 2011.
• TAMAR (Prostitution and Exit Counseling, Mobile Service) Prostitution and exit counseling for girls and women in Olpe, Soest and Siegen-Wittgenstein districts, including a mobile counseling bus service.
• Lina-Oberbäumer-Haus (Care Facility, Soest) Care facility in Soest offering a safe and supportive living environment with professional care organized in small household groups.
• Haus Phöbe (Care Facility, Warburg-Rimbeck) Elderly and nursing home in Warburg-Rimbeck with 80 residents, organized by living-area concept with small groups of 12-14 persons for a family-like atmosphere.
• FRAUENHEIM WENGERN (Residential and Integration Facility) Residential and day facility for adults with intellectual and/or psychological disabilities, chronic addiction, and women with disabilities affected by violence, operating since 1907.
• Haus Wegwende (Assisted Living Facility, Werdohl) Assisted-living facility in Werdohl for people with mental illness and disabilities, offering support for self-determination and social participation.
• Bildungs-Institut für Pflegeberufe (Nursing Education Institute, Warburg-Rimbeck) Vocational nursing education institute being established in Warburg-Rimbeck, offering innovative nursing education and serving as an Anerkannter Ausbildungsbetrieb (recognized training company).

Quantifiable outcome

• 21,000 women organized in approximately 700 community groups
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Diakonie RWL (Diakonie Rheinland-Westfalen-Lippe)coreOthersThe organization is a member of Diakonie RWL, the umbrella organization for Diaconal institutions in Rhineland, Westphalia, and Lippe. This membership provides official status as a free welfare organization and enables access to public funding for social services.
• Evangelische Kirche von Westfalen (Protestant Church of Westphalia)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe EFHiW is recognized as a partner organization (freies Werk) of the Protestant Church of Westphalia for community-based women's work. The church acknowledges and supports the organization in its mission.
• Ev. Erwachsenenbildungswerk Westfalen und LippecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe organization is a certified institution for evangelical adult education within this network, enabling it to offer educational programs and receive educational funding.
• World Day of Prayer International CommitteecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe organization coordinates World Day of Prayer (WGT) activities across Westphalia, preparing and organizing annual WGT events. They collaborate with international partners for WGT preparation.
• State of NRW (Land Nordrhein-Westfalen)coreOthersGovernment funding from NRW state for various social services including anti-violence programs, women's shelters, counseling centers, and nursing education.
• Local Districts (Kreise) in WestphaliacoreOthersVarious local districts (Kreise) including Soest, Siegen-Wittgenstein, Olpe, Gütersloh, Herford, Höxter, Lippe, Minden-Lübbecke, Paderborn, Borken, Coesfeld, Steinfurt provide funding for counseling centers and social services.
• Zeitpaten e.V.minorGTM or Marketing PartnerTime sponsorship initiative providing more time for children through volunteer services, linked to the Siegerländer Frauenhilfen.
• Starthilfe SiegenminorGTM or Marketing PartnerInitiative providing time donations for young mothers, linked to the Siegerländer Frauenhilfen.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Caritas Deutschland: Catholic welfare umbrella with parallel social services (elderly care, women's shelters, counseling, integration assistance). Structurally the most analogous nonprofit welfare provider to EFHiW, with comparable aid portfolios but faith-based identity rooted in Catholicism.
• Malteser Deutschland: Faith-based welfare organization (Catholic Order of Malta) operating care facilities, social services, and emergency aid in Germany. Comparable as a nonprofit welfare operator providing nursing, social care, and community-based services.
• Arbeiterwohlfahrt (AWO): Major German welfare organization operating nursing homes, women's shelters, counseling centers, and integration assistance. A direct nonprofit peer operating many of the same social-service categories as EFHiW.
• Der Paritätische Wohlfahrtsverband: Umbrella for nonprofit social-service providers in Germany. Comparable as a coordinating association for welfare organizations delivering social assistance, elder care, and community services.
• Diakonie Deutschland: The national umbrella for Protestant welfare services in Germany. EFHiW operates as a Diakonie RWL member, making Diakonie Deutschland the closest peer as the parent federation governing similar faith-based welfare work nationwide.

Direct peers

• Diakonie Rheinland-Westfalen-Lippe (Diakonie RWL): Regional umbrella Diaconal association of which EFHiW is a member. Directly comparable as a faith-based welfare network co-coordinating member organizations, care facilities, and social services across the same Westphalia region.
• Evangelische Frauenhilfe Deutschland: The national-level sister organization of EFHiW. Direct peer as the federal Evangelical Women's Aid association with overlapping mission, member-base structure, and educational programs for Protestant women.
• Sozialwerk der evangelischen Kirchen: Welfare organization of the Protestant churches providing care, counseling, and social services. Comparable to EFHiW as a faith-based operator of social-diakonal facilities and elder services.

Regional players

• Evangelische Frauenhilfe in Hessen und Nassau: Regional sister Evangelical Women's Aid covering Hessen and Nassau. Direct regional peer running similar women's education programs, faith-based community work, and social services across an adjacent German region.

Emerging players

• SKM – Katholischer Verband für soziale Dienste: Catholic social services association offering counseling, women's shelters, and anti-violence support. Strategic peer in the same specialist anti-violence and social-advice niches that EFHiW's NADESCHDA, YUNA, and THEODORA centers operate in.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/frauenhilfe.westfalen
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/evangelische-frauenhilfe-in-westfalen-e-v-

Compliance6 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles16 records

Subsidiaries12 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Evangelische Frauenhilfe in Westfalen e.V.