Bundesverband "Das frühgeborene Kind" e.V.

What Bundesverband "Das frühgeborene Kind" e.V. does

Bundesverband "Das frühgeborene Kind" e.V. is a registered charitable non-profit association (gemeinnütziger eingetragener Verein, VR 13238, Frankfurt am Main) founded in 1992 by regional self-help group representatives and physicians. It is the only nationwide umbrella organization in Germany specifically representing prematurely born children and their families, operating across five interconnected workstreams: counseling/information/networking for families, collaboration with medical professionals across disciplines, participation in clinical studies and guidelines, public education, and political advocacy at the German and European levels.

The association delivers services through a toll-free hotline (~155 users per month), 76 affiliated self-help groups, regional representatives nationwide, parent coaching, the Hallo Frühchen mobile app, and an online shop selling 48+ information brochures and merchandise. It also operates the Check-up NeoFamily certification for family-friendly neonatal units, the Lewis therapeutic doll program, the neo(t)räume family-friendly spaces program, the traveling ÜberLeben exhibition, the quarterly Verbandsmagazin, and the annual Forum Frühgeborene interdisciplinary conference.

The business model is non-commercial and funding-diversified across annual membership dues, individual donations, corporate sponsorships from pharmaceutical (Chiesi, Pfizer), consumer goods (Procter & Gamble, dm-drogerie markt), and industrial firms (FRAPORT, Medela), federal statutory health insurance self-help funding (vdek, Barmer, BKK, IKK, KKH, Knappschaft, SVLFG, AOK), publication/merchandise sales via the online shop, and court-assigned monetary penalties (Geldauflagen) across 14+ German courts and tax authorities. The organization is governed by a 9-member volunteer board led by Vorstandsvorsitzende and Geschäftsführerin Dr. med. Maria Hitzschke, with Britta Bruchhäuser as Stellvertretende Vorsitzende, and is staffed by 7 paid employees in Frankfurt am Main.

Name

Bundesverband "Das frühgeborene Kind" e.V.

Legal name

Bundesverband "Das frühgeborene Kind" e.V.

Website

https://fruehgeborene.de

Company type

Private

Founded year

1992

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Bundesverband "Das frühgeborene Kind" e.V. is a German nationwide umbrella non-profit founded in 1992 that supports families of premature babies from birth through adulthood via counseling, 76 self-help groups, publications, a hotline, an app, and policy advocacy, funded by donations, membership dues, and statutory health insurance self-help grants.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Patient Advocacy and Non-profit Health Support Services

NAICS

Child and Youth Services (62411), Other Individual and Family Services (624190), Human Rights Organizations (813311)

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600), Services-Social Services (8300)

akta.pro primary industry

Maternal, Child & Family Health Organizations (BPAGACAF)

akta.pro secondary industries

Maternal, Child & Family Health Departments (HLAJAAAK), Maternal, Child & Adolescent Health Administration (BPAIAJAJ), Health Education & Parent Coaching (Sleep, Safety, Illness Management) (EDACAMAN)

Keywords

• Premature birth support
• Neonatal family advocacy
• Patient self-help networks
• Neonatal care education
• Charitable health association

Headquarters

HQ city

Frankfurt am Main

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Membership dues: Annual membership fees paid by individual members and organizational members (self-help groups, regional representatives, and supporting members). Membership contributes to the growth and sustainability of the community.
2. Donations and charitable contributions: Voluntary donations from individuals, families, and supporters. A significant portion of the association's work is financed through donations, which fund family-focused projects.
3. Publication and merchandise sales: Revenue generated from the sale of information brochures (48 published titles), flyers, posters, books, and other products through the association's online shop.
4. Sponsoring and corporate partnerships: Support from pharmaceutical companies, healthcare companies, corporations, and foundations through sponsoring agreements and corporate social responsibility programs.
5. Self-help funding from statutory health insurance funds: Funding from Krankenkassen (statutory health insurance funds) at the federal level, including vdek, Barmer, BKK, IKK, KKH, Knappschaft, and SVLFG, under the framework of self-help promotion.
6. Criminal monetary penalties (Geldauflagen): The association is listed with multiple German courts (OLG Düsseldorf, OLG Frankfurt, OLG München, OLG Schleswig-Holstein, OLG Bamberg, OLG Oldenburg, OLG Rostock, OLG Karlsruhe, OLG Stuttgart, LG Saarland, LG Bremen, AG Tiergarten Berlin, AG Frankfurt, FA Frankfurt/M. I, FA Offenbach/M. II) to receive court-assigned monetary penalties and fines as a charitable beneficiary.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels6 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

The association is a nationwide non-profit support organization for families of premature infants and sick newborns, providing lifelong counseling, information, and networking from birth through adulthood. It operates a hotline, mobile app, traveling exhibition, parent coaching, training programs, and an online shop selling 48 publications and merchandise, while also advocating politically for improved neonatal care standards and collaborating with medical professionals across disciplines.

Product overview

Bundesverband 'Das frühgeborene Kind' e.V. operates as a national advocacy organization providing information, support, and resources for families with prematurely born children. The organization's offerings include an e-commerce shop selling informational brochures and merchandise, the 'Hallo Frühchen' mobile app, the Lewis therapeutic doll program, the NeoFamily quality certification for neonatal units, the 'ÜberLeben' traveling exhibition, hotline support services, quarterly magazine publications, and annual professional conferences. These services are unified by the organization's mission to support premature infants and their families from birth through adulthood.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Hallo Frühchen App: A mobile application developed by the association to support families of premature babies.

Products and services

• Hotline service for families of premature infants A toll-free telephone counseling line providing guidance and emotional support to families of premature infants, handling approximately 155 calls per month.
• App "Hallo Frühchen" A mobile application providing information and ongoing resources for families of premature infants from birth through early childhood.
• Informationsbroschüren (Information brochures) A collection of 48 informational brochures providing guidance on premature birth topics for families of premature infants and for medical professionals.
• Frühchen-Puppe Lewis (Therapeutic doll) A therapeutic doll used to help parents bond with their premature infants and reduce anxiety during neonatal care.
• Check-up NeoFamily (Certification program) A certification program evaluating and recognizing family-friendly practices in neonatal units, offered to medical institutions and healthcare providers.
• Ausstellung "ÜberLeben" (Traveling exhibition) A traveling exhibition showcasing stories and experiences of premature birth, used for public awareness, education, and community engagement.
• neo(t)räume® program A program that creates family-friendly spaces in neonatal units, supporting parent-child presence during long hospital stays.
• Online-Shop (Frühchen-Shop) E-commerce platform selling informational brochures, flyers, magazines, books, and merchandise related to premature infants and their families.
• Verbandsmagazin (Association magazine) A regular association magazine covering news and developments in premature infant care, distributed to members and available via the online shop.
• Forum Frühgeborene (Interdisciplinary conference) An annual interdisciplinary specialist conference bringing together medical professionals and families on premature infant nutrition and care topics.
• Eltern-Coachings (Parent coaching) Coaching services for parents of premature infants, providing guidance and emotional support tailored to individual family circumstances.

Quantifiable outcome

• 155 premature baby parents use the hotline each month
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• betterplace.orgminorGTM or Marketing PartnerGerman charitable donation platform through which the association raises funds for specific projects, including current campaigns for reprinting informational brochures. The platform also offers a 30% matching contribution for new monthly recurring donations (capped at EUR 100 per donor per project).
• GoodingminorGTM or Marketing PartnerCorporate donation platform where companies can direct a portion of online purchases to the association. Referenced as a tip for corporate supporters to generate additional donations through everyday business purchasing.
• GNPI (Gesellschaft für Neonatologie und Pädiatrische Intensivmedizin)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe association participates in the GNPI annual conference program planning alongside GFCNI, demonstrating deep collaborative involvement in neonatal medical conferences and professional education.
• GFCNI (Global Foundation for Children with Special Healthcare Needs)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborates with the association in the programming of the GNPI annual conference, indicating a joint commitment to education and knowledge exchange in neonatal care.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Regional players

• Kindernetzwerk e.V. German umbrella association for children and adolescents with chronic diseases and disabilities. Operates in the same national non-profit, family-advocacy space as the subject association and shares overlapping self-help funding channels (Krankenkassen §20h).
• Aktionsbündnis Patientensicherheit e.V. German non-profit advancing patient safety and quality in healthcare. Comparable as a German healthcare NGO working at the intersection of clinical quality, family involvement, and policy advocacy; comparable revenue mix of membership dues, donations, and project grants.

Broad incumbents

• March of Dimes: Large US non-profit focused on maternal and infant health, including premature birth. Significantly larger in scope and budget than the subject association, but offers overlapping programs (parent education, research funding, policy advocacy) and serves as a reference model for scaling.

Direct peers

• Hand to Hold: US-based non-profit providing personalized support to families of premature babies via peer mentoring, online communities, and educational resources. Closely comparable service model (peer-driven, digital, hospital-linked) to the subject association's self-help and hotline offerings.
• Deutschen Gesellschaft für Neonatologie und Pädiatrische Intensivmedizin (GNPI): German medical society for neonatology and pediatric intensive care; already a strategic programming partner of the subject association for the GNPI annual conference. Comparable in stakeholder reach into neonatal units and overlapping professional-education mission.
• Bliss: UK-based charity for premature and sick babies, providing parent information, a helpline, advocacy, and research funding. Closest international analogue to the subject association in mission, service mix (information, hotline, self-help), and stakeholder model.
• Graham's Foundation: US non-profit supporting parents of premature babies and NICU families through care packages, peer support, and parent education programs. Comparable niche focus and parent-support service mix to the subject association.
• Stichting Earlybirds (formerly Stichting Prille Leven / Tommy Stichting): Dutch non-profit supporting premature babies and their families through parent information, NICU support, and advocacy. Comparable in scale and offering mix to the subject association; useful peer for cross-border DACH-region benchmarking.
• European Foundation for the Care of Newborn Infants (EFCNI): Pan-European non-profit representing premature and newborn infants and their families; operates the Global Alliance for Newborn Care (GFCNI) and co-programs the GNPI conference with the subject association. Same mission, overlapping stakeholder base (parents, neonatologists, policymakers), and direct competitor for European-level advocacy, sponsorships, and EU grants.

Others

• BAG SELBSTHILFE e.V. Federal umbrella of self-help organizations in Germany; relevant ecosystem peer because the subject association both represents and depends on the self-help-group infrastructure that BAG coordinates, particularly in advocacy and statutory funding negotiations.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/fruehgeborene
• Instagraminstagram.com/bundesverband_fruehgeborene
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/bundesverband-das-fr%C3%BChgeborene-kind-e.v.

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Bundesverband "Das frühgeborene Kind" e.V.