German Toilet Organization

Name

German Toilet Organization

Legal name

German Toilet Organization e.V.

Website

https://germantoilet.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2005

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Sanitation Education & Advocacy

NAICS

International Affairs (92812)

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600)

akta.pro primary industry

Water, Sanitation & Hygiene (WASH) (BPAGABAC)

akta.pro secondary industries

Water, Sanitation & Hygiene (WASH) Emergency Services (BPAGAAAE), WASH & Public Health (Water, Sanitation, Hygiene) (BPADAIAG)

Keywords

• Sanitation education
• WASH advocacy
• School hygiene programs
• Humanitarian sanitation
• Policy advocacy

Headquarters

HQ city

Berlin

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Donations and Membership Fees: GTO operates as a charitable non-profit organization (e.V. - eingetragener Verein) funded primarily through donations from individuals, organizations, and government grants. The organization also generates revenue through membership fees and merchandise sales. Major funders include the German Federal Foreign Office (Auswärtiges Amt), GIZ (Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit), and Engagement Global.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

German Toilet Organization (GTO) is a registered non-profit that improves global sanitation and hygiene through three program areas: school programs (competitions, project days, workshops), professional development (Fortbildungen, digital knowledge management), and policy advocacy. It also operates the Humanitarian Sanitation Hub (SANIHUB) to support humanitarian relief efforts and sells branded merchandise to fund its mission.

Product overview

The German Toilet Organization operates a multi-product educational and advocacy portfolio centered on improving global sanitation. The core offerings include three main program areas: Schools (Schulen) with products like Toiletten machen Schule competition and Klobalisierte Welt project days; Continuing Education (Fortbildung) featuring the Humanitarian Sanitation Hub platform and digital knowledge management; and Policy work including advocacy and network coordination. Key products include Toiletten machen Schule (school competition program), Klobalisierte Welt (global learning project days), Humanitarian Sanitation Hub (emergency aid platform), Toilets Making the Grade (international competition), Digitales Wissensmanagement (digital knowledge platform), and Ohne Klos nichts los (educational explainer videos). The organization functions as a non-profit association focused on advocacy and education rather than a commercial product company.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Toiletten machen Schule: School program focused on improving school sanitation and hygiene education
• Klobalisierte Welt
• Toilets Making the Grade
• Humanitarian Sanitation Hub (SANIHUB)

Products and services

• Toiletten machen Schule (school competition) Flagship national school competition that engages students and teachers across Germany to design creative projects around school toilet conditions, hygiene, and dignity, culminating in a national prize ceremony. Aimed at German schools, teachers, and students.
• Klobalisierte Welt (project days) Global learning project days that bring sanitation and WASH topics into the classroom through structured pedagogical activities, designed for teachers and students.
• Toilets Making the Grade (international competition) International extension of the Toiletten machen Schule competition, engaging schools beyond Germany to address school sanitation challenges through student-led projects and a global prize event.
• Humanitarian Sanitation Hub (SANIHUB) Emergency sanitation support service that provides technical guidance and resources to humanitarian organizations responding to crises. Aimed at humanitarian relief agencies and WASH professionals.
• Digitales Wissensmanagement (digital knowledge management) Digital knowledge management resource offering training content, materials, and guidance for WASH and sanitation professionals, supporting the organization's professional development mandate.
• Ohne Klos nichts los (educational video series) Series of educational videos that address sanitation and hygiene themes for classroom and public use. Aimed at teachers, students, and the broader public.
• Schulworkshops (school workshops) Workshops delivered directly in schools on sanitation, hygiene, and toilet-related topics. Targeted at school administrators, teachers, and pupils.
• Fortbildungen und Trainings (professional development training) Continuing-education training (Fortbildungen) for teachers, social workers, and WASH professionals on sanitation and hygiene topics, delivered through in-person and digital formats.

Quantifiable outcome

• Every US$1 invested in basic sanitation generates $4.30 in economic returns
• +1 more outcomes

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• WASH NetworkcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerGTO coordinates and participates in the WASH (Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene) network, collaborating with other organizations to strengthen advocacy and knowledge sharing in the sector.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• GIZ (Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit): German federal agency implementing international development programs including large-scale WASH initiatives. Comparable as a German institution working on international WASH; also one of GTO's named major funders.
• International Rescue Committee (IRC): US-headquartered humanitarian NGO with significant WASH programming in emergencies. Comparable to GTO via SANIHUB and humanitarian sanitation work, though IRC operates at much greater scale and with private-donor diversification.
• UNICEF WASH Programme: Global UN agency running the world's largest WASH portfolio including school sanitation advocacy and humanitarian WASH. Comparable in mission and target beneficiaries, though vastly larger in budget and scope.

Direct peers

• WASH United: Berlin-based NGO focused on WASH advocacy, education, and the World Toilet Day campaign. Highly comparable to GTO as a similarly sized Germany-based WASH advocacy organization with overlapping school and awareness campaigns.
• Water.org: US-based nonprofit co-founded by Matt Damon focused on water and sanitation access via microfinance and advocacy. Comparable in mission scope, school-focused programming, and advocacy-led WASH approach.
• World Toilet Organization: Singapore-based global WASH advocacy organization founded in 2001 that established World Toilet Day. GTO is the German national chapter/affiliate and operates with a near-identical mission of breaking the toilet taboo and advocating for sanitation policy.
• WaterAid: UK-headquartered international NGO focused exclusively on WASH, working across advocacy, education, and infrastructure. Comparable to GTO in mission, programmatic pillars (schools, policy, professional training), and reliance on institutional government grants.
• Plan International Germany: German branch of Plan International running WASH-in-schools and gender-focused sanitation advocacy. Comparable as a Germany-based NGO with school WASH programming and German government grant funding.
• BORDA (Bremen Overseas Research and Development Association): German NGO specialized in decentralized sanitation and wastewater solutions in developing countries. Comparable in focus on sanitation technology transfer and in German nonprofit structure with institutional funding.
• Welthungerhilfe: German development NGO headquartered in Bonn with significant WASH programming in food-security contexts. Comparable as a German nonprofit operating internationally on WASH with similar government-grant funding models.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/user/TheGermantoilet
• Facebookfacebook.com/germantoilet.org
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/german-toilet-organization
• Instagraminstagram.com/germantoiletorganization

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about German Toilet Organization