Haus des Engagements

What Haus des Engagements does

Haus des Engagements e.V. (HdE) is a registered non-profit association (eingetragener Verein) operating as a community hub for civic engagement in Freiburg im Breisgau, Germany. Founded in its current unified form in 2007, HdE physically co-locates five civic engagement services — Agenda 21-Büro, FARBE e.V., Freiburger Freiwilligen-Agentur, Selbsthilfebüro Freiburg/Breisgau-Hochschwarzwald, and Treffpunkt Freiburg — whose combined operations trace back approximately 50 years. The organization provides coworking desks, meeting room rentals, professional training (Fortbildungen), in-person helpdesk consultation, equipment and material lending, structured networking (notably the 4netzen series), and a monthly newsletter plus engagement directory for civic volunteers and civil society organizations. Its primary footprint is regional (Freiburg and Baden-Württemberg), and as of February 2026 it participates in a federal-level network of 17 'Engagierte Häuser' across Germany.

The underlying technology platform is built entirely on open-source and commodity tooling suited to a privacy-first, GDPR-conscious civic organization: WordPress with the Nirvana theme for the public site, Matomo for cookie-free web analytics using rotating anonymized digital fingerprinting, Nextcloud for internal file storage and collaboration, Freescout for helpdesk ticketing, Zoom and Signal for video and secure messaging, and the Events Manager plugin for event scheduling. There is no proprietary software product, no AI/ML component, no mobile app, and no public API. Digital properties include a website, a monthly newsletter, and accounts on YouTube, Facebook, Instagram, and Mastodon (freiburg.social).

HdE's business model is a hybrid non-profit revenue mix rather than a commercial SaaS or transaction model. Revenue is generated from small recurring coworking and meeting-room fees (approximately 40 daily co-workers and 300+ tenant organizations), per-unit material lending fees, occasional paid training courses (e.g., 135 EUR for a PowerPoint course, with some courses free), membership fees, public subsidies, and donations channeled through betterplace.org. Pricing is intentionally kept affordable and specific tiers are not publicly disclosed. The go-to-market motion is community-led — relying on word-of-mouth, newsletters, events, and the four co-located partner services rather than paid acquisition. HdE is governed by Managing Directors Christiane Felder, Philip Bedall, and Anne Schirmer, with a Board of Directors (Vorstand) of five members, and is independently operated with no parent company.

Name

Haus des Engagements

Legal name

Haus des Engagements e.V.

Website

https://haus-des-engagements.de

Company type

Private

Founded year

2007

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Haus des Engagements is a Freiburg-based non-profit civic engagement hub that provides coworking, meeting rooms, training, material lending, and structured networking to roughly 40 daily co-workers and 300+ civil society organizations across Baden-Württemberg.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Civic Engagement Services

NAICS

Business, Professional, Labor, Political, and Similar Organizations (8139)

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600)

akta.pro primary industry

Conference Centers & Dedicated Meeting Venues (THAHAAAB)

Keywords

• Civic engagement services
• Community coworking spaces
• Volunteer support services
• Nonprofit association management
• Meeting room rentals

Headquarters

HQ city

Freiburg im Breisgau

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Space Rental (CoWorking & Meeting Rooms): Revenue is generated through the rental of coworking desks and meeting rooms to volunteers, associations, and freelance professionals. Approximately 40 co-workers use the spaces daily, with 300+ organizations having rented meeting rooms.
2. Material Lending Fees: Small fees are charged for lending frequently needed materials and equipment for civic engagement activities and public relations purposes.
3. Training & Education Fees: Praxisorientierte, interaktive, qualitätsvolle Fortbildungen (training courses) are offered to engaged citizens, some of which carry a participation fee.
4. Donations & Membership (Verein): Haus des Engagements e.V. operates as a registered association funded through membership fees, donations, and public subsidies. A donation form powered by betterplace.org is embedded on the website.
5. Room Booking via Selbsthilfebüro: Booking data for rooms is shared with Selbsthilfebüro Freiburg (Schwabentorring 2, Träger: Deutscher Paritätischer Wohlfahrtsverband Landesverband Baden-Württemberg e.V.) for joint management of reservations.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels6 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

Haus des Engagements operates a community hub for civic engagement in Freiburg, Germany, providing coworking desks, meeting room rentals, practice-oriented professional training (Fortbildungen), helpdesk consultation, material lending, and structured networking (4netzen) for engaged citizens and civil society organizations. The center is funded primarily through membership fees, donations, and public subsidies, with ancillary fee-based revenue from space rentals, training courses, and material lending.

Product overview

Haus des Engagements is a community center for civic engagement in Freiburg, Germany, offering a unified portfolio of physical and digital services rather than a software product. The core offering centers on providing infrastructure and support for civil society: CoWorking workspaces for associations and freelancers, meeting room rentals at two locations, professional training programs, personalized consulting services, equipment lending, networking opportunities, and informational resources including a monthly newsletter and engagement guide. Services are designed to support the approximately 40% of Baden-Württemberg citizens who engage in volunteer work, providing them with affordable spaces, qualification opportunities, visibility, and networking support.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• CoWorking

Quantifiable outcome

• 300+ organizations served through room bookings, with many as regular users
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers12 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Ten partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• Ökostation FreiburgminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 March 2026A sustainability-focused partner that co-hosts events with HdE, including the annual seed and seedling exchange fair (Saatgut- und Setzlingstauschbörse). The event draws numerous participants to the Ökostation site and fosters community building around organic gardening and sustainability.
• zusammen leben e.V.minorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 March 2026A community organization contributing practical expertise to HdE's sustainability programming, notably delivering a crash course on growing healthy seedlings at the annual seed exchange fair.
• Haus der Kulturen und Welthaus NürtingenminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 6 February 2026Hosted the third national network meeting of 'Engagierte Häuser' (Engagement Centers) in February 2026, where 17 centers from across Germany gathered to formalize a federal-level network.
• betterplace.org gGmbHminorGTM or Marketing Partner · 3 July 2025HdE embeds betterplace.org's donation iFrame on its website to facilitate public donations. betterplace.org is a Berlin-based charitable fundraising platform (Online-Spendenplattform). This enables HdE to receive direct contributions from supporters.
• Selbsthilfebüro Freiburg (Schwabentorring 2, Träger: Deutscher Paritätischer Wohlfahrtsverband Landesverband Baden-Württemberg e.V.)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 18 June 2014Joint room management partnership: booking data for HdE's rooms is shared with Selbsthilfebüro Freiburg for coordinated space management. The Selbsthilfebüro is operated by Deutscher Paritätischer Wohlfahrtsverband (DPWV) Baden-Württemberg, a major social welfare association.
• Agenda 21-Büro FreiburgcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2007A founding co-located partner operating within the HdE shared facility since 2007. Agenda 21-Büro promotes local sustainability and civic participation in line with the UN Agenda 21 framework. Both organizations share physical spaces and collaborate on programs that advance civic engagement and sustainable development goals.
• FARBE e.V.coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2007A founding co-located partner since 2007, FARBE e.V. provides cultural and educational services as part of the shared civic engagement center. Operating alongside HdE under the motto 'Wir fördern Bürgerschaftliches Engagement' (We promote civic engagement).
• Freiburger Freiwilligen-AgenturcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2007A founding co-located partner since 2007, providing volunteer matching and coordination services for the Freiburg region. Operates from the shared HdE facility and collaborates on programs to support civic volunteering.
• Selbsthilfebüro Freiburg/Breisgau-HochschwarzwaldcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2007A founding co-located partner since 2007, providing self-help group support and coordination. Jointly manages room bookings with HdE. Sponsored by Deutscher Paritätischer Wohlfahrtsverband Landesverband Baden-Württemberg e.V. Located at Schwabentorring 2, 79098 Freiburg.
• Treffpunkt FreiburgcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2007A founding co-located partner since 2007, providing community services within the HdE shared facility. One of the five original services celebrating 50 years of combined operation in 2011.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Emerging players

• Co-Creation Hub (CcHUB): Pan-African civic innovation hub combining coworking, training, and community programming for social impact organizations—an international analogue to HdE's community-led engagement center model.

Broad incumbents

• WeWork: Global coworking and meeting-room operator at vastly greater scale; relevant as a broader incumbent whose scale-built infrastructure is the alternative HdE competes against for organizational tenants.

Direct peers

• Freiwilligenagentur Berlin: Berlin volunteer-matching and coordination agency offering nearly identical services to HdE's co-located Freiburger Freiwilligen-Agentur—relevant peer as one of HdE's founding services that operates as a standalone agency elsewhere.
• Impact Hub (Global Network): Global network of impact-focused coworking and community spaces (including Impact Hub Berlin and Munich) combining workspaces, programs, and social enterprise support—directly comparable to HdE's coworking + training + networking mix.
• Mehrgenerationenhäuser (Federal Network): A federally co-funded German network of ~540 multi-generation community centers providing meeting, training, and engagement spaces for civil society—closely comparable to HdE's co-located civic hub model in both offering and funding mechanics.
• Haus der Demokratie (Berlin/Bremen): Civic centers in German cities hosting democratic and civil society organizations, providing shared infrastructure, meeting rooms, and event programming—comparable to HdE's role as host for multiple civic services.
• Selbsthilfebüro / National Self-Help Clearinghouses: Paritätischer Wohlfahrtsverband-affiliated self-help clearinghouses across Germany offer meeting-space booking and peer-support coordination—matching the Selbsthilfebüro Freiburg service HdE co-hosts and jointly books rooms with.

Others

• Wikimedia Deutschland: Large German civic/nonprofit organization headquartered in Berlin with a member-funded operating model and grants-based funding—comparable as a scale reference for a German registered association pursuing civic-good outcomes.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks4 records

Key highlights5 records

Customer concentration

• Xfreiburg.social/@hausdesengagements
• YouTubeyoutube.com/c/HausdesEngagements
• Facebookfacebook.com/hausdesengagements
• Instagraminstagram.com/hausdesengagements_freiburg
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/haus-des-engagements

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles9 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 Haus des Engagements