ichbinhier e.V.

What ichbinhier e.V. does

ichbinhier e.V. is a registered nonprofit association (eingetragener Verein) headquartered in Hamburg, Germany, founded in 2016 by Hannes Ley as a German adaptation of the Swedish #jagärhär movement. Its mission is to enable individuals and organizations to practise digital civic courage — the act of responding to online hate speech with constructive, empathetic counter-comments rather than silence or escalation. The organization operates four core products: a community-led Facebook action group (#ichbinhier) with 38,000+ members, a portfolio of live workshops and lectures delivered to civil society organizations, schools, media outlets, and corporate partners; the Digital Democracy Lab, a free three-level self-paced e-learning platform launched in February 2026; and the EU-funded TAOHS (Together Against Online Hate Speech) project, which internationalizes its training methodology across the Netherlands and Spain. Underlying technology is non-proprietary: the organization runs on standard web platforms, CleverReach for newsletters, Podio and monday.com for operations, and leverages the Phoenix open-source social media analysis platform via academic partner Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam under TAOHS.

The business model is grant- and donation-funded, not commercial. Revenue streams include individual donations (via bank transfer, Betterplace.org, and digipigi.org), supporting memberships at €60/year, and institutional grants from German foundations (Robert Bosch Stiftung, Deutsche Postcode Lotterie, Deutsche Stiftung Engagement und Ehrenamt, Kulturstiftung des Bundes hoch3, Demokratie-Stiftung Campact, AidFIVE, Deutsch Französischer Bürgerfonds) and the EU CERV programme. Education and workshops are offered free of charge to participants. The go-to-market is community-led: a small professional staff of nine, led by Managing Director Christina Hübers, operates alongside a three-person volunteer board and a 38,000-strong volunteer base, with reach amplified through social channels (Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, LinkedIn, Bluesky), earned media in outlets including Süddeutsche Zeitung and Deutschlandfunk Nova, and a long-standing corporate partnership with Deutsche Telekom AG.

The organization has accumulated substantial reputational capital — the Grimme Online Award (2017), Deutscher Engagementpreis (2019), Roland Berger Preis für Menschenwürde (2020), and PHINEO Wirkt-Siegel (2025) — and endorsements from senior public figures. Its current scale metrics include over one million cumulative volunteer hours, 100,000+ hours of community management experience, 3,200+ people and organizations trained, 200 events since 2020 reaching 2,600 participants, and an additional 100+ events through the #dubisthier Hamburg library project. No audited revenue figure is publicly disclosed.

Name

ichbinhier e.V.

Legal name

ichbinhier e.V.

Website

https://ichbinhier.eu

Company type

Private

Founded year

2016

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

ichbinhier e.V. is a Hamburg-based nonprofit that trains individuals and organizations to counter online hate speech with constructive counter-speech, operating a 38,000+ member Facebook community, a free e-learning platform, and workshops for civil society, media, and corporate clients across Germany and the EU.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Civic Engagement Education

NAICS

Human Rights Organizations (813311), Social Advocacy Organizations (8133), Religious, Grantmaking, Civic, Professional, and Similar Organizations (813)

SIC

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

akta.pro industry

PRIMARYBPAGAFAL

Digital Rights, Privacy & Free Expression Advocacy

Business & Public Services/Nonprofit, NGO & Social Services/Civil Rights, Advocacy & Public Policy Organizations

SECONDARYBPAGAFAB

Human Rights & Anti-Discrimination Organizations

Business & Public Services/Nonprofit, NGO & Social Services/Civil Rights, Advocacy & Public Policy Organizations

Keywords

• Digital civic courage
• Online counter-speech
• Hate speech prevention
• Media literacy training
• Civic education workshops

Headquarters

HQ city

Hamburg

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Donations: ichbinhier e.V. is funded primarily through donations from individuals. The organization is registered as a charitable nonprofit (gemeinnützig) in Germany, making donations tax-deductible. Donors can contribute via bank transfer, Betterplace.org, or digipigi.org. Specific suggested donation impacts are published: 25€ finances a solidarity action for affected individuals; 60€ funds a one-year supporting membership; 150€ finances a social media post for awareness; 300€ finances a lecture on digital civic courage.
2. Institutional Grants & Funding: The organization receives grants and project funding from institutional funders including: Deutsche Stiftung Engagement und Ehrenamt, EU CERV (Citizens, Equality, Rights and Values Programme), Robert Bosch Stiftung, Deutsche Postcode Lotterie, Demokratie-Stiftung Campact, AidFIVE, Deutsch Französischer Bürgerfonds, Kulturstiftung des Bundes (hoch3), and Bertini Preis. EU CERV funding is specifically tied to the TAOHS (Together Against Online Hate Speech) project.
3. Supporting Memberships: Individuals can become supporting (Förder-) members of the association through an annual fee, providing recurring financial support without active engagement obligations.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels10 records

Core offering

ichbinhier e.V. is a German nonprofit association that enables individuals and organizations to demonstrate digital civic courage and counteract online hate speech through constructive, empathetic counter-speech. It operates the #ichbinhier Facebook action group (38,000+ members) as a grassroots volunteer community, delivers educational workshops and training programs on counter-speech and community moderation, and runs the free Digital Democracy Lab e-learning platform. Its work is supplemented by international project resources through the EU-funded TAOHS initiative.

Product overview

ichbinhier e.V. offers a portfolio of interconnected products and services focused on digital civil courage. The core offering includes the #ichbinhier Facebook Action Group — a large volunteer community that writes constructive comments to counter online hate — and the Digital Democracy Lab, a free self-directed e-learning platform with three progressive levels. The organization also delivers live workshops, lectures, and keynotes in various formats (mini-workshops, toolkits for communities and local politicians, and custom workshops on request), all targeting civil society organizations, schools, governments, and businesses. The TAOHS (Together Against Online Hate Speech) project provides additional resources and tools. All offerings are unified by the mission of enabling people to show digital civil courage and foster respectful, democratic online discourse.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Digital Democracy Lab: A free, flexible self-learning platform with three levels for learning digital civil courage and effectively addressing online hate speech.
• TAOHS (Together Against Online Hate Speech)

Products and services

• Digital Democracy Lab A free, self-directed e-learning platform with three progressive levels teaching digital civic courage — from introductory concepts to strategic application against online hate speech. Targeted at engaged individuals, educators, multipliers, and civil society organizations.
• Workshops & Educational Formats (Bildungsformate)

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 1,000,000 hours of volunteer engagement for respectful online discourse
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers6 records

Segments8 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

18 partnerships are on record, tiered core, major and minor.

• Deutsche Telekom AGcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 July 2022Long-standing cooperation with Deutsche Telekom AG on multiple campaigns including 'Gegen Hass imNetz'. ichbinhier supported the Telekom campaign video 'Augen auf!', trained influencer communities, and delivered workshops on counter-speech and community moderation. The partnership also included a major advertising campaign and the '#ichbinhier Masterclass' at VideoDays 2022.
• Das NETTZcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLong-standing cooperation partner in the German civic tech ecosystem. Das NETTZ is a network organization focused on digital civil society and civic engagement online.
• HateAidcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLong-standing cooperation partner specializing in legal support for victims of online hate. ichbinhier and HateAid co-authored a policy paper on hate speech as a personality rights violation and threat to freedom of expression and democracy.
• Bücherhallen Hamburg (#dubisthier project)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerMulti-year joint project ' #dubisthier – Mit Zivilcourage gegen Hass im Netz' funded by the Kulturstiftung des Bundes (hoch3). Over 100 events were organized reaching 1,500+ people, including workshops, panel discussions, and boot camps in Hamburg's public libraries.
• Sharing Perspectives Foundation (Netherlands)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLead partner in the EU TAOHS project. Sharing Perspectives Foundation brings experience in dialogue-based civic education and is coordinating the international project consortium including organizations from Germany, the Netherlands, and Spain.
• Build Up (Spain)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerProject partner in the EU TAOHS initiative. Build Up specializes in technology for civic engagement and conflict transformation, contributing expertise in digital tools for countering online hate.
• FundiPau (Spain)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerProject partner in the EU TAOHS initiative. FundiPau is a Spanish civic organization working on peacebuilding and civic engagement, contributing to the international perspective on countering hate speech.
• Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam (Netherlands)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAcademic partner in the EU TAOHS project, contributing research expertise on hate speech dynamics and digital civic engagement. The university contributes the Phoenix social media analysis platform to the project.
• Phoenix (Open-Source Social Media Analysis Platform)coreTechnology or IntegrationOpen-source social media analysis tool used in the TAOHS project to systematically analyze comment sections on social media platforms, identify forms of hate speech, and create data dashboards for civil society organizations and media outlets.
• Betterplace.orgminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorOnline donation platform through which individuals can make tax-deductible donations to ichbinhier e.V. The platform provides a secure, user-friendly interface for processing charitable contributions.
• digipigi.orgminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorOnline donation platform through which donors can support ichbinhier e.V. Alternative to Betterplace.org for receiving charitable contributions.
• VostelminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorVolunteering platform through which ichbinhier advertises its volunteer opportunities, connecting potential volunteers with the organization's engagement programs.
• La Red e.V. & My DemocracyminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner organizations that co-presented an impulse lecture on 'Media competencies in dealing with right-wing extremism on TikTok' at the Learn & Act event.
• Kooperation 'Hessen gegen Hetze'minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerHessen state-level cooperation initiative against online hate, with which ichbinhier collaborates on civic engagement and counter-speech efforts.
• KoKoKommminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCooperation partner referenced in ichbinheri's cooperation overview, likely related to community communication and civic engagement.
• Team KompassminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner organization referenced in ichbinheri's cooperation overview, contributing to the organization's network of civic engagement collaborators.
• Beautiful MindsminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner organization referenced in ichbinheri's cooperation overview, contributing to the organization's network of civic engagement collaborators.
• holi.socialminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner organization referenced in ichbinheri's cooperation overview, contributing to the organization's network of civic engagement collaborators.

Scale indicators9 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Das NETTZ: German civic-tech network organization focused on strengthening digital civil society. Strategic cooperation partner of ichbinhier with comparable audience (civic engagement organizers) and overlapping value proposition in digital civil society.
• No Hate Speech Movement: Council of Europe youth campaign mobilizing young people to recognize and act against hate speech and cyberbullying. Direct peer operating in the same digital counter-speech space with overlapping European reach and educational mission.
• HateAid: Berlin-based nonprofit providing legal support and counseling to victims of online hate speech in Germany. Most direct peer in the German digital-hate-response ecosystem; co-author of policy papers with ichbinhier and a long-standing cooperation partner.
• Institute for Strategic Dialogue (ISD): International think tank and counter-extremism organization. Research partner with ichbinhier on the 'Hass auf Knopfdruck' study; operates comparable counter-hate-speech research, training, and policy work across Europe.
• Sharing Perspectives Foundation: Amsterdam-based social enterprise running dialogue-based civic education programs. Direct EU TAOHS project partner of ichbinhier; operates comparable training and counter-speech methodology across European markets.
• Center for Countering Digital Hate (CCDH): US- and UK-based nonprofit researching and campaigning against online hate and disinformation. Direct peer offering research, education, and advocacy services targeting similar online harms, with comparable methodologies and institutional funder relationships.

Broad incumbents

• Amadeu Antonio Stiftung: Large German foundation funding projects against antisemitism, racism, and online hate. Direct overlap with ichbinhier's civic engagement mission, operating with broader grantmaking scope across multiple civil-rights themes.
• Gesellschaft für Freiheitsrechte (GFF): Berlin-based civil-rights NGO litigating for digital rights, freedom of expression, and against online surveillance. Direct thematic overlap with ichbinhier's digital discourse mission, though with a legal-strategic rather than educational approach.

Emerging players

• ufuq.de: Berlin-based nonprofit offering prevention and political-education work with youth on topics including digital culture, Islamophobia, and democratic participation. Comparable educational product format (workshops for schools and youth workers) targeting related audiences in Germany.
• Belltower.News / Netz gegen Nazis: German civil-society platform by Gesichter Stiftung providing digital reporting and counter-speech resources against online hate and right-wing extremism. Operates in an adjacent space with overlapping audience of online civic engagers in Germany.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/718574178311688
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/ichbinhier-e-v
• Instagraminstagram.com/ichbinhier_online
• TikToktiktok.com/@ichbinhier_online

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 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 ichbinhier e.V.