What Nummer gegen Kummer e.V. does

Nummer gegen Kummer e.V. is a registered non-profit association (eingetragener Verein) headquartered in Wuppertal, Germany, founded in 1980 as a "Sorgentelefon" (worry hotline) for children and youth. It operates Germany's largest free, anonymous telephone and online counseling network for children, adolescents, and parents, coordinating a federation of 87 member organizations staffed by approximately 4,000 trained volunteer counselors. The organization delivers three core services: the Kinder- und Jugendtelefon (116 111) available Monday to Saturday from 14:00 to 20:00, the Elterntelefon (0800 111 0550) for parents and caregivers, and an Online-Beratung (online counseling) service via chat and email with mail responses within two days. All services are free, anonymous, confidential, and available to anyone in Germany without referral. The organization previously operated the Helpline Ukraine for Ukrainian refugees, scheduled for discontinuation on July 1, 2026.

The centralized office in Wuppertal employs 15 staff, with leadership consisting of Geschäftsführerin Anna Zacharias and Vorstandsvorsitzende Gisela Wetzel-Willert. The underlying technology platform is described as undisclosed, consisting of telephone lines and an online chat/mail system; no proprietary software, app, or AI tooling is identified. The unified telephone numbers (116 111 and 0800 111 0550) function as the primary distribution mechanism, with call infrastructure and connection fees provided free of charge by Deutsche Telekom since 1991.

The business model is donation- and subsidy-driven. The organization is the primary government-funded child and youth helpline in Germany, with the Federal Ministry for Education, Family Affairs, Senior Citizens, Women and Youth (BMFSFJ) as the principal public funder, supplemented by EU co-financing under the EU Digital Strategy, Aktion Mensch grants, corporate sponsors, and private donations. End users pay nothing for services; the organization's revenue model is therefore a mix of public subsidies, private donations, and corporate sponsorship rather than traditional commercial pricing. Marketing and outreach rely on press and earned media, school-based institutional partnerships (notably a 2026 statewide Hessian school campaign), and an organic social media presence across Instagram, Facebook, TikTok, and LinkedIn.

Name

Nummer gegen Kummer e.V.

Legal name

Nummer gegen Kummer e.V.

Website

https://nummergegenkummer.de

Company type

Private

Founded year

1980

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Nummer gegen Kummer e.V. is a German non-profit operating the nation's largest free, anonymous telephone and online counseling service for children, adolescents, and parents. It coordinates 87 member organizations with approximately 4,000 trained volunteers, funded by public subsidies, donations, and corporate partnerships.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Wuppertal

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Donations from individuals, companies, and organizations: Nummer gegen Kummer e.V. and its local member associations raise funds from private donors, corporate sponsors, and organizational supporters to finance the nationwide counseling network. Costs are only partially covered by public funds, making donations essential.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Nummer gegen Kummer e.V. provides free, anonymous telephone and online counseling for children, adolescents, and parents in Germany. Services are delivered via the Kinder- und Jugendtelefon (116 111), the Elterntelefon (0800 111 0550), and an Online-Beratung (chat and email) channel, staffed by approximately 4,000 trained volunteer counselors coordinated through 87 member organizations nationwide.

Product overview

Nummer gegen Kummer e.V. is a charitable organization operating Germany’s largest free, anonymous telephone and online counseling network for children, youth, and parents. The organization offers three core counseling services: the Kinder- und Jugendtelefon (116 111) for children and youth, the Online-Beratung via email and chat, and the Elterntelefon (0800 111 0550) for parents. The organization also previously operated the Helpline Ukraine (0800 500 225 20) for Ukrainian refugees, which is being discontinued as of July 1, 2026. All services are free, anonymous, and staffed by trained volunteer counselors.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Kinder- und Jugendtelefon (Children and Youth Phone) Free, anonymous telephone counseling service for children and youth reachable at 116 111, available Monday to Saturday from 14:00-20:00, staffed by trained volunteer counselors. Saturday counseling is delivered by youth volunteers.
• Online-Beratung (Online Counseling) Free, anonymous online counseling service for children and youth via email and chat, with chat available Monday to Thursday from 14:00-20:00 and email responses within 2 days, accessible at www.nummergegenkummer.de.
• Elterntelefon (Parent Phone)
• Helpline Ukraine Specialized phone hotline for Ukrainian refugees in Germany providing emotional support and guidance, available at 0800 500 225 20. The service is being discontinued as of July 1, 2026.

Quantifiable outcome

• 124,619 consultations conducted in 2025 — a continued high demand year demonstrating intensive usage of anonymous, low-threshold counseling services.
• +2 more outcomes

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

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

• Stiftung Deutsche Kinder-, Jugend- und Elterntelefon (DKJE)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe foundation is the supporting organization behind the umbrella association. Nummer gegen Kummer e.V. evolved from the Deutscher Kinderschutzbund, to which it remains connected as a member organization.
• klicksafemajorStrategic or Co-development Partnerklicksafe, the German initiative for digital safety, and Nummer gegen Kummer e.V. jointly organize the klicksafe Schulstunde — a live interactive 60-minute program for school classes nationwide on topics such as cyberbullying.
• Hessisches KultusministeriummajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Hessian Ministry of Culture launched a statewide campaign (May 2026) to distribute Nummer gegen Kummer posters and stickers to all Hessian schools, placing them in student-facing locations to serve as a mental trigger for help-seeking.
• Child Helpline InternationalminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerNummer gegen Kummer e.V. is a member of Child Helpline International, connecting it with a global network of child helplines for best practice exchange and international cooperation.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Regional players

• Pro Juventute (Switzerland): Switzerland's main foundation for children and youth, operating Telefon 147 and a wide range of family/parent support services. Comparable in mission, target population, and free anonymous helpline service, but focused on Switzerland.
• Childline (UK): The UK's free, private helpline for children and young people, delivered by the NSPCC. Comparable in target audience, free anonymous service model, and multi-channel delivery (phone and online), but serves the UK.
• Telefon 147: Pro Juventute's Swiss 24/7 helpline for children and adolescents, providing free, anonymous telephone and online counseling. Directly comparable in target users and service design, but operates in Switzerland.
• Rat auf Draht: Austria's free, anonymous 24/7 helpline for children, adolescents, and caregivers, operated by ORF/Ö3. Closely comparable mission, free anonymous model, and target population, but serves Austria rather than Germany.

Direct peers

• JugendNotmail: A German online counseling service for children and youth via email, operating in the same anonymous, free, low-threshold model as Nummer gegen Kummer's Online-Beratung. Directly comparable in target population, channel (written/online), and category.

Emerging players

• Krisenchat: A German digital crisis-support service for young people offering chat-based counseling, often with extended hours. Comparable target population (children/adolescents in distress) and overlapping service category, but with a younger, more digital-native delivery model.

Broad incumbents

• Deutscher Kinderschutzbund: The German Child Protection Association, the umbrella from which Nummer gegen Kummer e.V. originally evolved. Comparable mission around child welfare and youth support in Germany, but operates as a much broader advocacy and service organization.
• BKE (Bundeskonferenz für Erziehungsberatung): The German federal conference for educational and family counseling, coordinating ~600 counseling offices nationwide. Comparable in serving families and youth in Germany with counseling services, but operates as a broader institutional network rather than a single branded helpline.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/ngk.dachverband
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/nummer-gegen-kummer-e-v
• Instagraminstagram.com/nummergegenkummer_e.v
• TikToktiktok.com/@nummergegenkummer_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 Nummer gegen Kummer e.V.