Verband Entwicklungspolitik Niedersachsen

What Verband Entwicklungspolitik Niedersachsen does

Verband Entwicklungspolitik Niedersachsen e.V. (VEN) is a registered nonprofit association (eingetragener Verein) founded in 1991 and headquartered in Hannover, Germany. It operates as the state-level umbrella network for development policy NGOs, initiatives, world shops, church organizations, and civil society groups in Lower Saxony, currently serving 130+ member organizations plus individual members. Its core function is to coordinate, advise, and advocate on behalf of this network rather than to deliver a commercial product or technology platform.

VEN's offerings consist of coordination programs, advisory services, publications, and thematic projects. The flagship program is the Eine-Welt-Promotor*innen-Programm, which deploys regional and specialist promoters across Hannover, Lüneburg, Oldenburg, Osnabrück, and additional regions to advise civil society organizations on association law, fundraising, project management, and application procedures. Thematic focus areas include Global Learning (Globales Lernen), sustainable food systems (Weltbaustelle Ernährung with a 10-Punkte-Plan Ernährungswende), migration and participation, and postcolonial/decolonial perspectives. Publications include a monthly VEN-Newsletter, the semi-annual journal VEN-Positionen, and annual reports. Campaign work includes the statewide weltwechsel Niedersachsen series, which in 2020 alone delivered 41 events with 1,000+ participants across 50+ partner organizations.

VEN's business model is institutional grant funding plus membership fees. Its donors include Engagement Global on behalf of the BMZ (Germany's Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development), the Bingo-Stiftung für Umwelt und Entwicklungszusammenarbeit, Stiftung Leben & Umwelt / Heinrich Böll Stiftung Niedersachsen, Brot für die Welt, and Bistum Hildesheim Diözesanstelle Weltkirche. No single donor accounts for more than 10% of the annual budget. Annual operating expenditure was approximately €752,653 in 2021 (up from ~€210K at founding), supporting ~7 headquarters staff plus part-time regional promoters. VEN is a co-founder of agl, the national umbrella of 16 German One World state networks, and a member of VENRO (~140 NGO members). In 2024 the association rebranded to Niedersachsen.GLOBAL following a four-year strategic reflection process.

Name

Verband Entwicklungspolitik Niedersachsen

Legal name

Verband Entwicklungspolitik Niedersachsen e.V.

Website

https://ven-nds.de

Company type

Private

Founded year

1991

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Verband Entwicklungspolitik Niedersachsen (VEN) is a registered nonprofit network coordinating 130+ development policy NGOs and initiatives in Lower Saxony, Germany, providing advisory, advocacy, and project services funded primarily by federal and church institutional donors.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Hannover

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Institutional Funding: VEN receives funding from multiple institutional donors including Bingo Foundation for Environment and Development Cooperation (Bingo-Stiftung für Umwelt und Entwicklungszusammenarbeit), Engagement Global (BMZ), Stiftung Leben & Umwelt | Heinrich Böll Stiftung Niedersachsen, Brot für die Welt (Inlandsförderung), Bistum Hildesheim Diözesanstelle Weltkirche. These funders support various programs including the One World Promotor*innen Program.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

VEN is a nonprofit association network that coordinates and supports civil society engagement in development policy across Niedersachsen. It provides consulting, qualification, and networking services to its 130+ member organizations, implements projects locally and with Global South partners, conducts public relations and lobbying on development policy, and operates the regional Eine-Welt-Promotor*innen-Programm that supports volunteer initiatives.

Product overview

Verband Entwicklungspolitik Niedersachsen (VEN) operates as a network organization rather than a product company. Its offerings consist of coordination and support services for development policy NGOs, including the Eine-Welt-Promotor*innen-Programm (regional promoters providing advice, qualification, and networking), publications (VEN-Newsletter, VEN-Positionen journal, VEN-Jahresberichte annual reports), thematic project focus areas (Globales Lernen, Weltbaustelle Ernährung), the mobile exhibition format Eine Welt-Sch(l)aufenster, and campaign/event series like weltwechsel Niedersachsen.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Eine-Welt-Promotor*innen-Programm A coordination program for 'One World' promoters across Niedersachsen regions that provides advice, qualification, and networking services to strengthen civil society engagement for global sustainability; serves member NGOs, volunteer initiatives, and civil society actors.
• Weltbaustelle Ernährung

Quantifiable outcome

• weltwechsel Niedersachsen 2020: 41 events, 1000+ participants, 50+ organizations involved

Named customers1 record

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

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

• Arbeitsgemeinschaft der Eine Welt-Landesnetzwerke in Deutschland e.V. (agl)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerVEN is an active member of agl, the national umbrella organization of 16 One World state networks in Germany. VEN played a founding role in agl's establishment. The partnership involves coordination of nationwide One World work, joint projects, and advocacy for development policy. agl supports its members in engagement for future-oriented global development based on principles of social justice, ecological sustainability, democracy, and participation.
• VENRO (Verband Entwicklungspolitik Deutscher Nichtregierungsorganisationen e.V.)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerVEN is a member of VENRO, the umbrella organization of development policy and humanitarian NGOs in Germany. VEN actively participates in VENRO's working group 'Bildung – Lokal - Global' (Education - Local - Global). VENRO has approximately 140 member organizations.
• VNB (Verein Niedersächsischer Bildungsinitiativen)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerClose cooperation partner of VEN. VNB is a certified education and project provider with broad offerings, supporting people in personal and professional development, and consulting NGOs, volunteer initiatives, and associations.
• Stiftung Leben & Umwelt / Heinrich-Böll-Stiftung NiedersachsenmajorGTM or Marketing PartnerRegular cooperation partner. The foundation supports projects related to environmental and development policy issues in Niedersachsen.
• Brot für die Welt HannovermajorGTM or Marketing PartnerRegular cooperation partner providing domestic funding for development policy projects and initiatives.
• ver.di Bildungswerk NiedersachsenminorGTM or Marketing PartnerRegular cooperation partner in the area of education and advocacy for fair working conditions and global justice.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Berliner Entwicklungspolitischer Ratschlag (BER): Berlin-based state-level network of development policy NGOs. Performs the same coordinating, lobbying, and Promotor*innen-style role for Berlin as VEN does for Niedersachsen, and is a co-member of agl and VENRO. Direct functional peer despite operating in a different state.
• Eine Welt Netz NRW: State-level development policy NGO network for North Rhine-Westphalia. Same legal form (eingetragener Verein), same model of coordinating member NGOs, running Promotor*innen programs, and representing members in federal umbrella organizations (agl, VENRO). The most directly comparable peer in terms of mandate, scale, and structure.
• Eine Welt Netzwerk Hamburg: Hamburg's state-level development policy network; ag-listed peer. Operates a near-identical model of member-NGO coordination, Promotor*innen advisory programs, and federal-level advocacy through agl and VENRO.
• Eine Welt Netzwerk Baden-Württemberg: Statewide development policy network for Baden-Württemberg. Same VEN-equivalent membership model with Promotor*innen program and member services, organized through agl. Comparable in headcount-class and programming focus on global learning and one-world themes.
• Verein Niedersächsischer Bildungsinitiativen (VNB): Lower Saxony's statewide association of educational initiatives. A close cooperation partner of VEN operating in Niedersachsen on adjacent adult/civic education, NGO consulting and capacity-building mandates. Comparable peer in terms of geography, funding mechanisms, and membership-based service model.
• Eine Welt Netz Schleswig-Holstein: State network for Schleswig-Holstein, another agl member. Mirrors VEN's mandate in scope and funding mechanisms, though smaller in headcount.

Broad incumbents

• VENRO – Verband Entwicklungspolitik Deutscher Nichtregierungsorganisationen: National umbrella of ~140 German development and humanitarian NGOs of which VEN is an active member. Operates at federal level with policy/lobbying and broader portfolio - VEN's federal coordination activities are functionally comparable, but VENRO is much larger and serves as VEN's own indirect representative body.
• agl – Arbeitsgemeinschaft der Eine Welt-Landesnetzwerke in Deutschland: National federation of 16 One World state networks including VEN. Coordinates cross-state development policy advocacy, exchanges best practices, and represents state networks federally. VEN helped found agl and continues to participate in its work.

Emerging players

• EPIZ – Zentrum für Globales Lernen in Berlin: Berlin-based center for global/development education that runs Promotor*innen-style training and consulting. Overlaps with VEN's Globales Lernen focus area and is partially comparable as a peer in content and methodology, but is single-state and Berlin-specific rather than state-network.
• Weltwirtschaftsforum / Eine Welt-Promotor*innen colleagues in other states: Various smaller, thematic-focused regional development-policy initiatives and emerging issue-specific networks across Germany (e.g., postcolonial, climate-justice, fair-trade collectives). These compete for the same civic-society attention and funder pool that VEN coordinates.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/@venmedien
• Facebookfacebook.com/venmedien
• Instagraminstagram.com/ven_niedersachsen
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/verband-entwicklungspolitik-niedersachsen

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles14 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Verband Entwicklungspolitik Niedersachsen