Vereinigung Cerebral Schweiz - Association Cerebral Suisse - Associazione Cerebral Svizzera

What Vereinigung Cerebral Schweiz - Association Cerebral Suisse - Associazione Cerebral Svizzera does

Vereinigung Cerebral Schweiz is a private non-profit umbrella organization (Dachorganisation) that coordinates disability self-help services for people with cerebral palsy and multiple disabilities across Switzerland. It serves as the national federation for 20 regional associations spanning all language regions (German, French, Italian), with its central office in Solothurn. The organization has been operating for over 60 years, founded approximately in 1957–1961.

Its service portfolio is delivered directly through its 11-person headquarters staff and indirectly through the 20 regional member associations. Core offerings include Zertifizierte Peerberatung (certified peer counseling by experts with lived experience), Persönliche Zukunftsplanung (PZP, structured personal future planning), Sozialberatung (social insurance and rights counseling), Kurse und Tagungen (courses and conferences covering topics like sexuality, parenting with disability, and assisted living), Ferienangebote (group holiday programs including trips to Rimini), institutional training (Dienstleistungen à la Carte), and the Eurokey accessibility system. Sub-brands include CerAdult, CerAgility, and InSeBe encounter days. The organization also publishes a quarterly tri-lingual magazine (Magazin Cerebral, ~5,000 copies per issue) and operates a 4-5x/year newsletter distributed via Sendinblue/Brevo.

The organization is not a technology company and has no proprietary software products; it uses standard web platforms, video conferencing, and email tools for service delivery. Revenue comes from three streams: membership fees from the 20 regional associations, course and event fees (e.g., CHF 10 for members, CHF 30 for non-members, with full unsubsidized rates of CHF 250), and government subsidies from the Swiss Federal Office for Social Insurance (BSV) and grants from foundations including Stiftung Cerebral and Stiftung denk an mich. It operates under a Strategy 2024-2027 with priorities on Assistance, Disability Policy, Sexuality, and Self-Representation.

Name

Vereinigung Cerebral Schweiz - Association Cerebral Suisse - Associazione Cerebral Svizzera

Legal name

Association Cerebral Suisse - Associazione Cerebral Svizzera

Website

https://vereinigung-cerebral.ch

Company type

Private

Founded year

1961

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Vereinigung Cerebral Schweiz is a Swiss non-profit umbrella organization coordinating 20 regional associations that deliver disability self-help services, including peer counseling, social counseling, courses, and holiday programs, to people with cerebral palsy, multiple disabilities, and their families across Switzerland.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Solothurn

HQ country

Switzerland

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Membership Fees: Revenue generated through membership fees of 20 regional associations. Members join by joining a regional association and gain access to local services and national organization benefits.
2. Course and Event Fees: Revenue from course and seminar fees. Members pay reduced rates (e.g., CHF 10), non-members pay higher rates (e.g., CHF 30). Remaining costs are subsidized by BSV and foundations.
3. Government and Foundation Subsidies: Core operational funding from the Swiss Federal Office for Social Insurance (Bundesamt für Sozialversicherungen, BSV) and various foundations. Subsidies also cover course costs for participants.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels11 records

Core offering

Vereinigung Cerebral Schweiz is a Swiss nationwide umbrella non-profit organization that advises, informs, and supports people with cerebral palsy and multiple disabilities, along with their families. It delivers core services including Personal Future Planning (Persönliche Zukunftsplanung/PZP), Certified Peer Counseling, Social Counseling, courses and conferences, holiday programs, expert-by-experience brokering, and an internal reporting office, coordinated through 20 regional member associations and the national office in Solothurn.

Product overview

Vereinigung Cerebral Schweiz is a nationwide umbrella organization (Dachorganisation) of disability self-help organizations operating through 20 regional associations. Its service portfolio is organized as a unified set of interrelated offerings centered on Beratung und Persönliche Zukunftsplanung (counseling and personal future planning), which encompasses Zertifizierte Peerberatung, Sozialberatung, and Persönliche Zukunftsplanung (PZP). Complementary services include Kurse und Tagungen (courses and conferences) such as CerAdult, the CerAgility Netzwerk, and the InSeBe Begegnungstag; Ferienangebote (holiday programs including Rimini group trips); Dienstleistungen à la Carte (institution-based training); the Eurokey accessibility key system; Vermittlung von Experten in eigener Sache (expert-by-experience brokering); and an internal reporting office (Interne Meldestelle). The organization also publishes a quarterly Magazin Cerebral in three languages and organizes the triennial Nationales Treffen für Selbstvertretung.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• CerAdult: A national conference/tag for adults with cerebral palsy, addressing topics such as travel with disabilities. Organized triennially as part of the organization's event program.
• CerAgility
• InSeBe (Inselbstbestimmung Begegnungstag)

Products and services

• Persönliche Zukunftsplanung (PZP) — Personal Future Planning
• Zertifizierte Peerberatung — Certified Peer Counseling
• Sozialberatung — Social Counseling
• Kurse und Tagungen — Courses and Conferences Program
• Ferienangebote — Holiday Programs (incl. Rimini)
• CerAgility Netzwerk
• InSeBe Begegnungstag — Self-Determination Encounter Day
• CerAdult — National conference for adults with cerebral palsy
• Dienstleistungen à la Carte — On-site institutional training and consulting
• Magazin Cerebral — Quarterly tri-lingual magazine
• Vermittlung von Experten in eigener Sache — Expert-by-Experience brokering
• Nationales Treffen für Selbstvertretung — National Self-Advocacy Meeting
• Kursreihe 'Leben mit Assistenz' — Living with Assistance course series

Quantifiable outcome

• 5000 copies per quarter of the organization's tri-lingual magazine distributed to members
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Schweizerische Bundesbahnen (SBB)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 June 2025The organization is a partner in the 'Hidden Disabilities Sunflower Project' alongside SBB. The SBB introduced Sunflower Lanyards at Swiss railway stations to help people with invisible disabilities get appropriate support. Vereinigung Cerebral Schweiz supports this as a partner organization alongside 15 other disability organizations.
• Netzwerk Charta PräventioncoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 25 November 2011The organization is a founding member of the Netzwerk Charta Prävention (Network for the Prevention of Sexual Exploitation and Abuse). Together with 11 other organizations, it co-developed the Charta Prävention and published joint depth reports (2021, 2025) on protecting people with disabilities from violence, submitted to the Istanbul Convention monitoring process.
• Stiftung Cerebral (Schweizerische Stiftung für das cerebral gelähmte Kind)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerStiftung Cerebral is a key partner logo'd on the organization's website. The foundation and the association share the Cerebral name and collaborate on holiday programs, equipment loans (vehicles, mobility aids), and the Cerebral MAP interactive help finder. They are closely aligned organizations serving the same community.
• Stiftung denk an michcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerListed as a key partner logo on the organization's website. Stiftung denk an mich co-subsidizes courses and events alongside the BSV. They provide funding that enables reduced course fees for participants.
• Bundesamt für Sozialversicherungen (BSV) / Federal Office for Social InsurancecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe BSV (Federal Office for Social Insurance) provides government subsidies that enable reduced course fees for participants. The organization's activities align with BSV's disability policy mandate.
• Inclusion HandicapcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerInclusion Handicap is the Swiss umbrella organization of disability organizations (Dachverband der Behindertenorganisationen). Vereinigung Cerebral Schweiz is a member and participates in working groups and references Inclusion Handicap's media releases.
• Hidden Disabilities Sunflower Project (with 15+ disability organizations)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerA consortium of Swiss disability organizations including Vereinigung Cerebral Schweiz, partnering with SBB to introduce Sunflower Lanyards for people with invisible disabilities in Switzerland.
• Christina Stadelmann (External course facilitator)minorOthersChristina Stadelmann, an external consultant (christina-beratung.de), co-organizes the 'Auf dem Weg zu meinem guten Leben' and 'Meine Unterstützer – Mein Netzwerk' courses with the organization.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• insieme Schweiz: Swiss umbrella for people with intellectual disabilities, organized regionally with similar self-help structure. Comparable in GTM motion (community-led, regional associations, courses, family support) and target population overlap with Vereinigung Cerebral's multi-disability segment.
• Cerebral Palsy Alliance: Australian CP advocacy, research, and service organization founded by parents in 1945. Comparable as an internationally recognized CP-focused organization with similar service pillars (therapies, advocacy, research, peer support) and similar parent-led origins.
• Scope UK: UK national disability charity focused on physical impairments and CP. Comparable as a peer-led disability organization offering counseling, information, peer networks, and policy advocacy with similar community-driven GTM.
• Pro Infirmis: Switzerland's largest disability service organization, offering counseling, supported living, and advocacy across all disability types. Directly comparable as a Swiss national disability NGO with overlapping service lines (Sozialberatung, peer services, advocacy) and similar funding mix.
• SBH Schweiz: Swiss self-help organization for Spina Bifida and Hydrocephalus, jointly listed in regional Cerebral/SBH membership structures. Directly comparable as a Swiss disability self-help organization with parallel service model and partner status with Vereinigung Cerebral.
• United Cerebral Palsy: US national network of CP affiliates providing advocacy, housing, and direct services. Comparable as a cerebral-palsy-specialized national umbrella with affiliated service delivery points analogous to Vereinigung Cerebral's regional association model.
• Stiftung Cerebral Schweiz: Sister foundation sharing the Cerebral brand, focused on equipment loans (vehicles, mobility aids) and the Cerebral MAP interactive help finder. Directly comparable as a co-branded partner serving the same Swiss CP community with complementary (not overlapping) services.

Broad incumbents

• Inclusion Handicap: Swiss national umbrella of 20+ disability organizations, of which Vereinigung Cerebral is itself a member. Comparable as the broader policy and media platform aggregating disability organizations for federal advocacy and joint media work.

Regional players

• Fondation Eclipse: Swiss foundation supporting people with epilepsy. Comparable as a Swiss disability-specialty foundation with adjacent advocacy, counseling, and information services targeting people with a specific neurological condition.

Emerging players

• Aktion Mensch: Germany's largest private disability funding and advocacy organization. Comparable as a peer disability self-help/social-service organization with lottery-funded grantmaking, awareness campaigns, and inclusion projects — adjacent in scale but thematically aligned.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UC19b_X468B-Al_9nx38CgWg?cbrd=1
• Facebookfacebook.com/associationcerebral.ch
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/vereinigung-cerebral-schweiz
• Instagraminstagram.com/vereinigungcerebral/?hl=de

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Vereinigung Cerebral Schweiz - Association Cerebral Suisse - Associazione Cerebral Svizzera