Stiftung Zewo

What Stiftung Zewo does

Stiftung Zewo is a Swiss non-profit foundation headquartered in Zürich that certifies charitable non-profit organizations in Switzerland through the Zewo-Gütesiegel (quality seal). Founded in 1934, the organization evaluates NPOs against 21 codified standards covering governance, financial transparency, ethical fundraising, and donor protection. Approximately 500 charitable organizations currently hold the certification, and two-thirds of all Swiss charitable donations flow to Zewo-certified organizations. The foundation operates from a lean team of 11 employees and serves two primary customer segments: Swiss NPOs seeking credibility and donor trust, and Swiss donors seeking assurance that their contributions are used responsibly.

Zewo's core technology consists of a web-based certification management system and a public NPO search database (NPO-Suche) that allows donors to find certified organizations. The platform includes the Zewo Impact Tool, which helps NPOs measure and demonstrate social impact. The technology stack relies on third-party providers: Tocco AG for CRM, Nine Internet Solutions AG for website hosting, and Mailchimp for email marketing. Zewo also publishes annual research products including the Spendenreport (donation report), Spendenstatistik (donation statistics), and Vergütungsstudie (compensation study), and hosts the annual Zewo-Tagung conference.

The business model is primarily based on recurring annual certification fees paid by NPOs, supplemented by revenue from conferences, publications, and co-publishing partnerships. Pricing is quote-based and not publicly disclosed. Distribution is largely self-serve through the zewo.ch website, which serves both NPOs seeking certification and donors seeking trustworthy charities. Key strategic partnerships include co-publishing agreements with Swissfundraising and NZZ am Sonntag for the annual Spendenmagazin, and an academic partnership with the Verbandsmanagement-Institut (VMI) at the University of Freiburg for donation statistics. Certification fees are the primary revenue stream, with services structured as annual subscriptions with ongoing compliance reviews.

Name

Stiftung Zewo

Legal name

Stiftung Zewo

Website

https://zewo.ch

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Stiftung Zewo is a Swiss non-profit foundation that certifies approximately 500 charitable NPOs against 21 governance and fundraising standards, issuing the Zewo-Gütesiegel quality seal that channels two-thirds of Swiss charitable donations to certified organizations.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Nonprofit certification services

NAICS

Grantmaking and Giving Services (81321), Grantmaking Foundations (813211), Religious, Grantmaking, Civic, Professional, and Similar Organizations (813)

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600)

akta.pro primary industry

Conformity Assessment, Testing, Inspection & Certification Cooperation (BPADANAD)

akta.pro secondary industries

International Standards Development & Standardization Bodies (BPADANAA), Private Foundations (BPAGAKAA)

Keywords

• Nonprofit certification services
• Charity quality seal
• NPO accreditation
• Donor trust verification
• Fundraising governance standards

Headquarters

HQ city

Zürich

HQ country

Switzerland

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. NPO Certification Fees: Zewo charges NPOs for the certification process and annual compliance reviews. Certified organizations pay fees to obtain and maintain the Zewo quality seal.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Stiftung Zewo certifies Swiss charitable non-profit organizations against 21 governance, fundraising, and transparency standards and awards them the Zewo-Gütesiegel (quality seal). It operates an online directory of certified NPOs for donors and provides the Zewo Impact Tool, supplemented by annual research reports on charitable giving in Switzerland.

Product overview

Stiftung Zewo operates as a certification foundation for charitable non-profit organizations in Switzerland, centered around the Zewo-Gütesiegel (quality seal) as its core offering. The organization provides the NPO-Suche directory as a searchable database of certified organizations, complemented by the Zewo Impact Tool for measuring organizational effectiveness. Zewo publishes annual research including the Spendenreport (Donation Report), Spendenstatistik (Donation Statistics), and Vergütungsstudie (Compensation Study), alongside hosting the annual Zewo-Tagung conference and publishing the Spendenmagazin (Donation Magazine) in partnership with Swissfundraising. The 'Der Weg zum Zewo-Gütesiegel' service guides NPOs through certification, and the 21 Zewo-Standards establish the criteria NPOs must meet.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Zewo-Gütesiegel (Quality Seal) Certification quality seal awarded to charitable NPOs in Switzerland that meet Zewo's 21 standards for responsible donation handling and regular audit/controlled oversight.
• Der Weg zum Zewo-Gütesiegel (Certification Process) Structured service guiding Swiss NPOs through eligibility testing, formal assessment, application, and ongoing annual compliance reviews to obtain and maintain the Zewo quality seal.
• NPO-Suche (Certified NPO Directory) Online search tool allowing donors to find all NPOs bearing the Zewo quality seal, displaying organizational details, target beneficiaries, geographic scope, and donation options.
• Zewo Impact Tool Tool that helps certified NPOs measure, document, and demonstrate their social impact and effectiveness, supported by video tutorials and practical guidance.
• Zewo-Tagung (Annual Conference) Annual conference for non-profit organization professionals featuring expert speakers on topics such as AI in NPOs, future of the charitable sector, and impact measurement findings.

Quantifiable outcome

• 500 certified NPOs
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers10 records

Segments2 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

Three partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• SwissfundraisingcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-publisher of the annual Spendenmagazin with Zewo. Swissfundraising is the Swiss professional association for fundraising. The partnership ensures high quality content that only features organizations adhering to Zewo standards and Swissfundraising ethical guidelines.
• NZZ am SonntagcoreGTM or Marketing PartnerPublishing partner for the annual Spendenmagazin. The magazine appears as an insert in NZZ am Sonntag, Sonntagszeitung, and Le Matin Dimanche newspapers.
• Verbandsmanagement-Institut (VMI), Universität FreiburgminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerAcademic partner for producing the annual Spendenstatistik (donation statistics). VMI analyzes data and contributes to the comprehensive report on Swiss charitable giving.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Regional players

• StiftungSchweiz: Swiss association of charitable foundations representing and supporting grantmaking foundations in Switzerland; comparable as a domestic sector infrastructure organization serving the Swiss philanthropic ecosystem.
• Swissfundraising: Swiss professional association for fundraisers and a strategic partner of Zewo (co-publisher of Spendenmagazin); comparable as a Swiss NPO/fundraising sector standards and advocacy organization operating in the same domestic ecosystem.

Direct peers

• Charity Navigator: US-based charity rating and evaluation organization that assesses nonprofits on financial health, accountability, and transparency; directly comparable to Zewo as a leading independent charity certification/rating body serving donors and NPOs.
• CAF (Charities Aid Foundation): UK-based charity that helps donors, companies, and charities give effectively through charitable services, research, and giving platforms; comparable as a charitable giving infrastructure organization with research and advisory components.
• ECFA (Evangelical Council for Financial Accountability): US faith-based nonprofit accreditation body that certifies Christian nonprofits against financial accountability standards; comparable to Zewo as a standards-based certification organization for charitable organizations.
• CharityWatch: US independent charity watchdog that rates nonprofits on financial efficiency and governance; comparable to Zewo as a donor-facing charity evaluation service focused on accountability.
• BBB Wise Giving Alliance: US charity accreditation organization that evaluates nonprofits against 20 standards on governance, results reporting, finances, and solicitations; highly comparable to Zewo's 21-standards certification model.
• DZI (Deutsches Zentralinstitut für soziale Fragen): German central institute for social issues that awards the DZI Spendensiegel (donation seal) to charitable organizations meeting defined standards; the closest direct international peer to Zewo's certification model in a neighboring German-speaking market.
• Candid (formerly GuideStar): US nonprofit transparency platform (formed from GuideStar and Foundation Center merger) that collects and disseminates nonprofit data and Seal of Transparency ratings; comparable as an independent nonprofit verification and information provider.
• Better Giving (formerly Give.org): BBB Wise Giving Alliance's charity evaluation arm providing donor-focused charity reports; included for its overlap with the BBB Wise Giving Alliance's charity accreditation function serving donors and nonprofits.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/stiftung_zewo
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCzjsVJro12OXcvvx1LQP8tw
• Facebookfacebook.com/Stiftung.ZEWO
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/stiftung-zewo

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

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 Stiftung Zewo