What A Bleistift For Everyone does

A Bleistift FOR EVERYONE (legal entity: ABFE – A Bleistift FOR EVERYONE gGmbH) is a German non-profit charitable organization founded around 2018–2019 and headquartered in Potsdam, Germany. The organization runs education projects for children in developing countries, operating school-based initiatives in Madagascar, Nepal, Pakistan, the Philippines, and Tanzania, and is evaluating expansion to Togo. Programs span education infrastructure, hygiene (toothbrush, toothpaste, soap kits distributed 3–4 times per year), and since 2024, health prevention/annual check-ups for school children.

The organization's revenue model combines four streams: (1) direct e-commerce and event sales of physical products with embedded donations (pencils trigger a one-for-one pencil donation, notebooks contribute €1 to education projects, soaps fund hygiene kits, keychains and phone straps fund shoes for school children, and lunch boxes support broader programming); (2) one-time and recurring donations from individuals, including a 'Wissensstifter' sustainer program and 'Patenschaft' sponsorships; (3) corporate social sponsorship covering branded merchandise, keynote presentations by Managing Director Maren Reisner, and event partnerships; and (4) foundation and grant funding (e.g., BNI-Foundation support for the Nepal hygiene program). Distribution spans the organization's own e-commerce site, Christmas markets and bazaars, school-based reselling across multiple German schools, and direct corporate gifting.

A Bleistift FOR EVERYONE operates without disclosed venture capital, private equity, or institutional investment, and is led by founder and Managing Director Maren Reisner. The technology stack is conventional non-profit infrastructure — WordPress CMS, PayPal/SEPA/bank-transfer payments, Brevo email newsletters, and Google/1&1/WordPress analytics — with no disclosed AI/ML, proprietary software, or platform architecture beyond a standard website.

Name

A Bleistift For Everyone

Legal name

ABFE - A Bleistift FOR EVERYONE gGmbH

Website

https://ableistift.de

Company type

Private

Founded year

2019

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

A Bleistift FOR EVERYONE is a German non-profit gGmbH that funds education, hygiene, and health programs for children in developing countries through a buy-one-give-one product model (pencils, notebooks, soaps, keychains), individual donations, corporate social sponsorship, and grants, while engaging German schools and consumers in its mission.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Non-profit education and development cooperation services

NAICS

Grantmaking and Giving Services (8132)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

School Feeding & Social Protection Partnerships (Conditional Cash Transfers, etc.) (EDADALAL)

akta.pro secondary industry

Instructional Equipment & Classroom Tools (Whiteboards, Lab Kits, Manipulatives) (EDAEAIAB)

Keywords

• Social commerce nonprofit
• Buy-one-give-one products
• Education charity programs
• Charitable merchandise sales
• Development cooperation projects

Headquarters

HQ city

Potsdam

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Supply Chain, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure, Others

Revenue model

1. Product Sales with Embedded Donations: Products are sold at fixed unit prices with a charitable 'buy one, give one' mechanic embedded: pencils donate pencils, notebooks donate 1 USD to projects, soaps donate hygiene sets, keychains/phone straps donate shoes. Revenue is generated from individual consumers, schools, and companies purchasing products.
2. Donations and Sponsorship: One-time and recurring donations from individuals and institutional donors, including corporate social sponsorship where companies fund specific projects or programs.
3. Social Sponsoring for Companies: Corporate partners sponsor projects in exchange for branding, advertising gifts, and keynote speech opportunities at corporate events.
4. Grant Funding: Funding from foundations and public grant programs supporting education and development projects in developing countries.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels11 records

Core offering

A Bleistift FOR EVERYONE operates education, hygiene, and health projects for children in developing countries (Madagascar, Nepal, Pakistan, Philippines, Tanzania), financed through a 'buy one, give one' product model. It sells pencils, notebooks, soaps, keychains, phone straps, lunch boxes, and earrings on its own e-commerce shop and at events; each pencil sold donates one pencil, each notebook donates USD 1 to a project, each soap donates a hygiene kit, and each keychain or phone strap provides shoes to a school child. The organization additionally accepts individual/corporate donations, social sponsorship from companies, and grant funding, and delivers school engagement programs and keynote presentations.

Product overview

A Bleistift For Everyone is a non-profit organization (gGmbH) operating a social commerce model where every product sale directly funds education projects for children in developing countries. The core product portfolio consists of pencils (one-for-one donation model), notebooks (1 USD per notebook to projects), and various donation products including soaps with hygiene kits, keychains, phone straps, and lunch boxes. The organization runs education projects in Madagascar, Nepal, Pakistan, Philippines, Tanzania, and is exploring expansion to Togo. Additional programs include health prevention, hygiene education, and social engagement initiatives for schools in Germany.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Bleistifte (Pencils) Branded pencils sold through the own e-commerce shop and at events; for each pencil purchased, one pencil is donated to a child in a developing country. The core product that anchors the organization's educational mission.
• Blöcke (Notebooks) Writing notebooks where every purchase donates USD 1 to one of the organization's education projects in developing countries.
• Seife mit Seifendose (Soap with Soap Dish) Savon de Marseille soap with included soap dish and drip tray, priced at €9.95; each purchase provides a hygiene kit (toothbrush, toothpaste, soap) to a school child in the organization's projects.
• Schlüsselanhänger (Keychains) Keychains priced at €29.00 per unit; each keychain purchased provides urgently needed shoes to school children in developing countries.
• Handybänder (Phone Straps) Phone straps priced at €37.00 per unit; each phone strap purchased provides urgently needed shoes to a school child in a developing country.
• Brotdose (Lunch Box) Lunch boxes priced at €27.00 per unit, part of the product range that supports the organization's education projects.
• Ohrringe (Earrings) Earrings available as part of the product assortment supporting the organization's mission.
• Sets Bundled product sets combining pencils, notebooks, and other items for purchase.
• Spendenprodukte (Donation Products) A category of products specifically designed for charitable giving, where each purchase directly funds education, hygiene, or shoe-support programs for children in developing countries.
• Hygiene Program at project schools Program component providing toothbrush, toothpaste, and soap hygiene kits to school children 3-4 times per year, funded by soap product sales and supported by the BNI-Foundation grant.
• Health prevention / annual check-ups program Health prevention and annual check-up program implemented at project schools (e.g., Pier 3 in Cebu City, Philippines), targeting school children at multiple project sites.
• Corporate social sponsorship packages (Werbegeschenke, Patenschaften, Firmenevent) Corporate offering encompassing social sponsoring, branded advertising gifts (customized pencils and notebooks), keynote presentations at corporate events, and one-time donations for businesses pursuing CSR objectives.
• School engagement programs (sozialer Aktionstag, Impulsvortrag, Spendenaktion, Schulverkauf) Programs for German schools covering social action days, keynote talks, donation campaigns, school shop merchandise (Schul-Bleistifte), online ordering campaigns, welcome gifts, donation runs (Spendenlauf), and student companies (Schülerfirma).

Quantifiable outcome

• Every pencil purchased = 1 pencil donated to a child in a developing country
• +5 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

Integration8 records

Partnerships

Eleven partnerships are on record, tiered supporting partner, project partner, network member, event partner and school partner.

• UmweltDruckereisupporting partnerStrategic or Co-development PartnerAn ecological online printing company (Ökologische Online-Druckerei) that uses exclusively recycled and bio-materials and renewable energy. Printed A Bleistift's stamped flyer (with embedded pencil) and promotional materials for the social action day program. Shares similar holistic and sustainable values. Also supports environmental projects like the Great Green Wall in the Sahel zone.
• Kinderlachen-Bahia e.V.project partnerStrategic or Co-development PartnerBrazilian charity organization. A Bleistift FOR EVERYONE supported the Kinderlachen-Bahia education project in Brazil, distributing pencils to children. Connection established at the Christmas bazaar of Nymphenburger Schulen in Munich.
• Fjordkind-Reisensupporting partnerGTM or Marketing PartnerTravel company that provides pencils from A Bleistift FOR EVERYONE to all children traveling with them, included in travel documents. Helps spread awareness of the mission and supports the organization by distributing pencils.
• SEND e.V.network memberStrategic or Co-development PartnerGerman development policy network (Send e.V.) of which A Bleistift FOR EVERYONE is a member, connecting with other organizations working in development cooperation.
• Netzwerk Stiftungen Bildungnetwork memberStrategic or Co-development PartnerNetwork of foundations focused on education (Stiftung Bildung) of which A Bleistift FOR EVERYONE is a member, providing networking and knowledge-sharing opportunities in the education sector.
• Landpartien Schloss Gödensevent partnerGTM or Marketing PartnerEntertainment company that invited A Bleistift FOR EVERYONE as its official social project at the Landpartien events at Burg Adendorf, providing a platform to raise awareness and sell products.
• Rotary Club Potsdam Alter Marktsupporting partnerGTM or Marketing PartnerLocal Rotary Club that invited A Bleistift FOR EVERYONE to deliver a keynote presentation at their Christmas celebration, resulting in spontaneous donations from attendees.
• Jüdische Grundschule Heinz-Galinski Berlinschool partnerGTM or Marketing PartnerFirst-grade class of the Jewish Elementary School in Berlin actively supported A Bleistift FOR EVERYONE, demonstrating early social engagement among students.
• Johann-Sebastian-Bach-Gymnasium Mannheimschool partnerGTM or Marketing PartnerGerman secondary school where a parent recruited the school to support A Bleistift FOR EVERYONE, raising student awareness about education disparities in developing countries.
• Katholische Schule Liebfrauen Berlinschool partnerGTM or Marketing PartnerGerman school where A Bleistift FOR EVERYONE delivered a presentation to 5th and 6th graders about development cooperation and the importance of education in developing countries.
• Nymphenburger Schulen Münchenschool partnerGTM or Marketing PartnerGerman school group in Munich that invited A Bleistift FOR EVERYONE to participate in their annual Christmas bazaar, where the organization connected with Kinderlachen-Bahia e.V. and engaged with the broader community.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• War Child: International non-profit providing education and protection to children affected by conflict. Peer in delivering education programs to children in fragile jurisdictions with multi-country operations.
• Pencils of Promise: US-based non-profit that funds education programs and builds schools in developing countries, founded on a 'a pencil for a pencil' ethos. Direct peer to ABFE given the shared pencil-centric brand identity and education-in-developing-countries mission.
• Room to Read: Global non-profit focused on literacy and girls' education in low-income countries. Direct peer operating education projects across multiple developing countries with a similar donor-funded model.
• charity: water: Mission-driven non-profit with strong storytelling, transparency, and digital fundraising. Peer in operating as a small-to-mid-sized NGO that depends on individual donors and transparent impact reporting.
• TOMS: Pioneer of the buy-one-give-one consumer product model. Direct peer in terms of embedding charitable giving into everyday product purchases, though TOMS is for-profit while ABFE is a non-profit.

Broad incumbents

• Plan International Germany: German arm of Plan International, focused on children's rights and equality for girls. Broad incumbent peer in the German NGO market addressing education and child welfare in developing countries.
• Save the Children Germany: Large German branch of the global child welfare NGO. Broad incumbent peer competing for the same German donor and CSR budgets, though operating at significantly larger scale with broader program scope.
• NABU: One of Germany's largest nature and environmental NGOs with active development cooperation programs. Broad incumbent peer demonstrating how a major German NGO can blend project delivery, corporate partnerships, and membership-driven fundraising at scale.
• SOS Children's Villages Germany: Large German-based international NGO supporting children and families. Broad incumbent peer in the German non-profit ecosystem with established fundraising infrastructure and corporate partnerships.
• UNICEF Germany: German national committee of UNICEF, a global leader in children's education and welfare. Broad incumbent peer competing for individual donors, corporate partnerships, and grant funding in Germany.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UC3NpyCqMbVSUIkOw998zDOA
• Facebookfacebook.com/ABleistiftForEveryone
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/a-bleistift-for-everyone
• Instagraminstagram.com/a_bleistift

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

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 A Bleistift For Everyone