missio Aachen

What missio Aachen does

missio Aachen, legally missio – Internationales Katholisches Missionswerk e.V., is a German Catholic missionary aid organization founded in 1832 (as Franziskus-Xaverius-Missionsverein, renamed in 1972) and headquartered in Aachen. It funds pastoral, educational, humanitarian, and emergency-aid projects implemented by local church partners across more than 60 countries in Africa, Asia, Oceania, and the Middle East, and produces advocacy programs on religious freedom, protection of religious women, and anti-witchcraft persecution. In FY2024 missio deployed €42.28 million across more than 1,000 active projects and ran 103 full-time positions.

The organization's revenue is built from individual donations (€20.94M in 2024), church-tax allocations routed through the Verband der Diözesen Deutschlands (€13.88M), World Mission Sunday and other church collections (€3.40M), retail and e-commerce sales through the online shop and the 'weltweit am Dom' store near Aachen Cathedral (jointly operated with Kindermissionswerk), testamentary giving via Stiftung pro missio, and a corporate CO2-compensation track. Distribution runs through a network of 13 regional missio offices embedded in German dioceses, an online donation platform built on Microsoft Business Central, email automation via ActiveCampaign, and web analytics on Google Analytics. Transparency is anchored by the DZI Spenden-Siegel and the Initiative Transparente Zivilgesellschaft certification, with administrative and advertising costs reported at 17.18% of funds used in 2024.

Name

missio Aachen

Legal name

missio - Internationales Katholisches Missionswerk e.V.

Website

https://missio-hilft.de

Company type

Private

Founded year

1832

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

missio Aachen is a German Catholic missionary aid organization that funds pastoral, educational, humanitarian, and emergency-aid projects through local church partners in more than 60 countries, financed by individual donations, church-tax allocations, parish collections, retail sales, and corporate giving.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

International Humanitarian Aid and Catholic Missionary Charity

NAICS

Religious, Grantmaking, Civic, Professional, and Similar Organizations (813), Grantmaking Foundations (813211), Civic and Social Organizations (8134)

akta.pro primary industry

Faith-Based Humanitarian Aid & Relief Ministries (BPAGAJAF)

akta.pro secondary industries

Faith-Based Missions & Evangelism Organizations (Domestic & International) (BPAGAJAE), Grantmaking & Philanthropic Funds (Institutional Donors) (BPADAOAB), Faith-Based & Mission Service Programs (EDAIAGAI)

Keywords

• International humanitarian aid
• Catholic missionary funding
• Charity donation programs
• Religious freedom advocacy
• Fair trade publications

Headquarters

HQ city

Aachen

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices12 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Operations, Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Supply Chain

Revenue model

1. Private Donations: Individual donations from supporters, including one-time gifts, recurring donations, and project-specific funding. Total donations received in 2024: €20.94 million
2. Church Tax Funding: Funds received through Verband der Diözesen Deutschlands (VDD) from church tax revenues allocated as solidarity contributions for projects in Africa, Asia, and Oceania. In 2024: €13.88 million
3. Church Collections: Collections taken during World Mission Sunday and other church events. In 2024: €3.40 million
4. Retail Sales: Revenue from online shop and 'weltweit am Dom' retail store selling publications, fair trade products, and religious items from Africa, Asia, and Oceania
5. Foundations and Legacies: Endowment contributions through Stiftung pro missio and testamentary bequests
6. Corporate Partnerships: CO2 compensation projects and corporate giving programs for businesses

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels6 records

Marketing channels10 records

Core offering

missio Aachen funds and operates international Catholic missionary projects in over 60 countries across Africa, Asia, Oceania, and the Middle East, distributing donations from German Catholics, church tax funds, and church collections to local church partners. It runs pastoral and emergency aid programs, advocacy campaigns for religious freedom and protection of religious sisters, and operates a fair trade retail and e-commerce operation selling publications and goods from the Global South.

Product overview

missio Aachen is a Catholic international missionary organization (Internationales Katholisches Missionswerk e.V.) founded in 1832, operating as a charitable foundation rather than a commercial technology company. The organization offers a portfolio of interconnected programs and services: its core Online-Shop (shop.missio-hilft.de) sells publications, fair trade products, and spiritual resources; the physical 'weltweit am Dom' retail store in Aachen provides a curated selection of ethical goods from Africa, Asia, and Oceania; the missio-Magazin 'kontinente' serves as a quarterly publication covering global missionary work; and multiple campaign programs (Aktion Schutzengel, Weltmissionssonntag, Afrikatag) mobilize public engagement. The organization also runs advocacy programs for religious freedom, protection of religious women, and anti-witch persecution, while its grant programs (Pastoralprojekte, Akuthilfeprojekte) fund church partners in over 60 countries. Spiritual resources including the Ökumenisches Friedensgebet, Heilsame Gedanken und Segenswünsche, and the Gebetsgemeinschaft prayer community provide devotional materials, all accessible via RSS subscription for news updates.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Online-Shop (shop.missio-hilft.de) E-commerce platform selling missio publications, fair trade products from Africa, Asia and Oceania, prayer materials, and campaign resources. Available 24/7 with standard shipping to Germany and international destinations.
• weltweit am Dom Physical retail store located near Aachen Cathedral, operated jointly by missio and Kindermissionswerk 'Die Sternsinger' and Diocese of Aachen. Sells publications, fair trade ecological products, art and crafts from Africa, Asia and Oceania. Open Monday to Saturday, 10:00-18:00, and Sundays during Advent.
• missio-Magazin kontinente Quarterly magazine featuring stories from Africa, Asia and Oceania, recipes, current affairs, interviews, and reports from the field. Published by Kontinente Missionsverlag (in which missio holds 60% stake).
• Aktion Schutzengel (Angel Action) Campaign program focused on protecting the environment and human rights, including mobile phone donation drives, advocacy against electronic waste, mica mining exploitation, and a missio truck for educational outreach.
• Weltmissionssonntag (World Mission Sunday) Annual World Mission Sunday campaign held in October, mobilizing German Catholics for worldwide mission work. Each year focuses on a specific country, with 2026 highlighting Madagascar.
• Afrikatag (Africa Day) Annual Africa Day campaign to raise awareness and support for Africa, with the 2026 edition focusing on South Sudan through media stories about displacement, faith, and new beginnings.
• Religionsfreiheit (Religious Freedom Program) Human rights advocacy program documenting religious persecution worldwide, providing country reports, and supporting persecuted Christians through petitions and public awareness campaigns.
• Ordensfrauen weltweit stärken (Strengthen Religious Sisters Worldwide) Safeguarding program addressing abuse of religious women worldwide, working with partner churches in Africa, Asia and Oceania to implement protection measures and support survivors.
• Gegen Hexenverfolgung (Against Witch Persecution) Campaign against witch persecution, particularly active in Papua-New Guinea where Sister Lorena Jenal works to protect women accused of witchcraft from violence and discrimination.
• Pastoralprojekte (Pastoral Project Grants) Funding program for pastoral projects supporting catechists, priests, religious men and women who provide spiritual care and community services in missio's project countries.
• Akuthilfeprojekte (Emergency Aid Grants) Emergency aid funding for regions affected by violent conflicts and natural disasters, supporting church organizations that provide humanitarian assistance when other systems have collapsed.
• Ausstellung 'Religionsfreiheit unter Druck' (Traveling Exhibition on Religious Freedom) Traveling exhibition raising awareness about religious persecution of Christians worldwide, available for loan to parishes and institutions.

Quantifiable outcome

• €42.28 million deployed to support projects in 60+ countries in 2024
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers10 records

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration5 records

Partnerships

Twelve partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• BEGECA BeschaffungsgesellschaftminorOthersBusiness shareholding of 7.84% in the procurement company
• Kontinente MissionsverlagcoreOthers60% ownership stake in the missions publishing house, supporting publication and distribution of Catholic missionary materials
• raptim Deutschland BeteiligungsgesellschaftminorOthers10% stake in the church travel agency providing travel services for mission and church work
• Lateinische Patriarchat von Jerusalem (Patriarch Pierbattista Pizzaballa)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerStrategic partner for humanitarian aid distribution in Gaza, coordinating delivery of essential supplies to 250 Christian families through the Holy Family Compound
• Karuna Myanmar Social ServicescoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerImplementing partner for HOPE vocational training program providing education for 270 marginalized youth in conflict-affected Myanmar
• Esther Nenge Vungbo / Dominicains de LolocoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLocal partner for support of 50 Dominican sisters providing education, healthcare, and pastoral services in DR Congo
• Helen Hakena / Catholic Women's Association BougainvillecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner for women's empowerment program supporting 192 women in Diocese of Bougainville, Papua New Guinea through leadership training and financial education
• Saw Nyeien ChancoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerProject partner for social services and community development programs in Myanmar
• Local Churches and Dioceses in Africa, Asia, OceaniacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNetwork of over 1,000 project partnerships with local churches, dioceses, and religious orders implementing pastoral, educational, and humanitarian programs across 60+ countries
• Diözesen in Deutschland (German Dioceses)coreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorPartnership with 27 German dioceses through 13 regional missio offices for parish engagement, World Mission Sunday collections, and educational programs
• Jesuit Refugee Service (JRS)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner for refugee support in Thailand/Myanmar border camps providing food security and humanitarian assistance
• Kindermissionswerk 'Die Sternsinger'coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerJoint operation of 'weltweit am Dom' retail store and shared mission activities with German Catholic children's missionary organization

Scale indicators9 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Misereor: Germany's largest Catholic development aid agency, also based in Aachen, with comparable international project funding across Africa, Asia, and Latin America. Closest structural peer: same Catholic donor base, same VDD allocation mechanism, same DZI certification, complementary geographic footprint.
• Kindermissionswerk 'Die Sternsinger': The other German Catholic children's mission aid agency. They jointly operate the 'weltweit am Dom' retail store with missio Aachen and are direct collaborators and competitors within the same German Catholic solidarity ecosystem, sharing donor channels and project partner networks.
• Welthungerhilfe (German World Hunger Aid): Large German secular NGO focused on ending hunger, with comparable project portfolios across Africa and Asia and substantial annual revenue (~€300M+). Comparable DZI-certified transparency, German donor base, and conflict-zone project execution model.
• Adveniat: Catholic aid organization focused on Latin America and Caribbean, also funded via VDD allocations and parish collections in Germany. Comparable DZI-certified program structure and German Catholic donor engagement model, with geographic specialization that complements missio's Africa/Asia/Oceania focus.
• Deutscher Caritasverband (Caritas Germany): Germany's largest Catholic welfare confederation and charity, a direct peer in Catholic humanitarian operations, domestic social services, and international aid. Shares the same VDD funding pathways, diocesan network, and DZI-certified transparency framework as missio Aachen.
• Cap Anamur / Deutsche Not-Ärzte: German emergency humanitarian aid organization that combines medical humanitarian action with refugee support, comparable DZI-certified operations and German donor base, with similar focus on conflict-zone delivery and emphasis on transparent reporting.
• Renovabis: Catholic aid organization focused on Central and Eastern Europe, sharing the same operational model (VDD allocation, parish collection campaigns, project partnerships). Direct competitor for German Catholic donor attention and solidarity campaign funding.
• Brot für die Welt (Bread for the World): The Protestant counterpart in Germany for faith-based development cooperation, run by Diakonie and the Evangelical Church in Germany. Operates with similar project funding model, DZI standards, German donor base, and ~€250M+ annual international program funding.
• missio München: The sister missio organization based in Munich, the second Catholic mission agency in Germany alongside missio Aachen. Sister organizational structure, shares Catholic mandate, comparable pastoral and project funding operations though with different geographic and language-focus specializations.

Broad incumbents

• Caritas International: Global confederation of 162 Catholic aid agencies including Caritas Germany. Operates as the broader umbrella network for Catholic humanitarian work worldwide, including project programs in Africa, Asia, and Oceania where missio Aachen is also active.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/missio_de
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/missioaachen

Compliance3 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles6 records

Subsidiaries3 records

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 missio Aachen