What Swiss Solidarity does

Swiss Solidarity (operating as Glückskette in German, Chaîne du Bonheur in French, and Catena della Solidarietà in Italian) is a Swiss humanitarian foundation established on 26 September 1946 and headquartered at Bâtiment RTS in Geneva with operational offices in Zürich. It is Switzerland's largest private humanitarian foundation, with cumulative donations of over CHF 2 billion raised across more than 250 collections since founding. Its mission is to mobilize Swiss public solidarity in response to natural disasters, armed conflicts, and social hardship both in Switzerland and abroad, by channelling donations through an accredited network of 28 Swiss humanitarian and child-aid partner organizations (including Caritas Schweiz, Swiss Red Cross, Helvetas, MSF, Save the Children, Terre des hommes, Medair, HEKS, SWISSAID, Solidar Suisse, and Stiftung Kinderdorf Pestalozzi).

The foundation's core product is an integrated donation-and-disbursement service. Its central digital surface is spenden.glueckskette.ch, an iRaiser-powered multilingual donation portal accepting QR-Rechnung (IBAN CH82 0900 0000 1001 5000 6), TWINT, Mastercard, Visa, American Express, PayPal, Apple Pay and PostFinance Pay, with SSL-encrypted processing and tax-deductible receipts. On top of this platform sit the permanent Nothilfefonds (Emergency Relief Fund) for same-day disbursement before public appeals, themed ongoing campaigns (Kinderschutz in der Schweiz, Kinderhilfe International, Aid for Disasters and Crises in Switzerland), disaster-response appeals (Ukraine CHF 142.8m cumulative; Myanmar earthquake; Gaza; Sudan; Lebanon), and the recurring Solidarit\u00e4tswoche / Nationaler Solidarit\u00e4tstag broadcast events run jointly with SRG SSR (Swiss public broadcaster).

Revenue mechanics are donation-based rather than transactional. The foundation collects one-time gifts (suggested tiers CHF 50/100/200/500), recurring monthly subscriptions (CHF 15/30 for child aid; CHF 25/35/60/125 for the Emergency Fund), corporate and institutional contributions (Swisscom, Victorinox, Lindt & Sprüngli, Groupe Mutuel, multiple cantonal lottery funds), and legacies/estates (CHF 14.69m from legacies alone in 2019). Donations are deployed to partner-organization projects under an independent Projektkommission and are tax-deductible in Switzerland. GTM is event-driven: crises trigger solidarity days that combine SRG SSR broadcast reach, social media (#SwissSolidarityChallenge), email, school programs, press relations, and celebrity-ambassador phone-centre operations to drive same-day multi-million CHF inflows. The 2025 result was CHF 52.6 million raised, supporting 3.1 million people across concurrent humanitarian crises.

Name

Swiss Solidarity

Legal name

Fondation suisse de la Chaîne du Bonheur

Website

https://glueckskette.ch

Company type

Private

Founded year

1946

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Swiss Solidarity (Glückskette / Chaîne du Bonheur) is Switzerland's largest private humanitarian foundation, founded in 1946, that mobilizes public donations for victims of disasters and crises in Switzerland and abroad via 28 accredited Swiss partner NGOs.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Humanitarian Aid & Disaster Relief Fundraising

NAICS

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

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300)

akta.pro primary industry

Community Foundations (BPAGAKAB)

akta.pro secondary industry

Environmental & Climate Grantmaking Foundations (BPAGAKAM)

Keywords

• Humanitarian fundraising
• Disaster relief donations
• Emergency aid foundation
• Children protection charity
• Humanitarian aid distribution

Headquarters

HQ city

Geneva

HQ country

Switzerland

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. One-time donations: Individual one-time gifts collected via website, QR-Rechnung, bank transfer, phone hotline (during national solidarity days), and at physical events. Donation tiers of 50, 100, 200, 500 CHF are suggested on the form. Tax-deductible in Switzerland.
2. Recurring monthly donations (subscriptions): Monthly giving programs (e.g., CHF 15 / 30 for children's aid; CHF 25 / 35 / 60 / 125 for the Emergency Fund) producing predictable recurring inflow.
3. Legacies, bequests and corporate giving: Estate gifts (Legate/Erbschaften), corporate partnerships, private events, and cantonal/municipal government contributions — in 2019 legacies alone contributed 14.69 million CHF.
4. Institutional major-donor gifts (corporations & cantons): Larger one-time contributions from institutional donors (e.g., Swisscom, Victorinox, Cantons of Bern, Aargau, St. Gallen, Zug, Schwyz, Solothurn, City of Lucerne) — each contributing above CHF 20,000 to specific appeals.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

Swiss Solidarity is a Swiss humanitarian foundation that mobilises public donations in Switzerland and disburses them via 28 accredited Swiss partner NGOs to fund emergency relief and reconstruction projects in Switzerland and abroad. Its core activity is event-driven fundraising — triggered by catastrophes (earthquakes, storms, wars, epidemics, landslides) and structural social-hardship appeals — supported by a permanent Nothilfefonds that enables same-day response, recurring monthly giving programs, corporate and cantonal partnerships, and legacy/estate giving.

Product overview

Swiss Solidarity (Glückskette / Chaîne du Bonheur) is a Swiss humanitarian foundation (Stiftung) founded in 1946, not a multi-product SaaS platform — its offering is a single unified donation-and-disbursement service built around several components. The central digital product is the iRaiser-powered online donation platform (spenden.glueckskette.ch), which accepts QR-bills, TWINT, PayPal, Apple Pay, Postfinance Pay, Mastercard, Visa and American Express. On top of this platform sits the permanent Nothilfefonds (Emergency Relief Fund), the rotating themed campaigns (Kinderschutz in der Schweiz, Kinderhilfe International, Earthquake in Southeast Asia / Myanmar, Gaza, Sudan, Lebanon, Ukraine, Aid for Disasters and Crises in Switzerland), the recurring Solidaritätswoche / Nationaler Solidaritätstag run jointly with SRG SSR, and supporting programmes for Partnerorganisationen, corporate partners and sponsoring foundations. Together these modules form one integrated donation-and-fund-disbursement operation rather than a portfolio of independent products.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Online Donation Platform (spenden.glueckskette.ch) Self-serve donation checkout accepting QR-bill (IBAN CH82 0900 0000 1001 5000 6), TWINT, Mastercard, Visa, American Express, PayPal, Apple Pay and PostFinance Pay; supports one-off and recurring donations, plus corporate and legacy giving. For individual Swiss donors and institutional partners.
• Nothilfefonds (Emergency Relief Fund) Permanent, immediately deployable reserve that enables the foundation to act in the first hours and days of a disaster (war, flooding, earthquake, epidemic) without lengthy administrative procedures, often before a dedicated appeal is launched. For affected populations worldwide and in Switzerland.
• Current Fundraising Campaigns (Sammlungen) Suite of active themed donation campaigns covering the humanitarian crises in Lebanon, Sudan, Gaza and Ukraine, the Earthquake in Southeast Asia (Myanmar), Aid for Disasters and Crises in Switzerland, Child Protection in Switzerland and International Children's Aid. For Swiss donors responding to ongoing humanitarian crises.
• Kinderschutz in der Schweiz (Child Protection in Switzerland) Swiss-focused appeal funding protection, care and access to education for children in Switzerland affected by violence or hardship, working with local partner organisations. For vulnerable children in Switzerland.
• Kinderhilfe International (International Children's Aid) Worldwide children's aid fund supporting education, health, and protection projects through Swiss partner organisations; raised CHF 5,409,713 in the current campaign. For children affected by crises outside Switzerland.
• Erdbeben in Südostasien / Myanmar Campaign Earthquake response appeal following the 7.7-magnitude quake on 28 March 2025; funded 14 humanitarian projects from nine Swiss partner organisations and reached 230,000 people in Myanmar. CHF 7,782,214 raised. For earthquake-affected populations in Myanmar.
• Partnerorganisationen (Partner Organisations) Programme Framework through which accredited Swiss humanitarian and children's-aid NGOs apply for project accreditation and funding; supports 28 partner organisations abroad and various local organisations in Switzerland. For accredited Swiss humanitarian and child-aid NGOs.
• Corporate and Foundation Partnerships (Unternehmenspartner / Förderstiftungen) Programs for companies, sponsoring foundations, school classes and volunteers to engage with the foundation, including corporate giving, employee donation drives, school engagement materials and volunteer opportunities. For Swiss corporates, sponsoring foundations and schools.
• Legacies and Estate Giving (Legate und Erbschaften) Personal advisory and dedicated information page guiding Swiss testators to include Swiss Solidarity in their wills. Legacies alone contributed CHF 14.69 million in 2019. For Swiss testators planning charitable estate gifts.
• Krieg in der Ukraine Campaign (Ukraine War Appeal) National solidarity appeal raising funds for victims of the war in Ukraine across Ukraine, Moldova, Romania, Poland and Switzerland; cumulative CHF 142.8 million raised. For war-affected populations in Ukraine and neighbouring countries.

Quantifiable outcome

• CHF 52.6 million raised in 2025, helping 3.1 million people in Switzerland and worldwide
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers18 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration9 records

Feature4 records

Partnerships

16 partnerships are on record, tiered flagship, core and minor.

• SRG SSR (Swiss Broadcasting Corporation)flagshipGTM or Marketing PartnerSwiss Solidarity's core strategic media partner since 1946: SRG SSR and its enterprise units (SRF, RTS, RSI, RTR) provide free nationwide TV/radio coverage of solidarity days, broadcast appeals and donate airtime during catastrophes — the single most important channel enabling Switzerland-wide donor mobilisation.
• HelvetascoreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerOne of 28 accredited Swiss partner NGOs; implements water/infrastructure, agriculture, education, environment, disaster prevention and reconstruction projects in Africa, Asia, South America and Eastern Europe. Active in Myanmar (cash transfers to 6,500+ vulnerable families).
• Caritas SchweizcoreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerMandated Swiss Solidarity partner for Soforthilfe Switzerland and international disaster response. Operates a network of regional Caritas organisations and implements projects in Myanmar (cash assistance, hygiene kits, sanitary infrastructure, child-friendly spaces).
• Schweizerisches Rotes Kreuz (Swiss Red Cross)coreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerSwitzerland's oldest and largest humanitarian organisation; mandated Soforthilfe partner with cantonal associations, active in ~30 countries. Jointly manages the 'Naturkatastrophen Schweiz' permanent fund with Caritas.
• Save the Children SchweizcoreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerIndependent Swiss member of the world's largest children's-rights organisation; protects children in Switzerland and internationally. Implemented cash-assistance projects for 15,000+ people in Myanmar.
• SWISSAIDcoreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerOne of Switzerland's most experienced development organisations, focused on ending hunger; in Myanmar supplies food to ~9,000 people, kitchen sets to 800 families, shelter kits to 1,000 families and hygiene items to 200 women.
• Terre des hommescoreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerSwiss foundation active in 35+ countries with projects in health, child protection and emergency aid, serving ~3 million children and families annually. Operates mobile clinic in Mandalay (Myanmar) reaching 4,000+ people.
• Médecins Sans Frontières / Ärzte ohne Grenzen (MSF)coreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerInternational independent medical humanitarian organisation delivering emergency medical care in armed conflicts, epidemics, weak health systems and natural disasters. Accredited Swiss Solidarity partner implementing emergency projects in Myanmar and elsewhere.
• HEKS (Hilfswerk der Evangelisch-reformierten Kirche Schweiz)coreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerReformed Church aid agency delivering humanitarian relief after natural disasters and armed conflicts and tackling root causes of poverty. In Myanmar delivers direct cash aid to >3,500 families.
• Solidar SuissecoreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerSwiss organisation advocating globally for a fairer society, fair working conditions and democracy; runs humanitarian disaster-relief programmes and information campaigns in Switzerland. Active in Myanmar (cash support for ~3,000 families).
• MedaircoreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerHumanitarian organisation helping people in remote and neglected regions survive crises, recover with dignity and develop skills. Provides cash assistance and psychosocial support to 15,000+ people in Mandalay, Sagaing and Shan (Myanmar).
• Stiftung Kinderdorf PestalozzicoreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerFoundation active in 12 countries supporting access to quality education for children and youth; in Switzerland runs intercultural experiential-education projects for school children. Listed as Swiss Solidarity partner in Myanmar.
• SwisscomflagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerSwiss telecom incumbent; institutional partner since 1946 and Founding Partner of the Rapid Response Network. Made >CHF 20,000 institutional donation to the Myanmar earthquake appeal.
• VictorinoxminorGTM or Marketing PartnerSwiss knife/outdoor brand; donated to Myanmar earthquake appeal on behalf of the company and all its employees (gift >CHF 20,000).
• iRaisercoreTechnology or IntegrationEuropean fundraising-platform vendor powering the Swiss Solidarity donation portal (spenden.glueckskette.ch) — multi-payment, multilingual donation infrastructure with SSL encryption.
• PostFinance / Swiss PostcoreTechnology or IntegrationBank/postal partner hosting the foundation's primary donation account (IBAN CH82 0900 0000 1001 5000 6; SWIFT POFICHBEXXX, 3030 Bern); provides QR-Rechnung and PostFinance Pay rails.

Scale indicators11 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Aktion Deutschland Hilft: German alliance of 24 humanitarian aid organisations that jointly run televised fundraising appeals with German broadcasters — the closest structural analogue to Glückskette's SRG SSR + 28-NGO model, just in the German DACH market.
• Helvetas: Swiss development cooperation organisation and accredited Glückskette partner implementing water, agriculture and disaster-recovery projects; runs its own donation programme and competes for the Swiss international-aid donor.
• Centraide (United Way Switzerland): Swiss federation of regional fundraising foundations supporting social projects nationally — directly comparable fundraising model (national brand + accredited local partners + recurring giving) operating in the same Swiss donor market.
• Terre des hommes Schweiz: Swiss children's-aid foundation active in 35+ countries serving ~3M children; accredited Glückskette partner but also an independent fundraiser — competes directly in the Swiss children's-aid donation segment.
• Save the Children Schweiz: Accredited Glückskette partner running cash-assistance projects in Myanmar; also a direct competitor for Swiss children's-aid donations under its own brand — direct overlap on cause and donor base.

Broad incumbents

• Swiss Red Cross (Schweizerisches Rotes Kreuz): Switzerland's largest humanitarian organisation and a mandated implementing partner of Glückskette; runs its own fundraising and operates in 30+ countries. Comparable on humanitarian scope and donor base but larger and broader, with its own Soforthilfe mandate.
• Caritas Schweiz: Major Swiss humanitarian and development NGO, mandated Glückskette partner for Soforthilfe Switzerland and international disaster response; runs its own large donation programme and competes partially with Glückskette for Swiss humanitarian donor mindshare.
• Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) Switzerland: Accredited Swiss Solidarity partner delivering medical humanitarian aid internationally; also operates its own large Swiss donation programme and competes for the same pool of Swiss humanitarian donors, especially during medical emergencies.
• UNICEF Switzerland: UN children's agency with a Swiss fundraising office competing for the children's-aid segment; comparable cause footprint and donor demographic, particularly on recurring giving and corporate partnerships.

Emerging players

• GlobalGiving: Online crowdfunding platform for international humanitarian and development projects; competes for digital-native donors globally and increasingly in Switzerland, offering an alternative donation-rail model to Glückskette's own portal.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/swiss-solidarity

Compliance3 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 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 Swiss Solidarity