Fundraiser
A fundraising campaign in Germany is a project that collects money from people for a specific occasion. The purpose for which the money is to be used can be non-profit as well as private. It is possible to have fundraising on the internet on different platforms, on the street or at events.
Collection Laws
In most federal states of Germany there is no permit that fundraisers have to apply for. Only in Rhineland-Palatinate, Thuringia, Saarland and Baden-Wuerttemberg still exist collection laws that stipulate the requirements that fundraisers must meet. In these federal states, a permit must be obtained. But this has been abolished in all others. Therefore, it is possible for almost all legal purposes donations to collect. It looks a little different with donations for charitable or commercial purposes. In doing so, the donation collectors must adhere to the provisions of the German Civil Code and the generally applicable regulatory law.
Charitable donations
A charitable donation goes to an organization whose selfless activities are aimed at promoting the general public materially, spiritually or morally. It can be the promotion of religion, science, animal welfare, youth welfare, crime prevention, culture or monument protection.
Donations that are collected for a charitable cause are the reason that the legal requirements for collecting money have been overridden. The effort should not be too great for non-profit organizations so that the fundraising process can be initiated more quickly.
Private donations
Every private person can collect donations on the street. No permit is required for this. Most people who collect alone ask for money for themselves. But it is also possible as a private individual to raise money for charitable purposes. For the distribution of flyers and the setting up of cans in the case of a fundraising campaign, no authorization is required either.
Fundraising can also take place on the Internet. This is possible without permission. There are portals like Altruja for this. Donations for private as well as charitable purposes can be collected there.
Donor advice
The donor counseling is responsible for providing the donors with advice, information and practical tips. They also warn against dubious organizations and techniques. They determine which requirements a serious fundraising campaign must meet. That means, they award the donation seal. Donor advice is part of the German Central Institute for Social Issues Foundation (DZI) in Berlin.
By evaluating them independently, trust can be established between the organizations and the donors. As a result, the organizations are happy to turn to donor advice and disclose their information. This gives them the opportunity to receive the donation seal.
Award for serious fundraising campaigns
The donation seal from the German Central Institute for Social Issues (DZI) shows that a donation organization is reputable. The donor can be sure that his donation money will be used for serious purposes. Organizations that have been awarded this seal of approval work transparently, meet the quality requirements, provide detailed and honest information about their own organization and donation campaigns and manage the money particularly economically. The DZI donation seal is therefore a special seal of quality that is equally popular with organizations and donors. It was also recognized by Stiftung Warentest.
The DZI gives a lot of information on this on its own website.
Web links
http://www.gerichte-und-urteile.de/spenden-sammeln/
https://www.dzi.de/
Spendenaktion
https://www.gesetze-im-internet.de/bgb/