FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions
About us
How does Welthungerhilfe handle allegation of fraud or unethical behaviour?
Welthungerhilfe shows no tolerance against fraud, corruption or sexual abuse.
An email address (complaints(at)welthungerhilfe.de) as well as a contact form are installed by which our internal revision group can be reached - anonymously if preferred.
Allegations will be followed as soon as possible.
Can I become a member of Welthungerhilfe?
No. Welthungerhilfe does not offer individual memberships. At present, 27 associations, institutions, societies, political parties elected into the Bundestag, the major churches in Germany and various interest groups are members of Welthungerhilfe. When the organisation was founded in 1962, the intent was to create a charitable association which would represent and reflect all segments of the German society. It has remained that way until today. You can find further information about the members of Welthungerhilfe on our website.
What are the administration costs of Welthungerhilfe?
In 2023, our administrative costs accounted for 2.2% of the total expenditures. The costs for fundraising campaigns and related public relations work accounted for 3.8%. These figures put Welthungerhilfe below the recommendation of the German Central Institute for Social Issues (Deutsche Zentralinstitut für soziale Fragen/ DZI), whose seal of approval Welthungerhilfe has carried for years. The DZI can provide you with independent information regarding fundraising organisations. You can access detailed information regarding the donations we received and our expenses in the current Welthungerhilfe Annual Report (2023).
Is my address and bank information well protected with Welthungerhilfe?
Our promise to you is the following: Welthungerhilfe uses its donor data exclusively for the purposes of Welthungerhilfe. Donor data to which we have access are neither sold nor leased nor passed to other organisations nor in any other form surrendered to companies for commercial purposes. Your data are secure with us. Online security: Your data will be transferred via a secure, encrypted Internet connection (SSL). In cases of fraud - the fraudulent use of the banking information of others by third parties, e.g., in the case of online donations via automatic bank transfers to be debited by Welthungerhilfe whereby damage is incurred to the account holder - we will support the criminal investigation department by providing them with the IP addresses.
Can I participate in a project?
Overseas co-operation requires specialised knowledge and professional experience. Welthungerhilfe despatches only trained employees to the project countries or crisis regions where they coordinate the aid measures to be taken. We have been co-operating with local partner organisations in the countries of assignment for years now and are able to utilise the structures and contacts of both systems in situations of crisis or disaster optimally for the care of the needy. We ask for your understanding that we cannot accept even well-intentioned offers for collaboration. You will find current job offers on our website.
Does Welthungerhilfe offer internships in Germany or overseas?
Welthungerhilfe has been offering internships in Germany and overseas for some time now. Please find out more about the requirements and the application guidelines and procedures on our website.
Does Welthungerhilfe provide help with presentations, seminar research papers, research projects or dissertations?
We appreciate the many subject-related enquiries and questionnaires submitted by pupils, students or PhD candidates, as we value the interest as recognition of the work we do. Unfortunately we cannot do justice to all the enquiries – in particular when they would involve personal interviews. As an organisation funded by donations, we try to keep our staff expenditures to a minimum. We have posted a great deal of thematically grouped information on our website and are sure that many questions will be answered there. If you still can’t find what you are looking for, please write to us. We will try to provide an answer as promptly as possible, but please allow us a little extra time for our reply.
What does the Foundation Welthungerhilfe do?
The Foundation Welthungerhilfe contributes to the long-term financing of the registered association Deutsche Welthungerhilfe e.V., whereby the organisation is responsible for the development co-operation and thus for the success of the project work. Charitable gifts given to our Foundation are granted special tax advantages which exceed the usual tax benefits accorded to donations that go to our organisation as such. Businesses as well as private individuals can support the work of Welthungerhilfe in a variety of types of grant programmes, the processing of which the Foundation takes care of. Would you like to find out more? Write to info(at)welthungerhilfe.de.
Donations
Will my donation really reach the project?
Yes – because we work directly with the people involved in the project countries. Funds from donations entrusted to us are used for the purposes they are intended for: in the short term for immediate assistance in emergency situations and start-up aid for reconstruction, in the long term as contributions for projects of help toward self-help. Donations earmarked, for example, for water, sanitation and hygiene projects, for projects of the Millennium Villages initiative or for projects related to food security programmes will definitely be used for that purpose. In the event that we receive more donations than necessary for a specific project or sector of support, we then use the funds for similar measures.
How does Welthungerhilfe ensure that the donations are used for projects?
Before a project is approved, it is carefully tested by our salaried and our voluntary internal and external experts. During the entire project life cycle, on-going monitoring takes place both on site and at the head office in Bonn to ensure that the funds are used appropriately and in accordance with our objectives. In addition, external institutions review Welthungerhilfe for its sound and efficient use of donations and grants.
Will I be issued a receipt for my donation?
Whether we have preauthorised direct debits on file for your regular donations or you have set up regular money transfers, we will send you your donation receipt automatically at the end of each calendar year. Even receipts for individual donations from 100.01 euros will be sent to you by mail automatically as soon as possible. In order to reduce the administrative costs, in the case of individual donations of up to 100.00 euros, we will send receipts only upon your express request. Should you need a donation receipt, please let us know and provide us with your name, your address and the year for which you wish to receive the donation receipt. Write us a note or give us a call at +49-(0)228-2288-176.
Can I offset my collective donation against taxes?
A donation certificate for collections will be issued to a group and cannot be claimed as a tax deduction by individuals. However, if the individual amounts of the collection are clearly allocated to individual donors, it will be possible to issue an individual contribution receipt. Please contact us in cases of doubt.
What is the easiest way for me to make a donation?
An online donation or a call to Welthungerhilfe would be the simplest way. By calling +49(0)228-2288-176 you can authorise a direct debit over the phone and issue a onetime withdrawal or provide a standing order for regular donations on a long-term basis or you can determine the best option for you during the course of the conversation. For donations from abroad please use the following transfer details: Deutsche Welthungerhilfe e.V. Sparkasse KölnBonn, account no: 1115, bank code: 370 501 98, IBAN: DE15370501980000001115, BIC: COLSDE33.
Does Welthungerhilfe accept donations in kind such as clothing, toys or blankets?
No. While we really appreciate these offers for donations, Welthungerhilfe has adopted the policy of purchasing relief items in the respective countries. This proves to be not only more economical, but also as tying in with supporting the local economy and taking into account the local traditions and the cultural background.
Does Welthungerhilfe arrange for child sponsorships?
No. Even in the promotion of children and young people, Welthungerhilfe puts the focus on sustainable project work in accordance with the guideline of “help toward self-help” and does not negotiate child sponsorships. Giving preference to an individual child can result in severe social conflicts in his or her environment. Also, such individual support is of little use, unless at the same time the overall regional literacy and development structure is being improved. If you would like to help ensure that children and young people in the developing countries are given a chance to exercise their rights to follow their chosen paths and live their lives with dignity and fairness, give us a call: +49-(0)228-2288-278. We will be happy to show you ways to provide support via Welthungerhilfe.
Take Action
How can I play an active part for Welthungerhilfe?
There are a number of possibilities to support Welthungerhilfe on a volunteer basis – even if you don’t have much time to spare. Become involved in our campaign “1 Hour against Hunger” by spending one hour performing an activity, which you can undertake anywhere during your daily activities – at your workplace, while participating in sports or practicing at your music club. Or:
- Send us your used phone cards, left over foreign currency (foreign coins and notes) and stamps from your daily mail.
- Borrow one of our collection boxes and collect donations! Please send your request to aktion(at)welthungerhilfe.de
- Organise a sale of used toys!
- Organise a benefit concert or a tombola!
- Organise a “Sponsored Run”! We will help you set it up.
- How about an initiative for “1 Hour against Hunger” or baking muffins, a cooking competition, a beverage sale, ...?
We will be glad to advise you with the preparations and implementation of your campaigns. Write to [email protected] or have a look at our "Take action" pages.
How can businesses support Welthungerhilfe?
Welthungerhilfe especially welcomes the collaboration with companies wishing to exercise their social responsibility within the meaning of corporate social responsibility. In an equal partnership, a win-win situation should be created for both partners. In the process, the focus will always be on the human beings whom we help together.
Ask us about options for co-operating. Our team for corporate cooperation is looking forward to your call: +49(0)228-2288-433 or your email: unternehmen(at)welthungerhilfe.de.