For us, transparency is more than just lip service. As a non-profit organization, responsible handling of the funds entrusted to us in the interests of animal welfare is our top priority. In our annual report (available in German only), we describe in detail which projects we have implemented and how funds have been used.
Certified transparency
We are a founding member of the German Donations Council (Deutscher Spendenrat) and last received the donation certificate on June 1, 2023. We also support the Transparent Civil Society Initiative (Initiative Transparente Zivilgesellschaft). The magazine Finanztest (issue 01/2022) from Stiftung Warentest ranks us among those animal welfare organizations that demonstrate a high level of transparency and provide open information about all their activities.
Donation certificate from the German Donations Council
We are one of the founding members of the German Donations Council. As part of our membership, we have committed ourselves to the transparent use of funds and compliance with ethical standards in fundraising. We were one of the first member organizations to be awarded the German Donations Council's newly introduced donation certificate on 30 May 2017. We wholeheartedly share the Donations Council's goal of strengthening trust and transparency in the donation sector. We therefore voluntarily applied for the first audit cycle. We were awarded the donation certificate again on 12.05.2020 and on 01.06.2023.
The German Donations Council's donation certificate is the only audit procedure in Germany in which auditors appointed by the German Donations Council carry out the quality control of the donation certificate. It is valid for three years and proves that we handle the funds entrusted to us responsibly and transparently in accordance with the stated objectives and rules. You can find our declaration of commitment here and our declaration on the principles of the Donations Council here (available in German only).
Transparent Civil Society Initiative
We also support the Transparent Civil Society Initiative, which commits us to making ten precisely named, relevant pieces of information about our organization easily accessible to the general public in a specific format. This is because there are currently no uniform disclosure requirements for non-profit organizations in Germany. You will find the ten pieces of information at the bottom of this page.
The German Animal Welfare Federation, whose federal office is located in Bonn, was founded in 1881.
- Statutes of the German Animal Welfare Federation (available in German only)
- Information on our tasks and goals
- Information on our main topics
The German Animal Welfare Federation is registered in the register of associations at Bonn Local Court under the registration number VR 3836 and is exempt from corporation tax under tax number 205/5783/1179 by the Bonn-Innenstadt tax office due to the exclusive and direct promotion of animal welfare (Section 52 (2) No. 14 AO) in accordance with Section 5 (1) No. 9 of the German Corporation Tax Act (Körperschaftsteuergesetz) and from trade tax in accordance with Section 3 No. 6 of the German Trade Tax Act (Gewerbesteuergesetz), according to the last annex to the 2020 corporation tax assessment dated October 4, 2022. The exemption from corporation and trade tax does not extend to taxable business operations. Membership fees and donations are tax deductible.
The bodies of the association are the General Assembly, the Executive Committee and the National Council. The Executive President of the German Animal Welfare Federation is Thomas Schröder.
You can download a PDF version of the German Animal Welfare Federation's annual report for 2022 (avaiable in German only)
You can obtain it free of charge from the Federal Office. Please send us an e-mail.
In total, an average of 185 full-time and part-time employees and 7 marginally employed staff worked in the German Animal Welfare Federation's facilities in the calendar year 2022 to promote animal welfare. In addition, an average of 7 trainees were employed in the calendar year 2022.
Overview of income and expenditure for the 2022 financial year. You can find our 2022 balance sheet in our annual report. Here we also provide you with the auditor's report and audit certificate for the 2022 annual financial statements. (available in German only)
We work together with various other organizations in alliances or on individual projects to make animal welfare even more effective.
The German Animal Welfare Federation Foundation was established in 2000.
In 2021, we expanded the service of our telephone switchboard and founded "Deutscher Tierschutzbund Service gGmbH", a wholly owned subsidiary of the German Animal Welfare Federation.
There were no payments or individual donations from legal entities or natural persons that accounted for more than ten percent of total income in 2022.
We confirm that the bodies that have to make binding decisions for our organization meet regularly and that the meetings are minuted. Queries to our organization are answered within a reasonable period of time. The annual financial statements are signed off by a named decision-maker of our organization. When auditing our annual report, compliance with this obligation is checked by our internal auditing bodies (e.g. special supervisory body), the sworn auditor or the auditor.
Control mechanisms
This is how we work: The principle of dual control is consistently applied - this applies to budget decisions, for example. In order to carry out processes in a uniform and transparent manner, we have set out procurement principles and organizational guidelines in writing. These also govern our dealings with service providers and corporate partners, for example.
supervisory bodies
The Special Supervisory Body, which operates on an honorary basis, performs tasks for the General Assembly, fulfills supervisory and control functions and reports directly to the bodies, such as the National Council and the General Assembly.
An ombudsperson elected by the General Assembly serves as an external contact person. This person has the task of receiving and pursuing information and substantiated complaints from employees, members or project partners associated with the German Animal Welfare Federation regarding harmful or dishonest behavior by individuals.
Ombudswoman:
Dr. Elke Esser-Weckmann
Tierschutzverein Groß-Essen e.V.
Grillostraße 24
45141 Essen
Tel: 0201 8372350
Fax: 0201 83723566
vorstand(at)tierschutzverein-essen.de
Deputy Ombudsman:
Kevin Schmidt
Landestierschutzverband Thüringen e.V.
August-Bebel-Platz 27
99734 Nordhausen
kevin.schmidt(at)landestierschutzverband-thueringen.de
