A donation within the meaning of tax law is a voluntary and unpaid contribution in cash or in kind, e.g. for a charitable purpose such as the promotion of animal welfare, where there is no exchange of services. In principle, a donor may therefore not receive anything in return for their donation from us. A legally granted use of our name or logo for marketing for advertising purposes by the donating company is considered a consideration by the tax authorities. Please understand that it is therefore not possible for companies that support us with a donation or fundraising campaign to use the protected word/image trademark of the German Animal Welfare Federation.

Use of the logo can only be granted in conjunction with a sponsorship agreement as part of a corporate partnership. Please note our ethical guidelines for cooperation with companies. Some information on the difference between a donation and a sponsorship for income tax purposes is provided by the legislator on the website of the Federal Ministry of Finance, among others: https://esth.bundesfinanzministerium.de/esth/2016/C-Anhaenge/Anhang-16/IV/anhang-16-IV.html

Sponsoring is part of a company's public relations work, with the primary aim of brand and image cultivation as well as promoting sales of products and services by adding a positive emotional amplifier to the product benefit. A sponsorship agreement is drawn up between the partners for sponsoring. As part of their social commitment, companies can support the work of the German Animal Welfare Federation with financial contributions, e.g. from the proportionate proceeds of a product sale or through regular payments or one-off payments. In return, the company is given the opportunity to communicate its commitment to the public using the German Animal Welfare Federation's word/image brand.

Each cooperation is individual and is carefully checked by us to ensure that it is compatible with our ethical guidelines. The examination may take some time, so please allow sufficient lead time when contacting us. In addition to the question of basic suitability as a sponsoring partner, the focus is always on the added value for animal welfare in a collaboration. Please let us know your ideas and expectations in as much detail as possible. All inquiries and information will of course be treated confidentially. We are particularly interested in your reasons for becoming involved in animal welfare and any other activities within the framework of your overall corporate strategy.

No donation receipt can be issued for sponsoring, as this is not a donation but an exchange of services. Companies receive an invoice from us for this in accordance with the conditions agreed as part of the corresponding sponsorship agreement. In many cases, the sponsoring company can claim these expenses as a business expense for tax purposes. Please consult your tax advisor if necessary.

As part of our ethical guidelines, we reserve the right to refuse partnerships and donations from companies that do not comply with our mission statement. If you are unsure whether the German Animal Welfare Federation can accept donations from your company, please contact us in advance.

Your contribution is the basis of our success, because the German Animal Welfare Federation is financed almost exclusively by donations, bequests, sponsorship and membership fees as well as corporate partnerships. The tasks and challenges in animal welfare are many and varied. In order to carry out our work conscientiously and to make it sustainable and efficient in all directions, we need reliable and long-term corporate partners to achieve success in animal welfare. We are firmly convinced that economic success, nature conservation and animal welfare are compatible. In constructive dialog and cooperative exchange of ideas with national and international business institutions, we see the potential to further advance the necessary change towards more animal welfare in business and society and to come closer to our ambitious goals. In the opportunity to learn from each other, we are looking for socially committed companies to jointly find new and innovative ways and forms to combat animal suffering in Germany and the world. Through your commitment, we can give our fellow creatures a voice that is heard!

You can specify the purpose of your donation in our online donation form or on the transfer form (you can find an overview of donation projects here or you are welcome to support us without a specific purpose. We prefer this kind of help because it allows us to use the funds exactly where they are most urgently needed. As an umbrella organization, the German Animal Welfare Federation supports its more than 740 member associations and around 550 animal shelters in emergencies with its animal shelter emergency aid, for example, and ensures that they can continue to look after their charges with self-sacrifice 365 days a year. We campaign against animal testing and fight for an end to animal transportation and the illegal puppy trade. With our public relations work and our campaigns, we draw attention to abuses and specifically seek social and political discourse at national and EU level. We are committed to the nationwide neutering of street cats in order to spare their potential offspring a miserable life on the streets. We are in constant contact with politicians, responsible authorities and relevant associations and institutions in order to promote animal welfare and advance it with the support of animal-loving partners.

Donations are generally tax-deductible. We will automatically send you a donation receipt approx. 8 weeks after the end of the year or, by agreement, shortly after the donation has been made (in the case of donations by direct debit, a donation receipt can be issued at the earliest after the statutory objection period of 8 weeks has expired). No donation receipts can be issued for payments/services based on sponsorship agreements. In many cases, however, expenses from sponsoring can be claimed by the company for tax purposes as business expenses in the form of advertising expenses. Please ask your tax advisor about this if necessary.

Transparency and reliability are a matter of course for us and more than just lip service: the German Animal Welfare Federation is a founding member of the German Donations Council and a member of the Transparent Civil Society Initiative and is thus committed to the transparent use of funds and to compliance with and regular monitoring of ethical standards in fundraising. Strengthening trust and transparency in the donation system is very important to us. On our website and in our annual report, we clearly explain how the donations made available to us are used. You can find out more about transparency and our use of funds here.

We guarantee that we will only use your data for the associated purpose and will not pass it on to third parties. Our encryption method is SSL (Secure Sockets Layer), Germany's most secure standard encryption. This process is also used by banks, for example. You can find out more about data protection here.