Block ID: #section–hero-color-block_5f452c56e93aa
Block ID: #section–text-block_5f452fd2e93ab

Tips for donors

There are many hot spots of need around the world. Children often suffer the worst. The number of children’s aid organizations asking for donations is correspondingly large. But it is not always clear how the donations are used. As a donor, how can I be sure that an organization will keep what it promises? How do I know that my donation will really arrive and be used wisely? How do I recognize black sheep? The German Central Institute for Social Issues (DZI) provides answers and tips for donors.

Block ID: #section–text-block_5f453191e93ad

What does the DZI do?

Money that comes from the heart should be particularly well invested. The German Central Institute for Social Issues (DZI) provides answers to all questions regarding donating, as a widely recognized, neutral inspection body. For over 100 years, the DZI donor helpdesk (link in German) has been collecting information on aid organizations, evaluating it, and thus acting as a consumer protection agency for donors. Data on around 1,000 organizations that request donations is collected in the DZI database. The section “The DZI advises against” features warnings against black sheep and organizations that do not put their donors’ money to the intended use. The DZI donation seal serves as a seal of approval for reputable organizations. Currently, some 230 organizations bear this seal. It must be renewed every year via a strict examination based on economic, legal and ethical criteria.

Block ID: #section–text-icon–block_5f453238e93af

What does the DZI donation seal signify?

The DZI donation seal is the most respected seal of approval for German charitable organizations. It certifies that an organization handles the donations it receives responsibly and appropriately. The standards set down in the DZI guidelines stipulate that the organization must work efficiently and transparently, operate economically, provide factual and truthful information and have effective control and supervisory structures.

Block ID: #section–text-block_5f453274e93b0

Five tips for donors

1. Less is more: focus your support. In this way, you reduce your workload for checking the organizations’ reputation in advance, and at the same time minimize the administrative workload for the organizations to process the donations. As soon as you are listed as an active donor with an organization, you are in the mailing list. The best way to reduce the number of donation letters is to choose one or a few organizations.

2. Freely and from the heart: Donating is an affair of the heart. You decide which topics are important to you. And don’t let yourself be put under pressure. The DZI classifies aggressive telephone calls, surprise visits at the front door and use of images meant to arouse pity as improper practices. The same applies to the mailing of trinkets and “gifts” in donation letters that are meant to pressure the recipient to give a donation in return and produce unnecessary expenses.

3. Transparency creates trust: You don’t always know the people behind an organization personally. Therefore, check carefully who you place your trust in. Visit the organization’s website, read the annual reports. The more transparent an organization is, the more trustworthy it is.

4. Free instead of earmarked: donations earmarked to a specific cause – relief for a specific desaster etc. – limit the freedom of action of the aid organizations and cause considerable additional administrative effort. To let the receiving organization use a donation as efficiently as possible, where it is needed the most, they should therefore be the exception.

5. DZI donation seal: The DZI donation seal is a widely recognized, neutral seal of approval. A list of all organizations certified with the seal can be found on the DZI website. In addition, some 1,000 charities are listed in the DZI database with their work and country focuses, fields of activity and financial data. Charities that in the DZI’s assessment do not work responsibly are summarized in the category “not worthy of support”. The DZI expressly advises against donating to a few organizations.

The DZI donor helpdesk provides further tips and recommendations.

Block ID: #section–text-block_5f4532e7e93b1

Risk of confusion

We are often contacted by angry donors who were annoyed by a phone call asking for a donation, or donation letters on the subject of cleft lip and palate with added trinkets such as stationery, ballpoint pens etc. and who believe us to be responsible. We can usually quickly clarify that there is a mix-up, and that the Cleft-Kinder-Hilfe Professor Hermann Sailer Foundation based in Bielefeld is responsible.

We have no connection whatsoever with this organization, which was founded by Prof. Sailer when our organization already existed. The similarity of names again and again leads to confusion. Our unique selling point and the most important difference for donors is the DZI donation seal, which we have been bearing since 2012 for our responsible handling of our donation income.

In principle, the DZI donor helpdesk is also the right addressee if there are doubts about the seriousness and trustworthiness of an aid organization.

Block ID: #section–columns-text-block_5de783964aafa
Fünf Gründe für eine Spende
Konkret
Wir widmen uns einem einzigen Thema: Der Behandlung von Kindern mit Lippen-Kiefer-Gaumenspalte. In unseren Projektländern leisten wir direkte medizinische Hilfe für die bedürftigen Familien. Messbar an der Zahl der Operationen.
Umfassend
Soweit es die Strukturen in unseren Projektländern zulassen, finanzieren wir über die Operationen hinaus nötige Folgebehandlungen, wie zum Beispiel Sprachtherapie oder kieferorthopädische Maßnahmen.
Transparent
Jede Behandlung wird von den Ärzten und Ärztinnen vor Ort in unserer Patientendatenbank dokumentiert und von uns kontrolliert. So können wir sicher sein, dass die uns anvertrauten Spenden gezielt und sinnvoll verwendet werden.
Nachhaltig
Mit dem Ziel, in unseren Projektländern selbstständig funktionierende medizinische Strukturen aufzubauen, begleiten wir unsere Projekte langfristig und sind im regelmäßigen Austausch mit unseren einheimischen Partnern.
Zertifiziert
Das Deutsche Zentralinstitut für soziale Fragen (DZI) bestätigt uns mit dem DZI Spenden-Siegel bereits seit 2012 den verantwortungsbewussten und seriösen Umgang mit unseren Spendeneinnahmen.
From our projects
Videos
23.12.2022/
The story of Maui, cleft child from Colombia
Our new project to help children with cleft lip and palate in Colombia begins with a very unusual case. Maui was born with a cleft lip and palate. His parents belong to an indigenous people and do not know how to get him the help he needs. By a happy coincidence, Julia, a Swiss woman living in Colombia, is a neighbor of the family and offers to help. In search of treatment options, she comes across Deutsche Cleft Kinderhilfe.
21.08.2020/
Video: Impressions from Bolivia
The parents of our cleft children are always full of gratitude. When their child is born with cleft, they often do not know what to make of the malformation, much less that it can be treated. And even if they do - most of our little patients come from the poorest of backgrounds. Their parents could never afford the operation. It is an unimaginable happiness for them to learn that their children can receive qualified treatment, and free of charge even. This wonderful, touching film from our Bolivian aid project captures these special moments of happiness.
22.07.2020/
Video: Impressions from Pakistan
This film, made for our Pakistani partner organization, the Al-Mustafa Welfare Societey, by the father of one of our patients, shows scenes from our work in Karachi. From here, our senior surgeon Prof. Ashraf Ganatra treats cleft children from poorest families. He operates the children from Karachi at the Al Mustafa Medical Center. In order to reach the many needy families living outside the city, he also regularly heads out to local provincial hospitals to treat cleft patients there.