Donation FAQ

SOS-Kinderdörfer weltweit may incur bank or processing fees for some of the payment methods offered. If you pay by direct debit, there are no bank fees for processing your donation; if you pay by credit card, there are processing fees of 10 cents per transaction. If you pay by PayPal, you will be charged 35 cents plus 1.2% of the donation amount in PayPal fees. We therefore recommend payment by direct debit or credit card. You will of course receive a donation receipt for the full amount of the donation.

SOS-Kinderdörfer weltweit have been awarded the DZI (German Central Institute for Social Issues) donation seal for verifiable, economical and statutory use of donations. For every €10 donated to SOS-Kinderdörfer weltweit, about €8 goes directly to the facilities and programs. Of the remaining approx. 2 €, about 1.80 € goes to public relations and only about 20 cents to administration. In our annual report (available only in german) you can find out how we were able to help thanks to your donation.

Here you will find an overview on the topic of transparency.

• For a donation of up to 300 euros, you do not need a donation receipt (= donation confirmation). The tax office accepts the bank receipt (see below) in conjunction with the exemption notice (on our remittance slip). For donations of 200.01 Euro or more, we will automatically send you a donation receipt for your tax return. This legal regulation applies not only to online donations, but also to bank transfers and cash deposits.
• If you donate online on our website, you can have us send you an annual donation receipt, regardless of the donation amount. You must then enter your postal address in the online donation form. You will then receive the annual donation receipt by mail.
• We will send the donation receipts by mid-February of the following year at the latest.

When you donate online on our website, your information is transmitted securely and is fully encrypted.

We use the SSL procedure (SSL certificate with extended verification - Extended Validation SSL). Our website is certified by COMODO CA Limited.

When donating by credit card, the 3D Secure procedure (MasterCard Secure Code or Verified by VISA) offers additional protection.

This makes your donation via our online form as secure as online banking.

Of course you can also donate to our account via bank transfer. Please indicate your address in the reason for transfer.

SOS-Kinderdörfer weltweit

GLS Gemeinschaftsbank

IBAN: DE81 4306 0967 2222 2000 05

BIC: GENODEM1GLS

Unfortunately, this is not possible: We ask for your understanding that we can no longer accept donations in kind. The reasons are as follows:

• Unfortunately, forwarding parcels and packages to our SOS Children's Villages all over the world now involves disproportionately high costs for packaging and transport.

• In addition, strict import regulations often apply in the respective countries for clothing and toys. In many cases, only the import of new goods is permitted; used items must be demonstrably accompanied by a hygiene certificate, usually a disinfection certificate. This also incurs additional costs.

• Last but not least, there are often considerable customs difficulties when the goods are received at their destination.

All these additional costs, and the administrative overhead associated with shipping, would ultimately have to be paid for out of the donations entrusted to us.

Instead of sending donations in kind, SOS Children's Villages acquire needed goods and services in the respective country whenever possible. We can have most things produced locally or buy them at local markets. In this way, we save transport costs and contribute to regional economic development in poor countries.

• We thank you for every donation with which you support our work! For us, there is no first or second-class donation. However, the legal 300 Euro rule (see above) allows us to save on shipping and administration costs—which means: we have more money available to help children in need.

You can present the cash deposit receipt or the booking confirmation from a credit institution to the tax office. The following can serve as booking confirmation: bank statement, direct debit receipt or a separate confirmation from the credit institution. In addition to the booking confirmation, you must also submit the information on the exemption notice printed on the reverse of the deposit slip.

Annual donation receipts for online donations are automatically sent by us each year by mid-February of the following year at the latest.

Your donation to SOS-Kinderdörfer weltweit is tax-deductible in Germany. If you donate online, you will automatically receive a donation receipt for the tax office.