FAQ

WE AID offers a professional, non-profit organizational structure on a temporary basis and thus enables private initiatives to implement their charitable commitment within a few days.
In humanitarian crises, whether in wars, floods, or famines, it is a matter of spontaneous and rapid aid that should immediately reach those affected. WE AID makes it possible for people and companies who want to get socially involved in acute crisis situations, such as currently the war in Ukraine, to do just that: We offer a legally secure framework to get started immediately.

WE AID offers newly founded initiatives the entire non-profit structure they need to collect donations and spend money, to organize bookkeeping and account management, and to meet the requirements of the tax office in the process. And we offer our experience and network.

If you have little or no experience with non-profit structures, you will quickly realize that you can't set them up overnight, but that it takes time and expertise. WE AID has already created the necessary structure and makes it available at short notice.

Because that is our mission: WE AID enables engagement that would possibly not take the place for a lack of suitable structures.

With WE AID, we ourselves are a young non-profit organization, founded when PHINEO began its activities in Ukraine. We are building our current structures according to your needs, and at the same time we can draw on PHINEO's experience and network.

Those who want to get involved in the face of crises want to start immediately, want to take advantage of the spontaneous willingness to help that many people then show, and want to get aid quickly to where it is urgently needed. WE AID makes exactly that possible.

WE AID is intended as a bridge structure for initiatives - for committed people who have little or no experience with charitable structures, who do not want to set them up themselves, or who think of their commitment in terms of facts or time. This means that the initiatives under WE AID either dissolve after a certain period of time (e.g. as soon as the needs from the acute phase of a crisis have been successfully met), or they establish themselves in the long term in their own corporate structures (e.g. as an association or gGmbH).

WE AID either assists in the dissolution or supports the transition into an own non-profit structure. In the latter case, WE AID transfers all remaining assets to a newly created structure.

In principle, there is nothing against setting up comparable structures yourself, but with WE AID it is easier and, above all, it is much faster, so that, for example, the foundation period can be bridged.

Basically, all private individuals, initiatives, organizations or companies who want to get involved in acute aid can contact WE AID and ask for support. Then a process starts that should lead to the initiative joining under the umbrella of WE AID.

To do this, WE AID checks whether the planned activities are fundamentally non-profit and whether committed people are behind them. Then the initiative goes as quickly as possible to the WE AID website.

WE AID takes over all administrative services for the initiatives, in particular the ongoing financial accounting (payroll accounting as required), legal advice, especially with regard to non-profit law in Germany, as well as all annual financial statement work. We also support you with our experience and our network.

As soon as it is included under the umbrella of WE AID, the initiative gets access to the administrative structures (e.g. digital accounting), to the financial structures (e.g. regular short-term reporting on incoming donations) and can fulfill legal obligations on behalf of WE AID (e.g. domain purchase and website hosting). Everything in each case is limited to our own initiative and assets. We are always working on this to make this process as uncomplicated as possible.

The managers of the initiatives assume operational responsibility for their activities. The management of WE AID supervises the work of the initiatives and ensures that the general charitable conditions are observed. The German non-profit law offers a secure framework for all participants to help together and in confidence.

The initiatives under the umbrella of WE AID are obliged to report on their activities at least once a year — in the form of a short factual report. A consolidated annual report is published by WE AID.

WE AID enables financial support from donors to the initiatives and can issue donation receipts. WE AID collects the donations for and with the purpose of the initiatives' activities. WE AID can also accept international donations against donation receipts. The common payment methods can be used, i.e. bank transfer (SWIFT), direct debit, PayPal including credit card payment. WE AID would also like to be able to accept crypto donations via BaFin-regulated institutional wallets in the future; we are currently working on that. For this purpose, WE AID is working together with Finoa. WE AID can also accept donations in kind. At the current time, WE AID does not accept any government donations.

The charitable funds received can also be spent again directly via WE AID as part of the initiatives' charitable activities. This concerns both necessary material expenses and the covering of personnel costs — both on a fee basis and in a project-limited employment relationship subject to social security contributions, both nationally and internationally. No expenses are to be paid with cash through WE AID.
In addition, WE AID may at any time transfer the charitable funds in whole or in part to other charitable organizations, insofar as they can adopt the same earmarking.

All the initiatives act completely independently of each other. They are accountable only directly to WE AID's management. The initiatives have their own budgets and enter into their own collaborations or other contractual relationships as needed. In this way, each initiative can pursue and implement its goals independently of the others.

At the same time, an exchange of network, knowledge, and experience is desirable. WE AID supports this exchange of knowledge and experience via the platform, helps to build networks and make civil society commitment even more effective.

With WE AID, we ourselves are still a young non-profit organization, which was founded by PHINEO at the beginning of the Russian invasion of Ukraine. We are building our current structures according to your needs and at the same time can rely on the experience and network of PHINEO.

We are currently able to offer our services on a donation basis, thanks to the generous support of our helpers and supporters. We also work with partners on a pro bono basis. In this way, WE AID contributes to the independent implementation of civil society activities and thus to strengthening social commitment.

The sole shareholder of WE AID gGmbH is PHINEO AG, which is also a non-profit organization. PHINEO's vision is an open, sustainable and peaceful society in which doing good with impact guides collective action. As a non-profit platform, PHINEO strengthens strategic social commitment.

The management of WE AID, Christian Berger (Member of the Executive Board at PHINEO) and Jan Strecker (Head of Strategic Cooperations at PHINEO), hold this position on a voluntary basis. Furthermore, we are supported in our work by Alina Nosenko, also Head of the Strategic Cooperations department at PHINEO and Ukrainian herself. The entire PHINEO team regularly contributes sector expertise and network.

Ecovis NRW is a WE AID pro bono partner. Ecovis takes over the classic administrative services such as daily financial accounting, ongoing tax audits of activities and financial reporting as well as the year-end closing work. Together, PHINEO and Ecovis provide legal advice and ongoing reviews of non-profit issues.

WE AID's structures and working methods are regularly reviewed and, if necessary, further developed. Our mission always remains the same: WE AID offers a professional, non-profit organizational structure on a temporary basis and thus enables private initiatives to implement their non-profit commitment in the context of crisis emergency aid within a few days.

Are you registered in Germany and would like to receive a donation receipt?

Donation receipts are generally only required for donations of 300.01 Euros or more; For contributions up to 300.00 Euros, the bank statement in combination with our simplyfied donation receipt is sufficient as proof for the tax return.

If a donation receipt is desired, please enter your personal address in the donation process (e.g. Paypal) and write an e-mail with the following information of the donor:

- Name, first name
- address
- Amount and date of donation
- Initiative for which the donation was made

to donate@we-aid.org

You will receive a donation receipt in accordance with §§ 10b EStG, 50 EStDV on the officially prescribed form.