Help does not need millions: go donate!
As a music therapist, Christine Bronner dealt with critically ill and terminally ill children, and she knew that support for the families was urgently needed. She informed herself, took advantage of her good contacts, dedicating € 50,000 from her father's inheritance to founding the Ambulant Children's Hospice Foundation in Munich, and later on invested the same amount again. With success. The outpatient children's hospice in Bavaria looks after 60 to 70 families, supported by volunteers (www.ambulantes-kinderhospiz-muenchen.de).
Financial Advisor Helma Sick
About 95 percent of the more than 18,000 foundations of civil law that exist in Germany work nonprofit. And the financial commitment is no longer a men's business anymore as it was until the end of the 80s. Women now call every fourth foundation into existence and are involved in about 60 percent of the foundation's foundations. Celebrities like Liz Mohn, Sarah Wiener, Katja Ebstein or Sandra Völker are among them. But also women like Christine Bronner or the financial clerk Anne Wulf. She is one of the eight founders of the "divida" foundation, which, like many others, looks after the opportunities and future of young girls and women. For example, with a godmother project that brings committed experienced women with whom need support at the start of life (www.divida-stiftung.de).
Keyword: foundation
Private foundations promote social, cultural and scientific institutions. In contrast to clubs or associations there are neither members nor owners. Basis of the foundation is a certain fortune, which is to serve the purpose defined by statute in the long run. The projects are financed from the proceeds. The capital itself usually remains untouched. The donor or donor, too, no longer has access to it.
From the idea to the foundation
Motives for the foundation A foundation is the will to make a difference, to specifically fight a specific problem, or the desire to preserve the memory of a close person, for example the deceased spouse. Frequently, wealthy couples without heirs also invest their assets in a foundation - either during their lifetime or, by will, after their death. establish can be any so-called natural person who has reached the age of 18, and legal entities such as a registered association. Information about the foundation, Foundation law and statutes as well as the tax aspects are granted by the Bundesverband Deutscher Stiftungen in a free initial consultation. On certain start-up assets is not required by the Civil Code or the Land Foundation Laws. However, the competent authorities assume that there should be a minimum capital of EUR 50 000 for the establishment of a foundation. Support desired. If you do not have enough money to start your own foundation, you can also get one endowment engage and thereby increase the foundation capital. This is possible even with smaller amounts, with some community foundations, for example, from a sum of 500 euros. Of course, but also possible Donate. In contrast to the endowment, they increase the amount with which a specific project is to be promoted. The foundation receiving a donation must have spent it at the latest by the end of next year for its intended purpose.
Save pens and taxes - legally
Contributions to the assets of charitable foundations can be taxed by spouses up to one million euros per person - spread over ten years. Incidentally, this also applies to newly founded foundations and to foundations in existing foundations. For donations to foundations, the general deduction of 20% of the annual income applies.
The Federal Association of German Foundations has put together a lot of information and contacts about founding and working on his website. Revealing reader: Vera Bloemer, "founders - women tell about their commitment" (24.80 euros, available at www.stiftungen.org/verlag)
