We are committed to transparency!

The trust of our members, employees anddonors as well as of funders and friends of the AWO is most important to us. Transparency is inherent to how we see ourselves. Therefore, we have joined the Transparency International Deutschland e.V. In doing so, we commit to making the following information available to the public at all times.

Name, registered office, address and date of foundation

Name: Arbeiterwohlfahrt Bezirksverband Mittelrhein e. V.

Short name: AWO Mittelrhein

Headquarters: Cologne

The association is registered in the register of associations VR 5133 of the district court of Cologne.

Address: Arbeiterwohlfahrt Bezirksverband Mittelrhein e. V.
Rhonestraße 2 a | 50765 Cologne
Tel.: 0221 57998-0
Fax: 0221 57998-59

E-Mail: info@awo-mittelrhein.de

Year of foundation: Founding resolution and constituent meeting on 08.10.1949
Entry in the VR register on 04.08.1951

The AWO Bezirksverband Mittelrhein e. V. was founded on October 8, 1949.
It is organized under the law of associations.

Contact:

  • Nick Fienhold

    Nick Fienhold
    Commercial management | Special representatives according to § 30 BGB

    Phone: 0221 57998-147

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Complete statutes and details of organizational goals

  • The association statutes (german) function as basic constitution to the entire association.

  • The policy statement (german) incorporates our basic guidelines.

  • The statutes (german) regulate the association law applying to Arbeiterwohlfahrt Bezirksverband Mittelrhein e. V.

  • The AWO Governance Codex (german) regulates our association compliance guidelines.

Information on tax concessions

Arbeiterwohlfahrt Bezirksverband Mittelrhein e. V. (tax number 217/5950/0788) is partially exempt from corporation tax pursuant to Section 5 (1) No. 9 KStG in accordance with Annex 1 to the assessment notice for 2022 on corporation tax issued by the Cologne North Tax Office on 11 September 2023. The association promotes in the sense of §§ 51 ff. AO exclusively and directly charitable and the following non-profit purposes. These include, among others:

  • Promotion of welfare in general,

  • Promotion of the welfare of the youth and elderly,

  • Promotion of education and training

  • Promotion of civic engagement,

  • Promotion of international association and collaboration, tolerance in all areas of culture and specifically, intercultural understanding.

  • Promotion of development cooperation.

Die AWO Mittelrhein fördert, begleitet und unterstützt Menschen jeder Generation, Nationalität, Religion und jeden Geschlechts. Sie ist demokratisch und föderativ aufgebaut. Sie verbindet freiwilliges Engagement mit professionellen Dienstleistungen.

Name and function of key actors

The Bureau model (German ‘Präsidium’) makes it possible to separate the responsibilities for the operational business and the according liability from the performance of supervisory functions.

The Bureau Committee is elected for a period of four years. The 15 honorary members set the political guidelines and directionand act as supervisory body for the full-time Executive Board, which assumes the executive officiary activities.

The setup of the committee as well as the revisors is shown here.

Information on the association's executive board can be found here.

Further organs are the district conference and the district committee.

The setup of the district conference can be found in the statutes (§ 6, german).

The members of the District Committee according to § 9 of the Statutes are:

Activity report

The activities are presented in the 2020-2023 annual report and in the 2023 management report on pages 8 to 19.
The annual financial statements as at 31 December 2023 and the management report for the 2023 financial year were audited by an independent auditing company and an unqualified audit opinion was issued on 12 July 2024.

Employee structure

In 2023, the association had 496 employees (or 328.80 full-time equivalents). Of these, 401 were female and 95 male. 172 employees were in full-time employment, 120 of whom were women and 52 men. There were 324 part-time employees, of which 281 were female and 43 male. In addition to 22 trainees, two people did voluntary service.

A total of 67 people worked on a voluntary basis.

Sourcing and application of funds

The income and expenses for 2023 and the explanations of significant changes to the items are presented on pages 20 to 24 of the 2023 management report.

The other operating income presented there includes € 215,831.21 in membership fees, € 915,608.19 in donations for use in connection with the 2021 flood disaster (granted by AWO International e.V.) and concession income (lottery funds) totalling € 674,670.24 from the non-profit sector. A further € 671,146.56 in concession income (lottery funds) was forwarded to independent AWO district associations and the regional association.

Of the operating cost subsidies and other subsidies, € 272,480.52 is attributable to funds from the 2023 grant and transparency agreement between the umbrella organisations of independent welfare organisations and the state of North Rhine-Westphalia, and € 1,452,901.43 to other federal, state and municipal funds. The item also includes reimbursements in connection with training, long-term illnesses and supplementary assistance (energy).

The appropriate use of funds from the 2023 grant and transparency agreement was confirmed by a separate auditor's certificate.

The assets (use of funds) and liabilities (source of funds) of the balance sheet as at 31 December 2023 and the cash flow statement can be found in the management report on pages 25 to 29.

Annual payments that account for more than 10% of the total annual budget.

In the 2023 financial year, the subsidiary AWO GESA GmbH (formerly AWO Gesellschaft für Altenhilfeeinrichtungen mbH) generated revenue from rentals and leases as well as administrative services amounting to more than 10% of total revenue.

Supplementary information in accordance with the transparency standards of the umbrella organisations of independent welfare services in NRW

Management and outlook structures

According to Section 5 of the Articles of Association, the bodies of the association are the District Conference, the Executive Committee, the Board and the District Committee. The management and supervisory structures are thus clearly regulated. The legal representatives are the Executive Board supplemented by a special representative in accordance with Section 30 BGB. Supervision of the legal representatives is primarily the responsibility of the Executive Committee and the auditors.

The district conference adopts rules of procedure and election rules for the conference and elects the executive committee and the auditors. The District Conference receives the annual reports and the audit report for the reporting period and decides on the discharge of the Presidium and on amendments to the Articles of Association.

The district committee supports the work of the executive committee and the board of the district association. It is informed by the Presidium and the Executive Board of the district association about general social and socio-political developments and about the work of the district association. It advises on the inclusion of new and the expansion of existing areas of work and makes recommendations.

Rules of procedure exist for both the Presidium and the Executive Board with regulations on the area of responsibility and definition of tasks.

The duties of the Executive Committee are set out in Section 7 of the Articles of Association and the Rules of Procedure and, in addition to approving fundamental issues of association management, socio-political guidelines and the strategic management of the companies, include passing resolutions on the principles and guidelines for the promotion of voluntary commitment, in particular the supervision of the Executive Board. The Executive Committee has formed the following committees for specific topics:

  • Executive Committee,

  • Finance Committee,

  • Social and Association Policy Committee.

In addition to the provisions of the Articles of Association, the rules of procedure for the Executive Board regulate the responsibilities of the Executive Board, including matters requiring approval. The allocation of responsibilities is clearly regulated in the rules of procedure and the associated organisational chart. There is also a QM manual containing further work instructions, etc.

The members of the Executive Board have the necessary qualifications.

Structures and processes that ensure appropriate planning, procurement, implementation and utilisation of funds

An organisational chart showing the organisational structure and areas of work is available in the form of an organisational chart. Areas of responsibility and authorisations are defined accordingly. Supplementary regulations can be found in the quality management system, which is regularly reviewed.

Planning calculations, in particular the business plan, staffing plan and liquidity planning, are carried out before the start of the new financial year and their implementation is subsequently monitored by Controlling. The management level is regularly informed about key financial figures and developments. The appropriate use of funds is planned and monitored. All funds are utilised in accordance with the principles of efficiency, economy and effectiveness.

Arbeiterwohlfahrt Bezirksverband Mittelrhein e.V. consistently applies the regulations of the AWO Governance Code (binding guideline).

The audit of the annual financial statements was extended to include an audit of the regularity of management. No objections were raised during this extended audit.

Remuneration and non-profit status/qualification and responsibility

Remuneration takes into account the non-profit status, the qualifications and responsibilities of the individual and the regional framework customary in the sector. Employees are remunerated in accordance with the collective agreement for workers' welfare organisations in North Rhine-Westphalia. The Executive Board and individual executives are remunerated outside of the collective agreement, taking into account the arm's length comparison customary in the industry, the qualifications and the responsibility associated with the activity.