Why we do without the DZI donation seal
The DZI (Deutsches Zentralinstitut für soziale Fragen) is a foundation under civil law with its headquarters in Berlin-Germany. It is therefore not an independent state authority, such as the tax office from the German state for NGOs (Verein), which audits us annually and issues the corporate tax exemption, but rather a private organisation, whose sponsors are state agencies, such as the Federal Ministry for Family Affairs, Senior Citizens, Women and Youth.
Even if the legal form “foundation” suggests that it is a non-profit organisation, this is actually not the case. The department responsible for awarding the donation seal of approval pursues economic goals and is therefore interested in profit. However, this is in direct contrast to the purpose of our association, whose core is non-profit making.
In addition, an organization that wishes to receive the DZI seal must pay for it proportionately – calculated according to the amount of the donations received. The services or evaluations are therefore directly connected with costs and fees.
In plain language: We would have to “buy” the DZI seal with your donations and then pay additional sales tax, which are not refundable.
This is a massive contradiction to the idea of our association. We would like your donations to go directly to where they are urgently needed and therefore refuse to cooperate with the DZI.
As a small NGO operating in only one country (Ghana), we strive for a sustainable use of funds, which prohibits us from buying such a seal.
In addition, our financial accounting includes the sending of a detailed cost estimate, which enables each donor to check for themselves whether the project costs we estimate are realistic and appropriate. Our use of donations is transparent and can be traced by everyone. An additional seal, therefore, does not represent any added value for Madamfo Ghana e.V. and we can use the costs for the DZI donation seal for our projects. We hope that you – our sponsors and supporters – also share our opinion in this matter and assure you that we will continue to use your funds for our various aid projects in Ghana.
The testimony of donors and supporters who have already visited our projects in Ghana, sometimes even several times, certainly says more than a thousand words. We invite you to have a look at the testimonials. These reports certainly proof more than a seal.
Should you have any further questions on this subject, please do not hesitate to contact us!
