Overath.What began in 2006 as a small volunteer organization in India is today an internationally active partner for social engagement: AMAIDI International gGmbH is celebrating its 20th anniversary. The non-profit organization brings together individuals, companies, foundations, and other non-profit organizations to deploy professional skills, time, and knowledge where they are socially needed.

“If something doesn’t exist, you have to invent and realize it yourself. That’s exactly what I did with AMAIDI,” says Tanja Siebert, Managing Partner of AMAIDI International.

Since its founding in 2006, AMAIDI says it has implemented around 3,500 projects with about 2,500 project partners and placed around 15,000 volunteers. The organization is now active in more than 60 countries.

What does AMAIDI do? International Corporate Volunteering and Pro Bono Engagement

AMAIDI is a non-profit organization based in Overath, near Cologne. It places and supports volunteers, qualified professionals, and companies in their social responsibility initiatives—internationally, regionally, and, depending on the project, also online.

One focus is on corporate volunteering and skills-based pro bono engagement. In this context, companies and their employees contribute their professional expertise to nonprofit organizations in a targeted way. Unlike traditional volunteer work, pro bono projects focus specifically on the unpaid use of professional expertise.

AMAIDI takes care of finding suitable project partners, brings the parties together, and supports the collaboration throughout. This results in solutions that address both the specific needs of nonprofit organizations and the skills and goals of the participating companies.

The possible applications are wide-ranging. For example, employees can contribute their expertise in the following areas:

• Strategy, Management, and Organizational Development
• Finance, Controlling, and Fundraising
• Marketing, Communication, and Human Resources
• Digitalization, IT, and Process Optimization
• Medicine, Trades, and other professional fields

This offer is aimed at companies, specialists, and executives, as well as non-profit organizations seeking professional support for specific challenges.

Social Sabbatical: Putting professional skills to meaningful use

A social sabbatical also offers the opportunity to combine community involvement with personal development. Professionals take a career break to temporarily apply their experience and skills in non-profit projects.

AMAIDI helps you find suitable projects and organizations and prepare a placement that matches your professional skills and the actual needs on the ground.

Whether it’s digitalization, organizational development, or strategic consulting: the decisive factor is that the knowledge provided creates a concrete benefit and sustainably strengthens the partner organization.

Sustainable Projects in Americas, Africa, Asia, and Worldwide

AMAIDI works with nonprofit organizations and local contacts in more than 60 countries, with a particular focus on Africa, where the organization has established contacts in 23 countries.

Among other things, the projects support areas such as education, organizational development, economic independence, and women’s empowerment.

AMAIDI takes a needs-based approach: Social commitment should be guided by the specific challenges of local partner organizations. The focus is not on the number of deployments, but on their benefit and long-term impact.

Collaborating with local teams and organizations helps to co-develop solutions and strengthen sustainable structures. Short-term interventions without a clear sustainable benefit are deliberately excluded from the concept.

Foundations and Companies as Partners for Social Impact

Sustainable social engagement is most likely to emerge when different resources work together. Companies contribute expertise, staff time, and networks. Nonprofit organizations understand the challenges and needs of their target groups. Foundations can enable additional projects through financial support.

AMAIDI connects these partners and supports the development and implementation of suitable collaborations. This makes it possible to combine financial support with professional expertise and hands-on assistance.

For foundations, collaboration offers the opportunity to strategically combine their funds with specialist expertise and international networks. This gives nonprofit organizations access to capabilities that are often only available to them to a limited extent in their day-to-day work.

The common goal: to effectively and as sustainably as possible solve concrete societal challenges.

Good Business Marketplace: Corporate Social Responsibility in the Cologne Region and the Bergisches Land

Social commitment does not only begin abroad. In Germany, too, AMAIDI brings companies and non-profit organizations together.

One example is the Marktplatz Gute Geschäfte in the Rheinisch-Bergischer and Oberbergischer districts. Here, companies and non-profit organizations meet to agree on specific collaborations—without money being the primary focus.

Instead, it’s about the exchange of expertise, time, networks, and material resources. For example, one company might support a non-profit organization with public relations, while another organization benefits from IT expertise, consulting, or practical assistance.

The marketplace demonstrates how corporate volunteering and social responsibility are also realized at a regional level. This initiative is supported, among others, by the Dr. Jürgen Rembold Foundation and the Kreissparkasse.

20 Years of AMAIDI: From Founding in India to International Cooperation

The story of AMAIDI began in India in 2006. In 2014, Tanja Siebert took over the organization and founded AMAIDI International gGmbH in Germany. From Overath, the company developed into an internationally networked partner for Corporate Volunteering, Pro Bono Engagement, and non-profit projects.

The name AMAIDI originates from Tamil and means “silence” or “freedom”. It symbolically represents the idea of bringing people together and contributing to a better society.

The 20th anniversary is an occasion to look back on our development so far and, at the same time, to unlock new opportunities for social engagement.

“Our 20th anniversary is a milestone we look back on with pride. At the same time, we want to continue finding new ways to bring people and organizations together and make social engagement effective,” says Tanja Siebert.

AMAIDI sees itself as a bridge between people and companies who want to contribute their skills and nonprofit organizations that need support. The focus is on trusted partnerships, professional guidance, and sustainable impact.

AMAIDI International gGmbH: Facts and figures

• Year founded:2006 in India
• German headquarters:Overath in the Rheinisch-Bergischer district
• International reach:more than 60 countries
• Projects implemented:around 3,500
• Project partners:around 2,500
• Volunteers placed:around 15,000
• Network in Africa:permanent contacts in 23 countries
• Services:Corporate volunteering, pro bono engagement, international volunteering, social sabbaticals, and regional partnerships

Solving societal challenges together

Are you a company looking to involve your employees in a corporate volunteering program? Are you a nonprofit organization seeking professional support for a specific project? Or would you like to put your professional skills to use in a pro bono project?

AMAIDI helps find the right partners and provides professional guidance for social engagement.

Press Contact

AMAIDI International gGmbH
Lindlarer Street 84
51491 Overath
Email:info@amaidi.org
Website:www.amaidi.org