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Visit www.gls.deAbout GLS Gemeinschaftsbank eG
We hold discussions with representatives of the Federal Government as well as with members of the German Bundestag in order to take advantage of our interests. The aim is to explain necessary adjustments in various areas that are crucial for the framework conditions of our business activities, the situation of our employees as well as for the achievement of the climate and environmental goals of the Federal Government and the sustainable transformation of the economy and the financial sector. The focus will be on sustainability, banking and financial regulation as well as on the topics of energy, nutrition, housing, education, health and sustainable economy. In the course of these discussions, well-founded opinions and expert opinions on concrete regulatory projects or …
Zur Wahrnehmung unserer Interessen führen wir Gespräche mit Vertreterinnen und Vertretern der Bundesregierung sowie mit Mitgliedern des Deutschen Bundestages. Ziel ist es, notwendige Anpassungen in verschiedenen Themenfeldern zu erläutern, die entscheidend sind für die Rahmenbedingungen unserer unternehmerischen Tätigkeit, die Situation unserer Beschäftigten sowie für das Erreichen der Klima- und Umweltziele der Bundesregierung und die nachhaltige Transformation von Wirtschaft und Finanzsektor. Im Mittelpunkt stehen dabei insbesondere Fragen zur Nachhaltigkeit, zur Banken- und Finanzregulatorik sowie zu den Themen Energie, Ernährung, Wohnen, Bildung, Gesundheit und nachhaltige Wirtschaft. Im Zuge dieser Gespräche werden bei Bedarf auch fundierte Stellungnahmen und Gutachten zu konkreten Regelungsvorhaben oder relevanten Themen erarbeitet und den politischen Entscheidungsträgerinnen und -trägern übermittelt.
Translated from German by GiveRadar.
Focus areas & reach
· What they work on and whereHow it stacks up against peers
· vs. 8 similar community development in GermanyConcerns
· None foundGiveRadar Analysis
Original analysis from GiveRadar's dataset of comparable organizations
Based on the records currently verified by GiveRadar, GLS Gemeinschaftsbank eG has a substantially complete profile, cross-referenced across 3 independent sources.
- GiveRadar has verified financial records for only 1% of community development charities in Germany, and this is one of them. See national comparisons
- GiveRadar has verified more about this organization than about 99% of the 333,723 community development charities in Germany it tracks, because GiveRadar has verified its governance and its contact details. Most of those have little verified data on record yet. View this cohort
- It has more complete contact information than nearly all similar organizations, with a verified website, email, phone and address on record. See national comparisons
- government registration
- financial records
- disclosed leadership
- a website
- a contact email
- a donation page
- third-party accreditation
- an owner-submitted profile claim
Analysis based on GiveRadar's benchmark dataset of 2026-07-03. It describes what GiveRadar has verified, not a judgment of the organization itself.
Common questions
· Auto-generated from filings + methodologyGLS Gemeinschaftsbank eG is a registered community development nonprofit based in Bochum, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It is registered with the German Vereinsregister (Association Register). It was founded in 1974 and has been operating for 52 years. Its registration number is R003237. GiveRadar's Integrity Assessment for the organization is 47/100, which reflects how much public information is available, not whether the charity is legitimate. The organization reports €45K in annual revenue. The charity has 14 community reviews with an average rating of 2.4/5. On Trustpilot, it has a rating of 3.9/5 based on 420 reviews.
GLS Gemeinschaftsbank eG's official registration number is R003237, as recorded in the national registry of Germany.
GLS Gemeinschaftsbank eG has a GiveRadar Integrity Assessment of 47/100. This score combines five components: Registration (20 pts), Financial Transparency (30 pts), Governance (20 pts), Contact Availability (10 pts), and Data Recency (20 pts), with negative adjustments for any red flags. A score of 47 ('Partial transparency') means some public data is on file but key signals are missing - worth a closer look before donating. For comparison, the average integrity assessment for community development charities in Germany is 62/100.
GLS Gemeinschaftsbank eG is located in Bochum, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. The organization was established in 1974 and has been active for 52 years.
Based on official tax filings, GLS Gemeinschaftsbank eG has €45K in annual revenue. Its revenue is below the peer average of €4M. Create a free GiveRadar account to view the complete financial breakdown with year-over-year trends.
GLS Gemeinschaftsbank eG is classified as a Community Development organization, registered in Germany. By size, it is categorized as a micro organization. It has €45K in annual revenue.
According to GiveRadar's records, GLS Gemeinschaftsbank eG is registered with the German Vereinsregister (Association Register) and overseen by the local Amtsgericht (district court). The organization has a moderate Trustpilot rating of 3.9/5. GiveRadar provides data for research and does not endorse any organization. A GiveRadar Integrity Assessment reflects how much public data is available, not whether an organization is safe to donate to, so it is always smart to do your own research before giving.
We hold discussions with representatives of the Federal Government as well as with members of the German Bundestag in order to take advantage of our interests. The aim is to explain necessary adjustments in various areas that are crucial for the framework conditions of our business activities, the situation of our employees as well as for the achievement of the climate and environmental goals of the Federal Government and the sustainable transformation of the economy and the financial sector. The focus will be on sustainability, banking and financial regulation as well as on the topics of energy, nutrition, housing, education, health and sustainable economy. In the course of these discussions... GLS Gemeinschaftsbank eG is classified as a community development organization registered in Germany. The organization was founded in 1974.
Among community development charities registered in Germany: Its annual revenue of €45K is below the peer average of €4M.
GLS Gemeinschaftsbank eG is a registered nonprofit in Germany. Donations to recognized charitable organizations (gemeinnuetzige Organisationen) are tax-deductible up to 20% of your total income. You will need a donation receipt (Zuwendungsbestaetigung) from the organization for your tax return.
You can verify GLS Gemeinschaftsbank eG's charitable status in several ways. First, check the Zuwendungsempfaengerregister (ZER) at https://www.bzst.de/DE/Unternehmen/Zuwendungsempfaengerregister_organisation/zuwendungsempfaengerregister_organisation_node.html - the BZSt maintains this federal register of all organisations eligible to receive tax-deductible donations in Germany. Second, you can look up the association in the Vereinsregister (association register) at the local Amtsgericht (district court) via https://www.handelsregister.de/ - this confirms the legal form, registered address, and board members. Third, check whether the organisation holds the Freistellungsbescheid (tax-exemption notice) from its local Finanzamt - the notice is re-issued every three years and confirms the 'gemeinnuetzig' status under the Abgabenordnung. Legitimate charities publish this on their website or provide it on request.
Contact GLS Gemeinschaftsbank eG directly for current donation methods. German charities typically accept SEPA bank transfer (Ueberweisung) to the organisation's IBAN, SEPA direct debit (Lastschrift/Einzugsermaechtigung) for recurring donations, PayPal, credit card payments, and online payment processors like Stripe or Mollie. Many German charities use platforms like betterplace.org, GoFundMe, or their own Spendenseite (donation page). International donors can give via SEPA transfer (Germany is in the eurozone) or PayPal. For your donation to be tax-deductible, you need a Zuwendungsbestaetigung (donation receipt) from the organisation - for amounts up to 300 euros, a bank statement showing the transfer is sufficient.
GLS Gemeinschaftsbank eG is based in Bochum, in the state of North Rhine-Westphalia (Nordrhein-Westfalen), Germany's most populous state, home to Cologne, Düsseldorf, and Dortmund. Germany is a federation of 16 states (Bundeslaender). Charitable status ('Gemeinnuetzigkeit') is granted by the local Finanzamt and recognised nationwide - the organisation can solicit tax-deductible donations from donors anywhere in Germany.
See 5 years of revenue, expense breakdowns, and balance sheet.
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Tax-deductibility for donors
German donations are deductible if GLS Gemeinschaftsbank eG holds a Freistellungsbescheid (recognition as a charitable purpose) and issues a Zuwendungsbestätigung receipt.
GLS Gemeinschaftsbank eG is in Germany, a TGE (Transnational Giving Europe) member country. Dutch donors can route gifts via Stichting Transnational Giving Europe to receive Dutch ANBI-equivalent deductibility, subject to TGE's 5% pass-through fee.
GLS Gemeinschaftsbank eG is registered in Germany. US donors generally cannot deduct gifts to non-US charities directly. To claim a deduction, route the gift through a US 'Friends of' fiscal sponsor or a donor-advised fund that performs equivalency determination (IRS Rev. Proc. 92-94).
Always confirm tax treatment with the charity directly or your tax advisor before donating.
Leadership
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Donor reviews (14)
2.4 / 5 average · includes imported Trustpilot
I want to express my satisfaction in having handle my boxes over the GLS company. International delivery from Germany (Magdeburg) to Italy (Palermo). The boxes have been successfully delivered in 4 days. The only weak point has been the pick up, which took place with a day of delay.
Trustpilot
I don't like their attitude of not admitting their mistakes, and playing with people's feelings about being a fair bank, while they are not.GLS asks: What could they improve? Dont be hypocritical. If you make mistakes, even in your company conditions, than stay for it and handle correspondingly. Only pretending your do some customer care is not enough.
Trustpilot
Very, very good...
Trustpilot
Super friendly and helpful service. Bank itself and especially online is a bit problematic since it’s inferior and UI and usability and features is lagging way behind competition. Though in the end of the day - do you wanna support aushole bankers at Deutsche Bank or a better future?
Trustpilot
I am a current GLS bank member, and I recently received a letter informing me that they are introducing a new fee, whereby they will charge me a 0.5% "deposit fee" when my account exceeds 50.000 euros.I find this quite surprising, as I was under the impression that banks profit from having more deposits.I now understand that, on the contrary, my funds are causing the bank a great inconvenience. I am taking immediate steps to transfer my money elsewhere to ensure that GLS will never have to suffer such inconvenience on my behalf ever again.
Trustpilot
I've been a client for almost 6 years and kept over 300k in 0% interest savings there just because I thought they'd be doing good with it, Sadly I intend to close my account soon, service has been continuously degrading, longer and longer wait time for support, direct messages go unanswered. You'd still get nice people but they are rarely useful or knowledgeable in their own systems. I think it's a good bank for native Germans who do the bare minimum with their bank and do not intend to keep large sums of money in it. Anything other than that, despite all the good intentions, is simply not functional and it would be nice if they did more to inform potential clients they might not be a good fit for them.Edit: sadly I had to lower my review even further, shortly after writing this I was informed that my account will be "closed", no explanation as to why nor any reply to my request to know why. The bizarre conduct of this bank is slowly crossing into the absurd
Trustpilot
I need to be able to contact a bank person who speaks English. They type my info wrong.
Trustpilot
Jesus Christ this was the worst experience I ever had with any bank. Period. Not only they did not deliver my cards to the correct address... THREE TIMES. But after that they also decided to close my account, because "My values did not align with the company." God knows what that means. Besides that, contact with Customer Support was always dreadful. Very short hours for calling them and they rarely were able to solve my problems. They kept on saying that they would do it and then things kept on being broken. Best example is with things being delivered to the wrong address. Twice they promised me that they had solved it.... But the reason I write this review is the following:This all I describe happened half a year ago, at the time I didn't leave any review. But yesterday I received a letter from them.. THANKING ME FOR BEING THEIR CLIENT.That is bad enough, since I have not been their client for half a year now... but the letter was not even CO2 compensated. I cant facepalm enough to this. You have one job, one defining characteristic, and you screw that one up too. Way to go GLS.
Trustpilot
I do not know where to start honestly. I also wanted to deposit some amount on a more fair bank since we do not have an equivalent in Austria. However, I would not recommend GLS Bank, in particular not if you are not living in Germany. The customer service line is awaful, I usually wait 10-15 minutes and they do not call you back if you leave your number. This did cost me a fortune I could have done something nice with it or better donated it instead of paying for the service line. Once you get through I was rarely given the help I needed. The Online Banking App did severely lagg and cause trouble on my phone and ultimately did not work. How they handle the TAN renewal is incredibly slow and complicated. The bank certainly cares for security but in all other aspects for me it completely failed. Now, when I decided to close my account, I am still waiting (since three weeks) for the transaction of my funds - a task that should be easily accomplished within a few days. I have written to basic customer service and complaints section. Terrible service ! Many companies fail to recruit enough staff to help customers out or at least REPLY to emails. So it the end GLS bank appears to be as greedy as other banks due to management decisions - optimizing profit rate by hiring less people though those employed can apparently not sufficiently handle the incoming requests. Maybe some management staff should reduce their bonuses to hire more people at the lower ranks.
Trustpilot
Great bank with great values, ethically driven and with focus on environmental protection, climate change issues and social issues.
Trustpilot
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Sign up to write a reviewCause areas in Germany
How many charities work in each area, with this charity's area highlighted.
Most common causes in Germany
Causes charities work on most, with this charity's causes ticked.
Sources and verification
- Registration and legal identity
- Bundesanzeiger (German Federal Gazette)
- Financial filings
- Bundesanzeiger annual disclosures
- Donor reviews (external)
- Trustpilot consumer reviews
- Community reviews (verified email)
- GiveRadar Community Reviews - 14 verified review(s) on file.
Data freshness
What we know and don't know
Exactly which public data we hold on this charity. Our score reflects transparency, not impact.
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Financial data · Annual revenue figure on record
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Named leadership · Lead officer named
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Government registration · Registered with an official registry
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Official website · On record
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Headquarters address · On file
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Direct contact · Email or phone published
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Founding date · 1974
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Executive payTop-officer pay not disclosed
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Mission statementNo self-published statement of purpose
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Programs & activitiesNo named programs listed by the charity
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Tax-deductibilityNot verified
Methodology
GiveRadar builds each profile primarily from official government charity registries, supplemented where available by third-party nonprofit databases and news archives, and combines it into a single 0-100 integrity assessment. The exact sources for this charity are listed above. We don't take a cut of any donation, ever.
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Quick facts about GLS Gemeinschaftsbank eG
- What is GLS Gemeinschaftsbank eG?
- GLS Gemeinschaftsbank eG is a community development nonprofit organization based in Bochum, Germany. We hold discussions with representatives of the Federal Government as well as with members of the German Bundestag in order to take advantage of our interests. The aim is to explain necessary adjustments in various areas that are crucial for the framework conditions of our business activities, the situation of our employees as well as for the achievement of the climate and environmental goals of the Federal Government and the sustainable transformation of the economy and the financial sector. The focus will be on sustainability, banking and financial regulation as well as on the topics of energy, nutrition, housing, education, health and sustainable economy. In the course of these discussions, well-founded opinions and expert opinions on concrete regulatory projects or relevant topics will also be prepared and transmitted to policy makers.
- When was GLS Gemeinschaftsbank eG founded?
- GLS Gemeinschaftsbank eG was founded in 1974.
- Who leads GLS Gemeinschaftsbank eG?
- Aysel Osmanoglu serves as Board Member.
- Where is GLS Gemeinschaftsbank eG located?
- Headquartered in Bochum, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany.
- What is GLS Gemeinschaftsbank eG's annual budget?
- Annual revenue is approximately €10K-€100K.
- Is GLS Gemeinschaftsbank eG trustworthy?
- GLS Gemeinschaftsbank eG has a GiveRadar Integrity Assessment of 47 out of 100 (Partial transparency). The score reflects public-data transparency: registration, financial disclosure, governance, contact details, and how recently data was refreshed. It does not measure program impact.
- What is GLS Gemeinschaftsbank eG's registration number?
- Registration: R003237 (Germany).
- What is GLS Gemeinschaftsbank eG's website?
- https://www.gls.de
- Are donations to GLS Gemeinschaftsbank eG tax-deductible?
- Donations may be tax-deductible for residents of Germany under local rules. US donors should check whether the charity has an equivalency-determination letter or a US-based fiscal sponsor before claiming a deduction.