{"id":32082,"date":"2022-12-28T10:39:00","date_gmt":"2022-12-28T09:39:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rewe-group.com\/en\/?p=32082"},"modified":"2026-11-02T14:09:20","modified_gmt":"2026-11-02T13:09:20","slug":"social-engagement-through-the-forderpenny-im-impressed-all-over-again-every-year","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rewe-group.com\/en\/press-and-media\/newsroom\/stories\/social-engagement-through-the-forderpenny-im-impressed-all-over-again-every-year\/","title":{"rendered":"Social Engagement Through the F\u00f6rderpenny: \u201cI\u2019m impressed all over again every year\u201d"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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It\u2019s a small record: A total of 520 organizations working on behalf of children and young people received support from F\u00f6rderpenny in 2022. Why there were an unexpectedly high number of applications this year, how the current social climate is affecting the project, and why F\u00f6rderpenny aims to continue growing: an interview with project manager Kathrin Daivandran.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/div><\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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The F\u00f6rderpenny initiative was launched in 2015. How has the project evolved since then?<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

Kathrin Daivandran:<\/strong> The F\u00f6rderpenny is a competition for organizations that work with children and young people. In 2015, we started small with a pilot project in Hamburg and have expanded the project year by year. In 2018, the F\u00f6rderpenny was held throughout Germany for the first time, and we selected 40 winning organizations. This year, we\u2019ve increased the number of current F\u00f6rderpenny winners to 520, 260 of whom are round-up donors. So we\u2019re continuing to grow, and our vision is that in the future, every PENNY store will select a F\u00f6rderpenny winner.<\/p>\n

In 2018, we also began involving our customers: Our customers in the store can simply say \u201cThat\u2019s right!\u201d at the register to round up their purchase to the nearest 10-cent amount. The donations collected this way go to a local nonprofit for an entire year.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n

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About:<\/h2>

\n Kathrin Daivandran <\/p>\n\n \n

\n is the project manager for F\u00f6rderpenny. <\/p>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n

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How does the F\u00f6rderpenny system work?<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

Kathrin Daivandran:<\/strong> The F\u00f6rderpenny program runs throughout the year. It kicks off at the beginning of the year with the application phase: Organizations can apply online at f\u00f6rderpenny.de. This year, we\u2019ve divided Germany into a total of 260 neighborhood regions. We\u2019ve selected two winners from each region. These two organizations then compete against each other to gather votes; this year, the first-place winner receives 1,500 euros in prize money, and the second-place winner receives 1,000 euros. From among all the first-place winners, we then nominate additional organizations to be invited to one of the five regional award ceremonies in October and November. The award ceremonies mark the end of the F\u00f6rderpenny year, so to speak. For the 260 first-place winners, however, the donation year begins at the same time\u2014meaning that from then on, they will receive customer donations from our round-up campaign for a full year.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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Lukas Podolski is an ambassador for the F\u00f6rderpenny.<\/p>\n<\/div> <\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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Why did you decide to take such a regional approach with the F\u00f6rderpenny?<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

Kathrin Daivandran:<\/strong> PENNY is the neighborhood discount store. That\u2019s why the F\u00f6rderpenny should also have a regional and local impact. We want to show our customers: There\u2019s a local organization that we at PENNY support\u2014and that you, as a customer, can support too.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n

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Children and teenagers continue to feel the impact of the pandemic very strongly. Did you notice that in the applications for the F\u00f6rderpenny? <\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

Kathrin Daivandran:<\/strong> Yes, we actually noticed that. At first, we thought we\u2019d receive fewer applications because many projects\u2014such as youth camps\u2014couldn\u2019t take place due to the pandemic. But we actually received more applications\u2014particularly for the design of outdoor spaces, such as school gardens or schoolyards. There were also many applications for digital programs, such as online coaching for children and teens\u2014for example, to address loneliness or bullying.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n

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The pandemic isn\u2019t completely over yet, and already the next major problem is looming: Russia\u2019s war of aggression against Ukraine and the resulting high energy prices are causing families\u2019 disposable income to decline. What does this development mean for child and youth support? <\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

Kathrin Daivandran:<\/strong> Since the application period ended in late March 2022, this development has not yet affected this year\u2019s project. However, it is highly likely that this will be the case by the current application period at the latest, which began in mid-December of this year. We anticipate that there will be a significant increase, in particular, in the number of projects focused on meal provision, as well as language acquisition projects for refugee children.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n

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Lukas Podolski has been a F\u00f6rderpenny ambassador since August 2022. How did the idea come about to recruit the former national team player as an ambassador, and what does PENNY hope to gain from this? <\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

Kathrin Daivandran:<\/strong> We\u2019ve been considering for some time now the idea of finding a well-known figure to represent the \u201cF\u00f6rderpenny\u201d who could help bring the project even closer to our customers. It was important to us that this person be someone who advocates for children and young people outside of their professional life. Lukas Podolski was the perfect role model, as he has been actively involved in sports programs for children and young people for many years. We\u2019re convinced that the 2014 World Cup champion can use his widespread fame to give the \u201cF\u00f6rderpenny\u201d a new platform.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n

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What has been your passion project over the past few years? <\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

Kathrin Daivandran:<\/strong> Every year, I\u2019m impressed anew by the passion and dedication the volunteers bring to their work\u2014whether they\u2019re involved in a small club or a large organization like Caritas. Here\u2019s an example: Last year, a very small nonprofit with just two members that distributes books to children in Gie\u00dfen won third place in the F\u00f6rderpenny National Award. The two organizers were moved to tears when they received 2,500 euros for their project. Otherwise, I find projects that draw attention to a specific social issue to be very important: Last year\u2019s national award winner, the Children\u2019s and Youth Welfare Rights Association, for example, supports young people who have lived in state care\u2014such as in a residential facility\u2014and are released from that care upon reaching the age of majority. The association supports these young people by offering them the assistance they need\u2014through workshops and programs\u2014to lead independent lives.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n

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\n Julia Dopjans <\/p>\n\n

Editor of REWE GROUP Corporate Communications<\/p>\n \n

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Editor, REWE GROUP Corporate Communications<\/p>\n \n

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    \n Join the discussion on LinkedIn <\/h2>\n
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    Our LinkedIn feed has all the latest information from the REWE GROUP and the sector, with the most important developments from the worlds of retail, e-commerce, food, CSR and policy.<\/p>\n <\/div>\n

    \n \n To LinkedIn feed <\/a>\n <\/p>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n\n

    \n <\/span>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

    Through the \u201cF\u00f6rderpenny\u201d initiative, PENNY has been supporting children\u2019s and youth welfare organizations for years. How the project connects customers with their neighborhoods\u2014and why it continues to grow.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":38,"featured_media":18574,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_relevanssi_hide_post":"","_relevanssi_hide_content":"","_relevanssi_pin_for_all":"","_relevanssi_pin_keywords":"","_relevanssi_unpin_keywords":"","_relevanssi_related_keywords":"","_relevanssi_related_include_ids":"","_relevanssi_related_exclude_ids":"","_relevanssi_related_no_append":"","_relevanssi_related_not_related":"","_relevanssi_related_posts":"28292,28284,28327,28262,20038,23413","_relevanssi_noindex_reason":"","nl_adhoc_sent":1,"footnotes":""},"categories":[8],"tags":[],"sales_line":[19],"focus_theme":[142],"class_list":["post-32082","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-company","sales_line-rewe-group","focus_theme-undefined"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rewe-group.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/32082","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rewe-group.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rewe-group.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rewe-group.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/38"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rewe-group.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=32082"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/www.rewe-group.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/32082\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":32108,"href":"https:\/\/www.rewe-group.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/32082\/revisions\/32108"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rewe-group.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/18574"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rewe-group.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=32082"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rewe-group.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=32082"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rewe-group.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=32082"},{"taxonomy":"sales_line","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rewe-group.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/sales_line?post=32082"},{"taxonomy":"focus_theme","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rewe-group.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/focus_theme?post=32082"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}