FAQ
We will be happy to answer all your questions about Pulse of Europe. If you can’t find what you’re looking for in the FAQ, please get in touch: info@pulseofeurope.eu
Donations
We finance our work largely through donations from many citizens. We want to be independent of a few big donors.
Why does PoE need donations?
We are a grassroots movement, an association of citizens that is self-organized and not tied to the public sector. We can only implement our work, campaigns and projects through grants and donations. We receive grants for certain projects – sometimes over several years, as in the case of the European HouseParliaments, and sometimes selectively and on a project-by-project basis.
Overall, it is enormously important to us that we are and remain independent. For this reason, we do not tie ourselves to larger donors as a matter of principle, but finance our work to a large extent through the support of many citizens.
Can I deduct my donation from my taxes?
Pulse of Europe is a non-profit association. Donations and membership fees to us are tax deductible.
Compliance with the requirements of the Articles of Association pursuant to §§ 51, 59, 60 and 61 AO has been confirmed by the Tax Office Frankfurt / M. V-Höchst, StNr. 47 / 250 / 16081 by notice dated February 7, 2020 in accordance with Section 60a of the German Fiscal Code (AO). According to our statutes, we promote education, national and professional training, as well as the democratic state.
When are the donation receipts sent out?
Unless otherwise requested, we will send out donation receipts collectively in February of the following year.
We send donation receipts for all donations for which we have the name and address of the donor – even for donations of less than 200 euros. For such amounts, the presentation of the bank statement is actually sufficient proof for the tax office. But we have noticed in the past that many donors still want the receipt. The effort to filter out appropriate data before sending and to rework individual cases afterwards was greater than simply sending all receipts in full.
If you do not wish to receive a donation receipt or need it earlier than February of the following year, please contact: info@pulseofeurope.eu
Why haven’t I received a donation receipt for last year?
Not yet shipped
Donation receipts will be mailed by approximately mid-February of the following year. For organizational reasons, we do not send receipts immediately after receiving a donation, but collectively for the entire previous year. If you need a receipt beforehand, please contact: info@pulseofeurope.eu
Address is not available
We often receive donations from people we don’t know (yet). In the case of a bank transfer, we only receive the amount and the name of the account holder – but no address. If you would like a donation receipt, it is best to include your address in the subject line when making a bank transfer.
If you have made a donation but have not provided your address, just let us know: info@pulseofeurope.eu
Who can I contact if I have questions about my data?
Our volunteer Viviana Rohde is available to answer your questions at our office: info@pulseofeurope.eu
Why are administrative costs necessary?
Many people volunteer for our citizens’ movement – in addition to their jobs. But coordinating all the city teams and our projects and networks requires a full-time position. And that can only be taken on by someone who is paid for it 😉
Our volunteers are also not able to take care of the support of our donors and the administration of donations and membership fees on their own. To do this, we hired an agency that works for us on an hourly basis – that is, only when there is really something to do.
Since we do not have any economic enterprises and, moreover, do not want to depend on a few large donors, we can accomplish all these important tasks only with the help of many citizens. Donations for our administrative work also further our purposes – because without them PoE could not exist.
Why does PoE accept Bitcoin donations?
We take a long-term view of our work. Our goal of involving citizens more in European politics and positively influencing the development of Europe is a marathon. We also have a responsibility to ensure that our movement, the energy, the donations and the work of all our supporters that have flowed into our campaigns to date remain sustainable. That’s why we want to open up as many avenues as possible for donations. Younger generations in particular are using more and more cryptocurrencies and blockchain technologies. We have made a conscious decision to embrace technological innovations, to use them, to help shape them and to be a part of them – and not to lag behind at some point.
Are Bitcoin donations tax-deductible?
In Germany, Bitcoin donations are considered to be donations in kind; in this case, Bitcoin is not treated as a currency, but as an item that you donate. After the donation (if desired) you will receive a donation receipt for the equivalent value in euros at the time of the donation. If you would like a donation receipt, you can send us your address details during the donation process.
Why does PoE not accept anonymous donations over 150 € equivalent?
We are accountable to our donors – both in terms of expenditure and the origin of our donations. We take great care to remain independent – our work is consciously based on the support of many donors rather than a few large donors. It is also important to us that we do not receive our donations from institutions or individuals who act contrary to our European and liberal values. Of course, we can never trace the origin of all our donations 100 percent. However, we can try as best we can by keeping the proportion of anonymous donations low. We owe this to our supporters, who make our work possible and who rely on our independent and transparent work.
Participate
Get involved in city teams, participate in rallies, help with translations, become a host at HouseParliaments: There are many ways to get involved with PoE.
What data does PoE store from me and for what purpose?
It all depends 😉
We store the address and donation data of donors in order to process the donations (e.g. to collect a donation after issuing a SEPA direct debit mandate), to send donation receipts and to send regular project information upon request. In some cases, we are required to do so by law, particularly in the case of donations that we receive, for example. disclose to the tax office.
We only store data that we really need to process the donations (collection, creation of donation receipts, …) and to maintain the relationship with our supporters (thank you letters, information on the use of donations, …).
Voting members of our association also receive regular invitations (e.g. to general meetings) or similar information from us. We may be required to do so by law.
Why do you send thank you letters? Isn’t that expensive?
Sending thank you letters costs time, paper and postage. But we think it’s polite to say thank you – no matter the donation amount. We do not want to make a thank you dependent on a donation amount. And we do not have e-mail addresses of all people.
Our actions are only possible thanks to the support of many citizens. We do not want to upset anyone due to lack of thanks and therefore lack of appreciation.
Don’t worry: Overall, we make sure that our income and expenses are in a healthy relationship to each other. For example, donors receive only one thank-you letter, even if they donate several times in a quarter. Also, people who have given us a direct debit mandate for a monthly donation, for example, will only receive a one-time thank-you letter for their regular support.
Our thank-you communication is intended to help us maintain good contact with our supporters over the long term and to keep them regularly informed about their donations.
However, if you no longer wish to receive thank you letters from us, please let us know and we will take this into account: info@pulseofeurope.eu
What can I do if I don’t want to receive any or less mail from PoE?
We will be happy to orient our communication to you. It’s no problem to send you regular project updates, but no thank you letters. Or vice versa. Feel free to contact us about how often and in which cases you would like to hear from us. We try to realize your wishes as good as possible.
What can I do if I no longer want to receive thank you letters from PoE?
We will be happy to orient our communication to you. It’s no problem to send you regular project updates, but no thank you letters. Or vice versa. Feel free to contact us about how often and in which cases you would like to hear from us. We try to realize your wishes as good as possible.