Transparency
A registered charity that puts on concerts
„Was uns am Herzen liegt e. V.“ is a registered charitable association of musicians and organisers from the Stuttgart region. We stage benefit concerts and pass on the entire surplus to a single project: HOPPS, the home-based paediatric oncology nursing service of Olgahospital Stuttgart.
Our first concert took place in 2013 in a small church in Beilstein. Since 2015 we have performed at the Friedenskirche in Ludwigsburg in front of up to 900 guests. In 2017 we founded the association to give the cause a legal framework. Since then more than €100,000 has gone to HOPPS.
Name, seat and statutes
- Full name
- Was uns am Herzen liegt e. V.
- Registered seat
- Gartenstraße 1, 71717 Beilstein, Germany
- Founded
- January 2017
- Register
- Stuttgart Local Court, association register VR 722924
- Board
-
Dr Dirk Schieborn (chair), Gudrun Sirsch, Christian Pfeffer
All three serve on a voluntary and unpaid basis. - Tax-privileged purposes
-
The association pursues exclusively and directly benevolent and charitable purposes within
the meaning of sections 51 ff. of the German Fiscal Code. Recognised purposes are:
- Promotion of public health and public health care
- Promotion of arts and culture
- Promotion of education
- Promotion of general and vocational training, including student support
- Exemption notice
-
Stuttgart tax office for corporations, notice dated 21 March 2025 for the
years 2021 to 2023.
The association is exempt from corporation tax under section 5(1) no. 9 of the Corporation Tax Act and from trade tax under section 3 no. 6 of the Trade Tax Act, and is entitled to issue official donation receipts for donations and membership fees. We are happy to send a copy of the notice on request – [email protected].
Where the money goes
Every donation handover of the past ten years – all amounts went to the HOPPS project at Olgahospital Stuttgart.
| Year | to HOPPS | Occasion |
|---|---|---|
| 2015 | €25,000 | Charity concert, Friedenskirche Ludwigsburg |
| 2017 | €15,000 | Charity concert, Friedenskirche Ludwigsburg |
| 2019 | €33,333 | Charity concert, together with the student council of Gymnasium Rutesheim |
| 2024 | €30,000 | Charity concert, together with Gymnasium Rutesheim |
| 2025 | €7,500 | WUAHL pianissimo at the Marmorsaal, with the SSC Foundation |
| Total | €110,833 | since the first large concert in 2015 |
Where the funds come from
Our income comes from three sources: ticket sales, donations and sponsorship from companies, foundations and private individuals, and the contributions of our supporting members (€50 a year). We receive no public funding and no institutional support.
At the 2024 concert this amounted to roughly €25,500 from tickets, some €25,300 from donations and sponsorship and €1,600 from membership fees. No single donor accounted for more than ten per cent of our total income.
Four things we say openly
Nobody earns money from our work
The board works entirely on a voluntary basis and receives no remuneration whatsoever – no salary, no expense allowance, no attendance fee. The vast majority of our some sixty performers also appear without payment.
We say openly that a concert costs money
Stage technology, sound, lighting, hall rental, music licensing fees and the fees of a few professional contributors have to be paid. Whatever remains after these production costs goes to HOPPS in full.
Many partners waive their fee
A considerable share of our costs is forgiven: technical partners grant discounts of up to 75 per cent, film crews and sound engineers waive parts of their invoices, caterers provide refreshments free of charge. Without that support our model would not work.
The money goes to a single project
Since our first concert we have supported HOPPS at Olgahospital Stuttgart exclusively. We do not spread our funds; we stay with the project we know and whose effect we can see.
What HOPPS does
HOPPS is the home-based paediatric oncology nursing service at Olgahospital Stuttgart. A team of nurses and doctors cares for children with cancer at home, so that they do not have to stay in hospital between treatments.
In 2025 the team supported 53 families and covered 16,300 kilometres doing so. This work is not fully covered by health insurance – which is why it depends on donations, and why we give concerts.
Questions about our finances?
We are glad to answer them. If you would like the exemption notice, the statutes or information on how funds are used, simply write to us.
[email protected] →Postal address: Was uns am Herzen liegt e. V., c/o Gudrun Sirsch, Gartenstraße 1, 71717 Beilstein, Germany. Further details in the legal notice.
