Modern Philanthropy. Strategic by Design.
PHINEO advises philanthropists, family offices, and foundations on how to make their social engagement truly effective and strategic.
Whether you’re just getting started or looking to further develop your existing giving activities – we offer orientation, expertise, and a collaborative process to help you achieve lasting impact.
Giving something back to society – a motive that inspires more and more people.
And that’s a good thing, because society needs philanthropic commitment!
PHINEO’s philanthropy consulting supports wealthy individuals and families in building targeted and sustainable engagement for the common good.
What sets us apart: 15 years of in-depth experience with successful projects, tried-and-tested strategies, flexibility, discretion, a broad network, and hands-on approaches that help philanthropists implement impactful and sustainable projects according to their individual needs.
Our Consulting Services Cover Five Key Areas:

Get more information:
Schedule a non-binding initial meeting with Sonja Schäffler to discuss your questions, goals, and needs.
Sonja Schäffler ★ sonja.schaeffler@phineo.org ★ +49 151 116 464 12
Head of PHINEO Philanthropy & Non-Profit
Our Approach to Philanthropy Consulting
PHINEO accompanies philanthropists in every phase of their engagement – from initial strategic alignment to operational implementation and long-term funding. This holistic approach is what sets us apart from other consulting providers.
We also offer needs-based and ad hoc support. To this end, we have developed a modular consulting concept that can be flexibly adapted to your goals.
GETTING STARTED – Strategy Development
Co-creating a clear strategic direction
We support you in defining your vision, mission, and values. We listen, ask questions, and work with you to develop goals that are precisely tailored to your needs – and give your engagement a clear and purpose-driven direction.
LEARNING – Capacity Building
Identifying and supporting effective projects yourself
Some philanthropists want to take the lead themselves: researching, selecting, and funding projects independently. We are happy to accompany you on this path – supporting and empowering you as needed, and adapted to your individual preferences. You decide how much decision-making you want to delegate and how much input you need.
EVALUATING – Impact Assessment
Understanding the impact of your engagement
If you want to ensure that your support makes a real difference, we offer thorough impact assessments. These can be conducted at different levels of depth and provide full transparency about the results of your philanthropic efforts.
DONATING – Funding Initiatives
Supporting long-term, high-impact projects
For those who want to fund long-term initiatives without creating permanent structures, we offer tailor-made funding models inspired by the successful SKala Initiative. We manage the full process for you – from project selection to final reporting.
For shorter funding cycles, we offer extended funding consulting. We research and evaluate projects in your area of interest for one to three years of funding. This is ideal for new philanthropists who want to explore the field and receive professional guidance throughout the process.
FOUNDING – Start-Up Support
From idea to your own organization
Whether it’s strategy, legal implementation, or building operational structures – we support the full start-up process for a funding organization such as a foundation or charitable LLC (gGmbH in Germany).
An example: The Kinnings Foundation, launched by the founders of Zalando, was established with our comprehensive advisory support.
What Sets Us Apart
- Expertise & Experience: Our consulting is backed by over 2,000 impact assessments and 15 years of experience working with nonprofit organizations, companies, researchers, and public institutions. We understand the different logics that drive various actors – and where the real levers for impact lie.
- Hands-on Methods & Proven Strategies: We are well-versed in effective approaches to supporting funders and philanthropic initiatives. One example is Susanne Klatten’s SKala Initiative, through which we helped her family office allocate €100 million for maximum impact. We are currently supporting the Initiative Mobilitätskultur, funded by the CHRYSANTL Foundation.
- Strong Network & Cross-Sector Collaboration: Upon request, we connect philanthropists with relevant actors from civil society, academia, and politics.
- Tailored Support & Full Discretion: Whether you want to make your engagement visible or prefer to stay anonymous – we ensure your preferences are respected.
- Non-Profit & Independent: PHINEO is a non-profit organization. That means our only goal is to strengthen your social engagement – no strings attached.
- Bridging Philanthropy & NPOs: We understand both the needs and working methods of nonprofits as well as the expectations of philanthropists. This dual perspective is one of our core strengths – and a key difference from other consulting services.
Funding partners we collaborate with



Funding initiatives

