Christian Vater (born November 15, 1974) is the founder of the independent German charitable foundation Deutschland rundet auf (Germany rounds up).[1] Born in Berlin, Vater is a social entrepreneur since 2009. Previously, he worked as a music manager.
Christian Vater | |
|---|---|
 Christian Vater (social entrepreneur), founder of the fundraising campaign Deutschland rundet auf | |
| Born | November 15, 1974 Berlin, Germany |
| Nationality | German |
| Occupation | Social entrepreneur |
Career
editHis father was a physician, his mother is a pharmacist. He is a banker by profession, and holds a degree in economics and international management from European Business School London (EBS London). In 1998 Vater started as a manager in the music industry, working consequently in various national and international positions, at Bertelsmann Music Group (BMG), the tour promoter DEAG Deutsche Entertainment, in the United Kingdom at EMI, as well as IE Music, the artist management of Robbie Williams. In December 2007, after the birth of his first child, Christian Vater decided to become a social entrepreneur. In 2008 he co-founded the Ana Kwa Ana Foundation with a focus on improving the livelihoods of HIV-infected street children in Africa. In 2009 he founded Deutschland rundet auf. In 2015 he founded the social startup my better life.[2] Since 2015 he works as a coach for personal development.
Deutschland rundet auf
editThe fundraising campaign Deutschland rundet auf was founded on November 30, 2009, with the aim to eliminate child poverty in Germany. Consumers can round up their shopping bills to the next 10-cent amount by saying "Aufrunden bitte!" ("Round it up, please!"). Each cent donated goes directly and without any deductions to independently selected and controlled projects to fight child poverty in Germany. More than 4.3 million Euro have been raised as of December 2015.[3] A survey by market research firm IfD Allensbach showed, that after three years in operation, 69% of the German population know Deutschland rundet auf.[4]
Awards
editFor his idea of the micro-donation by rounding up, Vater was named an Ashoka fellow and inducted into Ashoka's global network of social entrepreneurs.[5] He has further been recognised with the Best Human Brands Award 2012, the VisionAward 2013, and acknowledged as a "responsible leader" by the BMW Stiftung Herbert Quandt in 2014.[6][7]
References
edit- ^ Altenhoff, Kirsten. "Deutschland rundet auf: Small Cents. Giant Impact". Ashoka Changemakers. Retrieved 16 December 2015.
- ^ "Happiness start-up valued in the millions: my better life completes seed funding and begins beta phase". wallstreet:online. 14 September 2016. Retrieved 24 October 2016.
- ^ "Reporting of Donations". Deutschland rundet auf. Retrieved 15 December 2015.
- ^ Ryland, Naomi. "Ending Child Poverty One Cent at a Time". The Changer. Retrieved 15 December 2015.
- ^ "Christian Vater". Ashoka Germany. Retrieved 16 December 2015.
- ^ "Categories and Awardees of Best Human Brands Awards 2012". Best Human Brands Awards. Archived from the original on 22 December 2015. Retrieved 16 December 2015.
- ^ "VisionAward in Retrospect". VisionAward. Retrieved 16 December 2015.