You’ve ordered Advent calendars or greeting cards that haven’t arrived yet? Please enter the email address used for the order. You’ll receive an email with information on whether and when your order was shipped.

How do I get a donation receipt?

For donations under €300, tax offices usually accept a bank statement as proof. You also received a donation receipt with your confirmation email. You can request it again here by email. Be sure to use the same email address you used for your donation.

What is the 24 GOOD DEEDS Advent Calendar?

The 24 GOOD DEEDS Advent Calendar is a unique way to support a wide range of social and environmental projects worldwide. For example, one calendar door might protect 150 m² of Amazon rainforest in Brazil, provide a meal for a child in Nepal, or partially fund a holiday trip for a child in need in Germany. Your donation amount is flexible, starting at €1. Important! You donate this amount per project, meaning per calendar door. Starting from €24, you will receive the 24 GOOD DEEDS Advent Calendar as a thank you gift so you can see which specific projects you’re supporting.

How can I get or gift the calendar?

Via our donation form you can donate to the 24 projects at any time. As a thank you and to show you which aid projects you are supporting, we’ll send you the sustainable Advent calendar starting in October. Of course, you can also send the 24 GOOD DEEDS Advent Calendar as a gift to family, friends, or acquaintances. We’ll include a greeting card where you can write your personal Advent message. Prefer a digital version? No problem! Starting December 1st, we’ll send you the Advent calendar as a digital version via email, including the daily door and background info on the project. Here you can order the Advent calendar.

Is my donation tax-deductible?

Yes, your donation is tax-deductible. 24guteTaten e.V. is officially recognized as a non-profit organization by the Düsseldorf-South tax office. For donations under €300, tax offices generally accept a bank statement as proof. This is because they treat it as direct evidence of the transaction. You will receive a donation receipt by email shortly after making your donation.

Do 100 percent of the donations go to the projects?

75 percent of the donations collected through the Advent calendar go to charitable purposes, 25 percent to administration and marketing. After covering nonprofit expenses of 24guteTaten e.V., the remaining amount is evenly distributed among the 24 calendar projects.

How is it ensured that my donation arrives?

We take the monitoring of donation use very seriously. Each organization signs a contract that defines the implementation of the good deed. Additionally, aid organizations must document their project progress through detailed reports, receipts, and photos. Our organization is also committed to transparency . That’s why we report annually on our activities and disclose how we use our funds.

How can I apply with a project for a calendar door?

The projects featured in the 24 GOOD DEEDS Advent Calendar are selected anew each year. Applications usually open on December 6th of the previous year. Want to be notified when the next application round opens? Then sign up here for our NGO newsletter or submit your application directly. You'll also find everything you need to know about the application process there.

How can I learn more about the projects in the Advent calendar?

You’ll find detailed background info on each of the current projects daily from December 1st to 24th on our website. All previous projects are available in our calendar archive. Also, sign up for our newsletter to stay up to date.

How are the projects for the Advent calendar selected?

Each year, nonprofit organizations can apply for a calendar door. The selected projects must meet strict criteria. Our goal is to support particularly sustainable, impactful, and transparent projects. You can find details about our selection process here

Who is behind the 24 GOOD DEEDS Advent Calendar?

The 24 GOOD DEEDS Advent Calendar is an initiative by the nonprofit organization 24guteTaten e.V., founded in 2011. The organization is based in Düsseldorf.

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Tag 24

A pair of warm socks for a homeless person in Hamburg

Giving warmth together

Direct help against cold weather and illness

Hamburg in winter means a damp, cold face, wind from all sides and downpours where you never know whether your winter coat will suffice or whether you need a rubber dinghy. Sometimes it drizzles horizontally, sometimes from below – and if you're unlucky, also from above, because your umbrella has long since given up. People who live here know the saying: ‘There's no such thing as bad weather, only the wrong clothing.’ For people without a permanent home, however, this sounds like a distant luxury. Because those who live on the streets often don't have dry shoes or warm socks. Wet, cold feet are not only uncomfortable – they make you susceptible to illness and can be a serious danger in winter. That's why even simple things like a pair of warm socks can provide a little bit of protection, warmth and comfort.

Schaupielerin Vanessa Eichholz und Sänger Marlo Grosshardt präsentieren Dir ihr Lieblingsprojekt

Need

Warm clothing for people in need in Hamburg

Activity

Hanseatic Help purchases socks and distributes them to organisations and people in need according to their requirements

Measurable performance

Number of pairs of socks distributed to 30 homeless initiatives in Hamburg, among others

Result

Homeless people are provided with warm socks, offering them some protection from the cold

Systemically relevant impact

Improved care for homeless people in Hamburg

Background

As in many large German cities, homelessness is part of the urban landscape in Hamburg. The number of people without a permanent residence has more than doubled since 2018: as of 2024, around 3.787 people were living permanently on the streets (BMWSB 2025). In addition, there are many who temporarily stay in emergency shelters and return in the spring. In 2018, the figure was 1.910, including the winter emergency programme (Buchholz et al. 2025). The current programme in Hamburg provides places for around 1.200 people (Diakonie Hamburg 2025). This means that even in winter, not even one in three homeless people can find a place to stay overnight. In most cases, homelessness in Germany is not caused by a single factor, but by a combination of several stressful circumstances. Factors such as job loss, excessive debt, serious illness, addiction or mental health problems often lead to people being unable to keep their homes. Family crises such as separations or domestic violence also play a role. Bureaucratic hurdles or a lack of affordable housing often add to the difficulty of getting back on one's feet. Homelessness is therefore rarely the result of individual fault, but rather an expression of structural and social problems. The situation is particularly life-threatening during the cold season: wet clothing, lack of shoes and unheated nights can quickly lead to serious illness. Hypothermia is one of the most common causes of death among homeless people – especially in the winter months. This makes aid organisations that support those affected all the more important. In addition to the municipal winter emergency programme, Hanseatic Help ensures that no one has to go without warm clothing. The organisation takes care of the logistics of donations in kind and supplies over 300 initiatives in Hamburg. In this way, many small donations form a large network of support that provides protection and warmth.

The good deed

Warm socks make a big difference in winter – for all of us, but especially for people living on the streets. With your help, Hanseatic Help can distribute a pair of warm socks to homeless people with every door opened. Warm socks are not among the items that are donated in sufficient quantities to aid organisations. However, they are extremely important and an essential part of preventive care to protect the health and well-being of those affected. Today, thousands of pairs of colourful, warm woollen socks are beautifully wrapped under Christmas trees. With this door, they also find their way to people in need. This good deed directly provides warmth and protection for people in need on the streets of Hamburg. In addition, all those affected can receive further aid supplies and ongoing support on site.

Germany

Berlin

Capital city

83.510.950

Population

As of 2024

348.672

Land area in km²

German

Official language(s)

As of 2025

More bridges than Venice: Did you know that Hamburg has more bridges than Venice, Amsterdam and London combined? With 2.500 bridges, the Hanseatic city is the city with the most bridges in Europe.

About the organization and further information