Interview: “We wanted to make our funding more transparent.”

Many municipal companies face the same challenge: an increasing number of sponsorship and grant requests are coming up against limited budgets and cumbersome decision-making processes. At the same time, expectations regarding transparency, citizen participation, and social impact are rising.

Together with FAIRPLAID, enercity has therefore launched the “enercity HerzensProjekte” platform. In this interview, Alexa Schalk, the contact person for the platform at enercity, talks about how the idea came about, the goals behind the platform, and why crowdfunding is much more than just an additional funding tool for the company.

FAIRPLAID: Alexa, how did you first hear about FAIRPLAID and the topic of crowdfunding?

Alexa Schalk: Actually, we weren’t originally looking for a crowdfunding platform at all. We wanted to find a solution that would allow us to handle our numerous donation requests in a more structured and efficient way. During our research, we came across FAIRPLAID and the concept of crowdfunding. The more we looked into it, the more potential we saw in it. Our board was also immediately convinced by the idea.

FAIRPLAID: What challenges did you want to address with the platform?

Alexa Schalk: We receive a large number of funding and sponsorship requests every year. Many of them are for smaller projects that we have unfortunately had to turn down in the past for organizational or budgetary reasons. It was important to us to create a process that is both more transparent and more efficient. Today, projects can actively engage their own communities, and we allocate our funding where genuine commitment is already evident.

FAIRPLAID: Why was transparency so important to you in this context?

Alexa Schalk: Transparency plays a central role for us. Both applicants and the public should be able to understand how funding works and how decisions are made. At the same time, the platform raises the profile of the many dedicated organizations and initiatives in our region. This builds trust and makes our social engagement more tangible.

FAIRPLAID: In your view, what distinguishes crowdfunding from traditional sponsorship initiatives?

Alexa Schalk: Crowdfunding actively brings people on board. Projects aren’t simply funded—they’re carried out together with the community. This creates a completely different dynamic. People identify more strongly with the projects, support them financially, and promote them within their own networks. From our perspective, this level of participation adds significant value.

FAIRPLAID: What role does match funding play in this?

Alexa Schalk: Match funding was a particularly exciting approach for us. Our funding is directly tied to people’s engagement. Every contribution from the community amplifies the impact of our own budget. This results in projects that are not only financially supported but also demonstrate that they actually have support within the region.

FAIRPLAID: Many companies underestimate the effort required to run successful crowdfunding campaigns. How important is it to you, therefore, to provide personalized support to project creators?

Alexa Schalk: That’s a crucial factor for us. The platform alone doesn’t guarantee successful projects. That’s why it was important to us that project initiators receive professional support. FAIRPLAID’s coaches assist with the preparation, communication, and execution of the campaigns. This significantly increases the chances of success while also lightening the load on us as platform operators.

FAIRPLAID: You’re already planning special themed campaigns on the platform. What role do such campaigns play?

Alexa Schalk: Campaigns like these help revitalize the platform time and again and generate additional attention. Whether it’s a Christmas campaign or other funding priorities—they motivate clubs and supporters alike and strengthen the sense of community. At the same time, they give us the opportunity to specifically highlight current issues.

FAIRPLAID: What advice would you give to other municipal companies that are considering launching their own crowdfunding platform?

Alexa Schalk: I would recommend not viewing crowdfunding solely as a financing tool. For us, the platform is first and foremost a tool for bringing people together and raising awareness of social engagement. At the same time, it allows us to make funding processes more transparent and use resources more efficiently. That’s what makes crowdfunding, in our view, a genuine evolution of traditional sponsorship and funding models.

FAIRPLAID: What are you most looking forward to in the coming months?

Alexa Schalk: We want to establish the enercity HerzensProjekte as the central platform for nonprofit projects in the region. Our goal is to reach as many organizations and initiatives as possible and, together with the community, successfully carry out even more projects. Because we’re convinced that true energy is created when people take responsibility together.

Further information:
enercity HerzensProjekte: enercity-herzensprojekte.de/
Learn more about municipal crowdfunding with FAIRPLAID: fairplaid.com/kommunales-crowdfunding