Neutral. Transparent. Effective.
About openPetition
Since 2010, openPetition has been helping people make a difference. As a petition platform with over 15 million users, our mission is to expand digital participation opportunities and make our democracy more accessible to everyone.
Our goals are recognized as non-profit. To safeguard them in the future, openPetition has been organized as a responsible owner since 2022.
We are financed exclusively through small donations from our users. We strictly reject any influence from companies or political organizations.
Mission & Goals
Facilitating political participation
openPetition helps people raise awareness of urgent issues and get involved in politics. We advise petitioners from the beginning to the submission of their petition. Our goal is to facilitate political participation and contribute to an active civil society. To this end, we regularly participate in panel discussions, lectures, and networking events.
Making politics more transparent
We inform citizens about their opportunities to participate and help them make the most of them. We handle each petition transparently and publish updates on the petition page. Furthermore, we ask all elected representatives in the region for a public statement once the so-called openPetition quorum has been reached.
Strengthening the right to petition
openPetition is committed to strengthening the right to petition and expanding online participation. We also demand the right to be heard by politicians once a petition has reached a certain number of signatures. To this end, we are in contact with political decision-makers and administrations at the federal and state levels in Germany, as well as across Europe.
Modernising parliamentary democracy
In addition to our petition platform, we are working on projects to modernize our democracy. With the open democracy tool we also bring online petitions to the municipalities. Our HomeParliament format makes debates on current political issues more accessible. And our latest project opn.vote aims to enable secure, transparent digital voting in the future.
Principles & Values
neutrality
The topics on openPetition span the entire political spectrum. They do not reflect our own viewpoints. To promote constructive debate, we ensure compliance with our Terms of Use: Racism, misanthropy, and discrimination have no place here.
Transparency
openPetition supports the "Transparent Civil Society Initiative." Based on its guidelines, we publish an annual transparency report with information on our goals, source and use of funds, and staffing structure.
Data privacy
You should retain control over your data at all times. Therefore, we make our handling of personal data transparent and accountable. You can read about what data we collect, for what purposes, and how we handle it in our privacy policy.
Non-profit
openPetition was born from a volunteer initiative and is funded 100% by user donations. We do not make a profit; instead, our donations are used exclusively to operate our platform and further our democratic mission.
diversity
Democracy can only function well if everyone contributes equally. openPetition promotes diversity so that everyone can participate on our platform within the framework of our democratic order – regardless of gender, level of education, age, nationality, political opinion, etc.
sustainability
As a non-profit organization, we are aware of our social responsibility to operate and manage sustainably. We ensure that millions of signatures no longer need to be collected on paper. Our servers are located in Germany and powered by green electricity.
Our team
openPetition is backed by a dedicated team. We keep the platform running, implement feedback, and develop new features. We also provide tips on your petition, help with questions, and facilitate dialogue with Parliament.
openPetition ensures that everyone has the know-how to make a difference. We make civic participation accessible and make your concerns visible to the public and politicians.
We come from diverse backgrounds, but one thing unites us: We all want to promote political engagement. That's why we work together every day to make our society a little more democratic.
The openPetition team
