How Power eCard & Deutsche Bahn Stiftung gGmbH Work Together
Deutsche Bahn Stiftung gGmbH is the charitable arm of Deutsche Bahn AG, established in 2013 to consolidate DB’s charitable initiatives and manage the DB Museum.
The foundation partners with various organizations to support integration, education, volunteer work, and humanitarian aid, promoting social cohesion and equal opportunities. By blending railway history with future-oriented projects, they run the DB Museum, advocate for marginalized communities, create sustainable educational programs, and encourage volunteerism.
"A professional mailing with beautiful cards has now been created."
Steffi Becker, Communications and Projects Officer
Background and Challenge
Initial Setup: Since 2015, Deutsche Bahn Stiftung gGmbH has been selling specially designed digital and printed Christmas cards with railway-themed designs. All profits are donated annually to specific charitable organizations. The cards are distributed internally within the company (over 220,000 employees in Germany, over 335,000 worldwide) and externally in printed form.
Challenge in 2021: The digital cards required an update. The existing process, which involved automated emails with embedded images, did not meet modern digital standards. The cards only featured static images with no animations. Additionally, customization options were limited to specifying the sender and adding a greeting text.
Once the card was ordered and processed, it was sent as part of the regular corporate mailing, making it indistinguishable from other communications. In light of increasing digitalization and hybrid work, this "rudimentary" status quo was no longer acceptable for the corporation.
Transition to Power eCard
At the beginning of 2021, the Deutsche Bahn Stiftung gGmbH decided to relaunch its digital Christmas cards for the 2021 Christmas card season. In the words of Steffi Becker, Communications and Projects Officer: "We need digital cards in higher quality, in better resolution, more animated and even more automated." The Deutsche Bahn Stiftung gGmbH spent a long time researching and comparing according to its specifications. Above all, it was looking for a partner who could meet the strict data protection requirements. The collaboration with Power eCard began in order to not only meet the technical and aesthetic requirements, but also to give new impetus to the actual goal of supporting charitable projects.
- Foundation: Deutsche Bahn Stiftung gGmbH, a charitable entity of Deutsche Bahn AG
- Key Projects: Integration, education, volunteer work, humanitarian aid
- Founded: 2013, merging DB's charitable efforts and the DB Museum
- Client Since: 2021
- License: Enterprise (Single Use)
A complete success for the Deutsche Bahn Stiftung gGmbH
"Now we have a professional mailing with beautiful cards." - Steffi Becker
Using the system to create and send various Christmas cards has brought new attention to the Deutsche Bahn Stiftung cards, which has resulted in a larger profit being donated to charitable organizations every year
Personalization and Automation
What convinced Deutsche Bahn Stiftung gGmbH was the blend of creative control and pre-designed elements. They could create and customize their cards using animated backgrounds from the Power eCard library. The solution allowed them to integrate their own designs into predefined formats, resulting in high-quality, digital fold-out cards that could be sent automatically. This flexibility and quality ensured the Foundation could continue using their unique motifs while enhancing their cards with modern features.
Deutsche Bahn Stiftung gGmbH acts as the administrator, making the cards available to all users. Essential elements, such as the company-wide corporate identity, are preset and maintained. Each user gets their own access, allowing them to personalize the cards with their own text, signature, logo, recipient list, and sending time. This setup ensures consistency in branding while providing flexibility for individual customization.
“We need digital cards in higher quality, better resolution, more animated and even more automated.”
Steffi Becker, Communications and Projects Officer
Conclusion of the Collaboration
The collaboration significantly reduced the workload for each card user while greatly enhancing the quality of the cards. The design, quality, and personalization options improved dramatically. As a result, the interest in the Christmas cards increased substantially. The initiative to support charitable projects was successfully implemented, eliciting an even more positive response from the employees of Deutsche Bahn AG.