What does “gemeinnützig” mean in German?

This autism therapy center describes itself as a gemeinnützige Einrichtung — a non-profit organization reliant on donations. Gemeinnützig builds transparently from gemein (“common, shared” — the same root as Gemeinde, “community/municipality,” and Gemeinschaft, “community”) plus nützig, related to nützen (“to be of use”). Literally, it means “of use to the community” — Germany’s legal and everyday word for “charitable, non-profit.”

The gemein- family is worth knowing on its own: gemeinsam (“together, jointly”), Allgemeinheit (“the general public”). A gemeinnütziger Verein (registered non-profit association) gets tax benefits in Germany precisely because its purpose serves that same “common good” the word describes — like the therapy this center provides for free.