The voluntary welfare associations in Germany: An overview

• Introduction of benchmarking methods, quality assurance, and involvement of
users in administration,

• Decentralization of the organization of these services to local or regional level,

• Development of public-private partnerships and use of other forms of comple-
menting public funding,

• Outsourcing of public sector tasks to the private sector, with the public authori-
ties becoming regulators, guardians of regulated competition and effective or-
ganization at national, local or regional level.

This more competitive environment and the taking into account of the specific needs of
each person, even those that cannot be met, create a climate favorable to a “social econ-
omy”, characterized by the importance of not-for-profit providers but faced with the
need to be effective and transparent.“

The German welfare associations are present at Brussels. The BAGFW is member of
the Economic and Social Committee of the EU. And due to the grown European influ-
ence the central voluntary welfare associations run their own representing office in
Brussels. The main tasks of this BAGFW's office - besides support, preparation and
follow-up - are:¹²

• safeguarding the common interests (lobbying),

• processing and coordinating the social policy actions with regard to the related
EU support schemes,

• supporting and coordinating the cooperation with charitable associations in other
EU members states,

• coordinating the associations' actions with a European dimension.

The Changes the Welfare State is facing are important framework conditions for the
Third Sector and in particular for the voluntary welfare associations too:¹³

• unemployment and structural changes in labor,

• demographic Changes of the society,

• individualization and multiplicity of lifestyles,

• societal integration of migrants and foreigners,

• development of self-help and charity and voluntary work,

• decrease in state resources,

• rise of individual poverty and social exclusion.

¹² http://www.bagfw.de/?id=972 (last direct access: July 9 2009).

¹³ With regard to the process of changes the whole Third sector is going through: Priller/Zimmer 2001:
199-200.

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