The voluntary welfare associations in Germany: An overview

6

• voluntary to some meaningful extent, i.e. non-compulsory but including volun-
tary monetary or non-monetary contributions.

Several terms for naming these organizations are in use:⁴

• nonprofit or charitable,

• voluntary or non-statutory,

• independent or non-governmental entities.

In Germany the following types are defined as Third Sector organizations:⁵

• associations, either incorporated or unincorporated,

• public law corporations,

• public and private law foundations,

• limited liability companies,

• cooperatives,

• communal economy corporations and

• non-commercial organizations.

The main findings of the German study of the Johns Hopkins Comparative Nonprofit
Sector Project are:⁶

• The Third sector is rich in tradition, mainly active on the local level, preferably
organized in associations and characterized by a high degree of internal network-
ing in umbrellas or federations.

• There is a trend of „merging“ in the Third Sector.

• The financial mix is not generally predominated by public revenues; membership
fees are partially important too.

• The financial situation is problematic (decline of municipal support and high
human resource costs).

• The preferred strategies in financially difficult times are political lobbying and
claiming support from the respective federations.

• Another consequence of declining public resources is the trend of expecting more
revenues from market activities.

• The employment trend is towards flexibility of work.

⁴ Betzelt 2001: 26.

⁵ Salamon/Anheier 1993: 24; Anheier/Priller/Seidel/Zimmer 1997: 15.

⁶ Zimmer/ Priller 1999: 3-5, translated by Betzelt 2001: 43; Anheier/Priller/Seidel/Zimmer 1997: 13-22;
with regard of a profile of the Third Sector in West Germany see: Anheier in: Anheier/Seibel 1990:
319-329.

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