Volunteer agency
As a volunteer agencies will be designated, which in various ways civic, voluntary commitment support. Their best-known task is to advise people who want to get involved and to refer them to suitable clubs or institutions. Depending on the provider, origin and way of working, they also call themselves a volunteer center (especially in the area of the German Caritas Association welfare association), volunteer exchange or volunteer center .
goals and tasks
More than one and one in three Germans over the age of 14 volunteer for other people in Germany. Many of them find their field of activity through their ties to a certain organization, association, association or church, in which they grew up partly due to the ties of their parents or other caregivers. By breaking these ties and from certain milieus, more people without such ties are looking for voluntary work. Volunteer agencies want to contribute to promoting voluntary work and civic engagement.
It is the link between organizations such as charities, associations and initiatives, which can only realize part of their projects with the support of volunteers, and the volunteers who want to do voluntary work. These organizations are supported by churches , charities , free initiatives, cities and districts. There are now volunteer agencies in almost all cities. Although the work of the volunteer centers is generally very recognized and desired on site, there is a lack of long-term funding for the work even if it has been in existence for many years. The respective providers have to bring in a considerable amount of their own funds so that the volunteer centers can continue to exist. There is a lack of funding from cities, districts, the state government and the federal level.
As a placement agency , the volunteer agencies take on certain tasks of volunteer management , in particular the search for volunteers or suitable projects, which otherwise can be very time-consuming for the individual. They collect the offers and check them for certain topics such as the type of project, time required, required prior knowledge, possibly expense allowances, interests, proximity to home, etc. Personal discussions with the volunteers and visits to the welfare associations enable quick and targeted mediation. In addition, the volunteer agencies represent a forum for the exchange of volunteers and clubs and charities. Social changes are addressed by targeting organizations and developing their own advisory projects.
A volunteer agency usually performs the following tasks:
- Information, advice, guidance and placement of volunteers
- Introduction and accompaniment of volunteers
- Information and advice to organizations
- Support in initiating voluntary projects
- Further training offers for full-time employees and volunteers
- Organization of the exchange of experiences for volunteers
- Platform for citizen participation and volunteer culture
- Initiation of new and innovative volunteer projects
- public relation
The activities of the volunteers range from supporting the sick to larger projects such as the construction of a children's or sports field.
Volunteer agencies are often organized at the state level in state working groups of volunteer agencies (Lagfa). The association at the federal level is the Federal Association of Volunteer Agencies eV (bagfa).
Agency and form of organization
In 2014, the sponsors were an association for 28%, a welfare association for 26% of the volunteer agencies in Germany, the city or municipality for 21% , an association for 16% and around 9% other sponsors.
Volunteer agencies are regularly recognized as tax-privileged by tax offices. The promotion of civic engagement alone is not considered to be a tax-privileged purpose, unless there is also another directly pursued purpose such as the promotion of training and further education of the volunteers. The Federal Ministry of Finance issued a clarifying decree in 2003 to regulate the non-profit treatment of voluntary agencies.
See also
Web links
- Federal Working Group of Volunteer Agencies eV
- Federal Network of Civic Engagement
- Guide to civil society
- Association of Caritas volunteer centers
Individual evidence
- ↑ Ways to build a volunteer agency. A practical Guide. bagfa, December 2019, accessed February 16, 2020 . Pp. 11-12.
- ↑ BMF letter of September 15, 2003 (IV C 4, S 0171, 97/03 - B). Quoted from: Ways to build a volunteer agency. A practical Guide. bagfa, December 2019, accessed February 16, 2020 . Pp. 12-14.