Denmark has a long and rich tradition of
volunteering and forming unions and associations. Volunteer organisations come
in many shapes and sizes but generally the Danish organisations are defined by
these five characteristics (either embodying a combination of some or all):
- Formally organised
(lasting activities, defined purpose and statutes, regular meetings)
- Independent from
the state/public sector
- Non-profit purposes
(all profit from all activities go to charity/the common good or are reinvested
in the organisation)
- Autonomous
(self-determined in all aspects and has no stockholders)
- Volunteers make
the decisions (an organisation can have paid staff e.g. at main office but the
highest decision-making is occupied by volunteers)
The organisations in the civic society come in three
forms:
- Associations - a democratic union of people with a common goal or interest
- Self-governing institutions - a special Scandinavian type of organisation which
is run on an agreement of operations and like a volunteer association. The
institution exists because of its purpose which can be similar to that of a
public institution or a private company.
- Foundations - is similar to self-governing institutions but has a legal entity with an
autonomous board that administers a fortune in accordance to specified purposes
that benefit the common good.
The exact number of Danish volunteer associations is
difficult to pinpoint because the definition of the sector is unclear, but
roughly estimated there are about 68.000
associations in Denmark (other estimations says 100.000 associations). Most
of the funding comes from the public sector (state, region or municipality). Philanthropy
is not that common in Denmark and associations only receives about 10 % of
their income through sponsorships - often cultural and sports associations are
the recipients.