The culture you will meet in Danish organisations naturally mimics the general culture in the Danish society. Danes are an autonomous people who value being able to plan their own time. Danes are keen on equal rights, social inclusion, informal atmosphere, collaboration and seeking consensus.
Danes are not big fans of hierarchy or nepotism; Danes value a person's actions, abilities and values first. Danes love planning and often far into the future but if plans have to change Danes adapt to fit the new reality. If you arrange something with a Dane they expect you to do what you promised because Danes as a default trust that people are true to their word.
You will meet the same in a Danish volunteer association:
Most Danes have at least a working knowledge of English and Danes will, because of their polite nature, often switch to English if they find you struggling with the Danish terms because they want to help and understand you.
If you want to practice your Danish, tell your fellow volunteers and they will often be glad to help you. If you want to volunteer in a Danish organisation, you sometimes have to be persistent since your unfamiliarity with the Danish language might create uncertainties; the organisation might be unsure whether you can perform the volunteer task – this is reluctance stems from a desire to protect the service users or the general purpose of the organisation.
Hygge – you have probably already heard the Danish term. When volunteering this also plays a part, because in the Danish volunteer culture there is an expectations of volunteering having to be ‘hyggeligt’, fun or meaningful for the individual volunteer – if not, Danes will find another volunteer job.
The same will be expected of you; if you have a problem with something or are not having fun, the organisation will expect you to speak up on your own initiative. If you do, there is a good chance they will try hard to amend the situation if possible because good working conditions for volunteers is a big priority.
The volunteer activities are planned out and often you will be put on a roster or be asked to take part of the activity eg. every other Sunday. If you have agreed to a shift, Danes will be annoyed if you are late or do not show up because they love punctuality.
Danes are open to new inputs if you bring valid arguments to the table. Danes love consistency when they find something that works, but if the circumstances change, the Danes change with them.
Danes adhere to their traditions. If you are new to these traditions, Danes will only find it natural if something puzzles you, so as long as you show mutual respect, Danes will happily explain the context.
You can expect a direct and informal atmosphere while volunteering in Denmark. This can come off as rude, but the intent is quite the opposite, so don’t let this discourage you: The Danes are only trying treat everyone equally and give everyone an opportunity to participate on their own terms.
No topic of discussion is off limits – Danes have liberal views on many things and don’t mind discussing their views honestly and openly. Don’t be surprised if you find yourself discussing personal political views, gender roles, religion etc. Danes value their right to free speech and use it often!
Efficiency is important to Danes in the sense that they do not like to waste their time – and they automatically expect the people around them to be just as goal oriented. Danes do not like beating around the bush and want to get down to business right away when volunteering. They want to see some sort of value for their input – if they don’t, they will find another volunteer activity.
Danes value their welfare system and they want to protect it. Danes want to spend the money in the volunteer association so it benefits as many people as possible. Therefore, when volunteering in Denmark you must be prepared to meet and having to work with rules and regulations set in place to ensure that. You might for example be asked to fill out a form to document use of materials or money for an activity.
Being humble is key – Danes are not big on bragging or emphasizing their own successes or ability. There even is a Danish saying: “Don’t think you are something special”. If you brag a lot or even put others down directly or indirectly, Danes will probably find you socially awkward.
Danish humour is based on irony – if you are from a culture where this is not practiced it might take some time getting used to. Danes are also polite, so if you speak up and ask questions when something puzzles you, you will get an answer. Be open about not understanding something and Danes will often try and accommodate you in the conversation accordingly.
Volunteering is a great place to meet new friends. Many projects and organisations arrange meetings, summer parties, Christmas parties and other occasions for getting to know your fellow volunteers, because the Danish volunteer culture prioritizes a good social atmosphere and relations between the volunteers since this will probably result in better volunteers.
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