Facts and Figures
History and current climate
Size and scope
Legal issues and funding base and sources
Networking opportunities
Publications about the Danish non-profit sector
Your response to this profile
This country profile is evolving and should not to be considered a definitive work. Please email your comments, suggestions, concerns, or updates to us.
For centuries, the family, voluntary organizations, the church, and the state have shared responsibility for the provision of care and general welfare in Denmark.
In 1849, the new democratic constitution allowed Danish citizens to form associations. Since that time, the civic sector has expanded dramatically in all parts of the society. It is estimated that there is now one local association for every 150 citizens of Denmark.
Denmark's civic sector shows two major trends. The first trend concerns organizations in culture, sports, and education. Here there is a tradition of autonomy wherein these CSOs have developed a very strong and highly visible position in society.
The second trend, concerning health and social welfare organizations, is somewhat different. Because its state welfare ideology is based on the principle of solidarity, the Danish model is first and foremost defined by the absence of poverty. To that end, basic health and social welfare security are provided by the government. This has been the Danish way of life since the 1930s with the welfare state widely supported by the population and by all political parties.
CSOs themselves have historically pressed for state solutions to social problems. The dominant strategy for health and social welfare organizations has been to persuade the state to adopt services developed by the civic sector.
Until quite recently, the social voluntary sector in Denmark has been more or less invisible in public life. It has been looked upon as "out of fashion and unimportant" by politicians, professionals, and most citizens, all of whom found the construction of the welfare state more interesting.
During the last ten to fifteen years an enormous change has taken place in Danish society both economically and ideologically. The welfare state has been reshaping its self-image and needs, developing new models of thinking, and creating new partnerships with CSOs.
In 1995 the Ministry of Social Affairs established the Commission on Voluntary Social Work. Its task was to formulate proposals for the role of CSOs in the welfare society of the future, as well as proposals for ways to ensure better conditions for the civic sector. The key issues of the Commissionās agenda have been collaboration between the civic sector and public authorities, financing for the sector, training, and the development of quality. The Commission pointed out the special values of voluntary effort, which are solidarity, innovation, advocacy, networking, and being the "cradle of democracy."
Most volunteer work in Denmark is connected with the many hundreds of CSOs in the country. The main characteristics of volunteering is that it is unpaid; for the benefit of others (than the volunteer and his family); performed under a fixed agreement; and performed of the volunteerās own free will. Between a quarter and a third of Denmark's population does volunteer work, committing an average of fourteen hours per month. Men are slightly more active as volunteers than women. Ten percent of Denmark's volunteers work with social welfare organizations.
There are between one and two thousand national CSOs and approximately 350 of them operate in the field of health and social care. The main target groups of the latter are listed here (note that an organization may be represented in more than one category):
|
Main Beneficiairies/Target Groups |
|
Percent of Organizations |
|
| Children, families, youth |
|
65 |
|
| Physically ill, disabled, or mentally handicapped |
|
56 |
|
| People in general |
|
41 |
|
| People in life-crisis |
|
37 |
|
| Groups of relatives (self-help) |
|
33 |
|
| Unemployed people |
|
30 |
|
| Elderly people |
|
29 |
|
| Single parents |
|
27 |
|
| Refugees, ethnic minorities |
|
19 |
|
| Drug or alcohol users |
|
19 |
|
| Socially excluded, prostituted, homeless people |
|
18 |
|
| Mentally ill |
|
15 |
|
| Women/men |
|
10 |
|
Legal issues and funding base and sources
A law exists on the basic rights and obligations for Foundations and certain Associations (1984) and concerns registration, by-laws and board-regulations. Also, some sections in the taxation-legislation concern foundations.
In culture, sports, and education, the "folkeoplysningslov" (the law of peopleās education) provides financial support for local organizations and helps to establish and maintain the organizations' rights. There is no similar law for health and social welfare organizations.
Some CSOs are financially very strong, and the older organizations are generally richer than the newer ones. Among organizations established after 1980, nearly 45% have an annual budget of less than 200,000 Danish kroner (US $31,000). Among the organizations established before 1920, more than 45% have a yearly income exceeding 1 million Danish kroner (US $155,100).
Taken altogether, barely one-third of Denmark's national CSOs receive more than 50% of their income from central or local government grants. A significant portion of state funding for CSOs comes from lotteries. The majority of CSO funding comes from private foundations and individual donations.In Denmark there is no general umbrella organization for the civic sector. Each main type of CSO has its own umbrella group and network.
In 1983, The National Committee on Volunteer Effort was set up under the auspices of the Ministry of Social Affairs. This independent Committee's purpose is to support volunteering and to promote cooperation between the civic and the public sectors. CSOs elect members to the committee.
In 1992 The Volunteer Centre in Denmark was established. The purpose of the Centre is to promote and support the development of volunteering in Denmark by offering information, counseling, training, documentation, and research.
In recent years Volunteer Bureaus have been set up locally to support volunteering and the cooperation of local CSOs. There are now about 55 such local centers.
A New Civic Europe ö A study of the extent and role of volunteering in ten European Countries. Katharine Gaskin and Justin Davis Smith. Volunteer Centre: London 1995.
The Relationship between the Nordic Council and non-governmental organizations in the social policy field. Brian Harvey. Center for frivilligt socialt
arbejde: 1993.
Self-Help groups in Denmark - Developed in the concept of a Welfare State. Lis Adamsen og Ulla Habermann. Center for frivilligt socialt
arbejde: 1995.
The Self-Help Profile-A study of the Danish Self-Help Projects. Birgit Mortensen. Center for frivilligt arbejde: 1993.
Voluntary Action in Denmark. The Danish National Institute of Social Research, the Danish Volunteer Centre and the Danish Council on Social Welfare. Socialpolitisk Forlag (with financial support from the Ministry of Social Affairs and the National Center of Volunteer Effort): 1995.
Volunteerism in the Welfare State: The Case of Denmark. Ulla Habermann. The Journal of Volunteer Administration. Vol. XVI, number 4, Summer 1998.
This country profile is evolving and should not to be considered a definitive work. Please email your comments, suggestions, concerns, or updates to us.
By Ulla Haberman
The Volunteer Centre in Denmark (Center for frivilligt socialt arbejde)
Pantheonsgade 5, 3.
PO Box 158
DK-5100 Odense C , Denmark
Tel: 45-66-14-60-61; Fax: 45-66-14-20-17; E-mail: info@frivsocarb.dk