Insights into the association landscape, statistics, history and development: Insights into the...

1 Tim Richter, DGVM – www.dgvm.de – www.verbaende.com May 12

Associations as an important

factor in Germany

Insights into the association landscape,

statistics, history and development

Tim Richter

DGVM – German Society for Association Management

Chief Editor, German Association’s Forum – verbaende.com


What is verbaende.com?

• The German speaking associations platform online

• Publisher of press statements for associations

o Nearly 90,000 statements online and searchable

• Publisher of address details

o Nearly 15,000 address information of associations in Germany,

Switzerland and Austria

• Provider of a knowledge base

o 1,000 different articles with in-deep-knowledge transfer

• We also providing

o Basic knowledge of associations and history of associations in

Germany

o Statistics, overall data and facts

• In fact: verbaende.com is solely the one and only provider of

sufficient data regarding associations in Germany, their

development and history


As we started

in 1996

Brief history

Our first refitting in

1999/2000

We’re getting more

information in 2001

More colors in

2002/2003 and so

much more information


Really big step

in 2004

Brief history

Some minor

steps in 2006

And now: big and beautiful, light

and modern since the 2011 refitting


Brief history

The print magazine Verbändereport reaches

with its paid circulation an almost 100 percent

penetration for associations and their

suborganizations in Germany, Austria and

Switzerland.

The online platform verbaende.com reaches a

highly interested public in the last 10 years:

• 24 million visits

• 80 million shown press statements

• 34 million questions for address details


Prominent knowledge provider

DGVM‘s knowledge transfer works mainly

over

• print magazine Verbändereport

• the online platform verbaende.com

That makes us the most prominent provider

of knowledge according the association

landscape, statistics, history and

development!

Even German federal authorities ask us for

numbers, key figures and facts!


Associations in Germany

• So where do they come from?

• How are they designed?

• What is the main structural principal?


Very brief history of

Associations (I)

• Europe is an „associations

continent“, especially Germans

do like clubs and associations

• In most european countries the

right to form a movement

(„forming lobby groups“,

„stakeholders“) is a fundamental

right, derived from the principal

of personal freedom



Associations (II)

• 2,000 years ago the first Egyptian clubs

are forerunners in forming stakeholders

and representation

o The main parts of the statues or „articles of

association“ 2,000 years ago are the same

as today

o It defines the duties and rights of members

in granting them „access to beer and wine

consumption” (see left in old greek

language from the papyri michigan)



Associations (III)

• Though it takes some time to formerly found one:

o in 1665 the Hamburg chamber of

commerce was founded

as a association for Hamburg’s

merchants and to represent

their interests

• A run starts with the industrial

revolution in Europe’s 19th

century

o educational associations

o music and theater chambers

o polytechnic organizations

o organization for sports & leisure

o local clubs for sport shooting activities… and much more…



Associations (IV)

• Now, Associations are a substantial part of our live: from

birth to death, an associations stands with us!

In associations the citizen is born and reared. He is

supplied in case of illness, he does sports in an

association (or directly in a club), he gets a living in

case he needs. He practices his profession in

associations (directly or indirectly) and is a member to

represent its interests.

(german sociologist Günter Büschges)



• How many organizations can be

counted in Germany?

• How are they organized?

• Whom to ask?


The typical german member

• The average:

o every german citizen is a member in at least three associations

o The same average german is members in seven clubs (on a local

level)

• Example: The average german is member in the health care

system which is organized through associations

o „Körperschaften des öffentlichen Rechts“ or public bodies, or as

„eingetragener Verein“ („registered charity“ as a kind of legal

separation)

o With one umbrella organization above, which is also an association

both legal status as well as scientific point of view

• He plays football in a local sports club which is organized in

regional associations

• He‘s member in a bowling club and/or in an allotment

organization, garden spot community („Schrebergarten“)


Landscape of associations (I)

• The german landscape of associations represents all forms of

private and business needs:

o work and economy (appr. 50 per cent of all associations)

o society and politics (appr. 11 per cent)

o recreation and culture (appr. 9 per cent)

o education and science (appr. 10 per cent)

o and health and social matters (appr. 20 per cent)

• on every level:

o local organizations

o regional and state („Bundesländer“) associations

o federal associations and centralised confederations

o associations on and for the EU-level

o international associations


Landscape of associations (II)

• The association‘s landscape reproduces the federal construction

of Germany (ruling through representation):

o local organizations where I‘m at home

o state associations to maintain contact to the „Bundesländer“

o federal associations to level with the government

o european associations in Brussels

o international associations to enable a international network

• It is possible to be a direct member in every association on every

level

• Mostly: the more internationalized the association is the fewer

personal members are to be found in it

• But: No rule without exception, not in cases of german

associations!


Big is beautiful?

• The importance and influence of an association can not fix itself

on its membership or the annual budget.

• Equally important “impact factors”:

o reputation

o association type (personal or institutional organization)

o state or federal association

o degree of organization in the represented field of interest

o importance of this sector for the German economy


Nevertheless:

the really big ones

• German Olympic Sports Confederation 27 million

(Deutscher Olympischer Sportbund DOSB)

• German General Automobile Club 16 million

(ADAC Allgemein Deutscher Automobil-Club e.V.)

• German Football Association 6.4 million

(Deutscher Fußballbund DFB)

(not counted are the non-footballers

in the 26,000 local football-clubs

represented by DFB) 80 million

population!


Growth of assocations

• local clubs:

560,000

• Associations:

15,600

• pro. associations:

7,600

• umbrella organiz.:

2,000


Where they are

• Along the river Rhine

(Dusseldorf to Rhein-Main,

Frankfurt)

o Because of tradition (Bonn is the

former capital of Germany),

organizations kept their

headquarters

o Capitals of the “bundesländer”:

Dusseldorf, Mainz and

Wiesbaden, Stuttgart

• The area is similar close to

federal capital Berlin and the EU-

cities Brussels and Strasbourg

• And third…


Where they are

And third:

the members

are there!



• Are they economical important?

• How much?


Economical meaning (I)

• An overall key figure „so important are associations“ is not

available in Germany

o Germany‘s federal construction

o historical grown structures in and for associations

o no duty to publish figures or facts

• But: in the field of health and social matters (quantity: 20 per

cent of all associations) only five really big associations are the

key stakeholders

o Caritas (catholic church)

o Diakonie (protestant church)

o Rotes Kreuz (Red Cross in Germany)

o Arbeiterwohlfahrt (Workers' Welfare Organization)

o Paritätischer Wohlfahrtsverband (Welfare Association)


Economical meaning (II)

• These top five welfare-associations employ the most workers

(compared to some leading industry enterprises):

o Caritas (catholic church) 507,500

o Diakonie (protestant church) 443,600

o Rotes Kreuz (Red Cross in Germany) 132,000

o Arbeiterwohlfahrt (Workers' Welfare Organization) 114,600

o Paritätischer Wohlfahrtsverband (Welfare Association) 317,400

o Siemens (worldwide) 426,000

o Deutsche Post / DHL (worldwide) 370,000

o Mercedes/Daimler (worldwide) 365,000

o BMW Group (worldwide) 101,000

o Lufthansa Airline (worldwide) 94,000

(Annual sales of these five enterprises: appr. 230 billion euros)


Economical meaning (III)

• This does not mean: the welfare sector induces a growth of 230

billion euro per year, but it shows a really good relation to

economic importance

• Furthermore: we calculate with appr. 200 new associations per

year

• In their first three years these associations create (directly or

indirectly) three new jobs which accumulate to 1,500 new jobs



• The landscape of associations in Germany is complex

o History

o Federal construction

o Economic particularities

• Every (typical) German is member in 3 associations

and 7 local clubs

• 200 new associations are born every year

• There is a high probability of very high economic

relevance (unfortunately there are little numbers)


Thank you!

An interesting and informative day

„Study Mission 2012“ to all of us!

Tim Richter

DGVM – German Society for Association Management

Chief Editor, German Association’s Forum – verbaende.com

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