2.2 Administration and governance of youth volunteering
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Governance
There is no single ministry in charge of volunteering in Denmark. Instead, the responsibility for volunteering is split between different ministries according to their remit.
Main public bodies responsible for volunteering in Denmark
As the responsible authority for social services, the Ministry of Social Affairs and Housing is also responsible for voluntary work in this area and supervises municipalities in administration of section 18 of the Act on Social Services (Lov om social service, LBK nr 170 af 24/01/2022). The Ministry's work for the voluntary social effort is to ensure good framework conditions for voluntary social work, as well as development and innovation in the field. This is done in collaboration with, among others, the Voluntary Council and the Center for Voluntary Social Work (see below). In addition, the ministry financially supports voluntary projects and organizations through various application funds and operational grants
The Ministry of Culture is responsible for culture and sport and for the non-formal general education (folkeoplysning).The ministry ensures good framework conditions for sport and non-formal education where most Danes volunteer.
Other public bodies involved in volunteering in Denmark
The other public bodies involved in volunteering are municipalities, the National Volunteer Centre, and the National Council for Volunteering (Denmark):
Municipalities' role in administering youth volunteering in Denmark
Municipalities support the voluntary sector according to the prescriptions laid down in the Act on Social Services (Lov om social service, LBK nr 170 af 24/01/2022), and Act on Non-Formal General Education (Folkeoplysningsloven, LBK nr 1115 af 31/08/2018).
In the case of social services, municipalities must collaborate with voluntary social organisations and associations by annually setting aside an amount of funding to support voluntary social work. Each municipality must also define the framework for its collaboration with the localocal voluntary sector, which enables local authorities to be quite specific about their priorities and the requirements they impose on voluntary organisations and their work.
In the case of support for non-formal general adult education, municipalities set up non-formal general education committees to distribute the funding available. Committees are made up of seven members – the minority of which represent the municipality, with the majority representing a broad section of organisations working in the areas of popular education for children, young people, and adults. There is significant autonomy for the non-formal general adult education committees in the distribution of funds and for voluntary sector organisations in the way they spend the funds.
In addition to the funding role, some municipalities have decided to become more closely involved with the operational side of the voluntary sector. Some have employed consultants to provide various kinds of support for the local voluntary sector, while others have set up local volunteer centres themselves or in collaboration with local voluntary organisations. Even where the municipal council (kommunalbestyrelse) is not directly involved in the creation and running of volunteer centres, they often provide in-kind support such as assistance with web design and auditing the volunteer centres’ annual accounts. Another side of the engagement with the voluntary sector is the move by many municipalities towards formulating ‘volunteering policies’ in collaboration with local voluntary organisations. In 2016, 60% of the municipalities had an overall policy or strategy regarding cooperation with the voluntary sector.
The National Volunteer Centre (Center for frivillig socialt arbejde, CFSA)
CFSA Center for frivillig socialt arbejde, is a self-governing organisation, i.e. an independent unit with its own supervisory board, which was set up by the Ministry of Interior and Social Affairs (now the Ministry of Social Affairs, Housing and Senior Citizens) in 1992 to service voluntary social service organisations. The centre supports voluntary work and organisations working in the area of welfare (health, social services, and humanitarian assistance) and more recently culture and sport throughout Denmark. Its main activities are:
- Consultancy
- Training and education
- Development of organisations and networks
- Conferences
- Knowledge of the voluntary sector – nationally and internationally
The Centre also provides a website, which includes a database with information about a range of voluntary social organisations in Denmark.
The National Council for Volunteering (Denmark)(Frivilligrådet)
In 2018, the National Council for Volunteering (Denmark) (Frivilligrådet) was set up by the minister for children and social affairs (now minister for Social Affairs and Housing) to advise the ministry and parliament on the role that voluntary sector organisations can play in addressing social challenges. The council has status as a government agency and is financed by the Danish Finance Act (bevillingslove). The council focuses on the following areas of work:
Main non-public actors in the field of governance and administration of youth volunteering
FriSe (volunteer centres and self-help in Denmark). FriSe is a national member organisation of 86 local voluntary centres and self-help organisations. FriSe represents the local centres and facilitates the best conditions for the voluntary sector in Denmark. Among other things, FriSe provides further training and consultancy support to employees and board members of the member organisations.
The Danish Youth Council (DUF). DUF is an umbrella organisation with more than 70 children and youth organisations as members. The member organisations of DUF range from scouts to political youth organisations, voluntary social organisations, cultural organisations, environmental organisations, organisations for youth with disabilities, and many more. DUF administers a share of the profits from the national lottery and football pools (udlodningsmidlerne) and distributes approximately 140 million DKK annually to Danish children and youth organisations (see section 5.3).
Danish Gymnastics & Sports Association (DGI). DGI is an umbrella organisation with more than 6 300 local associations and represents more than 100 000 volunteers. For 150 years, DGI has represented the interests of local sports associations and promoted gymnastics and sports among the Danish population. In 2017, DGI represents 1 586 378 Danes in local associations.
The Sports Confederation of Denmark (DIF). DIF is an umbrella organisation for both elite and non-elite sport in Denmark. DIF represents 62 sports unions.
Danish Adult Education Association (Dansk folkeoplysnings samråd, DFS): DFS is an umbrella organisation for 36 general adult education organisations. DFS advocates the common interests of their 36 member organisations. DFS distributes a share of the profits from the national lottery and football pools (udlodningsmidlerne).
General distribution of responsibilities
In Denmark, the Ministry of Social Affairs, Housing and Senior Citizens and the Ministry of Culture play key roles in supporting voluntary activities across different sectors.
The Ministry of Social Affairs, Housing and Senior Citizens sets the overall policy framework and provides funding for voluntary social initiatives, including national grant schemes and strategic partnerships with civil society organisations. To promote development and innovation in the sector, the ministry collaborates with advisory bodies such as the Council for Volunteering (Frivilligrådet) and the Centre for Voluntary Social Work (Center for Frivilligt Socialt Arbejde). Similarly, the Ministry of Culture oversees voluntary engagement within non-formal education (folkeoplysning) and sports, where a significant number of Danes participate. It provides funding and strategic direction for cultural and recreational voluntary activities, supporting non-formal education associations, voluntary organisations, and sports initiatives in collaboration with umbrella organisations such as the Danish Sports Confederation (Danmarks Idrætsforbund) and the Danish Gymnastics and Sports Associations (DGI).
At the local level, municipalities play a crucial role in facilitating voluntary activities across both social and cultural sectors. According to Section 18 of the Social Services Act, municipalities must allocate funding annually to support voluntary social efforts, strengthening local initiatives, civic engagement, and cooperation between municipalities and civil society organisations. Likewise, under the Act on Non-Formal Education and Democratic Voluntary Associations (Folkeoplysningsloven), municipalities are required to provide financial support, facilities, and infrastructure for voluntary associations engaged in education, sports, and leisure activities. This ensures that both social and cultural voluntary initiatives receive the necessary resources to thrive at the local level.
Cooperation
In 2021, a Nordic Summit for Civil Society was held. One of the recommendations from the summit was to establish a platform for civil society organisations in the social sector across the Nordic region to enhance networking, sharing of knowledge and inspiration.
The Platform is made up of five different networks. Each network will function as a digital–meet-up-place centred around a specific theme (voluntariness, political impact, digital inclusion, partnerships and combatting loneliness).
The responsibility for developing and conducting the activities in the five networks are shared among five lead organisations – the lead organisations come from all five Nordic countries. The Danish participating organisation, the National Volunteer Centre (CFSA), is responsible for developing and conducting activities within the network working on voluntariness
The National Volunteer Centre (Center for frivillig socialt arbejde, CFSA), cooperates with the European volunteering organisation ,Centre for European Volunteering (CEV) and the global network for volunteer effort, IAVE
Furthermore, Frise, representing86 local voluntary centres and self-help organisations, participates as partner organisation in Erasmus+ projects on volunteering, for instance the project Stop Loneliness Start Volunteering and Powered by V. Powered by V focuses, among others, on strengthening young people’s voluntary work and capacity building.
Cross-sectoral cooperation
In Denmark, there is no single formalised mechanism for cross-sector collaboration between ministries, departments, and agencies in the field of voluntary work. Instead, such cooperation is established through specific initiatives and partnerships involving public authorities and civil society organisations.
One example is the project “More people in Communities through Local Partnerships”, run by FriSe in collaboration with the Danish Social and Housing Agency. This project develops and tests models for cross-sector cooperation (collective impact) to include more vulnerable individuals in voluntary communities.