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1. Historical developments

2. Main concepts

Historical developments

In Norway the first, and perhaps the largest, voluntary policy initiatives came in the 1830s and 1840s when formal barriers to organizational formation were removed. From the mid-1800s, there was a significant growth in social movements in both rural and urban areas.

The expansion of the welfare state following WW2 into fields that had previously been run by voluntary organizations included areas such as health and social work, culture, sports, and recreation. However, this did not result in the diminishment of the voluntary sector, and the number of voluntary organisations continued to increase. During the 1960s there was a growth in children's and youth organizations, particularly within culture, recreation and sports.

From the 1970s onwards, the voluntary sector in Norway experienced significant changes. The emergence of the modern welfare state and a prosperous leisure society led to a shift in the types of voluntary organizations. Traditional movement associations decreased, while leisure organizations and service and advocacy organizations increased. 

Youth organisations were the fastest growing subgroup of volunteer organizations up until 1980. This period of growth was followed by two major declines in youth organization memberships, the first from 1982 to 1986, and the second from 1990 to 1998. The decline of membership subsequently stabilized in the 2000s, with a slight increase from 2000 to 2009, and then stabilized again.

During the 1990s and early 2000s, the sector underwent modernization and professionalization. This included improved organizational structures and the introduction of the VAT compensation scheme in 2003, which was a major victory for voluntary organizations. 

The COVID-19 pandemic posed challenges but also highlighted the resilience of the sector. Despite the pandemic, the number of volunteers remained high, although their efforts were concentrated in fewer organizations. 

Today, the voluntary sector faces new challenges, such as societal fragmentation and the need to adapt to social and cultural changes. However, it continues to play a crucial role in Norwegian society, such as mobilizing support in times of crisis. 

Public policy has and continues to emphasise the role of the state, counties and municipalities in facilitating the independent and self-contained work of voluntary organizations.

Main concepts

White Paper No. 10 (2018 – 2019) [Frivilligheita - sterk, sjølvstendig, mangfaldig - Den statlege frivilligheitspolitikken] which defines Government policy for the voluntary sector describes the sector as fulfilling an important role distinct from the public or for-profit sectors by:

• Consisting of organizations and activities that are created and developed by the participants themselves.
• Representing an innovating force in the provision of vital social services, often based on values and public profiles distinct from the public or for-profit sectors.
• Providing the infrastructure for the development of a vibrant civil society.

There is no formal definition of the voluntary sector or voluntary activities. Nevertheless, the state has been instrumental in defining the sector through:

• The Act governing the Public Registry for Voluntary Activity [Lov 29. juni 2007 nr. 88 om register for frivillig virksomhet (frivillighetsregisterloven)], which defines non-profit activity as voluntary activity.
• The satellite account for non-profit institutions, produced by Statistics Norway, which provides an overview of the sector and shows the organizations' contribution to the gross domestic product, how their activities are funded and the value of volunteer work.
• National grant schemes that delineate target groups and objectives.