PGM: Volunteering in the headwind

700,619,896 hours of volunteer work were carried out in Switzerland in 2014, both inside and outside of associations, of which around 48,000,000 hours were spent in cultural organizations. If they were remunerated at an hourly rate of CHF 50, this would amount to 5.5 % of gross domestic product and would correspond to the amount spent annually on education by the federal government, cantons and municipalities. Markus Freitag, Professor of Political Science at the University of Bern, opened his presentation with these impressive figures. Around a quarter of the Swiss population is involved in some form of unpaid voluntary work in associations. A basic distinction is made between voluntary work (outside the home) and domestic and family work (at home).

The meeting was opened by the President of the Parliamentary Group for Music, National Councillor Stefan Müller-Altermatt, with a pessimistic example: In his home canton of Solothurn, where he himself is active as a brass musician, no cantonal music festival will take place next year because no association felt able to shoulder the costs of such a festival. Problems of this kind seem to be becoming more frequent. Freitag also confirmed that voluntary commitment is declining in all areas.

There are obvious reasons for this in today's lifestyle. It is not only the traditional roles within the family that are changing, but also the socio-cultural composition of the population. The demands placed on individuals in their daily lives have increased, meaning that they have less time at their disposal, while at the same time individualization - driven by prosperity, mobility and the Internet - is advancing. Instead of joining a local club, everyone can travel to wherever they find the leisure activities they want. People often do not limit their activities to their place of residence, so that no basis for community volunteering can form there.

Now, you could argue that activities are simply disappearing that younger generations no longer see the need for. But it's not that simple. In a country like Switzerland, where not only cultural and sporting structures, but also political work is based on the militia system, the decline in commitment to the community is highly worrying. Volunteering is an essential foundation of the community. It has also been proven to correlate with responsible voting behavior: People who volunteer also go to the ballot box. It is therefore all the more surprising that volunteering is barely present in political discussions. One symptom of this, according to Markus Freitag, could be that the Parliamentary Group on Volunteering, which existed just a few years ago, has "disappeared".

Volunteer work is indispensable for music associations and clubs. Karin Niederberger, President of the Swiss Yodelling Association (EJV), explained how her association has tried to reorganize voluntary work in the almost ten years since she took over the presidency. It all began with a crisis at the office, which was overwhelmed with work far in excess of the paid workload. In a lengthy process, they then evaluated all the work of the committees and people involved and set them down in workloads. A target of 40 % of this work was set. This resulted in additional costs of CHF 120,000, which had to be raised internally within the association. However, Niederberger emphasized that it was by no means possible to pay for all activities, not only because there was not enough money, but also because otherwise you would probably get the wrong people who would no longer have any connection to the matter or any inner drive. However, compensation is important, a balanced mixture of recognition, thanks and financial compensation. So it is now okay for her to be absent from her family or her husband's business because of her association work.

Niederberger appealed to politicians not to keep putting new hurdles in the way of the associations. The EJV organizes large peaceful festivals for the population and it is offensive that it has to bear the high security costs itself, while these are charged to the taxpayer for major sporting events. She also pleaded for higher structural contributions from the Federal Office of Culture to the associations, with strong support from other association representatives. Freitag underpinned her vote: "Event volunteering will not be the problem in the future either, but regular commitment that is not in the limelight."

"Someone always pays," interjected Daniel Schranz, former President of the Swiss Federal Orchestra Association, towards the end of the event, "the partner, the family or the income if you only work part-time because of a time-intensive voluntary position." He therefore spoke out in favor of the tax deductibility of volunteer work. This is also a recurring postulate, Freitag replied. What is needed is political will and visibility!

A glance around revealed that this is far from the case at the moment: apart from Müller-Altermatt, no one from parliament was present - and that cannot completely excuse the AHV and tax debate in the councils.