Finding a legal form
In most cases, German chapters should not need to worry about this.
Once you have moved out of your "starting phase", you might need to consider finding a legal form for your local chapter. This is especially relevant to the chapters outside of Germany. For this purpose we have set-up our license agreement. To discuss things further, please contact Isabel with your questions and concerns.
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The Netherlands chapter has chosen to become its own Stichting (Foundation) instead of working under the umbrella of the German Verein. The main reason for this choice is partially legal, and partially monetary:
It is difficult to do charitable work across borders unless it is developmental work in an underdeveloped country. It is difficult for the German entity to sign project start agreements with Dutch NGOs, and they are not allowed to move funds outside of Germany. It is also difficult to find any type of funding from Dutch institutions or funds when you are a German Verein.
The legal form that we chose is more suited for a charitable organization than the Dutch version of a Verein (Vereniging). It is also needed for us to be recognized by the Dutch government as a charitable organization, which helps us attract funding.
