Philanthropist Parliament

1. Work with private donations.
2. Private initiative.
3. Transparency in the distribution of funds.
4. Democracy.
5. Public examination of sustainable and developing social projects.
6. Any resident of the region can take part in the activities of the Parliament, regardless of their social and financial status.

How does the Philanthropy Parliament work?

1. Any resident of the region, regardless of social or financial status, can contribute a certain amount to the Parliament's fund. For example, the annual contribution of a member of the Hamburg Parliament of Philanthropists is at least 60 Euros. In the Parliament of Philanthropists of the Lipetsk Region, the contribution to the fund of the meeting on the distribution of donations is 300 rubles. With the introduction of the amount, the Member of Parliament teaches the voting right when deciding on the distribution of the collected amount to the submitted social projects.
2. One of the significant sources of increasing the size of the fund of the Parliament’s meeting is charitable donations of organizations. For example, in 2010, the annual budget of the Hamburg Parliament of Philanthropists was almost 700,000 Euros. 200,000 Euro - these were contributions from members of the Parliament (60 Euro), the rest was accumulated through charitable donations from organizations. To the latter were added funds that were bequeathed to Hamburgers.
3. The amount of funds contributed does not affect the “weight” of the vote in any way: one contribution is equal to one vote.
4. Between meetings, the Finance Commission operates. The task of financial commissioners (German name) or expert auditors (Russian version), who work exclusively on a voluntary basis, includes the evaluation of project applications, consulting in the creation of effective and economical projects. Such work is necessary to ensure that at a meeting members of Parliament are convinced that the collected private donations will bring long-term social benefits (they will be successfully invested).
5. At meetings on the allocation of funds, financial commissars (expert auditors) present to parliamentarians projects and make recommendations for final decision-making.
6. Parliamentarians discuss projects and, by voting, decide to support or not to support the project, and if to support, to what extent. A situation is possible when the meeting can “cut” the budget, or vice versa increase it if it turns out that the project has high social significance
7. Meetings last 2-3 hours, are held 2-4 times a year.
8. All the work of the organizing committee, as well as the Financial Commission of the Charity Parliament, is carried out on a voluntary basis. To provide administrative and informational support with financial or technical resources, Parliament accepts targeted donations from citizens and organizations. Of the collected private donations for social projects, the organizing committee does not spend a dime.

1. A transparent and effective mechanism is launched to work with private donations and the participation of citizens and organizations in the socio-economic life of the local community.
2. The opportunity arises for the formation of a new source of financing socially significant projects.
3. The Parliament itself is a platform for communication between representatives of government, society and the business sector on the topic of charitable activities in the region. Money, its distribution have a secondary function. Parliament is a long-term social engineering project.
4. Discussion of the importance of various social topics performs the function of diagnosing a social situation in the immediate social environment.
5. Discussions of parliamentarians are a message to society, government, and business, which is of paramount importance in the implementation of social policy.
6. Participation in Parliament meetings forms the social responsibility of residents for the region in which they live.
7. The Institute of Audit and Expert Support for Socially Significant Projects and Initiatives creates, on the one hand, conditions for competitiveness in social design, and on the other hand, stimulates the development of the most effective and realistic social projects.
8. Parliament can perform a research function in organizing the development of forms of activity of the local community, the development of the territory.

How useful is the support of the Parliament of the organization (including business structures)

1. Formation of a positive image of the organization in the region.
2. Supporting the activities of the Parliament, the organization demonstrates to the local community its values ​​in the field of corporate social responsibility.
3. The opportunity is created for closer contact with the local community (the organization operates in a specific region, the inhabitants of this region work in the company itself).
4. The latter, in particular, can to some extent help an organization research the market to promote its goods and services in the region.

Germany

The author of the idea is Stephan Reimers, genus. 06/30/1944, former head of the Deaconess Service of the German Lutheran Church in Hamburg. S. Reimers - the initiator of the creation of several effective technologies in the field of social work in Hamburg, such as the Hinz & Kunzt street newspaper, which the homeless themselves distribute in Hamburg; Hamburger Tafel (a technology similar to Food Banks) - collection from food manufacturers and food retail chains that they consider unsuitable (packaging is slightly damaged, there is little time left before the expiration date), as well as receiving donations in the form of products and their transfer free of charge or for a nominal fee to those in need.

In November 6, 1995, S. Reimers first presented the project “Hamburg Philanthropic Parliament” to the public. In January 1996, Parliament was registered as a legal entity. On February 9, 1996, the Presidium and the Finance Commission were elected. On March 27, the first meeting on the distribution of private donations took place. 11 projects were reviewed and supported, 105,000 German marks were collected for their implementation. Already at the 2nd meeting 38 projects worth 556.900 German marks were supported, in particular 32,000 marks were allocated for the purchase and organization of the work of the night bus-dining room for the homeless. Since 1996, the Hamburg Parliament of Philanthropists has supported more than 930 projects worth more than 8.3 million Euros (as of April 2013). Among these projects are, for example, parish canteens for the homeless, career guidance for young people who have violated the law, support for disabled people from among the elderly, as well as young people, and counseling for women and children in difficult situations. Many projects are being implemented in problem areas of the city.

Currently, members of the Parliament are 3,400 residents of the city, representing different social strata. The annual contribution of the parliamentarian is at least 60 Euro. Most often, such donations are transferred to the Parliament’s account every month for 5 Euros.

Hamburg Parliament Philanthropic Principles

1. The benefactors' parliament is independent of any political forces and views, as well as of confessional affiliation.
2. Private donations are transferred only to sustainable long-term projects aimed at combating homelessness, poverty and loneliness / isolation; these are sold only in Hamburg.
3. Projects are usually supported only once;
4. All membership fees and donations are tax free.
5. All discussions and decisions are held in open meetings; they can be attended by guests of the Parliament.

Currently, 20 benefactor parliaments operate in Germany with varying degrees of activity.

• Bad Segeberg (Segeberger Spendenparlament)
• Bad Oldesloer Spendenparlment
• Berlin (Berliner Spendenparlament)
• Bonn (Bonner Spendenparlament)
• Braunschweig
• Wolfsburg (Wolfsburger Spendenparlament)
• Würzburg (Würzburger Spendenparlament)
• Detmoldt (Spendenparlament Lippe)
• Dortmund (spenDObel - Dortmunder Spendenparlament)
• Hamburger (Hamburger Spendenparlament)
• Goerlitz (Görlitzer Spendenparlament)
• Salzgitter (Spendenparlament Salzgitter)
• Münden (Spendenparlament Hann.Münden)
• Reinbek (Spendenparlament Reinbeck und Umgebung)
• Reutlingen (Reutlinger Spendenparlament)
• Flensburg (Spendenparlament Flensburg und Umgebung)
• Heide (Spendenparlament Dithmarschen)
• Celle (Celler Spendenparlament)
• Elmshorner Spendenparlament
• Schleswig-Holstein Parliament of Philanthropists (Spendenparlament Schleswig-Holstein)

Switzerland (2)

• Basel (Basler Spendenparlament)
• Zurich (Züricher Spendenparlament)

Austria (1)

• Vienna (Wiener Spendenparlament)

Belgium (1)

• Brussels (Brüsseler Parlement de Donateurs)

For the first time, the Philanthropic Parliament met technology in St. Petersburg in 1998, when a delegation from Hamburg was in the city.

Only in 2010, employees of the Institute for Learning Through Experience NP were able to get acquainted in detail with the activities of the Hamburg Parliament of Philanthropists. The result of this acquaintance was the development of a business simulation game “The Parliament of Donors” (authors: Yu. Tyushev, O. Pylaeva) with the aim of demonstrating and promoting the idea of ​​working with private donations in Russian regions. The first business games were held in 2010 in Vladivostok, Khabarovsk, St. Petersburg, Lipetsk.

On April 18, 2011, the first (so far the only) Parliament of philanthropists of the Lipetsk Region was created in Russia. In 2011-2013. 5 meetings were held on the distribution of private donations. 23 socially significant projects were considered, 13 of which were supported from private donations.

In mid-December 2015, the 6th meeting of the Parliament of Philanthropists of the Lipetsk Region is scheduled.

The technology in Lipetsk basically repeats the work of the Hamburg parliament of philanthropists, but there are some differences in the technology of collecting and distributing financial resources.

Differences between the activities of the Parliament of Philanthropists and the work of the Charity Fund

1. Work exclusively with private donations.
2. Open (transparent) decision-making procedures on financial support for certain projects.
3. The participation of the donors themselves - residents of the region - in discussing projects and making decisions on supporting a particular project.
4. The open work of expert auditors who not only evaluate projects “in the office”, but also provide authors and organizers with advisory support for the development and implementation of projects “in the field”.
5. Incoming private donations go solely to finance projects; The administrative and informational work of the Parliament is carried out on a voluntary basis, its technical and financial support is provided from targeted contributions of organizations or individuals.
6. The main social effect of the Parliament of Philanthropists is not to raise a large amount of funds for charitable needs, but, first of all, to activate the inhabitants of the region, attract them to participate in social work, create a communication platform where residents not only distribute money, but also exchange ideas , information, experience, offer other, non-financial, assistance for the implementation of projects.

Philanthropic Parliament and Community Foundation

These social technologies complement each other's activities.

1. The philanthropic parliament may be a preparatory stage before the creation of a community development fund in the region.
2. The parliament of philanthropists can be an element of the FMS (work with private donations of citizens) along with other financial institutions, such as registered, family foundations, etc.
3. One of the functions of the Parliament of Philanthropists as an element of the FMS is to microfinance small or pilot social projects.
4. The parliament of philanthropists is mainly engaged in charitable activities, while the FMS deals with a wide range of issues related to the local community (education, health, beautification, etc.).
5. The benefactors parliament is a social project, that is, it creates social values,
6. It forms a positive attitude of residents to charity activity, establishes communication on issues of social activity, unites people, and forms a culture of private donations.