Der Idealverein

In Germany, associations (Vereine) and non-profit (gemeinnützige) organisations must, in principle, not engage in economic activities for the benefit of their members. However, they may obtain funds for their purposes through economic activity. Within certain limits, it is even permissible for association members to benefit economically from their membership.
In this study, Jonas Palme discusses these limits using the example of student consultancies. These mostly non-profit initiatives support students through their theoretical and practical training and enable them to earn an income. The author examines the extent to which this is compatible with the requirements of association and non-profit law and concludes with proposals for reforming German association law.