Introduction - Genossenschaftsverband Bayern

year 2000 and 2006, moneys amounting to 23 million Euro were
donated to charity. Altogether, the Bavarian cooperative banks
directly or indirectly spent about 45 million Euro for non-profit, social
and charitable purposes between 2000 and 2006. From 2007
onwards, due to the change of the Lottery Law, at least 10 million
Euro annually will be added out of the payout of the
Gewinnsparverein. The donations of the Bavarian Volksbanks and
Raiffeisenbanks are of elementary importance for the social and
socio-economic landscape in the Free State of Bavaria. Their business
orientation, which goes far beyond the purely profit-making
approach, is the success story of the Bavarian Volksbanks and Raiffeisenbanks.
5 Summary
Cooperative banks pursue a long-term business policy that caters to
the advancement of their 2.4 million members. Short-term high-yield
thinking is foreign to them. SMEs are a central part of the socio-economic
orientation of the cooperative banks. The Bavarian cooperative
banks themselves belong to the SME sector. Proximity to their
customers is important for the Volksbanks and Raiffeisenbanks.
Bavarian cooperative banks have the densest branch network of all
Bavarian banks and therefore ensure the supply of the population
with financial services across the board. Corporate citizenship is a
basic element of the cooperative philosophy. Through their donations,
the Bavarian Volksbanks and Raiffeisenbanks contribute greatly
to the stability of the rural areas.
4 Corporate citizenship
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