VOLUNTEERING INFRASTRUCTURE

GroupsFriendship societies, ethnicorganisations and developmentcooperation organisationsService organisationsFriendship societies often bring together people from different countriesand cultures (i.e. League of Finnish American Societies, Finland-RussiaSociety, and the Finnish-Arab Friendship Society). The aim is to foster goodrelations, disseminate information and organise cultural events, trips andlanguage courses.Lions Clubs and Rotary Clubs are found throughout Finland. They focuson charitable work and providing aid through either financial support orvoluntary work.5. Other stakeholdersThere are a number of government bodies which support volunteering as part of their widerresponsibilities in Finland, mainly by funding third sector organisations. These public bodiesinclude:• Ministry of Education (voluntary activities related to youth, culture and sport sectors)• Ministry of Justice (regulations, and leading the new inter-ministerial, multi-agency workinggroup on civil society and volunteering, KANE - see Section 2.2)• Ministry of Foreign Affairs (international development, volunteering abroad, especially in thirdworld countries)• Ministry of Interior (volunteering in rescue services)• Ministry of Social Affairs and Health (volunteering in social and health sectors)• Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry (issues related to rural development)• Ministry of Finance (taxation issues)• Ministry of Employment and the Economy (employment programmes from which voluntaryorganisations can benefit, e.g. labour market subsidy programmes for the unemployed).The most important ministries with competences in volunteering are the Ministry of Educationand the Ministry of Social Affairs and Health.Other important players are the three gaming organisations, which are the only three operatorsallowed to operate in the Finnish gaming market. Under the Lotteries Act, the task of threegaming organisations - RAY (Finland’s Slot Machine Association, which supports the workof health and welfare organisations), Veikkaus (the Finnish lottery, which supports art,sport, science and youth work) and Fintoto - is to raise funds through gaming operations tosupport the work of voluntary organisations. This monopoly situation is the backbone of theFinnish voluntary sector as it ensures a sustainable form of funding for the sector. The gamingorganisations also have a duty of social responsibility and an obligation to prevent gamblingproblems.The role of municipalities in relation to volunteering is four-dimensional. Municipalities offerfacilities, sometimes free of charge, sometimes at a discounted rate, for the use of voluntaryorganisations. For example in the sport sector, about three-quarters of sport facilities arerun by municipalities. Municipalities also support the voluntary movement by playing an134 Volunteering infrastructure in Europe 9 Finland