Les associations en Belgique. Une analyse quantitative et qualitative du secteur - Edition 2008

This publication is a direct follow-up to and an update of the previous publication on organizations in Belgium
that appeared at the end of 2005. The aim is to provide the general public with a dynamic description
of the non-profit sector (associations) in Belgium via a quantitative and a qualitative analysis on the
basis of the most recent data, while comparing it to previous data.
A quantitative analysis of the sector has been made under three headings. The first chapter “The satellite
account of the NPI” takes up and comments on the principal figures from the statistics generated by the
National Bank with regards to what is known as “non-profit institutions”(NPI),associations and foundations.
Production, contribution to the added value of the country, principal financial sources, covered costs,...
form the main topics that are focussed on. The evolution of the sector over the period 2000 – 2004 is also
outlined.
The second chapter, “Employment in non-profit organizations”, focuses on the work factor in the nonprofit
organizations that, in terms of salaried employment, represent the bulk of employment in the NPI’s.
The third chapter, “Foundations in Belgium” focuses on the sector of the foundations that serve a public
non-profit goal (the foundations beneficial to the public and the private foundations from which one
can suppose that they serve a non-profit objective that goes beyond the pure private character). Strictly
speaking, foundations are not associations, and yet they do have a number of things in common. They do
not have a profit motive. Via their financing, they contribute in a broad sense to the dynamism of the sector
and of civilian society. Chapter 3 paints a picture of this relatively unknown type of NPI that together do
employ a few thousand people and pay out considerable sums of money.
Chapter four, “The barometer of the civil society organizations in Belgium in the year 2007” forms the
qualitative part of this study. It presents the results of a study that was carried out of 473 civil society
organizations in 2007. The aim of the barometer is to get
to know the points of view and experiences of the civil society organizations in the field covering a range of
subjects: the recent introduction of the new laws concerning non-profit organizations and voluntary work
and the evolution in the area of employment, volunteer work, members, sources of income,… Where in
2005 the barometer study was limited to the questioning of umbrella civil society organizations and federations
of organizations, the study dug deeper to the level of local organizations, in such a way that will allow
this barometer research to be repeated on a regular basis at a later date.