The new giving: “You’re just a social worker anyway”

In Sandesneben, half an hour from Hamburg, unmarked white vans drive through the villages. Anyone who sees one thinks of craftsmen. But women affected by violence are counseled inside, in the parking lot in front of the supermarket or school. In the village, no one enters a counseling center unnoticed, so the counseling comes to the women.

Miriam Peters founded the Land-Grazien in 2020. Because the need is so great, the organization has grown quickly. Six months ago, the social worker moved from the vans to the office to take care of the money. There was work to be done: her organization's account fees were higher than the interest rates. She asked two banks about an investment. At the savings bank she was told: “You’re just a social worker anyway.”

The sentence is outrageous. But it's also bad business. Private non-profit organizations (clubs, foundations, churches and associations) had around 74 billion euros in cash and deposits in banks at the end of 2025. 45 billion of which are in sight accounts, available daily and virtually interest-free.