Structure

What is Broederlijk Delen’s organisational structure?

Broederlijk Delen has a very motivated team of employees but it would be nothing without its tens of thousands of volunteers.

1001 volunteers

 

Our volunteers form the basis of the organisation. They are always willing to lend a hand in their parish, association or school. They are also willing to help out on a national level. They are the people who shape our campaign. In January alone, about four thousand people came together at the regional campaign launching events. These enthusiastic people (also called ‘pullers’) in turn disperse the campaign message at schools, at their parish or their association.
Our volunteers also help to put together a leaflet for educational purposes. On a regional level they help to elaborate launching events, or they set up a campaign show. They also organise activities in their parish or community on their own initiative. And the World Camp would not be such a big success without the commitment of so many young people going to reunions and setting up a programme during the  months before the camp.
We therefore try to support our volunteers as much as we can. Our regional departments are responsible for the assistance of our local volunteer groups. We want to show our appreciation for our volunteers by offering them a wide range of services, quality campaign materials, the interesting magazine for volunteers ‘Plan Zuid’ and accurate information on our website, etc.

 

Volunteers at the national department
 

On a national level, we also work in a structural way with volunteers in many departments. These are often retired people volunteering their experience; who usually collaborate on specific projects during one or two days a week.

And in the South...
 

 

Broederlijk Delen has local representatives, overseas development workers, volunteers and trainees working at the partner organisations in the South. Our organisation is convinced that this union of experiences offers an added value to both North and South.
 

 

 

 

Who decides on the organisation’s policy ?
 

The policy of our organisation is prepared by employees who work out suggestions for the campaign. The actual policy bodies, composed of volunteers, adapt these suggestions if necessary and make the crucial decisions

General Assembly
The highest policy body is the General Assembly. The General Assembly has two general meetings a year, one in April and one in November.
The General Assembly dedicates a lot of attention to the financial situation. Besides the financial issue, the agenda is composed of important working fields within the organisation (education, sensitisation, political work and lobbying, international programmes, communication and fundraising)
It elects the members of the Board of Directors, the Education Commission and the International Programmes Commission.

Board of Directors  
The Board of Directors is composed of a maximum of 9 members. The Director of Broederlijk Delen, the Director of Welzijszorg and one representative of the conference of Bishops (one of the vicars responsible for the ‘diaconie) act as observers.
The Board assembles every month (except during the summer holidays). All the actions that are not reserved for the General Assembly by statute or by law, are exercised by the Board of Directors (art 22 statutes).
The Board of Directors is responsible for finances, personnel policy, communication, fundraising and political action. The Board is assisted by three policy commissions: the Education Commission, the International Programmes Commission and the Special Political Consultation Commission.

Education Commission
The Education Commission pronounces on the policy of the organisation, in the field of education and campaigning.

International Programmes Commission
The International Programmes Commission helps to determine the policy as far as international programmes are concerned, including ratifying the budgets per country, the individual relations with partner organisations and the deployment of personnel for a longer period (NGO overseas development workers). Individual issues (selection and assessment of personnel and overseas development workers) are under the responsibility of the Board of Directors.
The Commission is usually assembled once a month except in January and during the summer holidays.

Special Political Consultation Commission
The Special Political Consultation Commission guides the policy orientation of the organisation in the field of politics and lobbying. The Special Political Consultation Commission is composed of staff members of the Policy Department and a number of external experts, some members of the Board, the coordinator of the Policy Department and the Director. The commission is assembled about four to five times a year.

 

Our paid employees
 

In Belgium there are some eighty employees working for Broederlijk Delen. At the national secretariat in Brussels there are in all, some sixty employees who work in five different departments:
 

• Campaign and Education Department

• Communication and Fundraising Department

• Finances and Logistics Department

• International Programmes Department

• Policy Department