How to Interconnect Universities with Nonprofit Organizations for Service-Learning: A German Approach

Abstract

This article aims to foster faculty understanding of civil society and nonprofit organizations (NPOs) as potential service-learning partners for universities. The authors describe the sociological and economic characteristics of civil society and NPOs in Germany, then offer proposals for how faculty at German universities can approach civil society organizations. The outcomes of these proposed approaches, the authors argue, are comparable and applicable to the NPO sector in other countries with developed civil societies. The presented strategies serve as inspirations for faculty and show the existing intertconnections between universities and civil society. The article may help universities to realize the potentials of service-learning collaboration with NPOs.