Karlsruhe introduces a volunteer card – appreciation for committed citizens!

Karlsruhe introduces a volunteer card – appreciation for committed citizens!

There is good news for everyone who volunteers in Karlsruhe: the city has decided to introduce the volunteer card. On April 29, 2025, the local council unanimously approved this project. Just one day later, on April 30, the city submitted an official expression of interest to the Baden-Württemberg Ministry of Social Affairs, Health and Integration. The volunteers in Karlsruhe can be happy because the card, which represents appreciation for their commitment, is approved by the state. Mayor Dr. Albert Käuflein emphasized the importance of the volunteer card and emphasized the importance of volunteer work for the community.

The exact implementation of the volunteer card in Karlsruhe is currently being coordinated between the municipality and the state. While the public rollout is still a long time coming, it is expected that interested individuals will have to wait until fall 2025 to apply. To apply for the volunteer card, the city will provide information via its well-known communication channels so that everyone involved can stay up to date with the latest news. This information is distributed, among other things, via the Karlsruhe.App and the Mit-Mach-Stadt channel.

Social recognition for commitment

The state of Baden-Württemberg aims to introduce a nationwide volunteer card by the end of 2025. A model experiment is currently running in four municipalities: Freiburg, Ulm, Calw and Ostalbkreis. This testing of the card, which has been active since August 1, 2023, has already resulted in around 9,500 cards being issued by the beginning of 2025. The state government sees the introduction of the card as an opportunity to recognize the high level of civic engagement, which apparently affects around half of the people aged 14 and over in Baden-Württemberg.

The card is intended to offer numerous discounts at various leisure facilities. In order to receive the volunteer card, certain minimum criteria must be met. This includes, for example, that applicants must have been active on a voluntary basis for at least a year or can provide evidence of at least 200 hours of voluntary work in the last twelve months. Alternatively, it is also sufficient to have completed 100 hours of voluntary work in a community-oriented project.

Financial support and infrastructure

The introduction is supported by financial resources from the state. For the years 2025 and 2026, around five million euros are available to cover personnel expenses and to promote the development of an app that will be used in combination with the haptic map. Minister Manne Lucha emphasizes that comprehensive advertising and the active participation of municipalities are crucial to the attractiveness of the volunteer card.

In summary, Karlsruhe is well on the way to giving the many volunteers in the region the recognition they deserve. So a big thank you to everyone who gets involved and enriches life in the city through their work. Further information about the volunteer card and how to apply can be found on the respective municipalities' websites, and the city of Karlsruhe will also inform its citizens promptly about the developments so that no one misses anything.

Karlsruhe.de reports that…
Baden-Württemberg Ministry of Social Affairs provides information about...
Baden-Württemberg.de provides an overview of...