Das neue Geben: „Sie sind ja eh nur Sozialarbeiterin“

In the village of Sandesneben, located halfway between Hamburg, unmarked white vans travel through the countryside. When someone sees one, they may assume it's a delivery for a tradesman. However, inside the vans, women who have experienced violence are counseled, at a parking lot in front of a supermarket or school. The village is unaware of the counseling taking place, as the center comes to the women.

Miriam Peters founded the organization Land-Grazien in 2020. Due to the high demand, the organization has quickly grown. Half a year ago, the social worker moved from the vans to the office to handle the money. They discovered that their organization's account fees were higher than the interest rates. They inquired about investment options at two banks.

The Sparkasse informed them, "You're just a social worker, after all." The statement is infuriating, but it's also a poor business move. Private non-profit organizations (associations, foundations, churches, and charities) held approximately 74 billion euros in cash and deposits in banks at the end of 2025. Of that amount, 45 billion were in current accounts, available daily and essentially interest-free.