Free Collaborations: District Opens the First "Marketplace for Good Deals" Forum for Volunteer Engagement Brings Together Local Businesses and Nonprofit Organizations

Oberbergischer Kreis. Money is taboo at the "Marketplace for Good Business"; instead, goods and services are exchanged. The concept: To get things done, companies and nonprofit organizations form unbureaucratic collaborations. Expertise and know-how are utilized in exchange for voluntary labor and engaged networks.

"This new format for Oberberg brings together business, civil society, and civic engagement. Especially in challenging times, it is important to take new paths, share responsibility, and develop innovative solutions for our region together," says District Administrator Klaus Grootens. "The 'Marketplace for Good Business' provides a protected framework for this and sends a strong message of solidarity, courage, and collective action."

Leverage strong local connections

Examples of successful collaborations:
A company had decommissioned office furniture, and a nonprofit was urgently seeking furniture donations.
An IT company helps a community initiative design its website – in return, volunteers bake waffles at their summer festival.
Elke Bergmann from “OASe” (Open Work for Seniors) of the city of Wiehl immediately had an idea of what she could offer companies: “I can support companies with 'offboarding,' meaning I can inform and advise employees who are about to retire. I could also be a contact person in case of a sudden need for family care.”

It is important that no money flows and a win-win situation is created

"Companies get involved in their region and present themselves as attractive employers – nonprofit organizations receive and provide competent support," says Sylvia Asmussen, head of the specialist office for civic engagement and volunteering of the Oberbergischer Kreis. "Since the introduction of the marketplace method in the early 2000s, over 25,000 collaborations have been realized in more than 100 municipalities. Whether through pro-bono services, social days, or providing facilities or vehicles – every effort contributes to strengthening our region."

Building collaborations and making agreements

The first "Marketplace for Good Business" in the Oberbergischer Kreis will take place on Thursday, July 2, 2026, at the community center in Wiehl-Drabenderhöhe. Associations, non-profit institutions, and companies will come together. After registration and preparation, participants will have one hour on the event day to build collaborations and make agreements. To be well-prepared, participants will attend a free workshop a few days before the event.

Interested parties can find information and register at: www.gute-geschaefte-obk.de

Participation is free for all involved. If successful, more marketplaces will follow across the district to bring more companies, nonprofit organizations, and public actors into direct exchange and to agree on concrete collaborations – unbureaucratic, local, and effective.
The "Marketplace for Good Business" is organized and carried out with the support of the globally active organization amaidi gGmbH, based in Overath, which brings experience from several markets conducted in the Rheinisch-Bergischer Kreis.

Further information is available at www.obk.de/ehrenamt in the "Marketplace for Good Business" section and at www.gute-geschaefte-obk.de.