The purpose of this article is to present some characteristics of the Swedish voluntary sector. With the help of recent research results, the voluntary sector and its wide range of activities is placed into a comprehensive structure that includes historical and cultural roots as well as the connection between the sector and the emergence of the Swedish welfare state. What is characteristic for the Swedish welfare model also explains, in important respects, the conditions of the voluntary sector and the way in which it finds articulation. However, this is not in itself a sufficient explanation if we are to understand the many-sided phenomenon represented by the Swedish voluntary sector. The role played by the tradition of popular mass movements in shaping the voluntary sector of today must also be taken into account. After a general overview in the first half of the article, two aspects of Swedish voluntary sector activities are presented to illustrate these points: the high level of volunteerism of the population and the particular character and role of voluntary organizations in the field of social care.

The aim of this article is to explore how charitable giving is structured in a universal welfare state. The article presents new data based on more than 200 national fundraising campaigns in Sweden during the past 60 years. The varying success of these campaigns for different causes creates a historical pattern of charitable giving under a social democratic welfare regime. Which causes are still considered urgent and appropriate for donations in a country where welfare is considered to be a social right, and how have these attitudes developed over time? More specifically, the article analyses differences in the success of campaigns for domestic and for international causes, including several subcategories of campaigns. The results not only show that Swedes give considerably more money to causes not addressed by the state but also that charitable giving in Sweden is increasing for all types of causes.