Information Duties under the German Law Governing Non-profit Entities

I. Introduction | II. Non-profit Entities in German Private Law | 1. Three Common Forms of Non-profit Entities | 2. Key Features of the Main Forms of Non-profit Entities | a) Registered association | b) Foundation | c) Charitable limited liability company | d) Additional subjective motives influencing choice | 3. Non-profit Entities as a Social Factor | III. Information Duties in the Law of Non-profit Entities | 1. Information Duties in the Law of Registered Associations | a) The board’s information duty (collective information right of the association) | b) Members’ individual information right | c) Limited disclosure to the public through the registry of associations | d) No obligation to audit or file accounts | 2. Information Duties in the Law of Foundations with Legal Personality | a) Limited relevance of the board’s information duties vis-à-vis the foundation | b) Information duties as part of state supervision (Stiftungsaufsicht) | c) Directory of foundations (Stiftungsverzeichnis) | d) No obligation to audit and disclose annual accounts to the public | IV. Information Duties Vis-à-Vis the Tax Authorities | V. Conclusion