Ertrag und Effizienz steigern – Kosten senken? Finanzierungsprobleme einer mittelstädtischen Volkshochschule

For 30 years, the author has been director of the communal adult education institute ”Volkshochschule” at a middle-size town in Southern Germany. In 1998, the costs of 3 million DM were financed jointly by the town (50%), the participants of the courses (40%) and the Land Baden-Württemberg (10%). In the next three years, the Volkshochschule has to reduce the communal subsidy by 12%. The article deals with the financial challenges the institute faces in its new situation of competition at the market, the possibilities of winning new customers by optimizing the efficiency of the ”product” education while simultaneously coping with the need for financial reduction.