Vereniging Van Griffiers

What Vereniging Van Griffiers does

Vereniging van Griffiers (VvG) is a Dutch professional association (vereniging) representing municipal clerks — griffiers — in the Netherlands, established following the Dualization Law for Municipal Co-governance (Wet dualisering gemeentelijke medebewind) and headquartered in The Hague. It operates as the de facto recognized professional body for the approximately 342 griffiers serving one per Dutch municipality, providing professional development, legal advisory access, peer networking, and advocacy for the clerk role within local democracy. The association is member-governed, with no parent company, private equity, or venture capital ownership, and is funded primarily through membership-related contributions with selective paid training and event programming.

The organization's product portfolio centers on knowledge management and professional development rather than a unified software product. Core offerings include the Ontwikkelscan (development assessment), the Juridische Vraagbaak (legal helpdesk staffed by experienced griffiers), thematic dossiers covering democratic rule of law, local triangles, and council professionalization, twelve Kennisclips on the clerk profession, regular Lunchgesprekken webinars, the HEADLINES newsletter archive, and the Buddy-Coachprogramma. The Digitale Leeromgeving digital learning platform is co-developed and operated jointly with NVvR. MAAT functions as an internal chatbot-style legal advice tool for members. Distribution is direct to members through the bureau in The Hague, regional kringen, and digital channels, with no third-party resellers.

The go-to-market is community-led: members are acquired through municipal employment and professional networks rather than commercial sales motions, and services are delivered through training programs, webinars, lunch sessions, regional meetings, an annual congress, and digital content. The revenue model is membership-fee-based with an explicitly free standard tier for qualified municipal clerks, supplemented by paid specialized training. The association's strategic posture emphasizes institutional coordination, with active partnerships with NVvR, NGB, VGS, VNG, Kiesraad, ProDemos, the Ministry of BZK, BMC, Stichting Beroepseer, IIMC, and Berghauser Pont Academy.

Name

Vereniging Van Griffiers

Legal name

Vereniging van Griffiers

Website

https://griffiers.nl

Company type

Private

Founded year

2003

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

251–500 employees

Short description

Vereniging van Griffiers (VvG) is a Dutch professional association representing municipal clerks (griffiers) across all 342 Dutch municipalities, providing training, legal advisory support, peer networking, and advocacy for the clerk role in local democracy.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Professional Association Services

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600)

akta.pro primary industry

City Clerk/Records, Elections & Civic Engagement (BPAIACAB)

Keywords

• Professional association services
• Local government training
• Municipal governance education
• Democratic process support
• Public sector membership

Headquarters

HQ city

Den Haag

HQ country

Netherlands

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Membership Fees: The association operates as a professional membership organization for municipal clerks. Members pay membership fees to access services including training, publications, legal advice, networking events, and professional development resources.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

The Vereniging van Griffiers is a Dutch professional association for municipal clerks (griffiers) that delivers professional development, training, legal support, knowledge resources, and peer networking to clerks serving municipal councils. Its offerings include the Ontwikkelscan development assessment, Juridische Vraagbaak legal helpdesk, Thematische Dossiers knowledge dossiers, Kennisclips educational videos, Lunchgesprekken webinars, the HEADLINES newsletter, the Buddy-Coachprogramma mentorship scheme, and a joint Digitale Leeromgeving learning platform.

Product overview

Vereniging Van Griffiers is a professional association serving municipal clerks (griffiers) in Dutch local government. The organization does not offer a unified software product but provides a portfolio of professional services, educational resources, and knowledge management tools. Core offerings include the Ontwikkelscan for professional assessment, the Juridische Vraagbaak legal helpdesk, the Draaiboek election handbook, and thematische dossiers covering topics like democratic rule of law and council professionalization. The association also facilitates a Digitale Leeromgeving learning platform (in partnership with NVvR), publishes knowledge clips and lunch conversation webinars, and operates the HEADLINES newsletter. Programs such as the Buddy-Coachprogramma and regional training events on local triangles (griffier-burgemeester-gemeentesecretaris) support continuous professional development.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Ontwikkelscan

Quantifiable outcome

• More than 100 local governance triangles strengthened through regional learning meetings
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers1 record

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

13 partnerships are on record, tiered core, major and minor.

• Nederlandse Vereniging voor Raadsleden (NVvR)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerClose collaboration on professional development of local councils. Joint projects include 'Klaar voor Vier Jaar' program for new council members, digital learning environment, and various training initiatives. The two associations coordinate on issues affecting local democracy and share expertise on council member professionalization.
• Nederlands Genootschap van Burgemeesters (NGB)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration on strengthening local governance through the 'Lokale Driehoeken' (Local Triangles) initiative. Jointly organizes regional learning meetings for the local governance triangle of mayor-clerk-municipal secretary.
• Vereniging voor Gemeentesecretarissen (VGS)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration on strengthening local governance through the 'Lokale Driehoeken' initiative. Together with NGB organizes regional learning meetings for the local governance triangle.
• Ministerie van BZK (Ministry of the Interior)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerGovernment ministry providing support for initiatives like strengthening local democracy and local governance triangles. Collaborates on training programs and policy development for local government.
• Democratie in Actie (Democracy in Action)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerNetwork organization supporting democratic initiatives. Provides resources and support for activities strengthening local democracy, including regional learning meetings.
• BMC (Advisory firm)majorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerAdvisory consultants who facilitate and guide the regional learning meetings for local governance triangles. They bring expertise in organizational development and governance strengthening.
• Stichting BeroepseermajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerFoundation focused on professional authority and integrity. Collaborated with VvG to develop the 'Leergang Modern Gezag' (Modern Authority Learning Program) for clerks, based on research into authority of public officials.
• Kiesraad (Electoral Council)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerNational electoral authority providing guidance on municipal elections. Organized lunch conversation on 2026 municipal elections procedures and developments.
• ProDemosmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerHouse for Democracy and Rule of Law. Collaborates on supporting local democracy through voter education materials, regional clerk days, and civic participation initiatives.
• VNG (Vereniging van Nederlandse Gemeenten)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerAssociation of Dutch Municipalities. Collaborates on various initiatives including local democratic rule of law training, VNG Year Congress sessions, and municipal support programs.
• International Institute of Municipal Clerks (IIMC)minorGTM or Marketing PartnerInternational organization for municipal clerks. VvG members receive collective membership providing access to international resources and networking. Annual member data shared for membership administration.
• Berghauser Pont AcademyminorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerTraining provider offering specialized courses for clerks including the training 'De griffier en gemeenteraadsverkiezingen' (The clerk and municipal elections).
• MAAT (Legal Advice Tool)majorTechnology or IntegrationInternal legal advice tool/chatbot for members to get quick answers to legal questions about municipal governance.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Emerging players

• Stichting Beroepseer: Dutch foundation focused on professional authority and integrity; co-developed the Leergang Modern Gezag program with VvG, offering adjacent training in the same public-sector authority space.
• International Institute of Municipal Clerks (IIMC): International US-headquartered association for municipal clerks; VvG provides collective IIMC membership to its members and competes for attention on the international resources dimension of clerk professionalization.

Direct peers

• Nederlandse Vereniging voor Raadsleden (NVvR): Dutch association for municipal council members; the closest functional peer as it jointly operates the Digitale Leeromgeving with VvG and serves the same local-democracy customer base from the council-member side.
• Vereniging van Nederlandse Gemeenten (VNG): Association of Dutch Municipalities - the umbrella body VNG Realisatie supports municipal organizations, with which VvG partners on the VNG Year Congress and democratic rule-of-law training.
• Nederlands Genootschap van Burgemeesters (NGB): Dutch society of mayors; collaborates with VvG and VGS on the local-governance triangle, completing the griffier-burgemeester-gemeentesecretaris ecosystem that VvG serves.
• ProDemos: House for Democracy and Rule of Law; collaborates with VvG on civic participation and voter-education initiatives for clerks and council members, with overlapping educational content offerings.
• Vereniging voor Gemeentesecretarissen (VGS): Association for municipal secretaries in the Netherlands; partners with VvG and NGB on the Lokale Driehoeken initiative, serving the same local-government professional audience.

Others

• Kiesraad (Electoral Council): Dutch national electoral authority; provides election-related guidance that complements VvG's election handbooks and training, with members drawn from the same clerk audience.

Regional players

• Berghauser Pont Academy: Dutch training provider offering specialized courses for clerks, including elections training; competes with VvG's own education catalog for paid training revenue from the same audience.
• BMC: Dutch advisory firm facilitating the regional learning meetings for the Lokale Driehoeken initiative; an implementation partner that overlaps with VvG on governance-strengthening programming.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/vereniging-van-griffiers

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Vereniging Van Griffiers