The ideas of Raiffeisen are timeless. Austria’s Raiffeisen cooperatives have adapted to changes in economic and socio-political conditions during the past more than 100 years since the inception of the Raiffeisen movement in Austria, without giving up proven principles.

Philosophy – the nature of a cooperative:

The main factors of the cooperative idea are the following:

1. Mutual support: Willingness to support one another;
2. Self governance: The members decide about their cooperative on the basis of democratic principles;
3. Solidarity in economic goals: A common economic goal on the basis of taking responsibility for one another (= assume liability);
4. Sustainable cooperative success: The common objective is sustainable economic improvement. One-off successes may not always serve this goal;
5. Subsidiarity: The power of the cooperative is only employed in situations where the strength of the individual is insufficient and he therefore requires help.
6. Identity principle: In a cooperative, members (cooperative entrepreneurs) and customers are identical.

The gable cross

The gable cross has been chosen as the trademark of the Raiffeisen organisation already in the time of Friedrich Wilhelm Raiffeisen.
In former times, a gable cross was attached to the roof of a house to protect its occupants from all sorts of danger. The Raiffeisen organisation has adopted this symbol of protection as its trademark, because the members protect each other from economic dangers by collaborating in the form of a cooperative.