The founding of the German Society for Swifts (Deutsche Gesellschaft fur Mauersegler e.V.) is closely linked to the former "Mobile Bird Aid" of Dr. med. vet. Christiane Haupt and its development from the Swift Station to the current Swift Clinic.
What began as a solo effort and completely depleted all savings within a few years had to be distributed across many shoulders (and wallets!) in order to continue and expand. Early on, the volunteer Swift Station appealed to the willingness of bird-loving citizens to donate in the regional press, otherwise the private initiative would have ended after just one or two years. In particular, the financing of food insects quickly exceeded the means of Christiane Haupt, who was studying veterinary medicine at the time. Private donations helped, but never lasted long. What ultimately got the ball rolling was the remark of a finder who, when delivering a swift, regretfully said: "If you could issue me a donation receipt..."
The idea of founding a non-profit organization to rescue swifts was born between boxes full of feathered patients, paper towels, feeding utensils, and medications in the desperately cramped little basement apartment of Christiane Haupt, where the Swift Station was housed for many years. The sight of the gapingly empty bank account and the cricket invoices in the filing tray was also extraordinarily motivating to look into the specific circumstances and requirements for founding an association.
Helpers, friends, and supporters were consulted. Also significant was the collaboration with Erich Kaiser / Kronberg, who houses a swift colony of at least 40 birds under his roof and is known nationally as a long-time swift expert. For over 30 years he has been researching swifts and particularly their breeding biology. He supported Christiane Haupt and her Swift Station in the early years with advice and assistance, and was present at many swift releases and relocations. His experiences, advice, and active support were of inestimable value for the project; the collaboration between ornithologist and veterinarian proved to be a "winning team" for the swifts.
Christiane Haupt and Erich Kaiser, supported by a handful of dedicated fellow campaigners, became the initiators of the association founding. On January 29, 2000, the time had come: The founding assembly of the future "German Society for Swifts" (Deutsche Gesellschaft fur Mauersegler e.V.) took place in Kronberg/Taunus!
Christiane Haupt was elected as the 1st Chairwoman and Erich Kaiser as the 2nd Chairman of the new association. The articles of association were drafted by Robert von Meyer, a lawyer from Neuss, who had found a young swift himself the previous year and brought it to the small Frankfurt care station. On February 21, 2000, the newly founded association was recognized as non-profit and particularly worthy of support. It presented itself to the public on March 25, 2000, at the Zeilsheim town hall with a detailed illustrated lecture, during which Christiane Haupt reported on "Swifts in Human Care" and Erich Kaiser on breeding biology.
Since then, the German Society for Swifts (DGfM) has gained members and helpers both domestically and abroad and has been able to financially maintain the progressively expanding Swift Station / Swift Clinic until now. The only and unique care facility for swifts nationwide is still the dominant and most cost-intensive project of the association and is only still financeable at the moment because all helpers and staff work on a voluntary basis and veterinary care is provided by the 1st Chairwoman. The good financial situation, due to the great acceptance by many sponsors and small donors, has enabled us to fund three half-time positions, who are of course not members.
The increasing public awareness of the clinic, not least through the DGfM homepage, will, however, continue to lead to an ever-greater discrepancy between the rising patient numbers and the financial, personnel, and spatial limits of the association. Although the Swift Station moved soon after the associations founding into a vacant apartment that was provided free of charge by an association member, these rooms also soon proved to be too small. This resulted in the unbearable situation that on one hand there were always too few helpers, but on the other hand there was also not enough space to train new people. Thus, the Swift Clinic moved in 2012 to 180 square meters, which are no longer free of charge, but after many years of cramped conditions are finally sufficiently large.
Meanwhile, the association has welcomed its 298th member. But the sword of Damocles of financing still hangs over our heads: While membership fees offer a calculable basis, they are anything but sufficient to finance the association and especially the clinic. Donations from individuals as well as from private or state institutions are therefore still more than welcome and - in the absence of secure, regular, state support - indispensable to maintain clinic operations.