Pins issued by the Winterhilfswerk Des Deutschen Volkes [Winter Relief Agency of the German People], a public charity fundraising organization established in Germany by the Nazi Party in 1933. In addition to fundraising, the organization was used by the Nazi regime to promote Volksgemeinschaft, a sense of community, among the German people.
Established in 1933, the WHW was a major source of funding for the activities of the NSV and the second largest mass organisation in Nazi Germany. Donations were theoretically voluntary but de facto required of German citizens, with high levels of social pressure to contribute.
WHW replaced tax-funded welfare institutions, freeing up money for rearmament. It also had a propaganda role: encouraging the solidarity of the Volksgemeinschaft. Persistent rumours that the WHW was a sham, with the proceeds spent on armaments, were at least partially confirmed by Martin Bormann, who responded to questions from the Nazi Party treasurer by stating that the money raised by WHW was controlled and allocated by Adolf Hitler alone.
