This is a door plaque for a member of the Nazionalsozialistische Volkswohlfahrt (National Socialist Peoples Welfare), or NSV. The NSV was a social welfare organization that existed between 1933 and 1945. By 1939 it was the second largest Nazi organization. The NSV provided various kinds of insurance and other benefits. The organization supplied aid to the elderly, the handicapped, alcoholics and ex-convicts, and ran the Winterhilfswerk winter relief program.The NSV was originally established in 1931 as a small Nazi Party-affiliated charity, which was active locally in the city of Berlin. On 3 May 1933, shortly after the Nazi Party took power in Weimar Germany, Adolf Hitler turned it into a party organization that was to be active throughout the country. The structure of the NSV was based on the Nazi Party model, with local, county (Kreis) and district (Gau) administrations. During World War II, the NSV took over more and more governmental responsibilities, especially in the fields of child and youth labor. The NSV budget routinely ran a deficit and had to be subsidized with funds from the central government, and these subsidies increased significantly just before and after the outbreak of war, more than doubling in three budgetary years from 640.4 million Reichsmarks in 1938 to 1.395 billion Reichsmarks by 1941.The Nazi government did not wish to increase taxes on German citizens to pay for the NSV's expenses, so an alternative solution was found: theft of benefits and wages from forced laborers and the populations of conquered territories. The forced labor of non-Germans and the confiscation of Jewish assets were used to provide the necessary subsidies for the NSV during the war, especially after 1941.This NSV member door plaque is made of stamped metal with a bronze finish. The front bears the NSV emblem which has a polished, gold-toned finish that contrasts very nicely with the chocolate brown color of the rest of the plaque. The wording around the edge of this NSV member door plaque reads “Mitglied der N.S. Volkswohlfahrt- Gau Essen” which indicates is was for a member of the NSV in the Essen district. There are also two swastika emblems, and three small nail holes that would be used when affixing the plaque to a member’s door. The reverse of the plaque has an old patina as well as some adhesive residue in one spot. This NSV member door plaque has a striking design and makes for a great display object.