BCIF :: Philanthropy Program :: Support to Civil Society Organizations

Support to Civil Society Organizations

In line with the orientation towards the development of local communities and strengthening the civil sector in Serbia, BCIF pays particular attention to the development of philanthropy on the local level.  Long-term goal is to improve the capacities of citizens associations in reaching financial sustainability that is maintaining cooperation with a broader circle of potential donors in the local community.

The means of international donors (including developmental support and private foundations) are still a very important part of the annual budgets of Serbian organizations.  Although the state and local self-government organs have started to allocate certain funds, they are still negligible in comparison with the activities within the sector.  The need to diversify the sources of income is especially emphasized considering the expected effects of the financial crisis from 2008/2009, and the decrease of donor funds.  Bearing in mind the fact that the EU funds, despite the fact that they offer considerable means, are available mostly to those organizations which already have developed capacities, there remains an open question of financial sustainability of smaller organizations.

Implementing Philanthropy programs on the local level aims at precisely addressing some of those challenges - support to Serbian organizations in researching new ways of fundraising in their communities, as from the enterprises which operate there, as well as from the citizens as individual donors.  Until now our work with civil society organization has been realized through three programs: Fundraising from local sources, Fundraising from individuals and Successful Fundraising.

Fundraising from individuals

The program focused on fundraising from individuals was realized in partnership with ten civil society organizations and foundations for the development of local communities, with financial support from Global Fund for Community Foundations (GFCF).The goal of the project was to increase the understanding and acquire experience in work with individual donors, to maintain the financial means in order to enable the organizations to research this topic, as well as to share the acquired experience with as many civil society organizations as possible.  Education on fundraising from individual donors and initial funds for the realization of fundraising activities were provided for the organizations which were partners on the project.

Successful stories of fundraising from individuals in local communities in Serbia, may be viewed here:

Individual Philanthropy in Local Communities in Serbia.pdf (english)

Fundraising from local sources

The goal of the program which started in 2004 was to initiate and encourage new and to broaden the already existing cooperation between civil society organizations and enterprises and companies which work in their local communities, but also with the citizens and individual donors that is to refer those organizations to local financing sources.  The program has been modified several times during the past six years, and 40 organizations in total have been supported by this program.  In 2005 BCIF started the cooperation with VIA Foundation (the financial means were provided by the donation from Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Czech Republic), using the methodology and experiences of Czech civil sector in maintaining long-term partnerships with individual and corporate donors.  Fifteen organizations participate in the current Fundraising from local sources2010/11 program: Impulse (Tutin), The Green Road signs (Raška), Spa (Vranjska banja), Civil Resource Center (Bujanovac), Center for Creative Development (Knjaževac), The Cobras (Donja Trnava), Center for Development of Creativity (Aleksinac), The White Birch(Kruševac), The Initiatives of Zaječar (Zaječar), Taliata (Donji Milanovac), Q club, ApsArt (Belgrade), The Good People (Valjevo), The Rainbow (Šabac), The Smile (Vrbas).The support to organizations is realized through two steps.  The first step is Little School of Fundraising, which has in 2010 encompassed three training modules aimed at gaining insights and skills for making strategic and fundraising plans, then gaining knowledge in project management, as well as the skills for fundraising from individual and corporate donors. Nine organizations have received the funds from BCIF for technical support for further fundraising for the project idea which they had developed during the educational process   During the second stage of the project (from January 2011), the organizations will test their knowledge and skills acquired through Little School of Fundraising by realizing fundraising activities in the local community.  During this step BCIF is granting them donations within the amount they collected in their local community.

Consultants who work on the project are Marko Košutić (Citizens Association The Blue Bird, Vršac), Nenad Stojanović (Citizens Association Proactive, Niš) and Bojan Milovanović (Citizens Association GM Optimist, Gornji Milanovac), who already have considerable experience in fundraising on the local level for their organizations.

Successful fundraising

Successful fundraising program methodologically continues and improves Fundraising from local sources program, and BCIF is implementing the program in partnership with Institute for Sustainable Communities (ISC) through Civil Society Advocacy Initiative in Serbia program, with financial support from United States Agency for International Development (USAID).  Twelve organizations which go through the selection process successfully will have an opportunity to go through three training modules on fundraising from individuals and companies from May to June 2011, with special attention to the relation between fundraising and organization’s strategic goals, as well as project and financial management.  After that there is the making of strategic plans, which encompasses the description of activities for the realization of which the means are to be collected, as well as the elaboration of concrete fundraising methods and techniques.  In October 2011 the organizations whose plans will be evaluated as the most successful will get the funds for technical support, which will enable them to prepare for the fundraising process.  After the fundraising process, BCIF will grant them with the second grant (matching grant), which amounts to the money fundraised (that is the means which the organization has raised will be doubled).

Seven CSOs are currently in the process of fundraising in Serbia: SOS Womens’ Centre (Novi Sad), Organisation for Help to Persons with Mental Disabilities (Novi Pazar), Moravski orasak (Trstenik), CK13 (Novi Sad), Kikinda, Youth Initiative (Kikinda), Proaktiv (Nis) and FICE Serbia (Belgrade).

Contact for further information:

Ksenija Graovac, Philanthropy Program Manager
ksenija@bcif.org

tel: 011 328 8723
e-mail: filantropija@bcif.org