THE FOURTH ANNUAL CENTRAL AND EAST EUROPEAN FUNDRAISING WORKSHOP

Date: September 26-29, 1996

Organizers:
The Civil Society Development Foundation (CSDF) Hungary in cooperation with the Resource Alliance (at that time called the International Fundraising Group)

Venue:
Central European University (CEU) Conference and Residence Center

Goal:
The goal of the conference was to create a forum for Central and Eastern European nonprofit organizations for common learning, exchange of experience and discussion of current problems of fundraising.

Program:
The Workshop was centered around the results of a regional needs assessment survey. In the survey 40 East-European umbrella organizations and resource centers helped us to measure the demands for different topics and learning strategies. The program was divided into panel discussions, workshops, skill-building trainings and case study sessions.

Topics covered:

• Fundraising from Corporations
• Fundraising from Private Foundations
• Marketing in Fundraising
• Donor Relations
• Self-financing Mechanisms
• How to Write Effective Grant Proposals
• Organizing Special Events
• Fundraising Strategies
• Corporate Responsibility and Community Investment
• Fundraising and the Media
• Resource Acquisition
• Direct Mail Fundraising
  

Number of Participants:
142 fundraisers and nonprofit managers from 16 countries.

Supporting Partners:
National Forum Foundation under the auspices of US AID/ Democracy Network Project
National Forum Foundation through the AVID program
The Westminster Foundation for Democracy
The International Fund Raising Group (IFRG)
Copy General
The British Embassy

 

SUSTAINABILITY OF THE THIRD SECTOR IN CENTRAL AND EASTERN EUROPE:
REALITIES AND CHALLENGES FOR NGOS, BUSINESSES AND GOVERNMENTS

Date: May 7-10, 1998

Organizer:
Civil Society Development Foundation (CSDF) Hungary

Venue:
Central European University (CEU) Conference and Residence Center

Background:
In our effort to foster international dialogue and enhance regional practices in third sector development, we chose the topic Sustainability of the Third Sector in Central and Eastern Europe as the focus of the 1998 event. This choice was determined by the following main factors that we saw prevailing at a regional level (i.e. not necessarily in every country):

• the growth of the third sector has recently been taking an intensive rather than an extensive form (e.g. the growth of the number of new NGOs has stopped while "market needs" became more clearly expressed by constituencies),
• there have been certain significant shifts taking place in the policies and priorities of the main funding sources (i.e. government and foreign aid) which forces NGOs to adapt new approaches in fundraising and income generation,
• there has been an increasing recognition, or an increasing need for the recognition of the importance and the role of the nonprofit organizations by the government and business sectors and therefore new ways of communication and cooperation among them have to be explored.

Goal:

The mission of the workshop was to enable civil organizations to effectively develop mechanism for long term sustainability in partnership with each others as well as the business and the government sectors.

Program:
The Event provided a unique opportunity for Central and Eastern European NGO leaders and activists for discussion and exchange of experiences, skill-building and obtaining up-to-date financial and legal information, as well as space for government and business representatives to share their views.

Workshop tracks:
1.Financial Sustainability
2.Public Image of the Nonprofit Sector
3.Internal Capacity Building
4. Legislation

Number of Participants:
Nearly 200 participants arriving from 20 countries

Partner Organizations:
International Center for Not-for-profit Law
International Center for Nonprofit Boards
Nonprofit Enterprise and Self-Sustainability Team

Supporting Partners:
Copy General Hungary
Freedom House (Regional Networking Project)
Open Society Institute
Soros Foundation East-East Program
The German Marshall Fund of the United Sates


SUSTAINABILITY OF THE THIRD SECTOR IN CENTRAL AND EASTERN EUROPE II: INTEGRATING ANALYSIS, LEARNING AND VISION


Date:
September 27-October 1, 2000

Organizer:
Civil Society Development Foundation (CSDF) Hungary

Venue:
Hotel Regina, Budapest, Hungary

Background:

Goal:

Program:

Workshop tracks:

• Central and Eastern Europe: One Region?
• Towards Financial Self-Reliance: Challenges in Resource Mobilization
• Building Organizational Capacity: Dealing with Change
• Research and Practice: A Gap to Be Bridged
• Enabling Environment: Fostering Business and Government Relations
• Citizen Participation: Mobilizing with Some Obstacles

Participants:

The Workshop hosted 182 NGO leaders and specialists from 26 countries

Supporting Partners:

Copy General Hungary
Freedom House, Regional Networking Project
German Marshall Fund of the US