Partnerships | Activities | Support to NGO sustainability in Serbia

Support to NGO sustainability in Serbia

 

Applying the Slovakian Experience in the Corporate Social Responsibility Sector

  

Companies and the society as a whole, including civil organizations (non-governmental organizations) are facing similar challenges; it is widely believed that the development of CSR and cross-sector partnerships could have various affirmative impacts on the development of the situation in Serbia: the creation of a positive climate for foreign investments, the progress of the local community, the improvement of the business ethics, the protection of the environment and employees' rights, as well as the enhancement of the civil sector.

The project named "The Support to NGO sustainability in Serbia: Applying the Slovakian Experience in the Corporate Social Responsibility Sector" is financed by the Foreign Affairs Ministry of the Republic of Slovakia, via the program for development assistance of the Slovakian government (SLOVAKAID), and is realized by the Pontis Foundation from Bratislava; SMart Kolektiv is the leading local partner in the project, which will take place from January 2007 to September 2008.

The intention of this two-year project is to support the sustainable development of Serbian NGOs, with the help of Slovakian experiences from the CSR domain. The strategic enhancement of the non-governmental sector would have to include establishing and developing new financing models, one of which is creating strategic partnerships with the business sector. However, the current situation in Serbia is characterized by the mutual unfamiliarity (and unrecognizing) of the profit and non-profit (civil) sectors and utterly simplified perceptions of each other. That is why the project in Serbia is focused on their mutual integration and enhanced cooperation.

This project is a contribution to a long-term strategic collaboration of the two sectors, with the accent on developing one of the key CSR aspects: business investments in the local community through the long-term cooperation with NGOs. On the other hand, by the means of this program, not only will NGOs be able to appreciate a wide range of possibilities to diversify their financial sources, but at the same time to establish new forms of cooperation which do not necessarily include cash donations and could help them overcome common challenges and obstacles.

Slovakians have great experience which could easily be implemented in the Serbian context. That country has gone through similar difficulties during the transition towards democracy and market economy which Serbia faces today. It took several years for the idea of the necessary cross-sector cooperation (in order to solve social problems) to take root in Slovakia. The intention of this project is to use accumulated experience to assert such approach in Serbia, which will possibly present an even greater challenge, taking into consideration the current economic and socio-political situation.

This project has two main aims:                                                        

1.Enhancing the capacities of SMart Kolektiv as the main partner organization in Serbia

 The Pontis Foundation has identified SMart Kolektiv as the key partner in this project. The capacities of SMart Kolektiv has been enhanced by the means of a research visit to Bratislava and a training led by experts from the Pontis Foundation; that way, the representatives of SMart Kolektiv acquired the necessary expertise in order to define a coordinated approach and training strategy for other NGOs from Serbia which will also partake in the project. Thus, SMart Kolektiv became the crucial service provider for partnerships between the non-governmental and business sectors.

2.Improved cooperation among NGOs and businesses in Serbia

 The current situation in Serbia is characterized by mutual mistrust and lack of recognition between the non-governmental and business sectors and an utterly simplified mutual perception. Their collaboration is very rare and it is exclusively one-sided. This project will attempt to improve the cooperation between the two sectors, which will, concretely, be exemplified in connecting 12 NGOs and 5 companies, as well as the Serbian media, albeit indirectly, which will contribute to creating constructive conditions for attaining the sustainable development of local communities, and especially the civil sector in Serbia. The partnerships will be developed by the means of educational programs and awareness-raising aimed at all the stakeholders in question, the intensified dialogue among them and some common events.