Non-Governmental Emergency Service

Project facts

Project promoter:
""Merkury"" Foundation(PL)
Project Number:
PL-ACTIVECITIZENS-NATIONAL-0238
Status:
Completed
Final project cost:
€150,000
Donor Project Partners:
Citizens Foundation Iceland(IS)
Programme:

More information

Description

The project will provide for the support for Dolnośląskie NGOs to be rendered by 10 NGO incubators in the voivodeship. First and foremost, the project aims at preventing the problem faced by NGOs, that is, with poor managerial skills of NGOs management, including crisis management. This relates, in particular, to the organisations of little experience and potential. The project engages not only the project makers but also 10 supporting organisations all around the Dolnośląskie voivodeship. Project activities assume: - support for leaders - advice, tutoring, training courses, expert advice; - building cooperation among organisations on a given area and creating a base of resources for organisations; - promotion of organisations locally; - support for organisations in extending their offers and scope of actions so as to keep its functioning also during possible crises such as pandemic; - enhancing the importance of NGOs in the process of consultation and monitoring of the local legislation. The said activities will help us enhance the potential of NGO of low potential and poor experience and will support them in dealing with pandemic conditions. The suggested activities are complimentary with the activities conducted by the incubators operating in the Dolnośląskie voivodeship. The project deliverables comprise, among others: support for at least 300 NGOs in the field of management and drawing up at least 100 development plans for organisations. We will also create a tool dedicated to exchanging resources among NGOs. The partners are members of the Dolnośląska Network of NGO Incubators. Within the network, every single organisation is responsible for a concrete area of the network activity. The scope of operations of the partner from Island also corresponds with the needs reported by NGO incubators during network meetings, their support will first and foremost concern the role of NGOs in the process of consultation and monitoring of local legislation.

Summary of project results

 A large group of NGOs from Lower Silesia, particularly those with limited experience and capacity, approached the Lower Silesian NGO Incubators with fundamental issues, including low capacity for human resources management and crisis situations, which were especially evident during the pandemic.
The root causes of these issues included:
Lack of access to support from umbrella organizations,
Low awareness among leaders regarding formal/legal obligations for NGOs,
Lack of knowledge/skills in obtaining and accounting for funds,
Lack of skills in evaluating activities,
Poor collaboration with external stakeholders (local governments, businesses).
Beneficiaries of the Project
The project primarily benefited small NGOs from rural areas and small towns in Lower Silesia through their leaders, board members, founders, and supervisory board members representing these organizations.
 

Activities Undertaken
Supporting leaders through consultancy, tutoring, training, and expert advice.
Facilitating cooperation in local communities among NGOs and with public institutions and businesses.
Promoting NGOs within local communities through local media and social media.
Strengthening the role of NGOs in consultations and monitoring of local law (as part of the international component).
Key Outputs of the Activities
1,347 consultations for leaders from 531 NGOs/informal groups and initiatives establishing NGOs.
41 training sessions for 546 leaders from 253 NGOs.
23 expert duty sessions for 303 NGO leaders.
107 tutoring sessions for 99 organizations.
16 articles promoting NGO activities.
24 social media posts promoting NGO initiatives.
1 resource-sharing portal for NGOs.
2 conferences (project kick-off and summary) attended by a total of 59 participants.
10 NGO incubators gained knowledge and skills in conducting consultations and monitoring through online tools (during a study visit to the Icelandic partner and online workshops).

The project significantly mitigated the barriers and challenges identified in the application:
Lack of access to support from umbrella organizations.
Through the efforts of a network of 10 umbrella organizations from Lower Silesia, the project reached virtually every corner of the region. Small organizations in remote areas, previously lacking support, were included. By offering some support remotely, NGOs across the region gained access to assistance.
Low awareness of leaders about formal/legal obligations for NGOs.
Advisory services and training provided by the NGO Incubators enhanced knowledge among NGO activists about formal and legal responsibilities, including new regulations (e.g., the Central Register of Beneficial Owners).
Lack of knowledge/skills in obtaining and accounting for funds.
Expert duty sessions and training largely focused on acquiring funds from various sources. Advisory sessions enabled some organizations to apply for public funds for the first time or to tap into previously unused funding opportunities.
Lack of skills in evaluating activities.
Tutors guided organizations through the initial stages of evaluating their work and operations. This included analyzing strengths and weaknesses, identifying untapped or potential opportunities, and planning development activities with a focus on monitoring their implementation. Some training and advisory sessions were also dedicated to evaluating implemented activities, including those commissioned by local governments.
Lack of collaboration skills with stakeholders (local governments, businesses, and volunteers).
The project yielded long-term benefits, resulting in partnerships, networks, and coalitions among entities from different sectors, which continue to operate after the project’s conclusion. Monitoring outcomes indicates that these networks and partnerships are planning further actions to support civil society.

Summary of bilateral results

Cooperation was successful, although it was not without a few cross-cultural misunderstandings. We had to learn cool Nordic culture (factual, concrete, but only that much). Cooperation consisted mainly of learning about an online tool for participation, working with local governments, conducting online consultations, etc.Our recipients (organizations running incubators for intersectoral cooperation) were satisfied with the presentation of the tool, as they learned what they cared most about (participation, online consultation, also in Polish - due to the large number of Poles living in Iceland).

Information on the projects funded by the EEA and Norway Grants is provided by the Programme and Fund Operators in the Beneficiary States, who are responsible for the completeness and accuracy of this information.