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Description
The project shall serve to (i) nurture young organizations and therefore enable the continuity of CSOs functioning, (ii) develop & ensure a sufficient level of their professionalism, (iii) extend cross-sectoral connections (with different stakeholders), (iv) popularize their presence, actions and impact for smaller communities.
The main outputs are:
- 100 joint initiatives conducted by CSOs in collaboration with CSOs and other entities;
- 1200 professional staff trained;
- 300 CSOs participating in capacity building/learning initiatives
The main activities are:
- Two rounds of trainings for CSOs on basic competences of project-oriented thinking & more advanced issues (i.e.: management skills and strategic planning, communication skills, leadership and teambuilding, diversification of financial resources, digital skills and online safety of organizations).
- Activities to strengthen NGOs’ ability to join forces, advocate policies, improve transparency, accountability and public understanding.
- Thematic meetings will explore special focus subjects and create spaces to gather people, solutions and good examples of policy making.
- Regional 2-day events for CSOs and town/commune officials and public institutions representatives, in particular involved in cooperation with NGOs, to foster the relations and develop more efficient models for common actions & synergy.
- Offer to around 400 CSOs to consult their strategy with an expert as well as connect with potential mentors, twin organizations and relevant learning opportunities.
- Information campaign to demonstrate the potential of civil society.
Summary of project results
Project “School of the Active Sector. "Organization development and cooperation network building program" was a comprehensive project aimed at increasing the competitiveness of Polish local non-governmental organizations and informal groups, implemented jointly by the Education for Democracy Foundation and the Information Society Development Foundation.
The project was intended to respond to the challenges faced by Polish non-governmental organizations in the area of institutional development, in particular: lack of strategic thinking in planning the organization''s activities, low diversification of financing sources, shortage of qualified staff, low recognition of the organization and problems with external communication, networking and building synergy. The lack of systematic preparation for work in non-governmental organizations and limited access to training and support additionally affect their ability to act professionally, especially those operating at the local level.
The following activities were carried out as part of the project:
I. Training
3 training cycles (a total of 464 training hours), thanks to which over 220 participants, representing 110 organizations and informal groups from all over Poland, strengthened their competences in areas such as building an organization''s strategy, creating a marketing and fundraising strategy, team cooperation, building partnerships and cross-sector cooperation, writing and implementing projects and conducting effective communication.
II. Strategy planning
individual consultations conducted by a group of 27 tutors, thanks to which 254 organizations developed or improved their institutional development plans, action strategies or communication plans.
III. Creating a network
networking activities (6 thematic meetings, 4 regional forums, 1 study visit), thanks to which 460 people representing over 270 social organizations established and strengthened their contacts with other organizations and exchanged experiences with them.
IV. Image building
individual substantive and expert support and co-financing of information activities, thanks to which 55 non-governmental organizations carried out information campaigns
During the project implementation, the following were created: the following products:
- project website: www.szkolasektora.org.pl
- visual identification, graphic materials, document/presentation templates,
- training programs: https://szkolasektora.org.pl/szkolenia
- training materials, including recordings of 11 webinars introducing training,
- programs and summarizing and educational materials from thematic meetings and regional forums https://szkolasektora.org.pl/twarzanie-sieci
- 6 short films supporting the strengthening of the image of organizations and their activities: https://szkolasektora.org.pl/budowanie-wizerunku/
Project activities were addressed to representatives of non-governmental organizations and informal groups working for the development of civil society, social diversity, equal treatment, protection of human rights, dialogue and democratic culture. People from smaller cities and towns, from organizations that had recently been operating and needed competence support were especially invited to participate in the project.
Organizations that took part in the project acquired new knowledge and skills that they use in their current activities and will use in the future. Organizations that worked on strategies and action plans, in cooperation with tutors, reflected on their activities and planned their further direction, developed directional documents that will constitute the basis for further activities of these organizations. The developed strategies also result in readiness for changes, which was particularly visible after the outbreak of the war in Ukraine and the need to change the directions of operation of many organizations participating in the project.
Thanks to networking activities, organizations managed to establish new national and international contacts that can be used in future activities and projects. Participating organizations have already informed us about such planned initiatives and projects. The implementation of information campaigns strengthened the image of the participating organizations and expanded the group of recipients of their activities.
We therefore assess that the project results will be further exploited and will bring further impact.
The organizations implementing the project (FED and FRSI) deepened their knowledge of the needs of local non-governmental organizations in Poland, strengthened the experience of conducting comprehensive training, consulting, networking and image strengthening activities, which is a valuable resource for the future activities of the organization.