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Description
Organisational Grant - implementation of the submitted strategy.
The Non-governmental Laboratory is a a 21-year-old association based in Koszalin. Our mission is to support and develop the non-governmental sector and active residents of the West Pomeranian Province. We achieve our mission by: - supporting local NGOs, - development of cooperation of local authorities with organisations and residents, - supporting active people, the development of volunteering, civic participation. Our strategic goals are: 1. To increase the effectiveness of the mission of supporting the local civic sector; 2. To strengthen the Non-governmental Laboratory''s brand; 3. To increase the share of non-grant funds in our budget structure; 4. To strengthen our team and to increate the effectiveness of our activities. According to our vision, we are an NGO supporting organisations and active citizens in the West Pomeranian region. We run the House of the Active in Koszalin, which is a distinguished institution in the region and the whole Poland. We have a strong brand. We are recognized not only among our target group, but also among local communities throughout the country. As part of our strategy, we will implement a monitoring and evaluation system. We will create a database of the type of data to be monitored. We will carry out a summary of the data and a so-called ''small evaluation'' once a quarter. Once a year, we will carry out a ''big evaluation''.
Summary of project results
The grant was aimed at solving several of the most important problems outlined in the development strategy of the Non-Governmental Workshop for 2022-2024:
• improving the premises for the services provided by our organization to the third sector
• increasing the association''s visibility in the community
• strengthening the Studio''s brand among the recipients of activities
• increasing funds from individual donors.
The biggest challenges facing our association, diagnosed at the project planning stage:
• too small a headquarters that does not allow implementing the organization''s vision and fully implementing its mission; not adapted to the needs of people with disabilities (especially wheelchair users)
• lack of flexibility in spending funds due to the budget based on grants
• relatively little experience in attracting donors and conducting public collections.
As part of activities aimed at improving the conditions of services provided:
• we developed detailed designs and a concept for the operation of the new headquarters; we carried out a diagnosis of local needs regarding space and the type of offer
• we obtained additional financial resources for the renovation, including: infrastructure grants, public collections, business sponsors
• we carried out renovation and adaptation works in the new headquarters
• we created a program council
• we have built and are implementing the brand of the new place
• we initiated the organization of events at the new headquarters.
In the area of strengthening the Workshop among the local community, including those outside the civic sector, we did:
• we have established and developed cooperation with schools
• we conducted intensive communication on social media regarding activities addressed to residents
• we increased our activity in local events addressed to residents
• we updated the contact database of local organizations
• we have developed a strategy for social media profiles
• we organized study visits to Koszalin and the voivodeship to promote the local sector.
In the area of building financial independence and diversifying financing sources, we carried out the following activities:
• we launched and promoted online tools for regular and one-off donations
• we have intensified our activities in the area of public collections
• we implemented communication campaigns with potential donors, including the 1.5% campaign.
In terms of building and strengthening the Studio team, we have taken the following actions:
• we have developed a clear organizational structure, division of duties and responsibilities, both within the team and the management board
• we have implemented new team management tools, including: Orange Team regulations; set of identification materials
• we have created the position of volunteer coordinator, the person managing the Orange Team
The project activities resulted primarily in a qualitative and quantitative leap in our activities, visible in the intensity of cooperation with new entities, the number of people using it, opinions, comments, and new invitations to cooperation. This period also brought stabilization of our finances, expansion of non-grant sources, and strengthened the Orange Team.
The most important results of the activities carried out:
• the quality and offer of the Studio''s key activities and events improved - the number of recipients of these activities increased noticeably
• the level of involvement of the Orange Team and sponsors in the implementation of activities increased
• the number of people following on social media profiles is constantly growing
• the role of the Studio in the development of civic activity has been strengthened, the level of cooperation with other institutions and the participation of the Studio in local events has increased
• the share of crowdfunding increased - in total, all types of crowdfunding gave an 11% share in the last annual budget, compared to 5% share in 2021. Revenues from the 1.5% tax, public collections, and donations from both individuals increased as well as legal
• we have created a new division of responsibilities in the management board, resulting from the assumed mission and allowing the use of individual predispositions of people. Changes are also visible in the division of labor among the association''s employees and in the management of the work of volunteers, i.e. the Orange Team.
• the Orange Team grew in numbers, with almost no active recruitment on our part, and thanks to the visible effects of our activities in the local environment and individual "recommendations". The level of team integration is also increasing thanks to numerous strategic, integration and educational meetings