Capacity building of Imants Ziedonis Foundation ""Viegli""

Description

The goal of the project is to strengthen the capacity of Imants Ziedonis Foundation “Viegli” by developing its economic activity, team skills and work efficiency. The project will create and implement a donation campaign, create and integrate an online store, develop the individual abilities of the participants of the organization and improve the overall efficiency of the foundation by introducing quality management methods. The project will reduce the organization''s dependence on project funding and increase its overall ability to achieve its goals.

Summary of project results

In the summer of 2020, the foundation held a creative camp to reflect on the past decade and plan for the future. The goal was to develop a new decade-long strategy with a focus on environmental protection and fostering a civil and inclusive society. The foundation has begun structural changes, such as spinning off its cultural education program "Ziedoņa klase" as a separate social enterprise, while it will focus on developing civic education programs in Latvian schools. To continue its growth, the foundation has identified several key needs:

Communication: While the foundation''s communication is generally successful, there is a significant issue with public perception. The foundation is often seen as a musical project, which overshadows its broader and more important activities. This misperception complicates efforts to highlight the foundation''s comprehensive goals beyond cultural activities.

Increasing Non-Project-Related Revenue: The foundation is heavily dependent on project funding, leading to situations where projects are undertaken primarily to maintain operations rather than to achieve strategic goals. Although the foundation has the expertise to develop economic activities, it lacks the financial resources to support personnel dedicated to this development. Previous successes, like the self-sustaining cultural education initiative funded by ALTUM, demonstrate potential pathways. However, more resources are needed to replicate this success in civic education.

Operational Efficiency and Team Capacity Building: The foundation reorganized three years ago to a model where every employee is a manager responsible for their specific area, with the legal leadership providing support functions. This system has proven effective, but many team members lack prior management experience. As a result, there is a need for professional training to improve project management, leadership skills, and overall efficiency. Additionally, a comprehensive process led by professionals is required to develop a new strategic plan.

In conclusion, the foundation''s strategic needs include enhancing its communication strategy to accurately reflect its diverse activities, increasing non-project-related revenue to ensure sustainability, and investing in professional development for its team to improve operational efficiency and develop a new strategic framework.

1. Advanced Training for Fund Participants in Project Management and Leadership
   • 11 employees learned structured, efficient project management techniques, identified and resolved organizational issues, and adopted new M&E practices.
   • The training program has improved project planning and execution across the organization, setting a strong foundation for future projects.
   • Teams used their new skills to prepare a grant application requesting over EUR 200,000, which was approved. This project is the largest in the fund''s history, providing substantial financial support for staff salaries and future product development, aligning with the fund''s goals to focus on larger projects.
      
2. Development of the Fund’s Decade Strategy
   • Three two-day workshops were held to evaluate past performance and plan for the next decade. The strategy was finalized and publicly announced in May 2022, providing a framework for future projects.The strategy''s public announcement event engaged a broad audience and highlighted the fund’s commitment to strategic development.

       3. Activities to increase financial independency (creating online store, developing new services and implementing donation campaign)

• • An online store was launched, achieving a turnover of more than 3000 EUR and selling more than 250 items. While initial sales were modest, significant growth is expected around major holidays.
  • The fund launched a new project “Radiozurnals”, released a new book, “Rūmī - Divrindes” and developed an educational module “How Culture Works” which ensured additional income.
  • A donation campaign faced challenges due to the Ukraine war but was executed through sending donation requests to businesses, setting up a donation phone line and organizing a concert to support the campaign. The campaign raised funds to plant 70 apple trees.

1. Improved Project Planning Skills: Training on M&E approaches significantly improved the team’s project planning and execution skills, leading to the creation of new products and a ten-year organizational strategy.
2. Increase in Non-Project Related Revenue: The proportion of non-project related revenue increased, but not as much as planned, mainly due to rapid price increases in goods and services and delayed state budget approval. However, over a two-year period, the average increase was over 10%.
3. Ten-Year Strategy: The ten-year strategy developed during the project will facilitate the continuation of a unified mission, vision, and goals, making short-term goal setting easier over the next decade.
4. Recognition of Weaknesses: The project enabled the team to objectively identify and define the organization''s weaknesses, with plans to continue improving quality management methods and principles.
5. Continued Use of M&E Principles: The team has been using M&E principles for two years in new product and project phases, successfully introducing these principles to new or returning employees. This has improved information flow, communication, and collaboration within the organization.
6. Increased Involvement in Planning: Since the project’s inception, the team has been more involved in annual organizational planning, not just in managing their projects, but also in understanding overall financial flows and optimizing projects and activities.
7. Simplified Organizational Control: A simplified mechanism was created to help the team better understand and control overall organizational activities, making it easier to address unforeseen problems.
8. Team Growth and Risk Management: Developing and implementing quality management principles is expected to enhance the team''s growth, particularly in project implementation and risk management.