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Description
The project addresses one of the most important issues of the NGO sector in Poland: the lack of stability of employment. It is a pilot project, covering the area of Pomorskie Province.Job instability is one of the key issues reported by employees in organizations, which is indicated by several recent research reports. The condition of NGO workers is weak, and the pandemic has made it even worse. Currently, nearly one in two organizations are struggling to maintain financial stability, and 34% of organizations are struggling to pay contracted employees on time. In the case of individuals employed under the civil law contracts the rate is as high as 45%. For more than half of active NGOs, job instability generates risks that threaten their institutional maintenance.The project will enable the establishment of an alliance movement in the NGO sector that will influence the behavioral formation of NGO leaders and staff. We will examine and research whether and to what extent NGOs are introducing sufficient steps to increase the stability of their employment condition, and what effect they ultimately have so far. The project will also result in the creation of a publicly available study gathering good practices and guidelines.We are aware that by implementing our project we will not dramatically improve the condition of the organizations’ employees, nevertheless we do hope that the initiated alliance movement will make the NGO leaders managers and local authorities conscious of this urgent problem. This will provide an opportunity to implement specific solutions over time that will help to ensure that the rights of NGO workers are respected. We planned and implement the project with a partner: Pomeranian Network of NGOs Centers, which has easy access to the project’s potential recipients and is responsible (within the project) for networking of allies and promotion.
Summary of project results
Employment stability is one of the primary challenges facing Poland’s NGO sector. It is one of the most common and significant issues reported by NGO employees, as evidenced by research and expert analyses. Over half of active NGOs face employment instability, threatening their very existence. This issue is closely tied to the overuse of civil law contracts, with half of NGOs employing regular staff exclusively under such agreements. Compared to other sectors, employment conditions in NGOs—civil law contracts, low salaries—are far less favorable.
NGO development, critical for their survival, requires ongoing professionalization, while funders demand sustainability, skilled personnel, and financial contributions. As a result, NGO employees are overburdened, with 56% of organizations requiring overtime work, often unpaid (53%), and 45% of workers feeling pressure to work more. Despite growing demands, the number of NGOs offering standard employment contracts has not increased since 2014.
Experts describe the NGO sector as a "precariat," characterized by low-paid, unstable jobs with limited worker rights. The condition of NGO employees is poor and worsened by the pandemic. Currently, nearly half of NGOs struggle with financial stability, with 34% unable to pay salaries on time for employment contracts and 45% for civil law agreements.
The project engaged a group of eight practitioners, six advocates, and experts whose efforts strengthened their respective organizations. The most notable impact was on the RC Foundation, which became the incubator for the emerging Pomeranian Federation of NGOs.
The project’s primary goal—to improve employment stability in the NGO sector—led to secondary objectives, including fostering inter-institutional collaboration, increasing awareness of NGO significance, and strengthening community integration. The project also aimed to diagnose challenges, propose legislative changes, implement employment standards, and advocate for the sector in cross-sectoral debates.
Advocates took concrete steps to implement changes within local communities, including meetings with public administration representatives and analyzing data on NGO cooperation programs. They simultaneously built alliances and presented policy change proposals, addressing systemic employment challenges.
The fight to improve employment stability and quality in the NGO sector yielded significant results. The project laid the groundwork for continued advocacy, raising awareness about the issue and gaining widespread recognition. Its impact extended beyond the targeted municipalities to the broader third-sector community.
Key activities, such as networking, organizing events, and presenting proposals, enhanced the project’s visibility and the prominence of its employment stability goals. This increased recognition allowed the voices of advocates for employment stability in the NGO sector to be heard and valued, bolstering the credibility of their initiatives.