Description
This project will develop the promoter's capabilities in governance, having in mind its mission, and medium and long term financial sustainability. The partner's experience will be crucial, in particular as regards the preparation of the promoter’s fundraising strategic plan. The transfer of good practices, know-how and innovation between partners is a key element in this project. The aim is to incorporate knowledge and new procedures able to support a fundraising strategy, as well as gain a valuable tool that, replicated over time and with the necessary adaptations, will improve the promoter’s internal organization and its financial sustainability. Regarding governance practices, the promoter will gain management skills and useful competences in improving and extending its activity, besides its participation in partnership networks.
Summary of project results
ACAPO is a NGO managed on a voluntary basis by visually impaired people (under the Statutes) and it is necessary to provide leaders and staff with management skills, information systems and new areas of intervention in order that the NGO is able to demonstrate the impact of its activity on the community qualitatively but also quantitatively. Also ACAPO must have a mobilizing attitude of civil society, moving from passive-receiver to collaborative-receiver with the purpose of making the NGO better known. This capacity-building project, aimed at increasing sustainability of the NGO, has trained 57 members of its staff and leadership on governance and on fundraising and has allowed the organisation to recover 164 annual fees (reactivation of associates) and to attract 106 new donors and associates. At the project closure these figures were significantly behind the initial targets but training surpassed the objectives. To achieve this 3 training actions took place, two diagnosis on areas of the NGO were elaborated (governance and fundraising) and a Strategic Plan on Fundraising has been produced. A telemarketing campaign has been launched to recover unpaid fees and attract new donors. A new database to manage all associates and donors has been created. Assistance of NABP, the Norwegian counterpart, through a Bilateral Cooperation Initiative, was reported to be crucial for the success of the project. The NGO considers that it owns now new tools and knowledge to ensure financial sustainability and attract new funders.
Summary of bilateral results
The project promoter, the Portuguese association for the blind and partially sighted, learned about fundraising from its Norwegian sister organisation, which is much more experienced in this regard. The learning process was based on two moments: a visit to the Norwegian partner’s facilities, and the visit of NABP to the promoter’s offices. Supported under a Bilateral Cooperation Initiative, the Portuguese NGO ACAPO was able to visit NABP’s offices. This visit was important to make ACAPO’s staff see how to implement nationwide fundraising campaigns. The project aimed to empower the promoter on fundraising and governance. The bilateral partnership enabled the promoter to visit a reference NGO at European level.