STORY 

New challenges for Macedonian NGOs Sustainable working supported by the state
 

The civic sector in Macedonia has been growing and sustaining for more than ten years, supported by foreign donators: foundations, embassies, governmental organizations, foreign non-governmental associations, domestic support organizations financed by foreign donators...
The support given to this sector by the Macedonian government is small and insufficient for its survival. There is a small, yet insufficient part for functioning of the civic sector, provided by the business sector (Mobimak, Trifun Kostovski Foundation, Usje).

Macedonian civic associations are not given only support by the foreign donators for carrying out their activities, but also some technical assistance, and more important – training. Thank to the various training courses, seminars, workshops, round tables and other forms of transferring knowledge, the civic organizations from our country, maybe before all the other segments in the society, have learnt the language of European working. They have learnt how to present their idea to the donator, how to present themselves, how to ask for and get assets, how to make a project, how to manage a project, what a project cycle is, how to manage information, how to generate incomes, how to manage people, how to make a marketing plan, how to promote themselves, how to run campaigns, how to write reports, how to lobby, how to network, and many other things...The value of all this knowledge transferred in Macedonia mainly by European and American experts, is a capital which has brought benefit not only to the civic organizations, but to the society in whole. A critical mass of citizens has been created, who have learnt how to work more efficiently and modernly, and who will influence the other segments in the society.

But how much of the civic sector in Macedonia has really learnt the most important thing – sustainable working? Sustainable development is not only a big word referring to big processes – this principle can be applied even to the smallest project and the smallest organization.

It seems that in the following several years the civic sector in Macedonia will have to prove how much it has learnt to apply this principle and all the knowledge and skills offered to it by the great number of training courses. In a few years the civic sector in Macedonia will have to face the fact that the foreign assistance will not be available to such big extent, that it will not be offered in Macedonia and will be more difficult to get it, it will need to be looked for outside the country, or we will need to look for help from other sources in the country. Certainly, those who have learnt the lessons well will turn to the so-called “self-assistance” and will try to generate incomes themselves to sustain their work and not to depend completely on someone else. 

Vladimir Milchin: Selection by quality
The subject of sustainability of the civic sector in Macedonia will be very a question of topical interest in the following period – that is the reason why we paid bigger attention to it in our magazine. We asked some relevant people from our country to tell their opinion on this issue. This is what Mr. Vladimir Milchin, the executive director of Open Society Institute of Macedonia Foundation said:

- Some donators who are now working in Macedonia will certainly have left by 2006. A part of it will stay. Donators’ assumption is that Macedonia will go through the stabilization phase, it will strengthen economically, there will be a legal and tax system which will provide the non-governmental organizations which respond to the public needs, to receive a part of the assets by the public funds or the citizens themselves. There will also be some favourable conditions for the business sector to take part in their financing. In this sense, a favourable tax frame is expected. However, a part of the civic organizations will not survive. There will be a selection by quality and the capacity of the NGOs to recognize the real needs of the citizens. It will be a process similar to one that is starting in our country – selection in the sphere of the media.

In my opinion, it is a healthy process, if carried out according to the principle of selection by quality. Those who will manage to create a project generating income will survive – but one appropriate for their mission. It implies bigger NGO reporting. It is a part of a process of democracy strengthening – the governmental, non-governmental and the business-sector will play their role in a normal civic society. It will somehow mean that we are at the end of the transition process. As far as OSIMF is considered, according to the present policy, the Foundation’s budget will not decrease by 2006 – then there will be funds reduction and reorientation. Whether the Foundation will turn into an institute for public policy, or for implementing activities, it will depend on the Managing board – says Mr. Milchin.   

Gre Kornelius: The organizations themselves will have to find a way to the funds
We asked Mrs. Gre Cornelius, responsible for the programs in Macedonia in the Inter-church Organization for Developing Cooperation from Holland ICCO for her opinion on this subject. She said the following:

- The assets, which ICCO is using to support the organizations, are governmental assets. Therefore the countries, which use them, that is, the countries where the organizations carry out the activities, should meet the DAC (Development Assisted Countries) criteria. Macedonia’s approaching the European Union is making it inconvenient for using these assets because it will no longer meet the DAC criteria.

However, reducing these assets, that is, moving Macedonia to the next step of the way of getting closer to the EU, will open some new opportunities and financing resources in the country, thus for the citizens organizations in Macedonia, too. The funds from Brussels will be directed towards education, health, legal frame, and civic society. In that direction, the Government of the Republic of Macedonia will have to support the civic organizations, that is, will have to direct assets to the civic sector.

Therefore, there will be funds for the civic organizations. The organizations themselves will have to find the way to get to the funds and to adjust to the strict criteria that the EU imposes in allocating the assets. It will need bigger responsibility and bigger transparency by the civic organizations and it should not be only in a function of providing funds from the EU, but also in a function of promoting the results and the overall working in front of the public.

 

Snezana Gjorgjieva, MESP public communication office
It will be more difficult, but it will have a bigger effect
Mrs. Snezana Gjorgjieva from the Public communication office of the Ministry of Environment and Spatial Planning is often in touch at work with the civic organizations. This is her opinion on sustainability of these organizations:

- In some way, donations have made the civic organizations dependent on the help. There are a lot of cases NGOs not to have the necessary quality – to lack some good information, expert realization of the problem they are working on. If such organizations do not have help, it will be more difficult for them to reach their goal, to achieve their mission. But generally, in my opinion, if the civic organizations do not have so many foreign funds at their disposal, their creativity will be initiated, they will inform better, build better. It will be more difficult for them, but with a bigger effect. They will turn to some other financial sources, they will try to attract the business-sector, will look for assets and help from the government and the local self-government. 

 

Sasho Klekovski, MCIC executive director
In future we can count on more regional financing

We have had a short interview with Mr. Sasho Klekovski, the MCIC executive director, asking him about the announced donators’ withdrawal from Macedonia and the perspectives of the future operating of the civic organizations.

C.W. – Is there a reason for the citizens organizations to be worried about the announced donators’ withdrawal from Macedonia or some of the donators leaving?
S.K. – Most of the donators (foreign) that are in the country (and the region) are announcing their withdrawal or significant reducing the assets in the period by 2007. Examples: most of the MCIC supporters will have withdrawn by 2007; the Open Society Institute will reduce the assets for the Balkans from the present 40 million to 10 million in 2006; the Institute for Sustainable Communities is in the last sequence of the program...
This does not imply decreased interest in the country and the region, but replacement of the kinds of financing. In future we can count on more regional financing (e.g. the Balkans trust for democracy) and of course the EU financing. However, I would like to point out that out of the 5,000 existing citizens organizations, not more than 500 have access to the foreign donators’ assets.

C.W. – How can civic organizations cope with the donators’ higher criteria, for example the EU ones?
S.K. – One of the consequences of the increased control mechanisms that the EU requires, will be not so big projects. The access there will be possible probably for some bigger (professional) organizations. I hope that the EU will provide mechanisms for smaller projects that will be available to most of the volunteering organizations. It can be achieved by technical assistance from some of the bigger organizations.

C.W. – What is the associations’ alternative in the future funds mobilization?
S.K. – An alternative is what the organizations were doing before the donators (before 1992) and what most of the civic organizations still do: sponsorships and donations from the private sector, support from the authorities and collecting from the citizens. Some differently structured organizations and different skills will be necessary for this, in comparison to the ones built so far.