CSOS Online – Crowdfunding and Fundraising Methods for Non-Profits and Civil Society Organisations

Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) Online ist ein von der EU im Rahmen des ERASMUS-Programms gefördertes Projekt, in welchem Stiftungen, Vereine, Verbände und soziale Organisationen Crowdfunding-Strategien entwickeln sollen.

Mit Partnern aus Ungarn, Tschechische Republik, Polen und Rumänien wird Karsten Wenzlaff für das Institut für Kommunikation in sozialen Medien dabei für Stiftungen und Vereine Methoden erarbeiten, wie Crowdfunding, mobile Donations und Peer-to-Peer-Fundraising miteinander kombiniert werden kann. Dazu wird ein digitales Handbuch für CSOs und NGOs erarbeitet.

​Enhancing digital literacy, online communication and fundraising skills

‚CSOs online‘ is a project for the development of nonprofit sector workers’ digital skills, especially in the field of online communication and fundraising, based on the exchange of experience, innovative practices and know-how in the frame of transnational partner meetings. The participating organizations have a broad experience of utmost relevance to achieve a more efficient and pragmatic CSO mentoring and training activity, and thereby, support CSOs with advice and examples through a specially designed guide, incorporated in the participants‘ existing websites.

In short, this project will harness the experiences, best practice and lessons learned from organizations across Europe, involved in the fields of education, training and mentoring CSOs in their online communication and fundraising activities. The formation of the partnership to exchange best practices in the field is essential due to the relatively small scale of the mentioned activities in the participant countries, and the need of CSOs to be more deeply embedded into the surrounding society, in order to be supported morally and financially by their environment.

Partners

NIOK


Since 1994, Nonprofit Information and Training Centre (NIOK) Foundation has been working on strengthening civil society in Hungary by providing support and capacity building services to CSOs, facilitating dialogue on civil society issues, while enhancing the non-profit sector links to decision makers and donors.

To promote transparency, the culture of giving, as well as the sustainable and efficient work of CSOs, NIOK Foundation established a self-regulating coalition of fundraising organizations committed to ethical and transparent fundraising has been running participative programs to enhance active citizenship provides the most detailed database (including 13.600 CSOs), where NIOK only registers certified organizations and crosschecks their data with the authorities to build trust provides up-to-date news about and for the non-profit sector in Hungary – with particular regard to training opportunities – on the independent CSO information portal, www.nonprofit.hu has developed various fundraising tools to help CSOs to become self-sustainable.

Czech Fundraising Center

​The Czech Fundraising Center is a leading non-profit in resource mobilization and civil society leadership development serving the CEE region and other countries in transition.

In order to achieve its mission, the Czech Fundraising Center:

  • provides top-quality affordable training, consulting and assistance services to civil society organizations in the CEE region and in countries of transition;
  • promotes sustainability and resource mobilization of CSOs
  • organizes the bi-annual International Fundraising Festival and operates the Club of Professional Fundraisers in order to support ethical practice and to share knowledge, learning and skills in resource mobilization in the CEE region and in countries of transition;
  • carries out research and provides top-quality information about resource mobilization in the CEE region and in countries of transition to all relevant stakeholders.

Association for Community Relations

Association for Community Relations (Asociatia pentru Relatii Comunitare, in Romanian, ARC) was established in 2001 and has at first served NGOs interested in fundraising from individuals and companies and for profit organizations interested in giving resources for social change.

Our aim is to advance philanthropy in Romania, helping channel people’s resources and generosity to build stronger communities.

We contribute to:

  • Increased private giving for common good, as it is defined by a diversity of stakeholders.
  • Increased number of donors and engaged citizens who participate in shaping their communities, contributing money and time and inspiring others to get engaged
  • Organized and transparent giving and fund-raising systems, based on quality of information and relationships that ensure good decisions, evaluation and learning
  • stronger impact of the resources mobilized through increased engagement of donors and stronger relations between nonprofit organizations and donors

Networks of philanthropists who dedicate emotional and mental energy for doing good well, understanding and increasing the impact of their contributions, leading and engaging others in solving common needs
Long term impact on the philanthropic field through self-sustaining mechanisms, endowments, legacies, building of foundations and other institutions, and advocating for policies that support philanthropy.

In a nutshell, we strive to inspire the engagement of more donors, with higher contributions and higher results for society, as nonprofits, other private donors and we strengthen our commitment and become smarter about creating the desired society transformation.

Good Network Foundation

​The Good Network Foundation (GNF) was founded in 2009 by the Academy for the Development of Philanthropy in Poland, one of the most experienced non-governmental organization in Poland. Since the very beginning, the GNF organizes two main programmes: Moje Stypendium (My Scholarship; www.mojestypendium.pl – the biggest in Poland database containing scholarship offers) and E-wolontariat (E-volunteering, www.e-volunteering.eu – the 1st and only webpage in Poland dedicated to the volunteering done via the Internet).

The main objectives of our Foundation are: dissemination of the knowledge on scholarships and e-volunteering, as well as promotion of ICTs as a tool for strenghtening the civil society and raising civic engagement, both in Poland and in Europe. We are convinced that ICTs can be a great tool for all those, who want to create social projects, regardless of their scale or subject.

ikosom

The Institute for Communication in Social Media (ikosom) investigates the use of social media in Germany and in Europe. It is a privately owned research institute which partners with public sector organisations, NGOs, foundations and universities.

ikosom explores and describes trends, analyses and provides scientific advice based on his expertise to help companies, organizations and projects to implement the latest insights and proven strategies in campaigns or actions. The focus of research and knowledge sharing is on social media usage, in particular Community- Management, eParticipation and digital fundraising with a particular regard to crowdfunding and crowdsourcing.
In this respect, ikosom is the leading private research institute in the field and constantly works also on sharing its findings, publishing studies on Crowdfunding in Startups, Cooperatives, etc.
To this day, ikosom works in close collaboration with local projects, small and medium-sized enterprises, social entrepreneurs and NGOs, while also having established an extensive network of crowdfunding partners all over Europe.