THE CAUSES IN POST-COVID REALITY

The turbulent 2020 and the chaotic times we live in now have put public benefit organizations at the forefront of rescuing, overcoming, recovering from the effects of the health crisis. And donors are already readjusting their programs and thinking about the next few days when organizations will need support to continue their missions.

When we talk about project funding, NGOs start swimming in their own waters. This is the most typical source of funding for non-profit organizations in our recent history, as in the years before our accession to the European Union, it was almost the only one. In the period after 2007, the dynamics of the offered grant funds changed significantly and a large part of the donor programs withdrew from our country in order to give way to the funds from the European funds. The tendencies are to develop more and more sources of financing and reduce the share of the so-called donor funding, with sources of large private or public foundations. However, this financial source remains in first place in terms of financial resources provided - 46% in 2019, according to the Bulgarian Donors' Forum.

Another important trend in the last 20 years is the desire of grant-making organizations to change the focus of support planning, from goals to results and lasting impact. This changed the approaches and tools for design and project management. Emphasis is placed on sustainability and the possibility for project initiatives to lead to a real and meaningful change in the lives of people and communities.

In this conversation, we will give the floor to those colleagues in our community who create and organize grant programs. We will talk about:

• Trends in philanthropy and key conclusions from the crisis
• New moments in the support of organizations (approaches, thematic areas, tools, etc.)
• The presentation of donor programs in Bulgaria
• On the road to change: measuring the effect of support and enhancing the impact

The conversation will include:

Gergana Kutseva, Bulgarian Fund for Women

Gergana Kutseva is the Deputy Director of the Bulgarian Fund for Women, where she is responsible for the strategic and operational development of the organization, working on Theory of Change, the strategy for allocating funds and the development of a framework for monitoring and evaluating the effect of grantmaking. He has nearly 20 years of professional experience in the field of public communications and consulting, in building and managing strategic and creative communication campaigns for NGOs, cultural institutions, business entities and political parties. Its cause is the elimination of gender stereotypes, gender-based violence and discrimination and the achievement of social change by ensuring the de facto equality of women and men in all spheres of life in Bulgaria and abroad.

The Bulgarian Fund for Women (BFW) is the only Bulgarian organization that supports local non-governmental organizations (NGOs) working on women's rights to achieve real equality in all spheres of public life and to eliminate all forms of discrimination.

Iva Petrova , BCause Foundation

Iva Petrova is an expert in "Donation Programs and Fundraising" at the BCause Foundation, where she has been working on donation and volunteering programs in the workplace for 12 years, in partnership with local and multinational companies. He is a member of the Bulgarian Association of CSR Specialists / BAKSOS / and the Bulgarian Association for People Management / BAUH / and considers as his cause the transformation of giving into a part of our everyday life not only as individual citizens, but also at work - where we spend the most time. a lot of time and we can do good together with our colleagues. He believes that responsible, organized and transparent giving has countless benefits for employers, employees and the beneficiaries themselves, so public causes are an integral part of corporate culture in the 21st century. "

BCause Foundation is an expert organization with 20 years of experience that promotes and develops philanthropy and social investment. The organization develops various opportunities that support donation practices by people and organizations.

Teodora Ivanova-Valeva,Impact Drive

Her professional life has long been associated with project management and organizational development, as well as the design and management of grant schemes and programs. He works briefly in public authorities and private management consulting, but finds passion and meaning in working in the non-governmental sector and people working for causes. He is very interested in how to be effective, influential and successful in their missions. The activity and support of the organizations is related to participation in projects, mentoring, assistance in creating fundraising and business plans, organizational, communication and management strategies, lectures, consulting and others.