DMF 4.0: "Access to Information Programme" Foundation, host organization of Nikola Ivanov

With this article we continue the series in which we present the host organizations and fellows in the fourth edition of "Digital Marketing for Meaningful Causes (DMF 4.0)", the program through which the America for Bulgaria Foundation, in partnership with Impact Drive, connects young digital marketing talents with organizations working for a cause.

This time the series arrives at one of the structures emblematic of the civil sector in our country - the "Access to Information Programme" Foundation (AIP). Since 1996, it has stood behind the right of every Bulgarian citizen to know what institutions are doing in their name. This year, fellow Nikola Ivanov joins its digital communications - a content creator with a longstanding passion for podcasts and for turning complex ideas into digestible content for social media.

For the host organization: 30 years defending the right to know The Access to Information Programme was founded in 1996 as an independent non-governmental organization. At that time, Bulgaria was only taking its first steps toward open and accountable governance, and the very idea of a "right to information" did not yet exist, either in law or in public discourse. Over the following years, AIP played a key role in developing the concept, text, and arguments behind the Access to Public Information Act (APIA), adopted in 2000 - one of the most important legislative victories of the civil sector in modern Bulgarian history.

Since then, AIP has worked simultaneously on four fronts: legal defense, research, training, and public communication. The organization's lawyers - led by attorney Alexander Kashumov - provide free legal assistance to journalists, citizens, and NGOs who are denied access to information by public institutions. When a dispute reaches court, AIP often pursues the case to the end - including to the Supreme Administrative Court. The accumulated case law then feeds back into the organization's work in the form of analyses, training programs, and recommendations for legislative changes. AIP's research work is one of its most recognizable areas of activity. Each year the foundation publishes a Report on the State of Access to Information in Bulgaria, which combines legal analysis, an assessment of the active transparency of public institutions, and a review of legal assistance and court cases from the past year. Alongside it is the Civic Audit of Active Transparency - an annual survey of around 560 public institutions, in which any citizen can see how a given municipality, ministry, agency, or court performs against criteria for publishing information online. In May 2026, AIP presented the results of the 2026 Civic Audit at a press conference.

Much of AIP's work remains hard to see, yet highly influential. The organization's experts take part in the UN Working Group on Corruption Prevention (17th session, Vienna, May 2026), OSCE meetings on the safety of journalists (Bern, 2026), and the European anti-SLAPP coalition CASE. AIP is the national coordinator for Bulgaria in the international network FOIAnet, which brings together the world's leading freedom of information advocates, and is among the initiators of the international observance of September 28 - the Right to Know Day. The annual "Right to Know" awards recognize the journalists, citizens, and institutions with the most significant contribution to transparency.

In recent years, the organization has also expanded its communication formats. The podcast "Law and Democracy", hosted by attorney Alexander Kashumov, turns legally complex topics - SLAPP suits, foreign influence, journalistic material examined in light of the APIA - into conversations anyone can follow. As of April 2026, the series has reached Episode 38, with guests from Bulgaria, Europe, and beyond. The monthly newsletter rounds out the picture with regional reporting and court chronicles.

AIP's contribution to the civil sector is, first, regulatory - without its work, Bulgarian information legislation would not look the way it does today. Second, practical - behind dozens of exposed public-sector abuses lies information that citizens and journalists were able to obtain thanks to consultations, training, or cases led by AIP. And third, cultural - the organization is among the few that systematically teach both institutions and society that information is not a privilege, but a right. The fellow: Nikola Ivanov

Nikola Ivanov has been involved in content creation and digital marketing since he was 14. His interests lie in turning complex concepts, products, and ideas into digestible content for social media - something he enjoys doing especially through podcasts, which in his own words he considers "the most refined type of content on the planet." His professional path began with part-time work for an American marketing agency, which he secured himself by writing directly to its founder. From there, he developed mainly in copywriting and brand communications, but came to realize that he wanted to direct his energy not simply toward successful companies, but toward organizations fighting for causes. This decision also led him to the "Digital Marketing for Meaningful Causes" program.

At AIP, Nikola works exactly where his strengths meet the organization's greatest need. He creates online video content for social media and writes the texts for publications. A typical working day for him begins with processing excerpts from the many interviews AIP's lawyers give to various media outlets, or with preparing episodes of the "Law and Democracy" podcast for distribution on social media. Sometimes his day also includes design work in Canva - an area where he admits he is still a beginner, but is progressing quickly. Nikola also plans the organization's content calendar - a task that requires both strategic thinking and a sense for the moments when a publication can reach more people.

Mentorship from Dimitar Panayotov within DMF 4.0 gives him the opportunity to systematize the intuition he has built up over the years and turn it into more sustainable processes: from organic video content strategy, through podcast marketing, to the metrics for evaluating the impact of communication on the cause.

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Interview with Nikola Ivanov 1. Tell us briefly about yourself and your interests.

My name is Nikola. I've been involved in content creation and digital marketing since I was 14, and my interests lie in transforming complex concepts/products/ideas into digestible content for social media. I'm also a fanatic when it comes to podcasts, and I consider a professionally made podcast to be the most refined type of content on the planet. My professional path began with part-time work for an American marketing agency, which I secured after cold-emailing its founder. From there, I developed mainly in the field of copywriting and realized that I wanted to work not just for successful organizations, but also for ones fighting for causes. That's what led me to the "Digital Marketing for Meaningful Causes" program as well. 2. What is your host organization - what does it do, what are its main goals?

My host organization is the Access to Information Programme. Our mission is to protect every Bulgarian citizen's right to access information. We believe that transparency of those in power and free access to information are pillars of democracy, and we work hard whenever we sense that those in power are trying to limit these fundamental rights.

3.What are the main activities you carry out for the host organization?

I create online video content for social media, as well as texts for the publications. I also plan our content calendar.

4.Describe a typical working day at your host organization.

It usually involves processing excerpts from the many interviews our lawyers give to various media outlets and organizations, as well as episodes of our podcast "Law and Democracy." Sometimes I also do designs in Canva, but I'm still a beginner there.

5.What is the hardest lesson you've learned in your work so far?

Quality digital marketing requires resources that not every NGO has, at least in the beginning. You'll likely need to put in far more creative energy and "cleverness" at the start in order to produce quality content on a minimal budget, or to develop a strategy. Above all, though, the quality of the content depends on your knowledge of the cause and the methods of the organization you work for. If you don't truly get to know their mission (which really takes time and can sometimes be frustrating, since you're essentially educating yourself in a new field in minimal time), there's no way to create the right kind of content for them and their audience.рията им.

6.How do you think your work at this particular organization will enrich your professional path going forward?

My entire time at AIP is one huge creative adventure that gives me the chance to practice my skill of turning complex concepts into, as I said above, digestible content. If I can create popular short videos on topics like "transparency," "access to information," and so on, then there are no limits.