REC - EMTC: Insight 2/2: Meeting the needs og NGOs in the region

T R A I N I N G

Meeting the needs og NGOs in the region

Organizations in several countries say a lack of training is one obstacle that keeps them from achieving their goals

BY DIRK AMTSBERG

What are the real needs nongovernmental organizations in Central and Eastern Europe? What would they demand if they had a choice?

In a survey of 1,872 environmental NGOs in 15 Central and Eastern European countries, capacity building, training programs for staff, and training for leaders were three of the top five priority areas in which the organizations would seek support.

And while the majority of NGOs said they believe they are at least partially successful, most of them also said they suffer from an acute lack of funding, qualified staff and equipment.

Courses in demand

Nearly three-fourths of NGOs (72 percent) said courses in fund-raising would be very useful, and more than half (52 percent) believe training courses in project management and proposal writing would be very useful. More than one-third of the groups that were surveyed (36 percent to 43 percent) listed training courses on media relations, financial management, negotiating, presentation skills, strategic planning, networking and management of volunteers as potentially very useful. One-third (33 percent) expressed a desire for training courses on team building.

During the series of 71 follow-up interviews, NGO leaders were more specific. First, at the organizational level, NGOs desire training with respect to fund-raising, writing project proposals, accounting, building networks, strategic planning, organizational development, lobbying and working with the media. Second, some NGO leaders said technical training on specific environmental topics would make their staff more qualified and help their organizations operate more efficiently. Topics cited range from eco-tourism and sustainable agriculture to ecology, water monitoring and "how to campaign."

Needs by country

The desire for specific topics differed from country to country. NGOs in Albania, Bulgaria, Croatia, Macedonia and Romania listed training courses in strategic planning, management of volunteers, networking, team building, presentation skills, media relations, project management and proposal writing to be very useful.

Training courses in financial management, presentation skills, media relations and project management were perceived as very useful by NGOs in Romania, Slovakia and Slovenia.

Across the region, training on topics related to financial management seems to be more desirable to successful NGOs, while training on project management and management of volunteers was requested more often by NGOs that rated themselves only partly successful.

OTHER FINDINGS

Financial problems
The most serious problem facing NGOs is locating consistent funding. Nearly three-fourths (73 percent) described their financial situation as unstable, poor or very poor; and almost half operate on an annual budget of USD 1,000 or less. As a result, many NGOs cited insufficient financial support as a major reason goals are not achieved. Also, nearly all the NGOs surveyed rely at least somewhat on external support. Only 2.4 percent said they don't.
Governmental difficulties
In some countries, NGOs identified their national governments as external problems because certain CEE governments have not recognized the importance of environmental NGOs and usually don't allow them to get involved in social and political processes. NGOs in Slovakia, Croatia and Lithuania in particular have negative attitudes toward their governments, and they hope to change the unfavorable tax laws that apply to them.
Cooperation among NGOs
Most respondents said cooperation among NGOs was not as good as it could be. While 90 percent of NGOs have working relationships with others in their own country, about half still have not developed relationships with foreign NGOs. Organizations that cooperate say they are stronger and reach their goals more effectively. They also have greater access to information, training, experience and fundraising opportunities.
Staffing concerns
To find and keep qualified staff, NGOs must offer competitive salaries and quality office equipment. Many of the organizations are having problems securing either. NGOs that depend on memberships for funding and volunteer assistance cited attracting and keeping members as a problem, a factor that is explained, at least in part, by the sluggish economic situation and general lack of interest in environmental issues.
Organizational success
Size, age, location, cooperation levels and focus areas all tend to correlate with the success of an NGO. The groups that rate themselves as most successful tend to be bigger and older organizations based in a capital city that cooperate with government and that focus on research, education, information gathering and networking. NGOs in Croatia and Hungary labeled their performance as fully successful more often than in any other country.

OTHER FINDINGS
Financial problems The most serious problem facing NGOs is locating consistent funding. Nearly three-fourths (73 percent) described their financial situation as unstable, poor or very poor; and almost half operate on an annual budget of USD 1,000 or less. As a result, many NGOs cited insufficient financial support as a major reason goals are not achieved. Also, nearly all the NGOs surveyed rely at least somewhat on external support. Only 2.4 percent said they don't.	Governmental difficulties In some countries, NGOs identified their national governments as external problems because certain CEE governments have not recognized the importance of environmental NGOs and usually don't allow them to get involved in social and political processes. NGOs in Slovakia, Croatia and Lithuania in particular have negative attitudes toward their governments, and they hope to change the unfavorable tax laws that apply to them.	Cooperation among NGOs Most respondents said cooperation among NGOs was not as good as it could be. While 90 percent of NGOs have working relationships with others in their own country, about half still have not developed relationships with foreign NGOs. Organizations that cooperate say they are stronger and reach their goals more effectively. They also have greater access to information, training, experience and fundraising opportunities.	Staffing concerns To find and keep qualified staff, NGOs must offer competitive salaries and quality office equipment. Many of the organizations are having problems securing either. NGOs that depend on memberships for funding and volunteer assistance cited attracting and keeping members as a problem, a factor that is explained, at least in part, by the sluggish economic situation and general lack of interest in environmental issues.	Organizational success Size, age, location, cooperation levels and focus areas all tend to correlate with the success of an NGO. The groups that rate themselves as most successful tend to be bigger and older organizations based in a capital city that cooperate with government and that focus on research, education, information gathering and networking. NGOs in Croatia and Hungary labeled their performance as fully successful more often than in any other country.

ABOUT THE REPORT

This article is based on the report "Problems, Progress and Possibilities: A Needs Assessment of Environmental NGOs in Central and Eastern Europe", published in April 1997 by the Regional Environmental Center. The study had two parts: The first involved a standardized questionnaire that was completed by 1,872 of the approximately 3,020 environmental NGOs in 15 selected CEE countries (see map above). Of the surveys, 518 also contained written comments. For the second part, project coordinator Curtis Durrant and four independent consultants conducted 71 personal interviews with leaders of environmental NGOs in nine CEE countries.
For information about obtaining a copy of the complete report, contact Malgorzata Mazurek, Regional Environmental Center for Central and Eastern Europe, Ady Endre ut 9-11, 2000 Szentendre, Hungary; Tel: (36-26) 311-194; Fax: (36-26) 311-294.

ABOUT THE REPORT
This article is based on the report "Problems, Progress and Possibilities: A Needs Assessment of Environmental NGOs in Central and Eastern Europe", published in April 1997 by the Regional Environmental Center. The study had two parts: The first involved a standardized questionnaire that was completed by 1,872 of the approximately 3,020 environmental NGOs in 15 selected CEE countries (see map above). Of the surveys, 518 also contained written comments. For the second part, project coordinator Curtis Durrant and four independent consultants conducted 71 personal interviews with leaders of environmental NGOs in nine CEE countries. For information about obtaining a copy of the complete report, contact Malgorzata Mazurek, Regional Environmental Center for Central and Eastern Europe, Ady Endre ut 9-11, 2000 Szentendre, Hungary; Tel: (36-26) 311-194; Fax: (36-26) 311-294.

REC * EMTC * PUBLICATIONS * INSIGHT * AUTUMN 1997