CONFERENCE

NETWORKING Conference to promote International Volunteering

Online Conference

The #EVOLVE online conference took place in November 2021. 27 representatives from 24 partner organisations joined the event, with the facilitation of two experienced NFE experts, Natalie Jivkova (CVS Bulgaria) and Viktoria Csákány (Egyesek Hungary), and the support and presentations of two thematic experts, Giada Martin (expert on communication and advocacy) and Kata Somlai (expert on finances).

The program of the Conference was rich and diverse. Considering the geographical backgrounds, the sessions were organised on 10, 12, 16, 17, 19, 24 November so that it provided a more reasonable schedule for the representatives to join and digest the discussions.

The International Conference was intended for the partners to get to know each other, to build new partnerships, to have an overview and better understanding of the whole #EVOLVE project, as well as to plan future activities. The two thematic experts Giada Martin and Kata Somlai, who will be the trainers of the capacity building Training on Finances in April 2022 in Hungary, hosted by Egyesek, and Training on Communication and Marketing in June 2022 in Japan, hosted by NICE Japan, delivered workshop sessions and the participants had the unique opportunity to test what to expect from and gave feedback.

In addition, a Gather.town was created for the partners to network and had the opportunity to arrange bilateral / multilateral meetings among themselves and met with representatives from the Open Conference.

Open Conference ‘Building Partnerships for Successful Volunteering Projects’,

On 19 November, there was the Open Conference ‘Building Partnerships for Successful Volunteering Projects’, an opportunity between the participants and the external invitees to engage, exchange and develop cooperation. The objective was to provide more information about possibilities to strengthen cooperation between the IVS sector and external stakeholders in order to promote and improve volunteering opportunities for young people. 

This Conference has invited David Styers, Coordinator of Volunteer Group Alliance, to deliver a key-note speech which highlighted volunteering as a powerful and cross-cutting means of implementing the 2030 Agenda. The round-table session had an intervene and sharing from guest speakers of a diverse background, including:

• Linus Omondi, Regional Coordinator for Africa of the Royal Commonwealth Society

• Bird Tang, Executive Director of VolTra

• James O’Brien, Director of the International Forum for Volunteering in Development

• Sofía Mejía, Volunteer Programs and Global Campaign Manager of Habitat for Humanity International

The guest speakers and participants were then invited to join break-out rooms discussion to further explore the following topics:

• SDG focus group

• Climate emergence and IVS

• Decolonisation, equality, equity, activism

• Strengthening regional partnerships

watch the ‘Stronger Together Building Partnerships for Successful Volunteering

Projects’ conference: https://bit.ly/3Zy4sI5 

ABC NGO FINANCES

The training course took place in Hollókő, Hungary between 04 – 10 May 2022 hosted by Egyesek in Holloko, Hungary. This training allowed participants to develop a common understanding towards finance management and to enhance cooperation. It brought together ten participants from four different continents: Nepal, Togo, Kenya, Zimbabwe, Argentina, Ecuador, France, Indonesia, Japan, and South Africa. The team of trainers included Kata Somlai and Cihan Kilic.

The training was designed for NGO workers/volunteers who deal with finances, but do not have a financial professional background.

OBJECTIVES OF THE TRAINING COURSE:

● Decreasing the fear surrounding finance management.

● Raising consciousness of own competences on finance management.

● Learning in which areas to ask for professional help and what are the tasks that can be performed without being a bookkeeper.

● Learning about the planning process – plan-do-review cycle and to understand when to act and on what.

● Raising understanding of financial management tools; of their usage and meaning.

For both trainings toolkits were finalised and an online MOOC was created to support the learning process. The MOOC can be found on the CCIVS online learning site: www.ccivs.org/ilearn and the toolkits of the CCIVS website resources section.

Communication & Marketing

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The second training on Communication and Marketing, initially foreseen to be hosted by NICE in Tokyo, Japan, took place online. In face of the declining numbers of volunteers, the training offered a space to build new partnerships, and to develop key competencies in the field of communication, marketing and fundraising. The trainers Giada Martin and Mercy Kubasu led the event.

The training was designed for those workers/volunteers who deal with  both communication/marketing and fundraising and want to improve their skills. The main objectives were to:

• Be able to autonomously plan, develop and manage a coherent and effective communication strategy
• Establish a plan to increase the visibility and reputation of the organisation/IVS movement and to attract new volunteers and activists
• Enhance awareness of the importance of strategic and directed communication to specifics target groups and to discriminate the diverse of channels and communication techniques (both online and offline, also including internal communication)
• Learn the basics of fundraising as a tool able to provide a sustainable long-term vision and the organisational sustainability conceived in a holistic view, not just as financial stability
• Learn how to run a successful crowdfunding campaign that can easily capture the attention of a large number of potential donors + the different types of fundraising

For both trainings toolkits were finalised and an online MOOC was created to support the learning process. The MOOC can be found on the CCIVS online learning site:

www.ccivs.org/ilearn and the toolkits of the CCIVS website resources section.

Local Hubs

11 Local Training Hubs took place including the participation of over 200 young people and representatives of the local community, with the objective of ensuring multiplication with local communities, improving access for young people with low basic skills, and promoting social inclusion. The training took place using the toolkits. The partners promoted ways for young people to engage in their local actions and support them in this process.

The Hubs were organised by:

BVBP Peru

DEJAVATO Indonesia

EstYES Estonia

FUNPROCH Ecuador

GREAT Indonesia

SAVWA South Africa

SES Foundation Argentina

UVDA Uganda

VIN Nepal

VWAN Nigeria

ZWA Zimbabwe

Laboratory

The Evolve Laboratory for CCIVS Youth Workers on Advocacy, PR, Communication and Visibility took place in Paris from 24- 30 April 2023.

31 people from over 25 countries participated in the event, creating a very valuable opportunity for the diverse member organisations represented, to re-engage, share and strengthen the network. This opportunity was especially valuable for many members, because it was the first in-person meeting they had attended since prior to 2020…

During the event, member organisation representatives were able to share common challenges, such as declining number of volunteers and funding cuts, and to discuss other future scenarios. Important topics such as funding strategies in light of an unpredictable donor environment as well as recent changes to EU grant requirements were addressed. Participants shared good practices and ideas for possible alternative funding mechanisms and discussed  the importance of strengthening regional networks and increasing visibility. 

Regional discussions and  facilitated process´  were held in order to create vision statements, funding pitches, and ideas for future collaborations (within regions as well as inter-regionally). A database of funders, a list of suggestions and feedback to achieve the goals of the strategic plan, as well as a document of advocacy tasks was outlined in order to support IVS´s advocacy aims, visibility and acknowledgment of IVS´ impact and value.

Representatives gave and received updates on the Decolonise IVS, LIVE (Living Earth Campaign), CCIVS Youth Committee, Evolve and Frame(v)work projects.

Important challenges and gaps in communication were identified and addressed, valuable input for improved visibility was given, and members were able to achieve clarity and purpose while strengthening the regional and global network. Most importantly, participants were able to share stories and first-hand experiences, to gain insights and deepen relationships amongst the diverse organisations represented. 

Evaluation and feedback received showed that the event was a big success. Participants reported feeling re-engaged, inspired, hopeful, activated, reconnected and motivated to return to their organisations to continue the vital work with volunteering, peace building and Earth advocacy which they are already involved in. 
Many new ideas were seeded for future projects and collaborations throughout the network, and we are looking forward to continuing our collective positive impact through this powerful global network of changemakers.