civil society initiatives. However, this support primarily has been limited to events and activities that ensure high visibility for donors. Consequently, most funding from corporate sources goes to soccer clubs, festivals, concerts and other similar activities. Financial Viability in Kosovo
1.0
3.0
5.0 6.0
6.0
6.0
6.0
5.6
5.3
5.2
5.0
4.8
4.7
4.8
4.8
7.0
Local philanthropy is still in a nascent phase. Time and a shift in corporate culture are needed for philanthropic giving to make a real impact. Charities or grassroots organizations that deal with disadvantaged groups or children and youth currently attract the most local philanthropy.
Organizations dealing with more abstract issues such as corruption and politics have to rely on foundations and outside donors. Diversification of funding is still primarily understood as receiving grants from multiple donors. NGOs rely primarily on donor funds for their revenues, with earned income a secondary source of NGO financing. Organizations with earned income raise it mainly through membership fees or the occasional government contract. NGOs that focus on research or training and those that provide social services are the most frequent recipients of contracts. NGOs for the most part have comprehensive financial management systems. NGOs make the effort to have their financial records in order to increase their chances of attracting financial support from donors. Independent audits are less common, but they are slowly becoming the norm due to donor influence. Training programs on financial management are available within the civil society sector, with a few NGOs that specialize in training offering such programs.
ADVOCACY: 3.7 NGO advocacy initiatives in Kosovo substantially increased during 2010. A number of NGOs addressed legislation in their fields of expertise. For example, one coalition of NGOs, the Regional Environmental Movement BELLS Kosova, lobbied against continued financing for the building of the Administrative Protocol Center office complex in Pristina’s Germia Park– planned at €3 million during the next three years. As a result, this line of the government’s draft budget for 2010 was removed in the final version. Advocacy in Kosovo
Other organizations working with disadvantaged groups suggested amendments for several pieces of legislation, including the Law on Education and the Labor Law. The Association of Political Prisoners of Kosova initiated, drafted, and sponsored the Law on the Rights of Former Politically Convicted and Persecuted which was passed by the parliament this year. The law regulates the status of political prisoners, delineates their special rights, and sets out the conditions and procedures for realizing these rights. The Kosovo Democratic Institute (KDI) and the civic initiative FOL ’08 joined forces to draft and recommend amendments to the Law on Income and Asset Disclosure of Public Officials.
1.0
3.0
4.1
4.5 5.0 5.0
7.0
106
5.0
3.8
3.5
3.4
3.6
3.9
3.9
3.8
3.7
These examples are evidence of will by both the government and civil society to cooperate and advocate for changes. Nevertheless, the nature of cooperation tends to be limited to legislative initiatives. Several organizations have attempted to tackle transparency and corruption issues but
THE 2010 NGO SUSTAINABILITY INDEX