Civil society needs long-term and diverse funding to be able to mobilise communities and respond to emerging social and democratic challenges. However, CSOs’ access to resources is continuously challenged. And it is not just about the US funding cuts. Authoritarian governments adopt laws that label CSOs as foreign agents if they receive funding from abroad – a legislative move that not only stigmatises organisations, but also restricts their ability to rely on diverse income.
That is why ECNL supports partners to explore new income sources, including raising funds using digital technologies. Our work helps create platforms and the legal environment needed to leverage alternative sources of funding.
In North Macedonia, ECNL worked with the Association Konekt to create a supportive legal environment for philanthropy and introduce new mechanisms to support mobilisation of funding from communities. As a result, Konekt launched a digital crowdfunding platform “Op-Op”. Since July 2024, the platform hosted 31 civil society campaigns, generating income from 150 individual donations worth a total of 6,000 EUR. 85% of organisations that campaigned on Op-op used digital fundraising as a tool for the first time. Konekt measures the platform’s potential social impact: if all the active campaigns achieve their goals, the lives of over 90,000 people will be improved by expanded access to social services, youth programmes or community development projects.
Moreover, we mobilised civil society around the new EU rules on Anti-Money Laundering/Countering the Financing of Terrorism, which introduce stricter oversight for crowdfunding platforms, cross-border transfers or donations through virtual currencies. These measures will most likely have a chilling effect on donations. We work with civil society partners, policymakers and philanthropies to safeguard crowdfunding and ensure organisations can continue to access the support they need.
Thanks to these actions:
- Platforms for civil society funding were created.
- Civil society around the new EU rules on AML/CFT was mobilised.