Bridging the Gap: how to bring NGOs closer

The work of British NGOs operating in Romania is always a source of inspiration. John McKellar, today’s guest blogger,  shares with us the ins & outs of supporting smaller NGOs to become more visible and reach out to volunteers and local donors.

If nothing else, being back in Romania 12 years after I last lived here, I have had my eyes opened to the incredible differences that have occurred here since 2002. Politics and economics have of course changed the country but the biggest (and most pleasant – at least for me) surprise is the way that charitable NGO’s are thriving. Compared to ten years ago when just a few NGO’s were present in Romania, in 2014 there are over 90,000 NGO’s registered in Romania with around 2% of the national workforce currently employed in the sector.

While some might argue that the market is saturated, there are many NGO’s being created every day and some may argue further that there is a greater need for them. At Bridging The Gap, an NGO which together with two other Brits we created in January 2014, we aim to help those small organisations which are either new to the market or require some assistance to keep them sustainable. It is unclear how many of the 90,000 NGO’s are currently active so we created our organisation in order that as many NGO’s making a real impact on society are able to function in a transparent and sustainable way.

In 2013, while working for an international NGO in Chisinau, I decided to study for a qualification with the Institute of Fundraising in London. Most of the research for my thesis was based on Bucharest and the public’s perception of charitable giving. When asked as to why they did not support charitable organisations, 65% answered that it was because they did not trust that what they gave would go towards the cause they were donating to.

Bridging The Gap has been created to not only show to NGO’s sustainable ways of staying functional but also to do so in a transparent way so that individuals and businesses will trust the organisations and invest more in them. The age old saying “give a man a fish and he will eat for a day; teach him how to fish and he will eat for a lifetime” is one that we are trying to emulate to our NGO partners whether it be by encouraging volunteers to give their time and skills to help others or by teaching them skills through the Bridging The Gap Training Academy.

Like many who come to Romania for an initial visit, I have found that my heart lies here and specifically in the NGO sector. By encouraging local and national businesses to support their social community through charitable causes, I truly believe that we can help realise our vision of creating a Romania where the needs of these NGO’s are met by the community around them.

If you or your company would like to know more about our work, please check out our website here.