By Higgs

Erasmus+: VIRAL for Local Communities

HIGGS is participating as a strategic partner in the project “VIRAL – Intercultural Reality Active Learning for local communities” funded under the Erasmus+ KA2 Program. The VIRAL project intends to provide anyone working in the adult education sector (training and language schools, public bodies and public administration, first reception centers, cultural associations and libraries) with a useful tool to help refugees’/migrants’ integration and local communities’ mutual knowledge through the use of VR technology.

The final product will be what has been called as “Cross Cultural Toolbox”, a digital platform, absolutely free and accessible to everyone. Entering the TOOLBOX you will be able to download any instructions and material needed to introduce VR in cultural projects. Indicatively, the following material will be included: educational material, pilot learning units, the VR videos produced by all partners and an instruction manual on how to develop your own VR videos.

Project Consortium

• NKey srl (Leader), Italy
• HIGGS, Greece
• CEBS, Poland
• University for Foreigners of Perugia, Italy
• NGO APSES, Romania

By Higgs

HIGGS experience from the International Visitor Leadership Program 2019

The International Visitors Leadership Program (IVLP) is an exclusive exchange programme by the Department of State, USA. It boasts worldwide recognition, as professionals from all around the globe become a part of it. Participants are nominated and selected annually by US Embassies in countries around the world.

During 2019, I was fortunate enough to be nominated under the category of “NGO Management”, IVLP 2019. It was a landmark in my life, as it provided me with knowledge, exposed me to different views and ideas, as well as new friends from all over the world.

Interesting figures for US Civil Society

Civil society in the United States has a strong presence, variety, and is growing more and more. The main thematic activities of civil society organizations are: provision of social services, local development, culture, research, dissemination of information, citizens’ awareness and advocacy. According to the Center for Nonprofit and Philanthropy (The Urban Institute), Non-Profit Organizations operating in the US amount to 2.2 million of which 1.6 million are registered in the Internal Revenue Service, the national agency that regulates and supervises the NGO sector. It is estimated that about one registered NGO corresponds to 200 American citizens, which also proves the dynamics of the sector. The third sector in the US accounted for 5.6% of the country’s GDP (2016) and employed 14.4 million people (2013). It is also estimated that 77.4 million people volunteered in 2017 (30.3% of the total population).

Schedule and visits

The duration of the program was twenty days. The program commenced in Washington DC on May 4, 2019, where all 25 participants from different countries united to explore the roles of the federal government and international bodies related to the Civil Society. A number of different meetings with government agencies, private and non-profit organizations were held to showcase the bases of NGO management.

On May 9th we were split into four different groups and the group I participated in traveled to the state of New Mexico, namely in the cities of Albuquerque and Santa Fe. New Mexico is a state that faces many challenges, from low health indicators, low numbers of students graduating from school to significant contamination of natural resources. The NGOs that are active are trying to fill with their work many of the gaps above. We have been visiting many local organizations and foundations working to solve many of the local problems.

On May 15th, we traveled to New Orleans in the state of Louisiana, where we all reunited. In New Orleans we visited and exchanged ideas and views with many stakeholders about their different approaches to organizational management, volunteer management, and communication issues. We have come to know a lot of examples of good practices that manage to have a significant social imprint in their societies.

On May 21st, we traveled to Cincinnati, Ohio, where we visited and met local civil society organizations and discussed issues of communication, fundraising, training and consulting, as well as how the civil society organizations promote the involvement of local society and social change. The interaction with both the representatives we met and the other participants was incredible and I was so lucky to be part of this experience.

The program formally ended with a very interesting workshop where all participants gathered to reflect upon experiences during the program, identified trends and best practices in the field and considered new contacts or approaches that might benefit our work. The core benefits of the program were that we could consolidate all the learning s that we had during the 20 days.

The ability to share so much time with people from other countries has made me widen my own world, see possibilities and opportunities that I did not know they existed. Although we were 25 representatives of different origins, colors and experiences, we were still 25 people trying to create a positive social impact and to make the world a better place to live in.

Alexandra Emirza
Deputy Director, HIGGS

By Higgs

Active citizens fund in Greece: Project «Non-profits & Media advocating for good!»

Advocacy is an internationally acclaimed tool for Civil Society, in its efforts to bring institutional change to important social problems. In Greece, especially in the periphery, advocacy activities are either limited or of limited efficiency, with exceptions in human rights, environmental or social welfare issues. This is attributed to 2 factors:
– Firstly, non-profit organizations (NPOs) in Greece lack knowledge and expertise regarding advocacy’s methodology and tools, in order to design and implement effective relevant activities
– Secondly, the negative image of non-profits in the media and the general public pose as an obstacle to the potential communication and collaboration of all parties for a good cause and their active participation to decision-making.

Τhe project “Non-profits & Media advocating for good!” aims to strengthen civil society advocacy and watchdog role in Greece. To achieve that, the project offers a framework of experiential training and collaboration, benefitting 32 media representatives and 32 non-profits’ staff in 4 cities of Greece, selected based on that fact that they have both vibrant NPO communities and media as well as significant social issues, in order to co-create and implement together advocacy activities.

The project «Non-profits & Media advocating for good!» is being implemented under the Active citizens fund in Greece by HIGGS (Project Promoter) and its partners, the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Open Knowledge Foundation Greece and Journalism Initiative.

The Active citizens fund in Greece is supported through a € 12m grant from Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway as part of the EEA Grants 2014 – 2021. The program aims to develop the sustainability and capacity of the civil society sector in Greece, and to strengthen its role in promoting and safeguarding democratic procedures, active citizenship and human rights. The Fund Operator for the Active citizens fund in Greece is Bodossaki Foundation in consortium with SolidarityNow.

For more information: www.activecitizensfund.gr

 

Project Promoter                             Partners

By Higgs

A different nonprofit

With limited resources (time and money), can you do more for your beneficiaries? Yes, you can! Let me help you to get the most out of digital tools for nonprofit.

Answer this survey and join the first NetSquared event in Greece “Everything you always wanted to know about tech and nonprofit* (But were afraid to ask)” 

“Have you ever felt swamped at work?” If you are a nonprofit professional, this will be for you a sort of rhetorical question that will be met with understandable anger:

“Of course we are swamped! We are trying to change the world, have you seen what the world looks like today?”

2020 didn’t start so well, I agree. The risk of a new war in the Middle East, the outbreak of Corona Virus, a possible new refugee crisis in Europe, and the evergreen climate change are some of the major issues that come to the top of my mind when I think about the few months that marked the start of this new decade.

In a world where needs are growing, nonprofits feel compelled to stretch and squeeze to try to do as much as possible. Making overwork the norm. 

However, in most cases, overwork doesn’t produce any sort of positive outcome. It can actually limit your effectiveness and derail your good initiatives.

“So what should we do?” – you may ask.

In the last 5 years, I’ve had the chance and privilege to collaborate with dozens of small and medium nonprofit organizations across Europe. And every time, I was facing the same issue. Executive directors wearing dozens of hats, staff members juggling between different tasks and urging deadlines, volunteers either left alone or taking considerable staff time. 

The obvious result: a sub-optimal impact. 

And all of this while still logging more than 40 full hours of work per week.

It shouldn’t be like this. 

We shouldn’t accept overwork to be the norm, because:
a) Nonprofit’s work is vital to the lives of millions of humans, species, cultures, and environments. It means that if we are not able to be impactful as an organization, the very same causes we live by are going to be harmed;
b) People can only take so much before exploding. Putting more hours won’t make you more effective and burn-out is just around the corner. 

If we want to be true to our mission to make the world a better place we still need to be able to do more. But not by killing ourselves. 

We need a different nonprofit. 

A sector that will take full advantage of the opportunities available.

So my suggestion was always the same: “look what’s out there”. 

“Out there” is the internet. At no other time in our history, we had such an easy access to knowledge. Do you remember how it was before? 

Let’s say, going out to watch a movie. Think about how you got to know what was the schedule, or the programme. Now it’s just a matter of writing “cinema near me”, quite a big time saver. 

Out there are all sorts of things. And, as a quite nerdy nonprofit professional, I can assure you that there are loads of resources – most of them free – that can support your organization’s mission. I have actually learnt most of what I know about nonprofit in this way. 

I already feel your question here: “How is this going to help me?”

And I understand it. It seems counterintuitive. But to be as good as you can you need to constantly review and learn and change. It’s 2020, the world is very different from the past. Society is very different. And work is very different too. Nonprofits need to adapt or they risk becoming at best ineffective, at worst irrelevant. As we are already seeing the trend of for-profit organizations focusing on social good, this space is becoming more and more crowded and competitive. 

With limited time available, it’s easy to get caught up in the fog. You go to work, get things done day after day without really reviewing how you do your work, but sometimes just investing an hour or two to step back and think about a challenge can help you find ways to address that challenge and free up a lot of valuable time.

And speaking of time savers and opportunities, by and large, one of the biggest untapped opportunities for the nonprofit sector comes from the effective use of technology.

Technology, in its simplest form, is the application of tools and knowledge to meet humans’ needs. Its purpose: to make our life easier. Unfortunately, digital skills in the sector are still – let’s say – basic. And, by looking at the bright side, it means that there is plenty of room for improvement, as to be effective with technology today you don’t need to get a degree in computer science or learn how to code, being effective starts with realizing what’s out there. 

That’s why I decided to join NetSquared and organize free capacity building workshops on technology for local nonprofits here in Athens.

NetSquared’s free events offer a welcoming community, hands-on learning, and expert advice on crucial tech topics ranging from budgeting for tech, to digital marketing, to moving files to the cloud. The meetups are open to everyone who is interested in using technology for social change, especially nonprofits and activists, tech leaders, and funders.

Let me show you what’s out there 🙂 

On the 26th of March at HIGGS we wanted to host the first of such events – Everything you always wanted to know about tech and nonprofit* (*But were afraid to ask) – where I wanted to introduce you to some of the latest trends in tech and nonprofits, discuss your needs and build together the content for the next training. However, the current situation doesn’t allow for in-person events. 

So we are working to move everything in the virtual realm. We will keep you posted about the next steps so if you want to join please register here – There are only a few spots available, don’t miss this opportunity!

It would be really great if you could take some time and answer this survey, so I can understand better what are the topics that could be more relevant and useful to you.  

Matteo Sisto
HIGGS

By Higgs

Interview with the Transnational Giving Europe (TGE) Network

The Transnational Giving Europe (TGE) Network was founded in 1998 by a group of leading European Foundations aiming to provide a practical and secure solution for tax-effective cross-border donations. Our mission is to make cross-border philanthropy easy and accessible to European donors and nonprofit organizations until the implementation of the common market for philanthropy becomes a reality in Europe.

Today, the TGE Network covers 21 European countries and enables donors, both corporations and individuals, resident in one of the participating countries, to financially support non-profit organizations in other Member States, while benefiting directly from the tax advantages provided for in the legislation of their country of tax residence.

Additionally, the Network promotes cross-border philanthropy through the exchange of information and best practices across the sector and towards policy makers. We hope that the mission and functioning of the Network might inspire EU decision-makers in their roadmap to the single philanthropy market.

1) Which countries are members of the TGE Network?

Today, TGE is available to donors and nonprofit organizations in 21 European countries: Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Estonia, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Switzerland and the United Kingdom.

We were delighted to welcome our Greek partner, HIGGS, as well as the Open Estonia Foundation in 2018.

Over the past few years, the interest for the Transnational Giving Europe service has been growing as a trusted and practical service for a tax-effective philanthropy across Europe, both with donors and charitable organizations. We are thus always on the lookout for new European countries to join the Network.

2) HIGGS is also a member of the TGE Network. What does this mean for a) a Greek non-profit organization (fundraiser) and b) a Greek donor? What are the benefits for them?

It is a fact that nonprofit ecosystems across Europe are becoming increasingly internationalized. European donors now have charitable interests beyond their national borders, while European nonprofits seek to expand their fundraising efforts across countries. Thanks to our partnership with our Greek partner HIGGS, the TGE Network is able to provide a secure and efficient solution to enable cross-border donations to and from Greece.

For a Greek nonprofit organization, this means that they can extend their fundraising activities abroad, without having to set up local branches or sister organizations and without having to master different national laws. TGE partners can channel tax-deductible gifts from their national donors and make grants towards Greek charitable entities. By using the Network where they need it, Greek nonprofits can potentially access 20 different European donor bases.

Meanwhile, HIGGS can facilitate tax-effective donations from Greek donors seeking to support European nonprofits abroad. Thanks to our TGE partner, Greek donors’ gifts in favor of European charitable entities will benefit from the same tax-deductibility as donations directed to a Greek nonprofit.

Our aim is to build a bridge between charitable entities and their donors abroad and in doing so to drive philanthropy across Europe and support organizations working for the common good.

3) How does TGE work?

The TGE Network acts as a facilitator between nonprofit organizations and donors across Europe. Any charitable organisation can register to be a beneficiary through the scheme, from those that are small and fairly local to large et prestigious NPOs with a wide range of actions. Two examples of beneficiaries using the TGE Network are museums with prospective donors abroad and universities fundraising towards their worldwide community of alumni.

To proceed with the registration process, nonprofit organizations simply need to contact their national TGE partners. They are then asked to fill in the online TGE Grant Eligibility Application Form (GEAF) and upload some documents (by-laws, annual and financial reports…) in order to receive the TGE Network approval.

Once the charities’ due diligence process is completed and the organizations are declared eligible, donations can be channeled from one country to another with all applicable tax incentives for donors.

In this way, supporting foreign organizations yields the same tax benefits for donors as supporting non-profit organizations in their home country.

4) Why is such a solution important?

Over the years, we have seen an increasing demand from donors across Europe, and beyond, to have the choice and flexibility to make cross-border gifts and donations to help and support international causes and foreign charities.

In the case of individual donors, families, investments, interests are now spread over countries. Expatriates, for instance, want to support causes and organizations in their country of origin, while former university students wish to give back to their alma matter. Meanwhile, multinational corporations’ assets and business interests are more geographically diverse than ever.

In 2018, the Network channeled 13,4 million euros to over 500 beneficiaries across 20 countries and 8 different fields of action (education, culture, international development, health, social matters, third sector initiatives, environment and religion). This represents an increase of 27,6% compared to 2017, with an approximate 5,800 donations made.

Today more than ever, cross-border philanthropy has become a real opportunity. Yet, resistances still remain whether they are legal, fiscal and administrative difficulties or simply a lack of awareness on donors and nonprofits’ part that tax-efficient cross-border giving can be an option.

We need regulations and policies to improve the operating environment European philanthropic actors work in. In the meantime, TGE endeavors to provide an easy and accessible solution.

5) Are there any upcoming events that a Greek non-profit organization could attend?

In April 2020, the King Baudouin Foundation will once again be organising its “Spring of Philanthropy” to promote the role of philanthropy in today’s society. This large scale event will explore philanthropic topics and offer a forum for innovative ideas and new practices that can inspire philanthropists in the way they are committed and tackle societal problems. The Spring of Philanthropy also intends to show how important it is to recognise, promote and encourage philanthropy on a national, European and international level.

Philanthropists, policymakers, notaries, wealth advisors, CSR managers, family officers, foundations and major organisations will be meeting on Tuesday 28 April 2020 during the European Philanthropy Day in Brussels.

You can find all the practical details about the event and the provisional programme via this link.

6) Do you have any studies related to the non-profit ecosystem that you would like to share with our network in Greece?

In 2014, TGE and the European Foundation Centre (EFC) released a study entitled “Taxation of cross-border philanthropy in Europe after Persche and Stauffer – From landlock to free movement?”. The study analyzed the varied and in some cases incomplete implementation by Member States of the non-discrimination principle on the tax treatment of philanthropy, as set out in a series of key rulings by the European Court of Justice (Persche, Stauffer, Missionswerk). http://efc.issuelab.org/resources/18545/18545.pdf

In 2017, TGE and EFC released a follow-up paper, “Boosting cross-border philanthropy in Europe – towards a tax-effective environment”, which highlights enabling and discouraging fiscal environments for cross-border philanthropy in Europe, and develops recommendations for improvements and simplifications: https://www.efc.be/uploads/2019/03/Boosting-Cross-Border-Philanthropy-in-Europe-Towards-a-Tax-Effective-Environment.pdf

Across the years, the TGE Network has also worked with its 21 partners to develop country profiles, which provide donors and charities with practical tools to understand each national framework for cross-border philanthropy. These profiles are available on the TGE website: https://www.transnationalgiving.eu/country-profiles

7) What is the next step for TGE?

We are convinced it is essential for actors of the European philanthropic sector to be precursors and show concrete and innovative solutions when engaging with policy makers.

Since 2018, TGE has been working alongside two of its major partners – FEDORA and Common Goal – and the Swiss Philanthropy Foundation to develop the first online giving application to facilitate tax-efficient cross-border giving in Europe.

With this solution, we aim to enable donors from all over Europe to make online tax-deductible donations in a user-friendly way and, at the same time, to provide an easy-to-use solution to European nonprofit organizations wishing to extend their fundraising across the continent.

We hope it will become a flagship project for transnational giving and help improve the operating environment European nonprofit actors work in.

Anne-Laure Paquot – Transnational Giving Europe

By Higgs

HIGGS supports COVID-19 Solidarity Response Fund for WHO through the Transnational Giving Europe Network

The World Health Organization is leading and coordinating the global effort, supporting countries to prevent, detect, and respond to the growing COVID-19 outbreak. The greatest need right now is to help the most vulnerable people in countries with the weakest health systems.

The WHO launched the first and only pooled fund for individuals, businesses, and organizations to contribute to the global COVID-19 response. The COVID-19 Solidarity Response Fund will bolster global efforts to prevent, detect, and respond to the growing novel coronavirus outbreak.

To expand the global network of donors WHO partnered with two charitable foundations: The United Nations Foundation and Swiss Philanthropy Foundation. These two foundations will receive donated funds, which will then be used by the World Health Organization and partners to support countries according to the COVID-19 Strategic Preparedness and Response Plan. Through a partnership with the Swiss Philanthropy Foundation, part of the Transnational Giving Europe (TGE) network, donors located in Europe and Canada may be able to give via wire transfer.

HIGGS is the corresponding TGE Network partner in Greece and accepts TGE donations from Greek donors for the COVID-19 Solidarity Response Fund for WHO. To support this cause with tax-deductible donations, please contact us: [email protected]

Donations support work to track and understand the spread of the virus, to ensure patients get the care they need and frontline workers to get essential supplies and information, and to accelerate efforts to develop vaccines, tests and treatments.

For information on other ways to give, tax-deductibility and corporate and foundation giving options, please contact [email protected]

By Higgs

Information Events in Mytilini and Chios

16 & 21 May 2019: We held the event “NGOs & Fundraising: Foundations – New Trends & Developments” in Mytilini and Chios.

During the events, the participants were informed about the country’s largest active Foundations, the current situation and the ways in which a Nonprofit Organization can take advantage of existing opportunities.

In addition, we presented HIGGS’ free services focusing on the Accelerator program, which provides daily support for funding proposals to domestic and international donors, weekly specialized workshops, and meetings with our external partners for advice and guidance on legal and tax issues, as well as marketing and communication issues.

We are grateful to the Mosaik Support Center in Mytilini and the Child & Adolescents’ Center in Chios for their hospitality.