“Donors Are Real People. We Are Also Tired of Bureaucracy”

“Donors Are Real People. We Are Also Tired of Bureaucracy.” How Do You Introduce Other Organizations to “Your” Donors?

This question was posed to us during the “Meeting for Change”—an event we organized to connect Ukrainian NGOs with representatives of international civil society organizations implementing humanitarian and social projects in collaboration with local initiatives.

The question surprised us because we firmly believe that there are enough partners for everyone. For us, ensuring equal partnerships is crucial, as it directly impacts the effectiveness of aid.

Currently, Ukrainian local organizations often serve as implementing partners, but their perspectives, experience, and local resources are not always considered in the planning of humanitarian response programs. This often leads to inefficiency.

• “Some things designed in Brussels, New York, or Geneva by people who have never been to Ukraine simply do not work. Our voice must be decisive in project planning. We know what people on the ground truly need. The needs in Uzhhorod, Dnipro, and Kherson are vastly different,” said Yuliya Sporysh, founder and director of the NGO “Divchata”, during the discussion panel.

To address this issue, the National Network for Local Philanthropy Development, together with Caritas Ukraine, organized the “Meeting for Change”. We believe that direct communication between donors and local NGOs in a shared space can help:

• Solve the problem of localization, as international NGOs and donors often struggle to identify trustworthy local organizations, leading them to allocate funds to larger non-local NGOs instead.
• Promote equal partnerships and improve collaboration.
• Help international donors and NGOs understand the real priorities and needs of local organizations, allowing them to design more effective future programs.
• “Ukrainian organizations have split into two groups—those who openly provide feedback to their donors and international partners, and those who are afraid to do so. The first group fosters true partnership, while the second assumes they are inherently wrong and cannot challenge decisions. But this is a mistake, as it affects project quality. Feedback is always a space for growth, and only through this can we truly create change,” shared Viktoria Zablotska, a fundraiser at the National Network for Local Philanthropy Development.

For their part, representatives of donor organizations and international NGOs emphasize their openness to dialogue. They encourage local organizations not to fear reporting requirements and to add unique elements to their projects.

• “I want organizations to stop seeing donors just as donors—we are real people. Women like me, for example. We understand what is happening. When we ask for reporting, it’s so we can show our own donors that your project is effective and necessary. This is very important. We know that bureaucracy is exhausting—it tires us too. But we see positive change. Today, donors are much more inclined to support smaller local organizations than they were before the war,” said Viktoria Klymchuk-Dluhach, program director of the Ukrainian Rapid Response Fund at IREX.

At the “Meeting for Change”, participants didn’t just discuss equal partnerships and the advantages and challenges of networking. Ukrainian local organizations also had the chance to connect with donor and international civil society representatives, discuss shared areas of focus, and lay the groundwork for future cooperation.

At the end of the event, perhaps out of modesty, none of the attendees openly shared their plans for newly established partnerships. We will continue to stay in touch with participants, as we recognize that forming strong partnerships takes time.

And without fearing to jinx it, we are happy to share one success story—our new connection with Urban Space 500. They provide a venue for events, and we have plans to organize more meetings.

Including more “Meetings for Change”. Follow the National Network for Local Philanthropy Development to stay updated on the next event.

Published: https://www.prostir.ua/?news=donory-tse-zhyvi-lyud…

Author: Nataliya Kovalchuk