Results of the round table for Ukrainian public organizations

Roundtable Meeting for Ukrainian Civil Society Organizations: Key Outcomes and Planned Changes

On October 14, 2022, a roundtable meeting was held for Ukrainian civil society organizations. We want to share the outcomes of this event and outline the changes we plan to implement in our work.

Point 1: Reducing Bureaucracy

• Standardizing application forms for project funding and reporting formats for donor associations. If one organization rejects an application, the Ukrainian organization should have the right to submit it to another donor without significant modifications.
• Developing an automated reporting mechanism based on existing web platforms. Donors must ensure a transparent reporting system corresponding to the resources collected, transferred, and localized for assisting the Ukrainian population.
• Reducing the application review period to a maximum of one month.
• Donors and international organizations should establish mentorship programs for small or newly formed Ukrainian organizations. These programs should engage representatives from international NGOs directly in the work of Ukrainian organizations to help structure reporting and develop collaboration skills.
• Prioritizing the review of Ukrainian organizations’ requests based on urgency. For requests critical to saving lives, a simplified verification system should be established.
• The translation of applications from Ukrainian into the official language of an international organization should be covered by that organization. Every organization collaborating with Ukraine should have a staff translator for Ukrainian.
• Donors who have previously worked with a specific Ukrainian organization should provide recommendation letters if the collaboration was successful. These letters should be recognized by other international organizations as part of the verification process.
• Generalizing budget categories. A project report should consist of categories and subcategories, where subcategories can be fully adjusted at the discretion of the grantee, and categories can be modified by up to 20% without donor approval.
• Developing universal standards for verifying Ukrainian organizations, recognized by a significant number of international organizations and donors. Establishing a unified system where any Ukrainian organization can apply for verification of its capacity to manage grant funding.
• Creating a two-tier verification system for organizations that are just beginning to gain experience working in Ukraine.

Point 2: Expressing Solidarity with Ukraine in the Most Effective Way. Empowering Local Organizations to Shape Aid Lists

• Many international organizations hesitate to fully adhere to solidarity principles due to concerns that they might face repercussions after hostilities end for taking a stance.
• A predefined list of essential items should be available to the party suffering in a conflict and enduring the highest casualties. This includes medicine, food, warm clothing, heating devices, hygiene products, and tools for repairs and rebuilding. These items should be provided as humanitarian aid to civilians and made available for military needs to uphold the rights of those who did not choose to participate in the war but are now forced to defend themselves.
• Lists of medicines and food supplies must be formed exclusively with the participation of local organizations. These lists should be updated at least once every two weeks, and deliveries must be regular rather than one-time.
• Each international organization should have a dedicated grant recipient manager to quickly respond to changes on the ground and prevent critical situations.
• Access to resources for work in occupied territories should be granted to organizations whose members have proven experience working in these areas before or during occupation.
• Beneficiaries of humanitarian and financial aid in occupied territories should provide only the minimal necessary personal information for identification. This data must never be published on open sources.

Point 3: Giving Ukrainian Civil Society Organizations a Voice

• Ukrainian organizations should be invited to donor meetings, international conferences, roundtables, and panel discussions on a monthly basis. They must become equal participants in discussions on challenges and solutions.
• At conferences focused on aid to Ukraine and cooperation with Ukrainian NGOs, simultaneous translation into Ukrainian should be mandatory. Ukrainian organizations should be involved, and conference reports must also be translated.
• Hosting conferences and events with international donors to highlight key topics such as:
  • “Successes and Failures of NGOs”
  • “Key Needs of NGOs in Ukraine”
  • “Support for Rural NGOs”
• Creating a platform that gathers diverse Ukrainian NGOs, including descriptions of their needs, challenges, histories, and contacts. Ensuring that information about Ukrainian NGOs is widely shared on international organizations’ platforms. Grant recipients must be acknowledged in publications about funded projects.
• Funding the work of journalists and communication specialists who will cover the activities of Ukrainian NGOs for an international audience. Developing brochures about various Ukrainian organizations and communities in English for donor distribution.

Point 4: Learn from Us

• Facilitating experience exchange between international and Ukrainian organizations to showcase needs and share expertise in crisis response.
• Encouraging international organizations to physically visit Ukrainian NGOs for site visits and team introductions to better understand real conditions.
• Posting volunteer opportunities from Ukrainian organizations on international platforms to reach a global audience. Currently, there is a demand for remote volunteering, such as content creation, material translation, crowdfunding, logistics research, and more.
• Developing pilot projects based on Ukrainian NGOs to scale successful initiatives to other countries or preserve them for future use.
• Creating capacity-building projects for Ukrainian organizations only under conditions of stable funding for at least one year.
• Promoting Ukrainian fundraising models and successful case studies to local organizations in other countries.
• We can teach principles of crisis work, quantitative and qualitative impact measurement, setting priorities in rapidly changing conditions, and persistent problem-solving through alternative approaches.