Fundraisers on the frontlines of democracy: Lessons from Bulgaria’s breakthrough gathering

As democratic norms are eroded and civil society organizations find themselves underfunded, isolated, and under attack, Bulgaria’s first-ever fundraising conference showed how CSOs can, and should, respond, as EFA executive director Eduard Marček explains.

When democratic space shrinks, fundraising becomes a political act. Whether we fundraise for human rights, anti-corruption, independent journalism, or marginalized communities, our work is no longer neutral. It is civic resistance. And in Central and Eastern Europe, this reality is becoming impossible to ignore.

Nowhere was this more visible than in Bulgaria on 5 June 2025, where over 200 civil society leaders, fundraising professionals, and activists from at least 7 countries gathered for the country’s first-ever fundraising conference: Fundraising In Challenging Times. Organized by the Bulgarian Centre for Not-for-Profit Law and Fundraising Club Bulgaria, and supported by the European Fundraising Association (EFA), the event was not just a milestone – it was a warning and a call to action.

Across the region, populists and autocrats are eroding democratic norms. Civil society organizations find themselves underfunded, isolated, and under attack. Yet the Bulgarian event showed that there is another path: community, collaboration, and courageous fundraising. The conference sessions – on crowdfunding for democracy, engaging major donors for difficult causes, and mobilizing support for niche topics – cut to the heart of Europe’s current democratic challenges.

The message was clear: even in difficult political environments, individual fundraising is not only possible, it is necessary. What’s more, it works. From Poland to Romania, Lithuania to Czechia and Slovakia, practitioners shared real-world examples of campaigns that challenged power, mobilized citizens, and delivered results.

Photograph by Andrzej Pietrucha (FAOO – EFA member from Poland), featuring speakers from other EFA members: in the foreground, Giedrė Šopaitė-Šilinskienė (Baltic Fundraising Hub, Lithuania) and Cătălin Dinu (2doGood – prospective EFA member from Romania); in the background on the left, Eduard Marček (EFA Executive Director) and Jan Kroupa (Czech Fundraising Centre – EFA member from Czechia).

As European fundraisers, we must recognize what’s at stake. The future of civic space will not be secured by statements alone. It requires investment, infrastructure, and support for grassroots fundraisers working in high-risk contexts. Events like the one in Bulgaria must not remain isolated. They should be part of a broader strategy to build capacity where it is most urgently needed.

That means:

• Establishing regional peer networks for fundraisers in fragile democracies.
• Prioritizing fundraising for advocacy and rights-based causes within international actors.
• Providing training, mentorship, and mobility opportunities for fundraisers working under political pressure.
• Recognizing that fundraising is a tool of civic resistance, and treating it with the strategic seriousness it deserves.

The community built in Bulgaria is only the beginning. Plans are already underway for a follow-up gathering in 2026. But the real test is whether we, as a European fundraising community, respond with long-term commitment. These are not ordinary times – and fundraising is not an isolated profession. It is a vital force for civic resilience.

To succeed, we must embed support for fundraisers working on the frontlines of social change – especially in regions where civic space is under threat. Let’s make sure they are not left to stand alone.