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The first dedicated platform for fundraisers has launched in Lithuania, aiming to become a national epicentre for fundraising, promoting sustainability across the nonprofit sector.
Without an established fundraising association in Lithuania, Fundraising.lt has been set up to support fundraising practitioners at all levels with training, events and guidance on good practice. The platform offers, video training sessions, conference recordings, news, events and resources submitted by expert fundraisers. It also features a competency test, allowing fundraisers to identify their knowledge and skills, and any gaps they might have.
“The results of the test are useful not only for the fundraiser, but also for us, helping to strengthen and build competency in Lithuania,” says project manager, Giedrė Šopaitė-Šilinskienė.
Fundraising environment in Lithuania
According to a survey of Lithuanian NGOs conducted by Aukok.lt at the beginning of 2020, three quarters (75%) of nonprofit organisations raise less than €10,000 in voluntary donations each year. Almost 8 in 10 (79%) have dedicated fundraising staff, and 1 in 10 have just 1 employee each, leaving them short of both income and capacity.
A former study from 2018 indicates that more than half of Lithuanian residents trust NGOs (52%) but less than 4 in 10 donate, and fewer than 2 in 10 use the nation’s income tax donation system to do so. However, charitable giving seems to be on the rise.
Greater need for professional fundraisers
As the public places increasing demands on charitable and supportive nonprofits, their transparency, and the effectiveness of fundraising, there is a growing need to attract professional employees.
“Now is the time for NGOs to increase their professionalism to enable them to meet donors expectations,” states Šopaitė-Šilinskienė.
The Fundraising.Lt platform promotes and support professional development, pooling resources and laying the foundations for a professional fundraising community. It has been developed by VšĮ Geros valios projektai (Goodwill projects), which is best known for its donation platform Aukok.lt.
A collaborate initiative, the platform has been created with support from the Slovak Fundraising Centre and OVC Consulting. Fundraising.Lt is part of the Active Citizens Fund, supported by the EEA Financial Mechanism.
Photo by Darya Tryfanava on Unsplash
