Category: Novedades

Throughout history, women have collaborated strongly to solve social problems. Over the years and with their increased participation in the private sector, their influence as philanthropic donors has also grown, currently being a key actor in the contribution to projects that improve living conditions of girls and women around the world.

According to a report made in 2019 by the Institute of Philanthropy of Women IUPUI, of the Lilly Family School of Philanthropy, donors to funds and foundations of girls and women – mostly women too – donate more than average donors to other causes. In general, one could consider the actions of donors to women’s funds and foundations from a perspective of greater altruism than the one that can be seen in general donors. According to the aforementioned report, this group tends to donate in a selfless way and compared to general donors they are more motivated to give, to participate in the meetings or to volunteer in an organization, to give back to the community and to believe that their donation can make a difference. In line with these facts, they also use different tools and different strategies when it comes to giving, such as giving circles or wills with charitable provisions. At the same time, it is important to remark that this group is more focused on evaluating their donations, to follow-up and actively participate in the effectiveness of their donations, either by participating in an organization’s board or by contacting other donors.

Some of these characteristics stand out from general donors and can be explained by various reasons. It can be highlighted that the demographic details of this group is different from the one of the general donor: donors to women’s funds and foundations are more likely to be composed of women and LGBTIQ+ individuals, as well as they tend to be less inclined to be composed of retired and/or religious creed individuals. In turn, the self-perception they have about themselves is important. Donors to women’s funds and foundations are more likely to consider themselves as philanthropic experts, philanthropic leaders and activist donors. Along these lines, participating in philanthropic leadership activities often advocate the positive attributes of the term “philanthropy.” This last point can be represented by considering that according to the IUPIU study, only 11% of donors to funds and foundations of women surveyed said they were motivated by tax benefits compared to 23% of general donors.

To access the full report, click here. To access the infographic produced by the IUPUI on the report click here.

The regional center of Latin America and the Caribbean, Innovation for Change, published a study whose objective is to clarify the general view on the strategies of civil society organizations (CSOs) to influence public policies in Latin America and specifically in the Southern Cone. The publication was made under the supervision of the Faro Group and its authors are Leandro Echt and María Mérola.

The study presents a Latin American context in which CSOs have an increasingly leading role, especially in the Southern Cone region – Argentina, Chile and Uruguay – on which the article focuses. Through an extensive literature review and the conduct of a series of interviews and surveys, the authors review the main challenges, opportunities and recommendations in the process of generating incidence from CSOs.

In a scenario in which political culture usually considers the State as protagonist and organizer of public life, the national context has a direct impact on the relationship between it and civil society. Along these lines, several common challenges are generated within the subregion, such as dependence on public financing, the difficulty in generating virtuous dialogues with representatives of the State in institutionalized spaces, as well as government transitions that lead to the loss of some key leadership in the sector.

Faced with such problems, CSOs in the Southern Cone respond to this type of situations through the increasing professionalization of their activities and the use of new strategies with the objective of increasing their impact on public policies. Some of these new tools are the intensive and increasingly creative use of new technologies and, concomitantly, the emphasis placed on communication strategies. However, these tools do not replace traditional methods, such as lobbying practices or public demonstrations, but complement them.

A new generation of CSOs is crossed by new technologies as well as cross-cutting agendas, linked to the inclusion of rights, multiactoral work networks – which include social movements and private actors – that strengthen the capacity to influence. In relation to the last point, tendency in the Southern Cone is to begin to rethink the relationship with private actors, seeking to go beyond the financing role scheme and approach the private sector, incorporating it as a relevant actor in its work agenda, that is, as a sector that works in conjunction and complementarity with civil society.

Finally, the authors reflect on the future of organizations in relation to their advocacy capabilities, which will depend on the continuous efforts of organizations, as well as the exchange of knowledge. In this way, the study proposes categories for incidence strategies with the objective of crystallizing and documenting experiences. Finally, the authors highlight the importance of continuing to explore new incidence strategies that allow updating categories and that consider new contexts and technologies.

For further information, you can access the full publication by clicking here.

The ComuniDas virtual platform – developed by the Innovation for Change initiative – won the popular vote award in the 2019 SID-Washington Innovation Competition. This competition seeks innovative products and services that can provide better access to information, increase commitment and improve decision making. RACI – as a member of Innovation for Change – collaborated in the creation of ComuniDas, a collaborative economy platform in which you can find a type of service needed by an organization and get support from other organizations, offering them another service or product in return. The objective is to create an inclusive and solidary space for social organizations in Latin America and the Caribbean, in order to enhance the skills and abilities of each of the organizations that comprise it. In short, it seeks to facilitate strategic alliances that promote capacity building, leadership and resource optimization. This platform is open to all social organizations willing to share information with their peers in the region and, in this manner, promotes proximity actions among civil society in our region. RACI, as part of Innovation for Change in Latin America and the Caribbean, was awarded for its passion, commitment, creativity and impact in the field of international development.

To learn more about the platform, you can visit it by clicking here.

On July 30^th, at the headquarters of the Tzedaká Foundation, RACI welcomed the organizations that have joined as members of the network.

These incorporations express the continuity of the RACI mission that, for more than ten years, periodically joins new organizations as members with the objective of enriching and expanding its diversity and heterogeneity. In this way, we continue to strengthen an inter-institutional space for dialogue and exchange between multiple organizations and actors in order to contribute to the social transformation of Argentina.

We welcome our new partners!

 

Asociación Civil Barbiana La Casona de los Pibes

Asociación Civil Centro para la Implementación de los Derechos Constitucionales

Asociación Civil Construyendo Proyectos Barriales

Asociación Civil Generarte

Asociación Israelita Argentina Tzeire Agudath Jabad

Asociación Mutual De Ayuda Al Prójimo” Casa De Luxemburgo”

Asociación Tandilense de Equinoterapia

Cámara de Instituciones de Diagnostico Medico

Casa de Betania en Bahía Blanca

Casa Hospital San Juan de Dios

Familias Diversas Asociación Civil

Fundación Grupo Aiken – Asistencia Psicológica De La Familia En Duelo

Fundación Liderazgos y Organizaciones Responsables (FLOR)

Fundación Memoria del Holocausto

Fundación para el Desarrollo en Justicia y Paz (Fundapaz)

Fundación Valores

Fundación Varkey Argentina

Fundación WGM para La Prevención De La Ludopatía

Hábitat para la Humanidad Argentina Asociación Civil

La Casa Espacio de Debate y Cultura

SEA- Señas en Acción Asociación Civil

Secretariado de Enlace de Comunidades Autogestionarias

 

Proposal

The New Zealand Embassy Fund in Mexico is a program that allows flexible support for projects that clearly and directly contribute to the elimination of poverty, and that have a high impact on the socioeconomic development of the community.

The projects must be in line with the mission of the New Zealand Embassy Fund, which seeks “sustainable development in developing countries, in order to reduce poverty and contribute to a more secure, equitable, and prosperous world.”

For its 2019-2020 call, the New Zealand Embassy invites NGOs and community groups to present project proposals in the areas of:

• Education (particularly of women and indigenous communities)
• Climate change and resilience
• Food security
• Disaster relief
• Community economic development (particularly indigenous and rural communities)
• Sustainable agricultural development

It’s essential that the projects are sustainable and that the beneficiaries are involved in their execution and maintenance.

The call is open for organizations in Mexico, Guatemala, El Salvador, Nicaragua, Costa Rica, Panama, the Dominican Republic, and Cuba.

 

Applicants

Recipients will be non-governmental organizations and community groups committed to non-profit development activities. Funding will not be provided to individuals.

 

Support duration

Projects must be specific and have duration of up to 6 months.

 

NON-fundable activities

• Political, religious or evangelical activities. Religious associations will not be excluded as long as the proposed project is consistent with the purpose of the New Zealand Embassy Fund, does not exclude followers of other religions and the funds are not used to support proselytizing activities.
• On-site visits
• Non-requested donations
• Individual student scholarships
• International travels/participation in conferences abroad
• Sporting tours
• Financing of operational costs of the benefited association, such as wages and salaries, office supplies, and communications.

The maximum amount per project will be up to NZD $20,000, or the equivalent in local currency.

The selected projects must complete a partial progress report and a final report.

The payments will be made in 3 (three) installments, as laid out in the following table:

1st payment	60%
2nd payment	30% (after delivery of progress report)
3rd payment	10% (after delivery of final report)

Those in charge of the accepted projects must commit to confirm that they have received the goods and/or services requested and that they were used as established in the application form. All funded projects must be available for monitoring by visiting members of the New Zealand Embassy.

 

Application Process

The Argentine Network for International Cooperation (RACI) will be responsible for receiving the applications. The Application Form must be sent duly completed to fondoembajadaNZMexico@raci.org.ar before the deadline.

All applications must be submitted as follows:

• Clearly written on the application form; additional information can be attached.
• Accompanied by budgets and purchase orders from suppliers of good and services when necessary.
• The form must be signed by a member responsible for the applicant organization.
• Send it via email to: fondoembajadaNZMexico@raci.org.ar
• Those applications sent after the deadline will be out of the selection process. Only one project per organization will be received.

 

The deadline to submit the projects is Monday, September 30, 2019 at 6pm (Mexico City time).

For more information, contact:

New Zealand Embassy in Mexico Fund Manager

Email: fondoembajadaNZMexico@raci.org.ar

Telephone: +54 11 4862-5447

DOWNLOAD THE APPLICATION FORM HERE

We are now producing our monthly newsletter in English, as it is important to RACI to make the newsletter accessible to international readers. RACI focuses on strengthening the civil society and international cooperation as well as establishing international and local ties to increase opportunities for Argentina’s development.

If you want to keep up with international and local news about the civil society and news about RACI’s work and activities, subscribe to our monthly newsletter by entering the website https://raci.org.ar, changing the language from Spanish to English, scrolling down the page until the end, entering your email, name and last name and pressing send.

When subscribing to the newsletter you will receive news about the many proposals, events, projects and all the work RACI accomplishes. Moreover, the newsletter comprises international and local news as well, covering topics that are relevant for every member of the civil society. To read some of our past news, visit https://raci.org.ar/category/news/?lang=en.

On August 7^th, Mark Blumberg – an expert in Canadian philanthropy – gave a talk to the members of RACI regarding how philanthropy works in Canada, what are the different work options for an organization and how you can work with a foreign organization.

One of the available tools to explore these possibilities is the website www.charitydata.ca. This site is part of a network of websites managed by the law firm Blumbergs, based in Toronto, Canada, recognized for providing legal advice to nonprofit associations and information to foreign associations that are interested in operating or raising funds in Canada.

www.charitydata.ca is a platform responsible for providing information on charitable associations based in Canada, as revealed by those organizations in their annual statements to the Canadian State. From this platform, users can identify the different Canadian organizations by their name, type of organization, income and location.

In addition, one can identify which organizations receive more money and have the greatest expenditure abroad. Among these first five are World Vision Canada, MasterCard Foundation, Plan International Canada, Care Canada and International Development Research Centre. The main areas in which these organizations invest are in health, poverty reduction and inclusion and economic development.

To learn more about Canadian organizations, their sizes, their approaches, their complexities and challenges, visit www.charitydata.ca.