What are good management standards for a civil society organization?
Good management standards are a mechanism for the development of CSOs in the country. They respond to the need to improve both the professional and organisational skills of these organizations.
There are 17 good management standards for CSOs, divided into three areas:
- Transparency, accountability and control (7 standards)
- Human Resources (3 standards)
- Conflict of interest (7 standards)
Standards for Good Governance of a CSO (available only in Bulgarian)
A brief history of the Standards
Workshop for Civic Initiatives Foundation (WCIF) has always been active and has shown a sustained interest in the topic of good governance of CSOs. This interest began back in the spring of 2005, when WCIF published a Handbook on NGO Governance. We could not have imagined then how important the issue of NGO governance would turn out to be as part of NGO self-regulation almost 5 years later when, in a truly consultative process with CSOs and with their valuable help and support, WCIF developed 7 minimum standards for good management, divided into 4 areas that could be objectively verified. These standards have been adopted by dozens of organizations.
In the autumn of 2020, the Standards were again reviewed and updated during a consultation process. WCIF received feedback and support from 16 CSOs: American Foundation for Bulgaria – Bulgaria Branch, Bulgarian Donors Forum, Bulgarian Institute for Legal Initiatives, Bulgarian Center for Not-for-Profit Law, National Association for Foster Care, National Network for Children, Varna Community Foundation, Stara Zagora Community Foundation, Animus Association Foundation, Because Foundation, Teach for Bulgaria Foundation, I Want a Baby Foundation, Mission Wings Foundation, Program and Analytical Centre for European Law Foundation, Maria’s World Foundation, Civic Participation Forum. Media partner of the initiative was the Information Portal for NGOs in Bulgaria. Then all participating organizations agreed and adopted the 17 standards which you will find on our website.
All of us who have adopted the Standards believe that we must be consistent in our attention to the role of boards, the tenure of members, their motivation, the place and function of the executive director, avoiding conflicts of interest and political corruption, transparency and accountability through the publication of annual reports, providing information on funding sources, fundraising campaign objectives and expenditures, etc. Moreover, we agree to make efforts to develop these important aspects of organizational life. It is gratifying that the development and adoption of the Standards is occurring as a process of self-regulation based on the understanding of the meaning of purposeful, well-intentioned and professional efforts by the community of civil society organizations.
It is our intention to make changes to certain standards on an annual basis if needed based on feedback received from the community of organizations implementing the Standards. In this way, we will stay up-to-date with the needs of CSOs and seek to respond appropriately to the demands of society.
How your organization can adopt the Standards?
Any civil society organization that accepts the Standards and wish to make this public should familiarize themselves with the self-checklist and complete a declaration of adherence, then email it to office@frgi.bg. WCIF will send the Initiative’s sign, which can be placed on the relevant organization’s website, along with the text of the Standards. WCIF will present on its website, on an ongoing basis, the names of all organizations that have adopted the Standards, based on the declarations they have sent.