Infrastructure, support services workshop at Civil Society Excellence 4 March 2005 Tallinn, Estonia

1
Infrastructure, support services workshopat
Civil Society Excellence4 March 2005Tallinn,
Estonia

• Network of Civil Service Providers
• Nóra Sasvári
• Department of Civil Relations
• Ministry of Youth, Familiy, Social Affairs and
  Equal Opportunities

2
The 1990s

• 1990s - political, economic and social challenges
  NGOs had to face
• Major functions of Hungarian nonprofit
  organizations in the 1990s
• democracy building, strengthening pluralism and
  citizen actions
• public policy formation
• service provision, economic restructuring
• redistribution of wealth
• socio-psychological role.

3
Number of nonprofit organizations in Hungary,
1990-2000
A Figures from the court register of NPOs updated
on the basis of a sample survey b Figures from
the court register of NPOs not updated c
Figures from the statistical register of NPOs
updated on the basis of annual statistical
surveys Sources Nonprofit szervezetek
Magyarországon, 2000, Központi Statisztikai
Hivatal, Budapest, 2002.
4
Structure of the nonprofit sector in Hungary in
1990, 1995, 2000
Sources Nonprofit szervezetek Magyarországon,
1995, 2000, Központi Statisztikai Hivatal,
Budapest, 1997, 2002.
5
Legal framework

• Establishment is based on
• Right of Association of 1989 - non-governmental
  organisations
• Civil Code of 1959 - foundations
• 1 law 1996
• 1996 - law enacted
• 1997 - first time that the taxpayers could
  designate their 1 of income tax for a civil
  organisation
• Modifications
• 1 January 1998 - 11 (1 for civil
  organisations, 1 for churches)
• 1 January 2001 - rescission of a lower limit (a
  min. of 100 HUF)
• 2002 - organisations registered as of
  Particularly Public Benefit Organisation can be
  supported one year after registration (the
  privilege of Public Foundations ends)
• 1 January 2002 - organisation registered as PBO
  can be supported after 2 years

6
First steps to create a network

• With the change of the legal environment the
  smaller, locally based, community organisations
  could not keep up with the administrative
  requirements --the smaller, locally based,
  community organisations could not keep up with
  the administrative requirements
• ? ? others helped
• Happened in the early 90s
• 2 groups
• experts involved as leaders of NGOs
• experts with international experience and
  relations
• Partially successful combination of the two.
• BUT! Helped to form the first advocacy and
  interest groups!

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First steps to create a network

• Functions
• information dissemination (newsletters,
  publications, library)
• educational programmes and trainings
• application search and publications
• consulting and training on application for
  funding
• organisation of events and conferences
• legal and financial consultancy
• international networking
• applied research
• internet services

8
Government support to the network

• 1999 -2000 first decision made to support the
  Civil Houses (now called Civil Service Providers)
• Conditions
• fulfil the above mentioned requirements
• field of activity is not important unless tasks
  carried out ? very varied
• 3 yr framework contract to be renewed each year
• one NGO supported in each county (19Budapest)
• open call for applications
• Seperate contract with Budapest CiSZOK that is
  NIOK as it fulfils national tasks ?
  www.nonprofit.hu
• 2002 new call for 3 yr of contract
• Only 3 organisations were changed!
• Separate application for operation costs of
  services provided and extra programmes
• Results
• Strengthened civil society organisations on
  local/community level
• communication channel of the Department/Ministry
  and between each other!!
• further contracts for the Network NGOs for other
  services
• regular meetings with the Department
  consultation on NGO issues

9
The network

• Consulation on
• legal
• fiscal issues ? GOOD for the Government as
  they act as multiplicators!!
• Financial support
• - service contracting out
• - National Civil Fund
• Board on Civil Service, Development and
  Information Provision
• - Board on Civil Self-representation,
  professional and territorial
• co-operation
• Access to
• - information ? government easily spreads info
  to sector through them
• - trainings (Department Strucutral Funds)
• - contacts/lead position