N E E D S A S S E S S M E N T
CEE greens look in the mirror
CEE NGOs RANKED THEIR THREE MOST IMPORTANT ACTIVITIES AS:
education, training in environmental field work and information services.
According to the REC's NGO Directory and Local Office mailing lists there are approximately 3000 environmental NGOs in Central and Eastern Europe. While a record of their names and numbers is an important resource, this REC project digs a little deeper to determine who they are and what they are doing. Every picture tells a story, so here's a portrait of CEE NGOs, from a project which speaks volumes.
During 1996, the Regional Environmental Center conducted a major evaluation of environmental nongovernmental organizations in Central and Eastern Europe (CEE). The goals of the project include determining the needs and problems of CEE NGOs, as well as identifying what the REC can do to assist them in the future.
While the REC has been working with NGOs, as well as businesses and governments in Central and Eastern Europe for six years, this is the first analysis of the status of NGOs in the region. The results of this study will establish core data regarding the organizational characteristics and needs and problems of environmental NGOs in CEE. Second, they will serve as a baseline from which the REC can judge its impact in the coming years and thus monitor the changes in the CEE environmental movement. In addition, this information will be used to answer specific questions about NGOs in the CEE region as a whole, in subregions such as the Balkans or Baltics, or in any of the 15 individual countries involved in the research.
The REC sent out 3020 mail questionnaires to all NGOs currently on the REC Local Offices' mailing lists in 13 countries. Additionally, a total of 128 questionnaires were sent to the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia and Bosnia-Herzegovina. Sixty-two percent, or 1872 NGOs, responded to the questionnaire. This high response rate indicates that the data collected in this research study are strongly representative of all environmental NGOs in CEE. Additionally, 71 face-to-face interviews were conducted with leaders of environmental NGOs from nine CEE countries which provided qualitative information to supplement the survey data. Some of the initial results are detailed below.
Organizational Characteristics
The first thing that many CEE environmental NGOs share is their nascency. The overwhelming majority of these NGOs were established in the 1990's. They are organizations born of the transition.
Contrary to the popular belief that most NGOs are located in the larger cities of the region, this study shows that over half of all CEE NGOs are operating in smaller towns. The other half are approximately equally distributed between the capital city and other large cities. As expected, these are mostly voluntary organizations - the vast majority do not have any paid staff members. Over half of the NGOs have less than 25 active members within their organization. The NGO comments often revealed their sense of frustration with the staffing capacity. "I can't see any possibility to do these things if there is not a paid staff person," responded the VAK Environmental Protection Club, Latvia.
With regard to the NGOs' missions and goals, many groups stressed the need for public education about environmental issues in order to solve environmental problems. Consistent with this theme, they ranked their three most important activities as education, training in environmental fieldwork, and dissemination of environmental information.
Financial status
As many might expect, the financial status of CEE environmental NGOs is tenuous. The vast majority of NGOs (approximately 75%) stated they are in an unstable, poor or very poor financial state. Roughly half of them operate on budgets of less than 1000 USD per year and about two-thirds of the NGOs operate on budgets of less than 5000 USD per year. Furthermore, most of this funding comes from external sources - 42.5% of the NGOs stated that external financial support is of critical importance for the very existence of their organization. These figures indicate a serious need for active fundraising and income generation by NGOs in order to lessen their dependency on external sources. The Section of City Cyclists in Poland sums up the priority need of many NGOs: "In Poland there are many NGOs that have existed for three to four years, but they still can't jump to the next level where they have office space and funding. They need to get over the gap."
More than just a wish list
The NGOs clearly have many needs and problems. Among the most frequently mentioned challenges are insufficient funding, limited communication access, lack of volunteers and a general weakness of the environmental movement. The Interacademic Ecological Lobby of Poland describes how many groups see their situation, "First and foremost is the lack of money. Second is the motivation of members and third is the problems internal to the organization." Additionally, many NGOs identified support for the implementation of a particular environmental project and assistance in the capacity building of the NGO, as the two most important kinds of support requested. "We don't have any equipment at all, what we need is a local office...Office equipment, this is the beginning," says PEARL of Albania. Finally, training in all areas stands at the top of the needs lists of many NGOs.
Cooperation is key
While it is the mission of the REC to promote cooperation among diverse interest groups, according to this study the level of cooperation between NGOs and government is mixed. CEE NGOs cooperate mostly on the local level, with a declining amount of cooperation at the national and international levels. The same relationship exists regarding relations with government authorities. Cooperation is greater with specific local governments than with national government. Overall, NGOs realize that cooperation with government is one of the best ways to make a change in the quality of the environment, but many are unsure how to establish partnerships and frustrated by a prevailing lack of trust. "The connection between governmental bodies and NGOs should change - we should work together towards common goals as partners. Often, the goals are the same, but blocked by mistrust and non-cooperation," says EcoService, Hungary.
We shall overcome
Despite their financial shortages and organizational problems, most of the NGOs still believe they are making a difference and continue to have a positive attitude about the work they are doing. About two thirds of CEE NGOs rated themselves as either "fully successful" or "partially successful." The commitment and positive attitude of the NGO representatives was clearly reflected in their comments as expressed by Clean Up the World of Poland, "We passionately believe we can make a change."
REC - know thyself
As mentioned earlier, another goal of the study is to determine REC's own effectiveness and gauge the NGOs' experiences with the REC. These results were mixed as well. About half of the NGOs surveyed responded that they have "occasional contact" with, or consider themselves as a "traditional partner" of the REC. Conversely, half of the NGO community has either "never heard of the REC" or has "never used REC services or programs." The REC Local Office staff enjoy about twice as much communication and cooperation with CEE NGOs than does the REC head office staff in Szentendre, Hungary, confirming the importance of having a local presence in each of the countries.
Overall, there is a high demand for REC grants, information, fellowships and other programs. The overwhelming majority of NGOs stated that they are "definitely planning on it" or "perhaps shall participate" in REC programs or activities during the next year.
Finally, the REC is seen as one of the major international environmental NGO support organizations in CEE. The REC was cited as "very helpful" more frequently than any other organization in the categories of grant giving, technical assistance, environmental campaigning, information dissemination, training and networking.
A final report on the project will be published in February 1997. In addition, the information has been compiled in a database at REC Head Office which will serve as a resource for future research on the status and needs of NGOs.
The study was conducted between March and December 1996, by the Project Coordinator, Curtis Durrant. In 1992, Curtis conducted a similar study of the organizational development needs within environmental NGOs in the
Northwest United States as part of a Masters degree thesis.
To order a copy of the final report please contact
REC, Ady Endre ut 9-11, 2000 Szentendre, Hungary,
Tel: (36-26) 504-000, Fax: (36-26) 311-294,
or your REC Local Office.
For more information contact Alexander Juras, e-mail: ajuras@rec.org
REC * PUBLICATIONS * THE BULLETIN * AUTUMN 1996
