Project description

The project of establishment of Local Development Foundations-LRF in Slovenia is running within the “Dobra Družba” programme, and is supported by the fund Trust for Civil Society in Central and Eastern Europe. Its purpose is to stimulate the establishment of effective and clear systems of collection and distribution of funds to civil society companies on the local level. The »Establishment of local development foundations« project brings about a new quality and new knowledge, but foremost plans to raise the number and sort of financial sources for the civil society companies.
The first phase saw the preparation of an analysis of the possibilities of establishment of local development foundations. The study was prepared as the basis for the National Conference on the subject of the role and importance of the organizations that collect and assign means for projects, useful to society, of non-government organizations and other civil society actors. The conference took place on 28th, and 29th September, 2005, in Rogaška Slatina.
On the basis of a public competition, published on 30th September, 2005, in the Official Gazette of the Republic of Slovenia, with the purpose to identify interested organizations, and select 8-10 of the most motivated organizations, an expert commission selected, among 13 registered projects, 8 registrants that were furthermore included in expert trainings for a successful operation and direction of LRF. These are:
Nature lovers society Planota from Trnovo,
Economic institute Maribor /PE Fund for development and training of human sources,
PRJ HALO – Countryside development core from Cirkulan,
BSC, Poslovno podporni center d.o.o. (business support centre) from Kranj,
Sport union Brežice,
Development agency Sinergija d.o.o. from Moravske toplice,
Civil initiative from local society Ptuj,
Novi paradoks – Slovene society for the quality of life from Ljubljana
All organizations received different trainings. Representatives of the selected organizations departed on December 2005 for a study visit in Slovakia, with the intent to familiarize with their successfully operating LRFs, the manner of direction, and financial management of such institutions. The task of each LRF was to prepare as realistically as possible their business plan. On the basis of the evaluation of this plan, among 8 local foundations, the following 4 were selected:
LRF VINCENCIJ DRAKSLER
LRF FOR POMURJE
LRF INSTITUTION OF BANJŠKA AND TRNOVO PLATEAU
LRF OF POSAVJE
These local foundations also received commencement funds in the amount of 15.000 USD each. For the whole duration of the project, promotion of philanthropy in Slovenia is taking place, and preceding the end of the project of support of local development foundations (foreseen in March 2007), a manual on direction of local development foundations will be published.

LOCAL DEVELOPMENT FOUNDATION OF VINCENCIJ DRAKSLER
Vincencij Draksler's local development foundation will operate in the region of Gorenjska. The local development foundation will on long-term become a regionally renowned organization for acceleration/development and direction of »soft« regional activities necessary to the society. With its operation it will contribute to the preparation and execution of programmes/projects, as necessary by priority, in the local/regional area that will be recognized as such by the local/regional partners/individuals.

LRF INSTITUTION OF BANJŠKA AND TRNOVO PLATEAU
The main role of LRF will be to assist the existing NVOs with expert and financial support in the realization of their goals, and, by uniting them, achieve even better results. This is achievable by identifying and solving problems by connecting with different expert institutions, such as institutes, agencies, schools, chambers, etc.
Together with the united NVOs, we will create better conditions for the execution of individual projects, and assure their execution by including wider surrounding areas, and foremost by assuring the necessary means. We will perform different questionnaires, with which we will acquire even more ideas for the solution of individual problems. On the basis of the elaborated programmes and notices, we will aspire to find performers from their own respective areas.

LOCAL DEVELOPMENT FOUNDATION FOR POMURJE
Pomurje; in the beginning of the operation coverage of 11 communes of the development coalition Sinergija, after three years it is planned to expand on the entire area of Pomurje. The main mission of the Local Development Foundation for Pomurje is to stimulate philanthropy and voluntary work in the local area. We elaborated two strategies of operation and distribution of the funds, so that we could more easily include all of the local area's needs. Furthermore, this system offers more clarity and control over the distribution of the funds.

LOCAL DEVELOPMENT FOUNDATION OF POSAVJE
The beginning of operation is focused on the Brežica Commune, but the intention of the foundation is to perform its activity in the entire region of Posavje, and more: Brežica Commune, Krško, Sevnica, Kostanjevica ob Krki, Bistrica ob Sotli, Škocjan …
One of the foundation’s more important tasks is foremost the stimulation of philanthropy – to restore the true meaning of voluntary work, evaluate it, achieve public acknowledgement:
stimulate the local community to acknowledge, and by doing so evaluate, voluntary work when determining the value of individual projects that are co-financed by the commune's budget (voluntary work is evaluated in part of the funds, for which the performer does not need to present evidence – invoices – compensation for the performer).
Compensation for the volunteers on the local level – annual event

The civil society (individuals, societies, organizations, and other forms of union) must be set as an equal carrier of development in the local area,
as an equal voice in the conversations with the local communities and economy,
and this will be achieved by connecting and stimulating all the actors in Posavje to create collectively an environment that is nicer and of greater quality for the residents and visitors.

We believe that the local communities (communes) need a partner who will clearly express his or her volitions and interests, and constructively contribute to the acceptance of united strategies and priorities for the development of the entire Posavje. We are also aware that the economy too needs new challenges and opportunities, through which it will be able to put forward its role in the area of work useful to society, and in this way contribute its part to the elevation of the quality of life's standard to employees, consumers, and every other member of the community that we live in.



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