Macedonia has the lower percentage of CSOs, which think that prescribed financial rules and obligation of bookkeeping and accounting are clear and easy to implement. Considerably higher percentage of CSOs from Macedonia accentuate the benefits of CSO networks. Insufficient diversification of sources of financing and high percentage of CSO, which specify foreign sources (such as embassies) as sources of financing are the main problems in the domain of CSO financing in Macedonia. Besides that, financing problems are also reflected in high percentage of organizations, which adapt to priorities of the donors and collect money for other activities, which are not in accordance with strategic plan.
Majority of CSOs in Macedonia are familiar with current structures and mechanisms for dialogue and cooperation with local (78%) and to a somewhat bigger extent with central institutions (81%). In comparison with WB countries and Turkey, in Macedonia (in addition to BiH) the smallest percentage of CSOs, which evaluate these mechanisms positively and consider them useful. Namely, just one out of four CSO representative in Macedonia considers the mechanisms for cooperation with central institutions (25%) useful, and the same percentage considers local institutions (24%) useful. In contrast to that, more than a half of CSO representatives have negative opinion about these mechanisms. Namely, 56% of CSO representatives think that mechanisms for cooperation with state institutions exist only pro forma, while 54% of representatives think the same about the mechanisms for cooperation with local institutions.
The main challenges regarding the development of the civil society in the country include:
- Disparity between registered and really active organizations
- Lack of strategic approach and design of comprehensive action plans from the CSOs’ side
- Limited and isolated partnerships between CSOs and public institutions
- Limited financial sustainability and diversification of funds
- Lack of management capacities and professional approach from the CSOs’ side, including reporting and accountability
KMOP, being a CSO itself, has deep knowledge of the needs of the third sector and supports actively the development of this sector. This support includes not only empowering the establishment of grass-root organisations, but also designing and implementing sub-granting mechanisms for the benefit of CSOs. In more details, KMOP has implemented activities targeting at supporting mainly youth for establishing formal or informal organizations as vehicles for active citizenship and community engagement, while also working on building the capacities of existing CSOs in order to be able to design, have access to funds and implement activities related with their mandate, accompanied by pilot sub-granting mechanisms. Moreover, KMOP’s steady financial operations and viability is also a proof of diversification of funds and organizational sustainability, which constitute major challenges and milestones for all CSOs.
It should be noted that KMOP works also for supporting networking among CSOs, central and local institutions, as well as for designing cooperation and outsourcing mechanisms for this purpose.
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