Can indigenous resources in Central and Eastern Europe take the place of external donor support for the civil society sector? Yes, but with reservations, claims Intelligent Money, a report on the quality of private resources in Bulgaria, Czech Republic, Romania and Slovakia. The report shows an increase in the level of private resources in the four countries and expectations that these resources can complement public support for civil society.

However, while successful examples of partnerships between civil society organizations and companies and of organizations raising resources from a broad base of individual donors can be found, a number of factors may prevent these expectations from being realized. These include lack of continuity of corporate support, over-dependence on a few (even if private) sources, and problems in raising resources for complex, systemic change and for issues involving minority groups. But resource mobilization support organizations can play a role in bridging different expectations and increasing the effectiveness of resources available to civil society. The report is based on cooperative action research carried by Association for Community Relations, Cluj; Center for Philanthropy, Bratislava; VIA Foundation, Prague; and Workshop for Civic Initiatives Foundation, Sofia.

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