Mid-term Workshop / Programme – Day 2

Building a community with young people in a small town comes with unique opportunities and challenges. In this session, Alžběta will share Unijazz Boskovice's experience of engaging young adults in a local cultural community centre, why their participation matters, and how the organisation learns what young people really want from such a space.

LinkedIn Alžběta Flíčková

Many volunteers join an organisation only once or twice, while others stay involved in just one activity. Budapest Bike Maffia has been exploring how to deepen volunteer engagement and encourage people to become active across different projects. Gabriella will share the first steps they have taken, what has worked well so far, and the lessons they have learned along the way.

LinkedIn Gabriella Tőkés

This session explores how WSCHÓD has organised its internal structure through working groups and how communication takes place across the organisation, including among members who are not part of any working group. Anna will also share how the organisation selected the theme of one of its campaigns, using the process as an example of fostering shared responsibility and strengthening relationships among people involved in the organisation's activities.

Silvia will share the journey of Koľko Lásky from a volunteer-driven initiative to a nationwide organisation using the "From Zero to Hero" framework of four development phases. The session will explore practical lessons on building a team, developing donor relationships, establishing corporate partnerships and creating sustainable fundraising. The key message is that every NGO can grow step by step, but long-term impact requires not only passion and commitment, but also strategy, systems and the courage to professionalise.

LinkedIn Koľko Lásky

This session offers a practical insight into the gradual process of building an independent organisational identity and brand while remaining part of a parent organisation. Michal will share both the opportunities and challenges of operating as a branch association, including recent experience from the Czech context, where Friends of the Earth Czech Republic was labelled a terrorist organisation by some politicians.

LinkedIn Michal Feller

How can organisations communicate issues that do not naturally attract public attention? This session explores practical approaches to communicating less emotionally engaging social issues in ways that help expand both stakeholder networks and the donor base.

LinkedIn Máté Lukács

This session explores how artistic collaboration can help NGOs communicate research and make complex social issues easier to understand and connect with. Through examples of performances, VR experiences, illustrations and other creative formats, the presenters will show how artists can bring new perspectives to research. Participants will leave with ideas for using creativity to communicate evidence in ways that inspire curiosity, conversation and engagement.

LinkedIn Puszka Foundation

Kolobeh života supports people through grief and loss. As part of the Stronger Roots programme, the organisation conducted a nationwide survey to better understand public attitudes towards death, grief and charitable giving. In this session, Zuzana Pitková and Peter Lenčo will share how AI supported the research design, data interpretation and campaign development, and how these insights are being translated into a fundraising and communication campaign. Participants will leave with a practical framework for using audience research to communicate sensitive topics and for integrating AI into this process.

LinkedIn Zuzana Pitková

This session shares lessons learned from running a six-week fundraising campaign using only email, social media and community engagement. Through a practical case study, Barbora will present how a small nonprofit organisation combined community fundraising, supporter engagement and digital communication to achieve its fundraising goals.

LinkedIn Barbora Kiliesová

Peer-to-peer fundraising has become Van Esély Foundation's most reliable source of income while also helping to build a strong community of supporters. Drawing on seven years of experience, Levente will share practical methods for recruiting, motivating and supporting peer-to-peer fundraisers, as well as lessons learned in turning one-time participants into long-term advocates. Participants will leave with practical ideas they can adapt in their own organisations.

This session explores how collaboration with businesses can become a stable source of funding through long-term partnerships, sponsorship, CSR and ESG programmes, employee volunteering linked to fundraising and joint campaigns. Anna will also present practical examples from her organisation, discuss what businesses expect from NGO partners and highlight common mistakes organisations make when starting corporate collaborations. The key takeaway is that successful partnerships are built on trust, relationships and mutual value rather than one-off requests for support.

LinkedIn Anna Siewiorek

This session presents DePaul Slovakia's experience of working with major donors as part of its long-term fundraising strategy. Alongside regular individual giving and grant funding, major donors represent an important opportunity for strengthening the long-term sustainability of nonprofit organisations. Lukáš will share how strategic partnerships with individuals and companies can support major campaigns and contribute to broader systemic change.

LinkedIn Lukáš Bošňák

How can digital tools save time and simplify everyday work? Zuzana will share how Fakescape uses automation across daily operations, from Slack workflows and automated project budgets to Google Scripts connecting tools within Google Workspace. The session will also present what made Fakescape's digital audit successful and the key lessons other organisations can apply in their own digital transformation.

LinkedIn Zuzana Mušková

How can nonprofits use ChatGPT to strengthen communication and fundraising without extensive resources? Lilla will present a practical methodology for creating AI-generated personas to better understand donors, beneficiaries and grant funders. Drawing on examples from the E-mentoring Program, she will demonstrate how these personas can support communication, project design and grant writing. Participants will leave with practical prompting techniques and a framework they can adapt within their own organisations.

LinkedIn Lilla Judit Lukács

Hanna will share the experience of developing an online tool that helps citizens and activists participate more effectively in public consultations. Using this case study, she will guide participants through the entire process—from identifying a systemic problem and collaborating with UX designers and developers to testing prototypes with end users. The session will demonstrate how NGOs can successfully manage digital product development using an agile, community-centred approach.

LinkedIn Hanna Rawska

This session showcases how Female Algorithm built an integrated digital ecosystem connecting its website, CRM, email marketing, Google Workspace and learning platform using no-code tools and AI-powered solutions. Through practical examples, participants will discover how automation can reduce repetitive administrative work, support internal operations and enable organisations to create digital products without an in-house development team. The key takeaway is that meaningful digital transformation is possible even with limited financial and human resources.

LinkedIn Lenka Hlinková

The session examines how the structure of a negotiation and the communication tools used by the parties shape leverage at the table. We will also explore how the alternatives available outside the negotiation influence the parties’ bargaining positions.

Flóra Szigeti researches applied approaches to cross-sectoral dialogue, with special regard to political transitions. She is currently developing The Middle, an initiative to enhance dialogue among political intermediaries shaping public discourse between citizens and the state.

She previously managed leadership programmes at the CEU Democracy Institute and designed and delivered negotiation curriculum for the Institute's Leadership Academy. She was a contributor to the first global women's citizens' assembly, convened by DemNet Foundation, and served as a rule-of-law spokesperson and policy adviser in opposition politics, as well as a councillor in Budapest's 5th District. Since then, she has remained a regular speaker on panels and expert briefings on various aspects of the rule of law in Hungary. Her professional background also includes roles at the Hungarian Ministry of Justice, the European Commission, and international law firms, as well as negotiation and mediation training for law students.

LinkedIn Flóra Szigeti