Eugenia Mazurenko, CEO of Zaguriy Foundation in Ukraine, has issued an urgent appeal to the international NGO community.
Last week, prompted by the attrocities being perpetrated in Ukraine, we hosted humanitarian, global leader, and changemaker Amanda Seller for a session on fundraising for humanitarian crises.
During the session, Eugenia Mazurenko asked to speak. Eugenia is the CEO of the Zagoriy Foundation, a nonprofit in Ukraine that “acts as a role model for implementing sustainable charitable activities in Ukraine.”
Eugenia’s message was clear: Grassroots organisations in Ukraine are running out of money, and donations from international organisations have been too slow to come in.
These are her words.
“Before the war, Zagoriy Foundation aimed to develop a culture of giving. We conducted research on giving, developed institutional philanthropy and trust in foundations, and provided them with grants to improve efficiency. With the advent of war, the priorities of each of us changed, and most of our projects had to be cancelled. But we kept loyalty to our mission and decided to stick to it in the new conditions.
Every nonprofit organisation in Ukraine has now faced the new realities of war. Most will continue to work despite all the difficulties, help their wards, or solve current wartime problems. Therefore, we strive to support Ukrainian organisations, identify current needs, and promote coordination and partnership within the sector.
In the early days of the war, organisations could quickly cover rapidly growing needs in the wake of a general increase in requests and a desire to help. However, after a while, including due to frequent fraud cases, there was a request to check the transparency of foundations and initiatives. Thus, our team took part in the reporting check and verification of bona fide funds.
However, accountability is not all it takes to make the sector work effectively in times of war. Civil society should work in advance and strengthen their positions in fundraising and relationships with donors to build connections and keep the workflow stable.
Zagoriy Foundation has more than 498 grassroots organizations in the CRM system and 556 organisations on the map of good on Giving Tuesday’s website in Ukraine.
We would be thankful to international community help us to continue supporting civil society in Ukraine.“
We believe this moment in time has the potential to be a tangible step forward in the move toward localisation of support, to advance the #ShiftThePower and decolonisation debates, and to change humanitarian support models for the better.
If your organisation can support Eugenia’s appeal please reach out to us and we will connect you, or contact Zagoriy Foundation directly.
A message from Bill Toliver, Chair of the Resource Alliance.
Community Members, Colleagues, and Partners,
I am writing to announce an important leadership transition at the Resource Alliance. Prior to taking on the leadership of the Resource Alliance, Brian Higgins was well known across Ireland as a thought leader in the field of mental health. Brian has been offered a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to reconceive the delivery of mental health and disability services in Ireland, and has stepped down from his role as our CEO.
While we are sad to see him go, it is impossible to think of a circumstance in which we would try to talk him out of such an opportunity to make a profound difference in people’s lives. We not only support him in this important new role, we have agreed to waive the termination clause of his employment contract so he can begin his new work with the urgency it requires. His last “official” day with Resource Alliance will be 04 April 2022 — though he will continue working with us on a pro bono basis over the next few months and, of course, be with us at IFC 2022! Please join us in thanking Brian for his service to our community and wishing him the very best in this important new role.
Please also join us in welcoming Willeke van Rijn as she steps into Brian’s role, effective immediately! Willeke is a superbly talented leader, well known and respected by the global fundraising community. She has held senior positions with SOS Children’s Villages, Oxfam, and FUNDES — working across Europe, Latin America, Asia, and Africa. For those of you who do not know her, you will soon find Willeke to be a passionate advocate for RA, IFC, and the fundraising community at large. She also happens to be a truly genuine human being — who, believe it or not, grew up just a few kilometers from Noordwijk in the Netherlands (the home of IFC). She has been intimately involved in RA operations for some time and began the handover process with Brian in mid-February, so the transition is straightforward and already underway.
Finally, we are living through incredibly challenging times, and the social impact community is bearing much of the burden of helping humankind find a “better way”. It is a source of inspiration and hope that the people and organisations we serve continue to build solidarity and strengthen community while so many are creating factions and driving polarisation. It is a true gift that good people like Brian and Willeke are willing to step into the fray and lead during these unprecedented times.
With respect, gratitude, and a heartfelt prayer for peace in our fragile world,
Bill Toliver, Resource Alliance Chair
P.S. Please feel free to connect with Willeke (willeke@resource-alliance.org) or me (bill@resource-alliance.org) and you can continue to reach Brian through the Resource Alliance as well (brian@resource-alliance.org).