The first impulsion for the establishment of the coalition was in 2004 during the meeting of two leading environmental NGOs – Greenpeace of the Czech Republic and the DUHA Movement, which started to implement the fundraising method of direct dialogue, ie addressing potential supporters and donors on the streets of the Czech Republic. Both organizations have firstly encountered many obstacles. For this reason, they conducted a survey among non-profit organizations of all sorts and found that the same problems troubled most of them, whether too expensive and complicated banking services, the absence of uniform forms for banks or too high postal fees for the transfer of the donation by post Money order.
With the help of foreign partners, both organizations then mapped out how similar problems were settled by organizations in other European countries. Then they presented examples of good practice and working models of cooperation between the non-profit and the commercial sector to Czech fundraisers at two workshops. During the discussions that opened up at these meetings, participants almost unanimously agreed that mutual cooperation would be the most effective way to transfer foreign positive examples to the Czech Republic. And the coalition was born.
Milestones od the coalition For easy giving
- 2004 – meeting of Greenpeace and Hnutí DUHA – Friends of the Earth CZ
- 2005 –first survey among non-profit organizations, analysing of problems of non-profit organizations, two workshops on topics „Barriers to the development of individual fundraising“
- 2005 – 2007 – work of the coalition supported by the grant from VIA foundation
- 2009 – The second survey among NGO´s applied
- 2009 – 2010 – supported by Batory Foundation
- 2011 – decision on the formalization of the coalition applies, establishment of a civic association, constituent general meeting, first membership fees collected, six working groups (banks, post office, ethics, legislation, wills, direct dialogue) were created
- 2011 – received another grant from Batory Foundation
- 2012 – we hired the first full-time employee (coordinator)
- 2013 – we began to share experiences in new topics – especially telefundraising and new media
- 2014 – the coalition has launched firs legacy campaign in the Czech Republic; the coalition began to invite foreign experts every year
- 2016 – the coalition is rapidly expanding and puts more emphasis on mutual exchange of experience; the number of networking, skill sharing and training events increases – approximately two such actions per month – the work of the coalition notably shifts from a „workgroup“ model to a combination of predefined themes and different forms of training (training, skill-sharing or occasionally working groups)
- 2017 – The coalition is supported by subsidies by the Czech Government and continues to work harder – especially the professionalisation of the operation
- 2018 – The executive part of the chairman and the coordinator joined and created a new position – director; the coalition has its own office, with 34 nonprofit members professionally implementing relationship fundraising; again we are supporting the subsidies of the Office of the Government of the Czech Republic.