The first Thursday of every month is the time for an online meeting of the Alumni Club, founded in 2021 by Group 1 of the Initiative for Building the Next Generation of Civic Leaders.
The November meeting was led by Boryana Kirilova, a member of the team at the Bulgarian Donors Forum, responsible for Communications and the "Learn to Give" program at the Forum. The topic that brought together the communication expert and the young leaders was "Trends in Philanthropy." Boryana shared about the annual analysis of philanthropic trends in Bulgaria, which the BDF conducts based on donation volumes, trends in supporting causes, major donors, preferred spheres of philanthropy, and other indicators. She briefly presented the results from 2020, focusing on the coronavirus crisis, which has had a significant impact on philanthropic practices in the country, increasing donations from both large companies and individuals.
Boryana also revealed data from the analysis for 2021, which is currently being prepared and will be presented by the Forum very soon.
Finally, the meeting ended with a discussion on the topic of philanthropy. An additional conversation emerged about the passivity of local communities and possible ways to involve them in useful causes through philanthropy and volunteering.
The "Initiative for Building the Next Generation of Civic Leaders" project by Workshop for Civic Initiatives Foundation is funded by the Active Citizens Fund Bulgaria under the Financial Mechanism of the European Economic Area (EEA FM) 2014-2021, provided by Iceland, Liechtenstein, and Norway. The project aims to support the development of a new generation of civil leaders in Bulgaria who have the knowledge and skills to work effectively in a shrinking space for civil society and limited resources.