International Professional Conference

Entrepreneurship as a Method for Non-profit Organization Fundraising

April 24, 2014, 9.00–13.45
Prague, National Library of Technology

The conference was organized by the Forum 2000 Foundation and the Association of Public Benefit Organizations (AVPO CR).

In recent years, the topic of entrepreneurship in the non-profit sector is being discussed more frequently. Conference participants had the opportunity to share their experiences and broaden their views on entrepreneurship of NGOs not only in the Czech Republic but also in the context of the four Visegrad countries.

The conference aimed to answer an array of questions including the following:

What are some of the new entrepreneurship opportunities for NGOs in the Czech Republic under the new Civil Code?
What is the difference between social and non-profit entrepreneurship?
How does social entrepreneurship work with the Visegrad countries?
How can NGOs provide great service?
Are there guidelines for entrepreneurial success within the non-profit sector?

Program

9.00–9.30
Registration

9.30–9.45
Conference Opening
Jakub Klepal, Executive Director, Forum 2000 Foundation

9.45–10.00N
GO Entrepreneurship According to the Current Czech Civil Code
Petr Vít, Neziskovky.cz

10.00–10.15
Entrepreneurship in NGOs from the Perspective of a Tax Consultant
Miroslava Nebuželská, BVM Audit

10.15–10.45
Discussion

10.45–11.00
How to Recognize Social Enterprise
Petra Francová, People Planet Profit

11.00–11.15
Discussion

11.15–11.45
Coffee Break

11.45–12.00
Transforming Good Service into Great Service
Kateřina Jiřinová, University of Economics, Prague

12.00–12.15
Discussion

12.15–13.15
Our Neighbors’ Conditions on the Conduct of Entrepreneurship of NGOs
Krzysztof Cibor, Foundation for Social and Economic Initiatives, Poland
János Czafrangó, Erste Bank, Hungary
Peter Meszaros, 3lobit, Slovakia

13.15–13.45
Conclusion

Networking and light refreshments

Partner:

The conference was moderated by Marek Šedivý, President of Association of Public Benefit Organizations (AVPO CR).

Registration was required to participate at the conference.

Conference Summary

The international professional conference, “Entrepreneurship as a Method for Non-profit Organization Fundraising” took place on Thursday, April 24, 2014 at the National Library of Technology as part of the 15th annual NGO Market.

Among the attendees and presenters were leading experts on fundraising and entrepreneurship in the non-profit sector. They shared a wide range of experiences and perspectives on the entrepreneurship of NGOs in the Czech Republic as well as other Visegrad countries.

The conference was opened by Jakub Klepal, Executive Director of the Forum 2000 Foundation. In his opening remarks, Mr. Klepal thanked the co-organizer, the Association of Public Benefit Organizations (AVPO CR), and the main partner of the meeting, the International Visegrad Fund, for their support.

A lecture by Petr Vít, a lawyer from the organization Neziskovky.cz, and Miroslava Nebuželská, a member of the Chamber of Auditors of the Czech Republic, followed the opening remarks. Both described practical issues that NGOs may encounter in the field of law and taxes. They also addressed related questions often faced by organizations.

“Non-profit organizations sometimes have a problem talking about their entrepreneurship activities. There is nothing wrong with that. It is one of the steps necessary to obtain financial resources,” said Nebuželská. “An NGO can raise funds to cover part of its activities.”

Petra Francová, a leading expert on social entrepreneurship and Director of the organization P3 – People, Planet, Profit, opened the discussion on how to understand social entrepreneurship, as well as how the term can be perceived in many different ways. She noted that “there are different approaches in every country to the question of what we understand by the term social enterprise. Social entrepreneurship is divided between social and economic goals. They lie on the same surface. The final approach actually depends on the point of view from which the definition and surface is understood.”

Kateřina Jiřinová from the University of Economics in Prague then spoke about how to draw the attention and acknowledgement of clients. She mentioned several Czech and foreign organizations that provide excellent client care.

The last part of the conference was devoted to the comparison between the Visegrad countries. Examples were presented by Krzysztof Cibor of the Foundation for Social and Economic Initiatives (FISE) in Poland, János Czafrangó of Erste Bank in Hungary and Peter Meszaros of 3lobit, in Slovakia.

Working paper

Doing business in the environment of nongovernmental non-profit organizations