Agenda
Time slot
Session topic
Guest Speakers
Moderator
Hall
Time slot
8:30 – 9:30
Session topic
Registration – Serdika, Ground Floor
Hall
Panel 1: Opportunities and Threats for Fundraising Now
Time slot
9:30 – 9:50
Session topic
Welcome & Introduction
(English translated)
Philanthropy and the social and environmental impact of giving – The power of the personal motivation to donate
Guest speaker
Neli Kocheva
(Head of Development and Fundraising at Teach For Bulgaria Foundation, Fundraising Club Bulgaria member)
Aleksander Aleksiev
(Actor and Producer, Philanthropist, Bulgaria)
Hall
Time slot
09:50 – 10:20
Session topic
Philanthropy and Civic Engagement
(English translated)
Public mobilization and crowdfunding for democracy in Germany – How it is currently evolving and how it’s being endangered
Guest speaker
Nadia Shabani
(Director of Bulgarian Center for Not-for-Profit Law, Fundraising Club Bulgaria member)
Rupert Graf Strachwitz
(Executive Director of Maecenata Foundation, Germany)
Moderator
Eduard Marček
(Executive Director European Fundraising Association, Slovakia)
Hall
Time slot
10:20 – 11:00
Session topic
How to raise funds for difficult causes – and other lessons from UK fundraising
(English translated)
5 key lessons from fundraising in the UK – from how to raise funds for difficult causes through to how to get the basics right – that will help recruit more supporters and maximize their value in CCE countries
Guest speaker
Richard Docwra
(Director of the ChangeStar, UK)
Moderator
Andrzej Pietrucha
(Fundraising Consultant at Academy of Civic Organizations Foundation, Poland)
Hall
Time slot
11:00 – 11:30
Coffee break – Serdika, Ground floor
Panel 2: Crowdfunding for Democracy
Time slot
11:30 – 12:30
Session topic
Digital Mobilization for Democracy
(English translated)
Digital platforms, models and innovations supporting CSOs in crowdfunding, networking and capacity building
Creating and running successful crowdfunding campaigns
Guest speaker
Bjorn Lampe
(Executive Director of betterplace.org, Germany)
Zuzana Suchová
(Fund manager at Donio, Slovakia)
Moderator
Eduard Marček
(Executive Director European Fundraising Association, Slovakia)
Hall
Time slot
12:30 – 13:30
Lunch – Serdika, Ground floor
Panel 3: Parallel sessions
Time slot
13:30 – 14:30
Session topic
Session 1: Fundraising Starts with People
(English translated)
Building your fundraising team
The importance of personal examples for philanthropy
Guest speaker
Giedrė Šopaitė-Šilinskienė
(Founder and CEO of the Baltic Fundraising Hub, Lithuania)
Dilyana Maneva
(Deputy Executive Director at For Our Children Foundation, Fundraising Club Bulgaria member)
Latinka Ducheva
(Head of Marketing and Engagement at WWF Bulgaria)
Moderator:
Dani Koleva
(Child Protection Specialist, UNICEF Bulgaria)
Hall
Time slot
13:30 – 14:30
Session topic
Session 2: Individual Fundraising for Difficult Causes in CEE
(English only)
The session will focus on identifying the biggest challenges in fundraising for a difficult cause and provide ideas for practical steps participants can take to engage individuals. Experts will share specific examples from their experience in making a watchdog organization fundraisable, attracting donors to a data-driven watchdog organization and fundraising for minority rights amid political tensions.
Guest speaker
Katarzyna Batko
(Co-founder of the Civic Network Watchdog Poland)
Andrzej Pietrucha
(Fundraising Consultant at Academy of Civic Organizations Foundation, Poland)
Eduard Marček
(Chair of the Slovak Fundraising Centre, fundraiser at Transparency International, Slovakia)
Moderator
Luben Panov
(Program Director “Business Enabling Environment” at America for Bulgaria Foundation, Fundraising Club Bulgaria member)
Hall
Time slot
13:30 – 14:30
Session topic
Session 3: What does corporate giving in Bulgaria look like today?
(Bulgarian translated)
Transition to more strategic and long-term forms of corporate engagement in civic causes
Measuring the impact of corporate giving
The role of partnerships with CSOs
Guest speaker
Petar Torneff
(Managing Director ATC Accenture Bulgaria)
Diana Dimova-Yordanova
(Corporate Communications and Public Relations Manager at Fantastico Group, Bulgaria)
Svetoslav Dragiev
(Manager of Lead by Example Foundation of SiteGround, Bulgaria)
Adelina Peeva
Sponsorships and Еvents Мanager, UniCredit Bulbank, Bulgaria
Moderator
Gabriela Marinova
(Deputy Director of the Bulgarian Business Leaders Forum, Bulgaria)
Hall
Royal 1
First floor
Time slot
14:30 – 15:00
Coffee break – Serdika, Ground floor
Time slot
15:00 – 16:00
Session topic
Session 4: Strategic Campaigning and Storytelling for Difficult Causes
(English translated)
In this session, we will discover the showcase of the GLAS Foundation, which has been working for 10 years to create sustainable partnerships for corporate giving in support of the LGBTQI+ community and changing attitudes in Bulgaria. Starting with 24 corporate donors, they have fallen to 14. What necessitates a change in the behavior of donors and what new strategic approaches are important in communicating with them – come the hear from the organizers of Sofia Pride.
What do birds, women’s and LGBTQ+ rights, technology, and cultural heritage have in common? They all represent causes that are crucial, yet often overlooked, misunderstood, or underfunded. In this session, we dive into Romania’s most visible campaigns from non-mainstream NGOs to understand what makes them work. We look behind the storytelling curtain to uncover the strategic communication elements – framing, emotion, narrative choices, timing, and audience targeting—that turn awareness into action and donations. You’ll walk away with fresh insights, and the inspiration to make your next fundraising campaign a hit.
Guest speaker
Simeon Vasilev
(Chairman of GLAS Foundation, Equality Campaigner, Bulgaria)
Catalin Dinu
(Co-founder of 2doGood, President of Centre for Communication Resources, Romania)
Moderator
Andrzej Pietrucha
(Fundraising Consultant at Academy of Civic Organizations Foundation, Poland)
Hall
Time slot
15:00 – 16:00
Session topic
Session 5: Engaging Major Donors in Protecting Democracy
(English only)
How to run a winning major donor campaign
Guest speaker
Jan Kroupa
(Founder of the Czech Fundraising Center, Czech Republic)
Moderator
Susan Johnson
(Global executive strategist and consultant in fundraising)
Hall
Time slot
15:00 – 16:00
Session topic
Session 6: Inspiring examples from Bulgaria about the power of philanthropy and fundraising
(Bulgarian translated)
Transformation of individual giving to social, educational, and health causes
The power of philanthropy to solve socially significant problems
Inspiration for regular giving
Guest speaker
Milena Ivanova
(Fundraiser for INSEAD, Fundraising Strategist and Philanthropy Leader, Bulgaria)
Neli Kocheva
(Head of Development and Fundraising at Teach For Bulgaria Foundation, Fundraising Club Bulgaria member)
Svetla Parmakova
(Co-founder of One Percent Change, Fundraising Club Bulgaria member)
Nadezhda Rangelova-Boyadzhieva
(Co-founder and Chair For the Good Foundation, Bulgaria)
Moderator
Aylin Yumerova-Petrova
(Program Director at Bulgarian Center for Not-for-Profit Law, Fundraising Club Bulgaria member)
Hall
Time slot
16:00 – 16:15
Short break and gathering all groups – Royal 3, First floor
Panel 4: Donors ` perspective
Time slot
16:15 – 17:00
Session topic
The contemporary role of donor foundations
(English translated)
A conversation with donor foundations about their contemporary strategies to support the CSO community in Bulgaria through grant funding together with developing fundraising capacity in challenging times
Guest speaker
Nancy Schiller
President and CEO of the America for Bulgaria Foundation
Nadejda Dermendjieva
Co-Director of the Bulgarian Fund for Women
Iliyana Nikolova
Executive Director of Workshop for Civic Initiatives Foundation, Bulgaria
Moderator
Nadia Shabani
(Director of Bulgarian Center for Not-for-Profit Law, Fundraising Club Bulgaria member)
Hall
Time slot
17:00 – 17:15
Closing the conference
Hall
Royal 3, First Floor
* If necessary, the organizers may change the schedule of the sessions without affecting the content of the agenda. The final version of the agenda will be sent to registered participants together with the information package by June 4, 2025.
We’d love to have you—grab your ticket now and let’s make it awesome together!
The event is initiated by the Fundraising Club Bulgaria* and organized by the Bulgarian Center for Not-for-Profit Law in partnership with the European Fundraising Association-EFA and with the financial support of the European Union for BIRDS in BG Project within the Citizens, Equality, Rights and Values (CERV) Programme and the America for Bulgaria Foundation for the Advance CSO Sustainable Growth Project.
*The Fundraising Club Bulgaria is an informal network of experts committed to raising donations for civic causes. The Club’s mission is to unite the community of fundraising professionals in Bulgaria, to positively influence the philanthropic environment by sharing best practices in philanthropy and volunteerism, and to promote high ethical behavior.
The views and opinions expressed on this website are solely those of the author(s) and the partners implementing the BIRDS in BG Project and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or the European Education and Culture Executive Agency (EACEA). Neither the European Union nor the providing body can be held responsible for them. The statements and opinions expressed on this website are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of the America for Bulgaria Foundation.
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