Adelina Peeva is Sponsorship and Events Manager at UniCredit Bulbank. Her work and interests are focused on event management, communications, ESG, and corporate culture. Within UniCredit, she has managed various local and international projects: bank management conventions, business and cultural events, sponsorship initiatives, ESG projects, sports competitions, and the European tour of the UEFA Champions League Trophy. Adelina is responsible for managing the international projects of the UniCredit Foundation for Bulgaria: Call for Europe, Call for Education, Edu-Fund, and Gift Matching Program, as well as group partnerships with Teach for All and Junior Achievement.
She graduated in Public Relations and Advertising Management from New Bulgarian University and in Domestic Political Journalism from Sofia University St. Kliment Ohridski.
Alexander Alexiev is an actor, producer, and entrepreneur, as well as an advocate for numerous socially significant causes.
Born in Sofia, he began his acting career at the age of 16 when he moved to the United States to complete his high school education, later continuing his studies at Adelphi University in New York. In Bulgaria, he gained popularity with his role in the TV series Stolen Life and the feature film Heights (Vazvishenie), which earned him the Best Actor award at the Golden Rose Film Festival in 2018.
In recent years, Alex has also focused on producing, co-founding the production company NoBlink. Through it, he works not only on artistic projects but also on films with a clear social message, aiming to inspire and raise public awareness. One of their successful projects is the film A Dose of Happiness, which tours schools across Bulgaria as part of an initiative to prevent addiction among young people.
Alex believes that social responsibility and philanthropy have the power to transform society for the better, and it is this commitment that he will share at the fundraising conference, where he will open the event with the topic: “The Social and Civic Impact of Philanthropy – The Power of Leading by Example in Giving.”
Andrzej Pietrucha – fundraising and marketing trainer and consultant for NGOs, specializing in sustainable programs and initiatives targeting individual and corporate donors. Currently works for a second-tier organization, FAOO – the Academy of Civic Organizations Foundation in Warsaw. Previously, he held fundraising and leadership positions at Polish charities, including service delivery organizations, grantmaking institutions, and corporate foundations. He holds an MA in History from the University of Warsaw, and MSc in Charity Marketing and Fundraising from Bayes Business School – City University and is a graduate of the School for NGO Trainers (STOP).
Björn Lampe is a member of the executive board of the nonprofit gut.org holding based in Berlin, who combine several non-profit and for-profit activities for the support of the German civil society under one roof. He is also one of the managing directors of Germany’s largest donation platform betterplace.org. He originally studied political science and has been involved with several NGOs (eg Make Poverty History and the Jubilee Debt Campaign) before joining the gut.org 15 years ago. Björn is an expert in digital fundraising and fundraising strategies, has been a speaker at countless conferences and co-published the book “Praxishandbuch Online-Fundraising” (“Practical manual on online fundraising”). He is part of the advisory board of the social impact brewery Quartiermeister, an alumni of the European Youth Parliament and currently adviser to social start-up Holi in Hamburg.
Cătălin Dinu is a fundraising and nonprofit communication expert with over a decade of experience in the Romanian nonprofit sector. He is the co-founder of 2doGood, a communication and fundraising agency specialized in nonprofits, and the founder of the Center for Communication Resources, an initiative dedicated to strengthening nonprofit fundraising, governance, and communication.
With extensive expertise, Cătălin has provided consultancy and training for over 100 nonprofits and has served in leadership roles within the sector. He is currently pursuing a PhD in Philanthropy Communication at the University of Bucharest, where he also teaches Public Relations.
Dani Koleva has been working as a Child Protection Specialist with UNICEF Bulgaria since October 2018. Prior to that she worked as a Policy Director of the National Network for Children in Bulgaria, ап umbrella of more than 140 organizations working with children and families in Bulgaria, as well as a Programme Director for Bulgaria of the international organizations ARK, EveryChild and the European Children’s Trust where in 2001 she also worked as a Programme Officer for Southeastern Europe. She holds a master’s degree in public policy management from Sofia University “Saint Kliment Ohridksi” and has more than 25 years’ experience in the field of children’s rights and child protection. In 2014, Dani was awarded, together with 24 other children’s rights advocates, by the President of Republic of Bulgaria with Honored Mark for exclusive contribution and merits for protecting children’s rights in Bulgaria.
Diana Dimova-Yordanova is a corporate communications expert with extensive experience in television journalism. Currently, a significant part of her professional focus is dedicated to the development of philanthropic and volunteer initiatives at FANTASTICO GROUP. She is a member of the Management Board of the largest social responsibility initiative of the Bulgarian family-owned company – “Fantastico Close to You“ – as well as a member of the Management Board of the Bulgarian Donors’ Forum.
Dilyana Maneva is the Deputy Executive Director at For Our Children Foundation – one of the biggest non-profit organizations in Bulgaria focused on early childhood development. Dilyana joined the Foundation right after graduating from university in 2009 and since then, she has held various positions focused on fundraising, communications and awareness raising.
Currently, as part of the leadership team, her main priorities are scaling up the social impact of the organization, digital transformation, as well as building and developing strategic partnerships with different stakeholders.
Eduard Marček has been working in the non-profit sector since 1997 and has extensive experience in numerous consulting and training projects both domestically and internationally. As a consultant, he specializes in NGO fundraising and financing. He has provided consulting services to a number of domestic and international non-governmental organizations and has contributed to various analytical studies across Europe. He regularly organizes fundraising conferences and a leadership development program for Central and Eastern Europe. Since 2018, Eduard has served as Head of Individual Fundraising for Transparency International Slovakia, an anti-corruption watchdog. He is the Co-Founder and Chair of the Slovak Fundraising Centre and, between 2019 and 2021, served as President of the European Fundraising Association. He currently also serves as Executive Director of this international network.
Gabriela Marinova
Gabriela Marinova is Deputy Director of the Bulgarian Business Leaders Forum. She is an expert in corporate social responsibility (CSR) with extensive experience in promoting and developing sustainable social impact strategies and projects to improve the business environment in Bulgaria.
Giedrė Šopaitė-Šilinskienė
Giedrė has been working with and within the Lithuanian NGO sector for over 15 years. Giedrė’s Bachelor in Social Work and Master of Business Administration (MBA) with a specialization in strategic management have given her the superpower to understand the challenges of NGO management and adapt modern business tools to cope with them.
For the past 5 years, she has held the role of CEO of the local donation portal, with the primary mission of empowering local NGOs to utilize their potential in digital fundraising and strengthen the culture of philanthropy in Lithuania. In 2018, Giedrė launched the initiative Fundraising@LT and co-created the first fundraising competence development program in Lithuania Fundraising@LT PRO.
Now Giedrė holds the position of the founder and CEO of Baltic Fundraising Hub and together with her peers organizes an annual fundraising conference Fundraising Summit, develops a professional network of Lithuanian fundraisers, and provides training and consultations for NGOs.
Giedrė is a consultant, speaker, trainer, and even sometimes an inspirer with a clear vision to help NGOs become the best version of themselves.
Iliyana Nikolova began her professional career in the civil society sector in 1997, after dedicating several years to secondary education and international banking relations. Since then, she has worked for various Bulgarian and international civil society organizations operating in the fields of democracy, human rights, social justice, and local development. She focuses her personal endeavors on developing philanthropy in Bulgaria and supporting the civil society organizations through grants, pro bono services, technology resources and providing opportunities for people and organizations to develop.
Expert, trainer and speaker on fundraising, local giving mechanisms, corporate philanthropy. She has track record in managing grant programs from private and public, Bulgarian and foreign donors, providing project and core support grants.
She follows closely the development of the civil society in Central and Eastern Europe. Member of the Civil Society Development Council and the Economic and Social Council of Bulgaria. She has been invited as Ambassador by the European Commission for the European Pillar of Social Rights and the European Citizens’ Initiative.
Jan Kroupa
Jan has 20+ years of experience as an international speaker, trainer, consultant, coach and researcher focused on philanthropy, resource mobilization and leadership in civil society from more than twenty countries around the world, primarily in Europe. With Ph.D. in philosophy and ethics, he is the founder of the Czech Fundraising Center, a leading CEE capacity building non-profit and one of the founders of the Leaders of Tomorrow International Network. Jan teaches at the Faculty of Humanities at Charles University in Prague and serves on boards of several non-profits. “I believe that the future remains open and that it matters what we do and what we do not do, what we say and what we do not say. That is why I serve leaders in the philanthropic sector who search for and pursue their mission so that they could walk the Earth with their head up high.”
Katarzyna Batko-Toluc is Managing Director at the Foundation for Poland. Co-founder of the Citizens Network Watchdog Poland – a grassroots social movement focused on accountability of power, which has changed political awareness of citizens in Poland after accession to the EU. Advocates for better regulations regarding the freedom of information and speech, the rule of law and the civic space. Worked with the whole watchdog sector on its financial independence and embeddedness in society. Led her mother organization to be financially independent.
Latinka Ducheva is the Engagement and Resource Mobilisation Director at HYPERLINK “https://www.wwf.bg/”WWF Bulgaria, where she leads the Communications, Individual Fundraising and Corporate Partnerships teams. With more than 20 years of experience in the nonprofit sector, Latinka has worked across leading international and local NGOs, including Save the Children UK, UNICEF and the Centre for Inclusive Education. Her expertise spans fundraising, communications and advocacy with a focus on developing national awareness, attitude change and fundraising campaigns, strategic donor engagement and corporate partnerships. Before joining WWF Bulgaria in 2022 she has worked as a Communication Consultant for UNICEF Bulgaria, Communications & Fundraising Manager for Centre for Inclusive Education and Communications Manager for Save the Children UK – Bulgaria Programme.
Latinka holds Master’s degree in General Psychology, Master’s degree in Public Relations and a Bachelor’s degree in English Studies. Throughout her career she has contributed to advancing social inclusion, children’s rights and environmental causes through creative campaigning, resource mobilisation and stakeholder engagement.
Milena Ivanova – Non-executive director, entrepreneur, author and host of the podcast НЕУМОРИМИТЕ
Milena has been actively involved with fundraising for over 20 years as a volunteer at INSEAD. She is proud to have initiated and established the MBA ‘03D Endowed Scholarship fund for students from developing countries at INSEAD (1.3 million euros endowed to date, distributes two scholarships per year in the amount of approx. 50,000 euros each). In 2024, she organized the community of Bulgarian INSEAD alumni and another fund was set up, this time for scholarships for Bulgarian students admitted to study at INSEAD (approx. 120,000 euros attracted in the first campaign by over 60 people).
A former investment banker from London, Milena has lived and worked in 7 countries, with a home address at one time or another, for longer or shorter periods in the USA, Poland, France, Austria, Great Britain, Kazakhstan and Russia, in addition to her native Bulgaria. She makes use of 7 languages. Entrepreneur, podcaster and clinical aromatherapist, she manages a portfolio of business and phinantrophic activities including work as an NED, investment management, managing a small D2C start-up in the world of aromatherapy and supporting the family businesses. She considered herself a professional nomad, as opposed to an immigrant at a time when this term was not yet in vogue. Milena completed her MBA at INSEAD France in 2003, and in 2018 qualified there and as a certified independent director.
Nadia Shabani is the Director of the Bulgarian Center for Not-for-Profit Law where she is developing projects in legal and financial framework of CSOs, human rights protection and good governance. She helps public officials on central and local level, lawyers, professional groups, civil society activists, parental organizations and social service providers for developing policies, strategic documents, drafting legislation changes and impact assessments affecting civic space. BCNL pushed more than 24 legislative acts and policies to enable the civil society organizations to operate in Bulgaria, raise donations, communicate their achievements and participate more easily in the decision-making process.
Nadejda Dermendjieva has been Co-Director of the Bulgarian Fund for Women (BFW) since 2023, having previously served as Executive Director (2015–2023) and Coordinator of the Gender Equality Youth Programme (2011–2012).
Currently, she is a board member of Prospera, the International Network of Women’s and Feminist Funds (since 2020) and serves as the Eastern Europe Advisor for the Global Fund for Women and the Urgent Action Fund for Feminist Activism. She was also an advisor to the FRIDA Fund for Young Feminists (2015–2019). Her professional journey includes roles at the Bulgarian Center for Women in Technology, where she was a program coordinator, and the MoveBG civic platform, where she managed projects with a social focus.
With over 15 years of experience in the NGO sector, women’s rights advocacy, and the fight for equality, Nadejda firmly believes that social change is possible, and the biggest illusion is that nothing depends on us. She takes pride in the achievements of the women’s movement in Bulgaria.
As part of the BFW team, she received the Human Rights Award “Person of the Year” from the Bulgarian Helsinki Committee in 2018, as well as the “Advocate of the Year” award from BHC and “Woman of the Year” in the social category from Grazia magazine in 2017. In 2023, she was nominated for the U.S. Secretary of State’s International Women of Courage Award.
Nancy Schiller has been President and CEO of the America for Bulgaria Foundation (ABF) since June 2016. Prior to that, after 21 years of service as Managing Director of the Bulgarian-American Enterprise Fund (BAEF) (1992-2012) and the America for Bulgaria Foundation (2008-2012), Ms. Schiller was elected member of the ABF Board of Directors in December 2012 and became its Vice-Chairman in June 2015 until September 2016, when she was appointed president and CEO of ABF.
Prior to Ms. Schiller’s involvement with BAEF and ABF, she worked in commercial real estate development in Chicago and for several not-for-profit organizations in the areas of management, finance, and marketing. Ms. Schiller has an MBA from DePaul University and a BA from the University of Illinois, both in Chicago.
Neli Kocheva has been the Head of Development and Fundraising at the Teach For Bulgaria Foundation since 2022. She was one of the first people to join the organization’s team back in 2011. Before taking on her current role, Neli led the Recruitment team for many years, overseeing the selection and recruitment of new teachers for the “A New Way to Teaching” program. Under her leadership, the team achieved impressive results by attracting thousands of applicants who went through a rigorous selection process before entering the classroom. She is currently applying the successful engagement practices from her previous role to fundraising, which has seen significant growth in recent years.
Petar Torneff, Managing Director ATC Accenture Bulgaria, brings over 20 years of experience in the IT field. Graduating from the Technical University of Varna with a degree in Computer Science, Petar further honed his leadership skills through the prestigious Program for Leadership Development at Harvard Business School in 2015. In 2020, he successfully completed the EMBA Program at the American University in Bulgaria.
Petar Torneff is actively involved in various transformative educational projects and is dedicated to improving leadership potential in Bulgaria. As a valued member of the Management Board of AIBEST, he contributes to the development of strategies and innovative solutions in cloud technologies, cybersecurity, online marketplaces, and the implementation of policies promoting cultural, age, and gender diversity within organizations. Under his leadership, Petar has successfully positioned Accenture Bulgaria as a center of excellence for E-commerce, Salesforce, Data, Cloud, SAP BTP, and SAP Hybris, further solidifying its reputation in these areas.
With his extensive business experience and commitment to fostering inclusive environments, Petar Torneff is sought after as an advocate for promoting a greater sense of belonging for individuals. As an I&D Ambassador, he actively promotes and supports initiatives that create workplaces where all people can feel a sense of belonging, are respected, and are empowered to do their best work.
Over the years, Petar has been actively working with BCNL to develop the NGOs and social entrepreneurs’ ecosystem with the Dar Pazar project creation, Shtrak space development, Let’s GO program and other.
Richard Docwrais a writer, coach and consultant with an academic background in psychology and philosophy and over 25 years’ experience of providing strategic and creative consultancy to help a wide range of progressive causes, such as Oxfam and the Green Party, to achieve greater impact and grow their income. He is director of the fundraising and social change agency ChangeStar and the not-for-profit Life Squared.
He has written many books on psychology, philosophy, politics and the art of living, including ‘Humanise: how knowing ourselves could change the world’ and ‘Life – and how to think about it’. Richard is also the host of the podcasts ‘Humans & Hope‘, ‘Making the world better’ and ‘The Big Questions with Copson and Docwra. See www.richarddocwra.com for more details.
Dr. Rupert Graf Strachwitz., born in 1947, has been involved with CSOs for well over 30 years – as a volunteer, staff member, board member, consultant, and researcher, and lecturer. Since 1989, he has been managing director of Maecenata Management, a consultancy that specializes in foundations and associations, corporate citizenship and philanthropy, and from 1997 till 2023, he has also been the director of the Maecenata Institute for Philanthropy and Civil Society, Berlin. Furthermore, he is Executive Director of the Maecenata Foundation, Munich, Deputy Chairman of the German-British Society, Berlin, Chairman of the Board of the Fliege Foundation, Feldafing and Deputy Chairman of the Board of the ADAC Foundation, Munich. His approx. 600 publications, in German as well as in English, Italian, French, Chinese, Turkish, Japanese, and Polish, include books and articles on foundation issues as well as cultural policy, the third sector, and civil society.
Simeon Vasilev has been the Chairman of the GLAS Foundation since 2014, where he works to protect and promote the equal rights and acceptance of LGBTI people in Bulgaria. With over 15 years of experience in the non-profit sector and a background in public relations and event management, he has been an integral part of Sofia Pride’s Organizing Committee for the past 9 years, coordinating the only Pride event in Bulgaria.
In addition to his work with GLAS, Simeon is actively involved with Credo Bonum Foundation and Gallery, an organization focused on contemporary art and sustainability. He is also the founder of Proud.bg, the only queer online platform in Bulgaria, which provides information on LGBTI topics in Bulgarian.
Simeon is a recipient of the Shofar Award from the Bulgarian Jewish Organization “Shalom” for his ongoing efforts to combat hate speech. He is also a U.S. Alumni of the International Visitors Leadership Program (IVLP). He holds a Bachelor’s degree in Public Relations from Sofia University.
Susan Johnson is a global executive strategist with 20+ years of leading design and implementation strategies to identify source funding and accelerate financial growth objectives. Her experience in the non-profit sector has been with organizations ranging from universities to start ups, and across multiple areas, including higher and elementary education, CBOs, arts and culture, and faith-based organizations.
Her consulting includes working with many New York City based institutions including the Innocence Project, El Museo del Barrio, and New York Restoration Project (NYRP) where she focused on growth including reorganizations, strategic planning as well as fundraising. Her in-house experience includes building development programs and professionalizing operations in the areas of major donor cultivation, capacity building, and board development in the US and abroad.
Svetla Parmakova is the co-founder of One Percent Change, an association established at the end of 2015. Over nearly a decade, the organization has raised more than 1.2 million leva to support 112 causes, touching the lives of over 16,000 people. Svetla believes that the change we seek begins with small, consistent actions by each of us and our community – a principle at the heart of One Percent Change. Within the organisation, she focuses on cause selection, organizational development, and fundraising.
Svetoslav Dragiev is manager of Lead by Example Foundation established by the management team of SiteGround
Svetoslav Dragiev is the manager of “Lead by example” foundation, established by the management team of SiteGround – one of the largest Bulgarian IT companies. Svetoslav has over 20 years of experience in the field of marketing and sales, as well as business management in the tech sector. Before joining the foundation’s team, he held a managerial position at Sony corporation responsible for the operations of the technology leader in Bulgaria, North Macedonia, Albania, and Kosovo.
Zuzana Suchova is fundraising expert and consultant with 15 years of experience in the non-profit, public, and commercial sectors. As a fund manager at Donio, Zuzana excels in crafting innovative strategies and building strong donor relationships. Notably, she played a key role in raising funds for Zuzana Čaputová’s presidential campaign. Zuzana holds a master’s degree in marketing communication and was a finalist in the Resource Alliance Global Fundraising Awards in the Change Accelerator category.
Aylin Yumerova-Petrova is a jurist and Program Director at the Bulgarian Center for Not-for-Profit Law (BCNL). She has been part of the organization’s team for more than 10 years. Aylin coordinates programs that support and build the capacity of civil society organizations, fundraising initiatives for BCNL’s donation campaigns, and activities that promote socially engaged art related to civil rights and freedoms. Over the past seven years, she has led BCNL’s donation campaigns with a focus on individual giving. She is also a member of the Fundraising Club, which was initiated and is coordinated by BCNL.
Luben Panov is Program Director at the America for Bulgaria Foundation. Previously, he worked at the European Center for Not-for-Profit Law (ECNL) providing technical assistance and expert support to local partners in the areas of the enabling environment for civil society. Luben has worked and managed programs in a number of countries, especially in the CEE region and the former Soviet Union. Previously, Luben served as the first director of the Bulgarian Center for Not-for-Profit Law (BCNL) – one of the leading CSOs in the country. In the period 2015 – 2017 he was elected Chairperson of the Public Council of the Committee on Interaction with Civil Society and Citizen Complaints with the Bulgarian Parliament. In the period 2021-2024 Luben has been a Steering Committee member of the global Open Government Partnership, a community of 77 countries.
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.
Organized by
With the financial support of
Partners
