Impact Academy

Impact Academy is a 5-month program that guides civic society leaders through theoretical approaches, development of practical strategy, tools and customized indicators. The program includes mentoring and assistance in helping you apply the new method established in your daily practice and in the strategic direction of your organization. In addition, the program encourages and embraces a culture based on mutual trust, empowerment and support, learning and responsibility. An integral part of the program is the mentoring process, as well as the development of a peer support network.

A 5-month journey, 5 sessions (1.5 days each) and a continuous journey of transversal learning for personal gain, guided by a group coach.

Who are the leaders of civil society?

Alina Kasprovschi founded and runs the Bucharest Community Foundation since 2011. Prior to this position, she gained ten years of experience in marketing and communication, where she worked for multinational brands. Alina leads according to the vision of the foundation - no matter how difficult to develop or poorly run a city is, if it can be saved, it will be saved by the stubbornness of people with initiative, who get involved in the community out of conviction. Provided they have access to resources and are encouraged not to give up.

Starting with April 2019, Mihaela Mohorea took over the management of the PACT Foundation, an organization that works under the umbrella of community development processes in Southern Romania. Her motivation is to contribute to the support offered to vulnerable people and that is why she started her activity in the mental health area in 2000, the mental disorders being one of the causes with which you did not want, in any form, to associate. From the position of Public Relations Manager, together with the excellent team of the Estuar Foundation, they managed to bring mental health on the public agenda.

Diana Certan has 16 years of professional experience in non-governmental organizations (NGOs); his expertise is in organizational management, project management, development of models and experiential educational programs (learn by doing), social services, fundraising, program impact assessment, trainer of trainers. Diana is a member of national and international juries for NGOs and social enterprises. Starting with May 2015, Diana is the executive director - communication and fundraising for the CONCORDIA Humanitarian Organization.

Radu Motoc has been working for 20 years in the non-governmental sector in Romania. Since 2012, he leads the Techsoup Romania Association, after previously being for 6 years the program director of the Foundation for an Open Society. A graduate of the Faculty of Political Sciences of the University of Bucharest, he is also a member of the board of directors of the Legal Resources Center Foundation.

Balogh Márton has been working at the Civitas Foundation since 2000. In the period 2000 - 2004 he holds the position of program director of the Foundation and, starting with 2004, he is the director of the regional office in Cluj - Napoca. In this capacity he participated in the elaboration and implementation of over 75 projects in the field of rural development, social economy, public administration reform.

Anna Burtea is a founding member and currently executive director of the Inimă de Copil Foundation, a non-governmental organization dedicated to increasing the quality of life and protecting the rights of vulnerable children in Romania. Since 1995 in the organization as a volunteer, trained as a doctor, with numerous courses and training in social care and management, I am a simple and warm man, who resonates with children and their families, and who believes in the dream and potential of each of them.

Cristina Lupu is the Executive Director of the "Center for Independent Journalism", after working here for more than 14 years. He started as an intern and then became a Communication and Programming Manager. He coordinated and implemented projects through the Center for Independent Journalism (national and international programs). He has a vast knowledge in the Romanian, mainstream and local media (institutions, legislation, self-regulation procedures) and collaborates with a wide range of journalists and media managers.

Suzana Dobre is the director of Educational Programs at the Romanian-American Foundation, a grant-giving organization. She has an extensive knowledge of the NGO sector, as she has been involved in the field since 1994. Before joining the RAF team in 2011, for eight years she held executive positions in various think tanks and organizations in Romania.

What are the modules in the program?

The new Leadership

The new Leadership allows changemakers to generate large-scale positive change in a system that is part of a world that is complex, interconnected, and rapidly changing. They need to create a space where everyone can participate. to co-create change. Thus, in order to be successful in initiating systematic change, the main role of a leader becomes to create spaces and roles that allow others to contribute to and guide change. This means questioning and innovating the way we lead and organize for the impact on the system.

Changing Systems

In order to make a lasting difference and maximize the impact of available resources, social change must address the root causes and systemic determinants of a problem. By taking an indirect impact approach such as changing industrial policies or rules and creating access to existing or new markets, social entrepreneurs have the opportunity to address these already existing dynamics and achieve a much greater change than would be possible. have a direct impact on its beneficiaries.

Impact measurement

Organizations in our region face challenges against sustainability and their legitimacy, in contexts in which they continue to provide a platform for expression to marginalized groups and in which they address pressing social issues. While impact assessment should be one of the key topics, this whole area is still poorly developed and often ignored. It is essential to develop a core group of ecosystem actors who can act as "ambassadors" or develop good practices for effective impact measurement and communication.

Financial Solutions

To increase their impact, change leaders need affordable funding. They need to learn how to navigate hybrid funding approaches to unlock untapped sources of funding.

Collective Impact

The transition from an isolated to a collective impact is not just a matter of encouraging more public-private partnerships or partnerships. It requires a systemic approach to social impact that focuses on the relationship between organizations and progress towards common goals. And it requires the creation of a new set of non-profit management organizations that possess the skills and resources needed to gather and coordinate the specific elements needed for collective action to succeed (Source here).

What are the main results obtained?

• Custom tools, ready to be integrated into your organization
• A small community of civil society leaders, ready to take a more systemic approach
• A journey of transversal learning for one's own well-being
• A new perspective of collective impact