Frequently Asked Questions

Planning generally plays an important role in collaboration with volunteers. An effective collaboration with volunteers in CSOs enables organizations to work with them in a long-term and mutually beneficial way. Collaboration can transform to a sustainable volunteering programme by strategic planning. At the planning phase, following topics are advised to be considered;

• Assess the organization's readiness to work with volunteers. Volunteer Program Assessment, developed by Betty Stallings can be utilized to find out the readiness of the organization for engaging volunteers.
• Goals of Volunteer Programme. Volunteering is a crucial resource and strategy for implementing the mission of the organization. So, measurable and achievable goals should be set for the impact that volunteers will create. Besides, resources that may be required for volunteers (table, chair, computer, etc.) should also be taken into consideration.
• Staffing for Collaboration with Volunteers. Success in collaboration is directly linked to effective coordination. One of the important elements of effective collaboration is to have a "volunteer coordinator" (professional or volunteer based, whose job description is related to the coordination of the volunteer task force).

A successful volunteer coordinator must have knowledge and experience on;

• Human Resources Management,
• Public relations/marketing,
• Communication,
• Resource development,
• Growth of Society
• Education, training and development.

Stamp duty exemptions are applicable for;

• Contracts & agreements
• Grant Contract itself
• Contracts with employees and experts for service provision within the scope of the grant contract
• Contracts with suppliers

For more information, please check out Communiqué for IPA II 

Campaigns can be described as a series of actions or activities aimed at a wide audience for building support to provide remedy to a problem or an issue. It can be carried out to influence decision makers with broad public support and participation. In other words, a campaign is also a set of activities in a certain period of time, aimed at both behavioral and policy changes by mobilizing the large masses for a specific advocacy purpose. 

Campaigns should have a decent planning, considering the implementation capacity and;

• The short and a clear message should be conveyed throughout the campaign,
• A call action needs be developed to mobilize the wide audiences,
• It is recommended to be creative and noticeable for the message, visual(s), applications and media of the campaign for attracting the attention of the broad public.

In consequence of the 85th Presidential Decree on 12/09/2018 and the 4th article of the "Decision No. 32 on the Protection of the Value of Turkish Currency,", regulating service or work contracts in foreign currency and/or in foreign currency indexed amongst residents of Turkey had been prohibited for trading and locatio of all kinds of chattels, real estates, vehicles, financial leasing, except for the clauses to be designated by the Republic of Türkiye Ministry of Treasury and Finance.

Then, in order to determine exceptions, two communiqués were published and through the last one, (Communiqué No: 2018) -32/52) the amendment is made to allow CSOs who have grant contracts abroad are able to issue contracts in foreign currencies, except human resources contracts.

Accordingly, the below table demonstrates usage of currencies, based on budget headings, are able to be applied in contracts of CSOs who have grant contracts abroad.

The fundraising and resource development concept can be considered by CSOs in a broader perspective. In addition to financial resources, infrastructure, equipment, information and technology are also resources for CSO that are expected to be managed efficiently. Therefore, CSOs should not consider resources only in terms of money, and to plan them in a broader context. Here, volunteers should also be recognized as one of the significant resources in CSOs. Volunteers can take an active role in different areas, from accessing in-kind and financial resources to supporting the operations of the organizations.

Volunteers contribute to several different functions of CSOs in a wider range of areas, such as promoting community engagement and participation in the society and to popularize the success and operations of the organization. Besides, working with volunteers enhances the recognition of the organization, ensures that its operations and works are acknowledged by the society. They also serve as a bridge between CSOs and society and contribute to increase effectiveness of CSOs operations. Moreover, the support of volunteers enables a CSO to run activities easier and in a more effective way. All of these provide an advantage to CSOs in fundraising and resource development processes as well.

You can find more information about fundraising and resource development and volunteer management on Volunteer Management Guide, 501 Commons. For further information (in Turkish), please check out the Turkish version of this page.

The key is to encourage people who have required skills for devoting their time and energy to an organization.

Moreover, benefits to be achieved by volunteers should be identified and those need to be conveyed to them in a structured way. For example, voluntary work would be an opportunity to get to know people from a different background and culture? Or build a durable relationship with a child? Or gaining updated information about communication? Etc.

CSOs that are successfully engaged with well-matched volunteers:

• are clear about the skills and background that is needed,
• to engage the entire staff, board and community in collaboration efforts,
• to use different means to outreach prospective volunteers such as on-line listings, newsletters, one-on-one contact, etc
• The "Volunteer Recruitment Toolkit"  will help to identify and attract volunteers as target audience.

There is no need to issue an agreement/contract with the supplier/service provider. The payment of mentioned good and services may be realized against invoices and submission of VAT Tax Exemption Certificate.

In order to avoid unforeseen circumstances with suppliers/service providers, it’s advised to issue an agreement/contract for procurement activities which is less than 3,500 TL.

Policy Proposal can be defined as making recommendations to change a law, regulation, or government service with the intention of offering a better life for people.

Collaboration or establishing partnerships with other civil actors assist CSOs to achieve their goals, increase their influence and further strengthen their capacities by a mutual learning process.

Cooperation and partnership can be developed with civil actors such as networks/platforms at the regional, national and international level in the similar thematic area. Moreover, collaborative works can also be established with an organization which works in the same field.

For more information, please check out to the following resources;

• Partnership Resource Centre. University of Erasmus, Rotterdam School of Management, Netherlands
• A Practical Guide to Partnership: How to Make It Work. Floriana Nappini. Balkan Civil Society Development Network (BCSDN), 2016. 
• Review of EU Networks for Civil Society Organizations. TACSO, 2011. The book provides brief information about more than two hundred networks and platforms in the EU member states.
• Networking and Relationship Building for CSOs Course Toolkit. Prepared by Indrani Sigamany. INTRAC, 2007

You may refer to the section titled "How to Benefit from STGM" located on our website.

When designing call and selection procedures of FSTP mechanism as a component of an EU supported intervention/projects, it’s advised to reflect on;

*Enhanced Outreach to Civil Society Organizations: A Collection of Good Practices of Financial Support to Third Parties in the Neighbourhood and Enlargement Countries. Directorate-General for Neighbourhood and Enlargement Negotiations European Commission. TACSO, 2021. 

It’s recommended to use a plain language in a policy document and following information should be provided;

• What the problem is
• Why the problem matters
• What the solution is
• What type of significant change is required in law, regulation, and government practices

In other words, a policy document consists of 4 main parts;

1. The part where the problem is stated
2. The part where the importance of the problem is explained-emphasized
3. The part where the proposal for solution is presented
4. The part where the solution is linked to the legislation

While preparing a policy document, a proper screening, analysis and in-depth research should be conducted for the problem and solution. Moreover, references should be cited so that it’s clear that the effort have been made. And the most important point is the use of headings that can briefly summarize the issue and describe the problem at once.

It is recommended to use a document which covers main information regarding participants, including their signatures. You can find a sample template here.

• To defend communities from adverse changes,
• To achieve widespread, long-term and sustainable changes for the benefit of communities,  especially for the benefit of the disadvantaged groups,
• To ensure the responsibilities of governments and decision makers at the level of local, regional, national and international to citizens are met and rights are fully respected
• To strengthen democracy by encouraging the engagement of citizens and civil society organizations in the policy-making process

As good at working together, partnerships and collaborations can succeed and they develop meaningful relationships that create effective results. Partnerships are formed by some essentials such as collaborative mindsets, principled attitudes and relevant knowledge. In order to develop solutions and add value, some features should also be adopted such as bridging different contexts, language, working cultures to build a fit for joint. 

Moreover, it should be taken into consideration that collaborations amongst CSOs often occur in an uncertain environment such as a fragile context in an unpredictable political or economic atmosphere. So, they require a high degree of flexibility, adaptability and resilience.

Therefore, development of effective partnerships and collaborations comprise of following steps;

• Work on shared ambitions,
• Respect each other’s interests,
• Pay attention to personal relationships and group dynamics,
• Organize/set up the partnership in a professional way,
• Focus on a meaningful/effective process,
• Support mutual learning,
• Sustain partnership outcomes.

For more information, please check out PrC Insight Series: Partnership Skills 

Works and activities of STGM are announced on its website, social media channels and e-newsletter. Please remember to check our website and social media channels on a regular basis. You may also join our e-newsletter by just typing your e-mail address. You can find the registration part at the bottom of each page on our website.

If the donation section of a CSO's own website is not running for a specific purpose with predetermined fixed amounts, it’s not considered as an act of "aid collection”, so it is not subject to get permission. 

However, if a CSO collects revenue on its own website for a specific purpose under the name of "donation" or if amounts of revenue are determined by a CSO and the system does not allow the visitor to determine the amount of the donation, it’s considered as an  act of "aid collection" and it will be subject to permission.
 

Article 6 of the General Conditions of contracts indicates requirements and procedures regarding communication and visibility activities in EU supported interventions/projects. As specified in article 6.1 of the General Conditions, "Communication and Visibility Guidelines in EU Financed External Actions 2018" explains procedures to be followed for EU supported interventions/projects.

There are several types of evaluation form formats. But, you can find a sample here (in Turkish) and revise it in accordance with your needs, if you want.