CSVnet, the national association of Volunteer Service Centers, supports the third sector with many tools dedicated to europlanning.
CSVnet Infobandi: a one-stop shop for finding funding
Let’s start with a tool that is obvious to us, but not to be missed: the platform Infobandi developed by CSVnet is the most important free platform of its kind and has always been directly accessible from the homepage of the Europlanning Guide.
Infobandi is a now historical element of the partnership between CSVnet and the Europlanning Guide: the two portals have been active since 2016, can always count on the support of ACRI and support third sector projects with complementary services and information. While the Guide to Europrojecting provides materials, key insights, orientation elements and regular insights in the field of European projects, Infobandi is a tool dedicated to researching calls for proposals and funding opportunities, within the framework of EU programs and beyond.
The Infobandi platform is constantly updated and brings together the main European, international and national funding opportunities in a single database in Italian. It allows you to search for calls by keyword, proximity to deadline, type of program, type of beneficiaries, eligible territories and date.
Since its launch, more than 600 fact sheets collecting the key elements of each call have been published to help potential grantees quickly understand the funding opportunity and reach the grantee’s site.
The Third Sector: a growing reality in Europe
The use of Infobandi and the Europlanning Guide is steadily increasing among Third Sector actors: this process is indicative of the growing interest of voluntary and philanthropy Italians toward Europe. A research published by CSVnet provides an interesting picture of the relationship between the Third Sector and Europlanning.
Between 2015 and 2019 the CSV (Volunteer Service Centers) have participated in 269 European projects. More than half of the CSVs expect to submit a European project in the coming months. To date, 15 CSVs are involved in 42 active projects, in collaboration with 459 Italian and 163 foreign partners (nonprofit associations, local governments, schools and universities).
The issues most frequently addressed in CSV projects are youth, migrants, education, environment and poverty. The most popular programs are Erasmus+ , Europe for Citizens e European Solidarity Corps . The main issues that have emerged from the experience of CSVs on European projects are reporting, administrative management and relations with partners: aspects that we will soon be able to explore in more detail in the pages of this Guide.
Training events and European networks
The above research by CSVnet presents other interesting insights for readers of our Guide.
- First, it confirms the network of Volunteer Service Centers as a key actor for the training of the Third Sector in the field of europlanning..
During the period under analysis (2015-2019), CSVs organized 46 trainings for staff and 139 trainings for volunteers on European project issues: on average, more than one course per year per CSV and nearly 3,000 total beneficiaries over five years. The topics most discussed were design techniques and methodologies, the Erasmus+ program, and finding funding.
- Second, it provides a mapping of the participation in European networks By CSVs. These networks can be an important reference point for Europlanning activity in the Third Sector:
- CEV (European Volunteering Center) and VoluntEurope : the leading networks of organizations supporting volunteering in Europe.
- Eurodesk : the official information network on European programs dedicated to young people
- REVES (European Network of Cities & Regions for the Social Economy): a European network dedicated to the social economy
- ALDA (European Association for Local Democracy): a network dedicated to democratic citizen participation at the local level
- ENSA (European Network of Social Authorities): network dedicated to the social sector.
- Sport&Citizenship : first European think tank in the field of sport
- Youth Health Organization : network working for the health and well-being of young people
Complex Toolbox for Volunteers: a “toolbox” for the Third Sector in Europe
Finally, the “ Complex Toolbox for Volunteers ” (CTV) is one of the most interesting tools that CSVnet is currently developing, in partnership with other European organizations and with the support of the Erasmus+ .
It is a real “toolbox” that aims to accompany volunteers and Third Sector workers in the world of European projects, in accessing new sources of funding and participating in international networks and partnerships.
The “Toolbox” offers a series of self-training resources devoted to some of the most important topics in Europlanning, approached from the specific perspective of a volunteer organization, with in-depth resources and quizzes to test one’s knowledge. The contents currently include an in-depth study of the following concepts:
- L’ internationalization : how and why a voluntary organization should push itself to look beyond its usual boundaries;
- The communication , dissemination and exploitation of project results;
- The management of relations and communication in an international, multicultural and “project” context;
- The quality in European projects: how it is defined, how it is measured, and how it is ensured;
- I software and platforms that can help European project management.
The themes are very interesting and articulately developed: all that remains is to discover them.
A world of tools at your disposal
The materials and tools made available by CSVnet, the others mentioned in the section dedicated to the In-depth Guides and the Europlanning Guide itself bring European projects and funds closer to voluntary organizations and the Third Sector.
We have always devoted care and dedication to making European projects more “open,” more “readable” and “affordable.” We know that we are not alone and that we can count on other organizations, such as CSVnet, that share this vision and commitment.
