The aim of the impact evaluation of the Civil\nSociety Development Plan 2015-2020, commissioned by the Government Office\nStrategy Unit and the Ministry of the Interior, was to map the development of\nthe NGO’s operational environment and to provide input for the development of\ncivil society based on the assessment of the KODAR 2015-2020 targets.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
To do this, an impact evaluation was carried\nout, which included document analysis, personal and focus group interviews (7\nofficials, 33 experts and 19 NGOs were interviewed) and a survey of NGOs (1121\nassociations). The survey questionnaire covered thematic areas such as\ncommunity background data, the organization of internal activities and\nmanagement structures, cooperation with different parties, participation in\nthird sector development and funding mechanisms.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The results of the survey showed that the\nnon-profit sector in Estonia is sustainable, but still needs continued support\nto ensure balanced development of NGOs and civil society. Attention should be paid\nto ensuring lifelong learning in civic education and supporting activities that\npromote local democracy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
According to the survey, the share of NGOs\nearning income has increased from 49% to 57% compared to 2013. The decline in\nthe share of NGOs with paid labor has stopped, but the share of associations\ninvolving volunteers has decreased. Similarly to most European countries, the\nmembership of NGOs in Estonia has also decreased.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Among social activities, NGOs have the most experience in promoting local life (66%), media (42%), and protecting the interests of target groups and members (38%). The evaluation mapped the greatest development needs of civil society and taking into account the goals and the current situation of the analyzed areas of KODAR, made suggestions to improve the situation. The following development needs and recommendations are fully outlined in the final impact evaluation report:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The problem areas identified in the study,\nwhich should be addressed by NGOs, private companies, local governments,\nnational authorities, educational institutions, and ordinary people to help\nfurther develop civil society, can be broadly divided into two categories:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Through civic education, we must also raise\nawareness of the roles of the various parties in civil society and raise\nawareness of the value of NGOs in society.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The impact assessment was funded by the\nOperational Programme for Cohesion Policy Funds, 2014-2020, priority axis 12\n\u201cAdministrative capacity\u201d, action 12.2 \u201cDevelopment of quality of\npolicy-making\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The KODAR 2015-2020 Impact Assessment report\nwill be published in the coming days.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
The aim of the impact evaluation of the Civil Society Development Plan…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"featured_media":0,"template":"","publication-category":[118],"publication-financier":[],"publication-tag":[],"class_list":["post-2510","publications","type-publications","status-publish","hentry","publication-category-evaluation-and-policy-analysis"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n