site.btaWhile Supporting People in Distress, Society Should Invest More in Systemic Solutions - Donors Forum CEO

Society should continue to support the neediest while at the same time investing more in systemic solutions, Bulgarian Donors Forum (BDF) Executive Director Teodora Bakardzhieva told BTA in an interview.

According to a nationwide representative survey unveiled in March, charity cash boxes (61%) and text messaging (47%) remain the most widely used means of donation in Bulgaria. People in this country tend to unite around social and health causes when engaging in charity, the survey shows.

Bakardzhieva attributed the latter circumstance to the fact that people tend to identify with those in distress and are therefore more willing to help. BDF's work through the DMS fundraising platform, managed in partnership with BCause Foundation, shows that calls to help children in need of medical treatment abroad and elderly people with multiple sclerosis are among the types of campaigns which receive support most quickly, she said. There are also many examples of cash donations for hospital equipment, medicines and upgrades of hospital conditions. It is noteworthy that a growing number of donors invest in disease prevention.

Speaking about systemic solutions, there are civic organizations which work to address problems that are not in the spotlight of public attention, Bakardzhieva said. They offer a full set of social care services not just for separate individuals but for whole groups of people with similar needs.

Understandably, public holidays such as Easter and Christmas provide an occasion to think about vulnerable groups, Bakadzhieva said. On such days, donating is a spontaneous act of support. However, charity is becoming more of an avenue of civic involvement and an expression of the awareness that positive change depends on everyone. Statistical data show that 52% of Bulgarians have made donations and 48% have not. The share of donors is larger than the share of non-donors for the second year in a row.

The typical donor in Bulgaria is a person aged between 30 and 60, usually resident in the capital Sofia or some other larger city, and relatively well educated. Female donors predominate. In times of humanitarian crises or natural disasters, as in 2022 (with the onset of the war in Ukraine, the refugee crisis, the Karlovo floods), the typical donor's profile changes as sympathy spreads among larger social groups, including inhabitants of smaller settlements, young people, and men.

Asked whether business donations and corporate social responsibility are growing, Bakardzhieva said that BDF has worked in this field for nearly 20 years. Corporate support for charitable causes has evolved considerably during that period. In the past, businesses were more spontaneous when engaging in charity, but now, ever more companies have long-term programmes for corporate social responsibility, teams to implement them, goals to achieve, and policies which can be modified if the results are unsatisfactory. Businesses are becoming more responsible to the communities in which they operate, want to work with civic organizations longterm, recognize the power of their own employees as envoys of good causes, and promote voluntary activities.

The success of corporate philanthropy used to be measured only by the amount of money donated. Nowadays, there are more examples of responsible business projects and initiatives aimed to address the need for a sustainable social impact and encourage partners, clients and employees to work for causes that are important for the community.

Bakardzhieva said that smart causes are her favourite type. These are causes that have the energy and the potential for change, she added. Rather than passively providing support, they contribute to building a strong and vibrant community of like-minded people and donors who share a common vision of real change for the benefit of a larger number of people.