Throughout the years, the most frequent assistance to CSOs was provided by different types of donors, but private entities (citizens through mass-individual giving and known individuals) had a key role in its support. Citizens through mass-individual donations had the largest share of donation instances to CSOs since 2018, except in the first and second years of the pandemic – when individuals provided most of the support as donors.

According to the data on overall giving in Kosovo in 2022, private entities (individuals and citizens through mass-individual giving) have donated more frequently and more in the recorded values than corporate donors.  This trend is also present in giving landscape to CSOs.

We attribute this to the CSOs' increased abilities in mobilizing community support in efforts to resolve important issues, as well as to the strong ties of both Kosovo and its diaspora citizens' long-standing tradition to provide support to their communities[1]. The share of giving by the corporate sector to CSOs varied over the years, with the largest share being in 2020 during the pandemic. This year, less than 1/5 of donation instances came to CSOs from the corporate sector, and the amounts recorded are smaller compared to the past. The historical data on giving to CSOs in Kosovo shows that cooperation with the corporate sector is still not well developed and strategically framed, and we see this as an important trend to be monitored in the future. We consider the ties of society with the private sector to be very important for philanthropy, and more efforts should be made to nurture this kind of partnership.  Finally, it is worth noting that the diaspora plays an important role in supporting CSOs in Kosovo. Out of the total recorded amount directed to CSOs in 2022, around 19% was donated by diaspora donors.

Trends in Types of Donors Giving in Kosovo 2018 – 2022

Graph: # of Instances of Giving to CSOs in Kosovo, Disaggregated by Type of Donor 2018 – 2022
Giving to CSOs: Trends in Donors Type 2018 - 2022 - download the infographic in PDF

In 2022, citizens, through mass-individual giving, were the most prominent donors to CSOs in Kosovo, both by the times they have donated and the total sum of their donations. The giving from citizens was mainly collected through fundraising campaigns (in almost 85% of the giving instances) initiated by the CSOs. Individuals were the second most frequent donors, followed by companies and SMEs. Regarding the value of giving, citizens had a significantly larger share compared to other types of donors to CSOs (84.2% of the total donated amount); thus, the share of all other donor types together was less than 16%.

Giving to CSOs: Donor Type Structure in Kosovo in 2022
Giving to CSOs: Donors in Kosovo in 2022 (% of amount) - download the infographic in PDF

Giving to CSOs: Donors in Kosovo in 2022 (% of instances) - download the infographic in PDF

Share of CSOs in Types of Donors

Looking into data regarding donor types in Kosovo in 2022, CSOs were the primary recipients of mass individual donors, the corporate sector, and in instances where mixed donor type was present. Specifically, out of all donation instances in which mixed donors were recorded, 90% were directed to CSOs. This large percentage of donations facilitated by CSOs can be attributed to the fact that these donation instances happened predominately within fundraising campaigns where citizens, companies, and other CSOs came together in supporting efforts. The CSOs served as “collection centers”. On the other hand, donations from individual donors were mainly directed to individuals and families in need, without an intermediary.


Share of CSOs in Relation to Types of Donors (% of instances)
Share of CSOs in Types of Donors (% of instances) - download the infographic in PDF

Examples of Giving

Citizens fundraising efforts

One of the examples of citizen solidarity through the work of CSOs in 2022 is the initiative by the humanitarian association „Avni Hyseni“ for the medical treatment of S.T. from Skivjan village of Gjakova. Through a call for donations, the amount of EUR 55,200 needed for the treatment, transportation, and facilitation was raised by citizens.

Corporate and Civil Society Partnership

According to the Giving Balkans database, in 2022, companies and SMEs contributed to the civil society sector with more than EUR 125,000 donated through 86 different philanthropic actions.

A notable example was the donation of the construction company Euroing, intended for the construction of a new facility for the “Handikos” association in Suharekë in cooperation with the municipality of Suharekë. Another construction company, Cima Construction, donated EUR 37,610 to the civil society sector in 2022. From this sum, a large share was for providing individual housing for socially disadvantaged individuals and families. An interesting example of giving to the CSOs was from Bio Lab Laboratory, which provided free analysis to beneficiaries of the organization “Happy Mothers and Children”. On the occasion of the end-of-year holidays, NLB Bank donated gifts to several associations in Kosovo that provide care for children with disabilities: “Handikos” association Ferizaj and Gjakovë, “Pema” association in Gjilan, “Down Syndrome” association in Mitrovica, and the “Mother Teresa” resource center in Prizren.

Diaspora support to the CSOs in Kosovo

The humanitarian foundation Action for Mothers and Children (AMC) organized the traditional humanitarian event for the support of the health of mothers and children, called “Meet Us Halfway,” in New York on 21st October 2022. During the event, around EUR 67,800 were raised by the Albanian diaspora in the USA, intended for the purchase of medical equipment and medications for health institutions in Kosovo.

More on Kosovo’s support to nonprofits in 2022:

This report is made possible by the generous support of the American people through the United States Agency for International Development (USAID). The contents are the responsibility of Catalyst Balkans and do not necessarily reflect the views of USAID or the United States Government.

The Citizen Engagement Activity in Kosovo is a five-year initiative implemented by Kosovar Civil Society Foundation (KCSF) in partnership with the United States Agency for International Development (USAID).

 

 

[1] According to the Giving Balkans database, in the period from 2018 until 2022 around 20% of all donation instances to CSOs were donated by diaspora donors. ¼ of all CSOs with recorded activity in this period were supported by the diaspora.