NEWS
Dr Milana Čergić (Postdoctoral Researcher at the University of Mainz) reflects on conversations she had with representatives of Volonteri Crne Gore and Budi Human, offering an interesting insight into the ways in which digital fundraising is unfolding in Montenegro.
In the last few weeks, we had the opportunity to talk to representatives of two NGOs that both rely heavily on digital platforms for the collection of donations: Volonteri Crne Gore (Volunteers of Montenegro) and Budi Human. Volonteri Crne Gore is active in the city of Nikšić and was founded in 2013 by a group of friends. It specializes in the support of families and children in need, mostly left out of the welfare state, and collects various forms of donations. Budi Human is Montenegro’s most visible crowdsourcing NGO. It was founded in Podgorica in 2015 by a local entrepreneur and specializes in collecting donations for sick children who need treatment in a foreign country. These treatments cannot be undergone in Montenegro due to the lack of medical specialization and infrastructure. There are some interesting aspects that emerged during my conversations with the foundations, namely the strong collaboration with public institutions, which makes them complementary actors to the welfare state. Moreover, the digital platforms serve to legitimize their work by ensuring transparency and are integrated into a broader digital ecosystem.
An interesting fact is that both foundations collaborate with and support public institutions. Volonteri Crne Gore works with the local Centre for Social Work to identify families in need of financial or material support. In some cases, they replace public institutions, which do not have enough resources to guarantee equal access to social services for all citizens. According to Marina Došen, one of the NGO’s representatives, public institutions and Volonteri Crne Gore have “exchanged roles”, with the organization taking over social support in various forms where the welfare state appears limited. Budi Human also collaborates with the Public Health Institute, especially in exchanging information about potential patients who need support. The process of determining who can obtain refunds for medical treatments can be complex, and although the public health system does give refunds in most cases, many families need funds before the medical treatment.
Both foundations started their work offline but they soon realized the necessity of developing an online platform to guarantee widespread communication, successful and fast fundraising, as well as transparency. Their digital platforms are designed so that users/donors can obtain information about the campaigns and donate easily. Members of the diaspora can also contribute, with options to pay by credit card or to initiate bank transfers through an international bank account. Budi Human provides an SMS phone number for each child it supports, allowing people with Montenegrin phone numbers to donate one euro per text message. This method has become a popular and widespread way of fundraising, as it enables people to contribute small amounts. A crucial aspect of the platform is that every donation, including SMS donations, is shown in real time on the platform, contributing to transparency, an essential aspect of the foundation’s work. As Dajana Ljiljanić, a representative of Budi Human, explained: “If we hadn’t been transparent from the start, who knows where we would be today. We managed to create a chain of trust from the beneficiary to the donor.” The digital thus contributes to maintaining trust for all actors connected to the platform.
Another essential aspect is the use of social networks, specifically messaging services like Viber, which is popular in the Balkans. Viber groups serve to inform people about ongoing campaigns and demand constant and active engagement with donors and beneficiaries, further contributing to the creation of trust and continuity.
During the interviews with the representatives of the foundations, we learned about their creation, work, and the embeddedness of digital tools in a larger ecosystem of communication. In the next stages of our research, we will accompany members of the foundations during a longer fieldwork phase to observe how digital tools are present in the everyday life of their work and how donors and beneficiaries utilize these tools.