Strengthening Business Support Organizations in Bosnia-Herzegovina, Serbia and Romania Program (2007-2008)

The program’s objective was to strengthen Balkan business support organizations’ professional standards, organizational capacities, and advocacy techniques to prepare them for effective participation in policy making.

Diagnostic Assessment in Bosnia Herzegovina, Kosovo and Serbia

CIPE Regional Office administered a diagnostic assessment to gauge each organization’s capacity in areas like membership, governance, public policy advocacy, and finances. In addition, CIPE Regional Office conducted a needs assessment to identify the areas in which additional skills were needed. Based on the findings, CIPE selected Serbia and Bosnia-Herzegovina to participate in the Regional Institute for Organization Management (RIOM) training. The selection took into consideration the capacity of the business community in each country to absorb the RIOM training lessons and to improve their organizational and advocacy capacities.

Delivering the RIOM Training

A group of 15 participants from 10 business associations, chambers of commerce, and think tanks from the Federation of Bosnia-Herzegovina and Srpska Republic attended the RIOM training session that took place on March 4-6, 2008, in Sarajevo. An additional twenty-two representatives of Serbian business associations and chambers of commerce participated in a RIOM training session held on May 7-9, 2008, in Timisoara, Romania. At the end of the RIOM training in Timisoara, the Serbian participants had the opportunity to meet with Romanian counterparts during a networking session meant to foster cooperation and potential participation in joined projects.

Both RIOM training sessions were very interactive and included practical examples, case studies, exercises, and open forum discussions. All the participants received CDs with training materials, case studies, and other relevant CIPE publications. At the end of the training sessions, the participants also received certificates of attendance.

The curricula developed for the RIOM training for Bosnian and Serbian association executives comprise a number of eight modules on the following topics: Analyzing the association environment and market, Membership, Programs and services, Advocacy, Strategic planning, Effective meetings, Communication, Finance (Dues and other income sources).

The fact that the curricula were developed based on each country’s situation lead to a great level of participant satisfaction. Even if the same topic was on the agenda of the two sessions, the difference in local conditions/situations in the business environment led to different approaches in the module and different exercises. For example membership in chambers of commerce is voluntary in Bosnia-Herzegovina and mandatory in Serbia so the modules on membership and finance were different in approach and content. The RIOM curricula focused on all aspects of organizational management, giving participants a general perspective of how to run such an institution. The curricula were designed to stimulate interaction among facilitators, trainers, and participants. The discussion focused not only on theory and best practices, but also included practical examples and case studies. Participants also had the opportunity to discuss their particular experiences and issues.

In Romania, RIOM celebrated its second series of graduates in May 2008, 12 representatives of business associations, chambers of commerce and students willing to try a career in the NGO sector.

Impact Assessment

Assistance and training tailored to the specific needs of association and chamber executives in Serbia and Bosnia-Herzegovina have been scarce, and therefore the RIOM training program was welcome and it had an impact on the individuals who participated and on their organizations.

In particular this program has helped prepare the business community in Serbia and Bosnia-Herzegovina for dialogue with policymakers. Representatives of three associations that participated in the training in Sarajevo used the information they gained in the advocacy sessions to promote the agenda of an NGO coalition that is engaged in an advocacy campaign aiming at cutting down salary taxes in the Federation of Bosnia-Herzegovina under the slogan “Save our economy. Cut on Tax”.

In addition the participants also used the knowledge gained in the trainings to strengthen their organizational capacity in areas like programs and services, membership, financial planning and others. Following the training, the participants are better able to perform and their organizations have a greater capacity to serve the members and local business community. A number of 15 new services for members have been created as a result of the information and knowledge gained in the training. The services range from consulting and information regarding funding opportunities to agreements with media outlets for PR and marketing services for company members at discounted rates and free hosting of member advertisements and press releases on the association’s website.

Following the training session, the participants have a greater capacity to engage businesses in membership-based organizations. After the training a new entity called “Association of Business Women "Eve” was created to represent the interests of local women entrepreneurs. Previously it was a women’s informal group affiliated with the Regional Chamber of Commerce in Valjevo. Now it has become a stand-alone association and the structure of the association was built based on knowledge gained from the training.

The Serbian participants have been very actively involved in disseminating/sharing information and knowledge from the training session. Up to date, 40% of the participants have shared with colleagues and partners the gained knowledge as they perceive value in the RIOM courses and materials. For example the Regional Chamber of Commerce in Valjevo shared the information with another 11 local associations.

Click here to see more pictures from the events organized during this program.

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