15/01/10
By Howard Lent
A joint bid by NCVO and some of its European counterparts has successfully secured £168,000 of funding for the European Network of National Associations for Civil Society (ENNA).
The money will help fund the 'Participation for Change' project, the first of its kind across Europe, will carry out co-mentoring for civil society members and partners in key countries across Europe.
Umbrella bodies: OFOP (Poland), BBE (Germany), NENO (Estonia) and CNVOS (Slovenia) were also invovled in the bid and events are now being planned in London, Berlin, Talinn and Brussels.
This e-mentoring initiative will provide a forum for civil society organisations (CSOs) to exchange a wide range of ideas as well as closer collaboration on issues facing European communities and their citizens.
ENNA is a growing network of national umbrella bodies in over 15 European countries with the aim of working together as cross-sectoral national associations to develop, support and provide voice across Europe for civil society organizations for the benefit of the millions of people that they serve and represent.

The European Union is one of the largest donors to civil society in the world, but also accused of not truly engaging with sector organisations. Peter Davy investigates the EU/sector relationship
Current struggles over the Eurozone debt crisis have done little to endear the EU to British voters, it seems. Two polls in July had half the population saying they would vote to leave were a referendum held. In the survey by pollsters AngusReid, only a third thought EU membership had been positive for the country...
With morale in the sector at its lowest ebb, Duncan Jefferies asks what makes an effective leader and how charities can attract and develop the best management talent in the current environment