Experiences from the Pilot Phase of the Solidarity Women’s Programme
Who we supported, how we supported them, and how they view the outcome of our collaboration
In the framework of the experimental program of the Roots and Wings Foundation (RWF), we supported organizations working for the representation of women’s issues and the visibility of women’s topics for two years. During the support period, we also professionally assisted their work. Following this, Gabriella Benedek and Dóra Szegő, staff members of the Solidarity Women’s Programme, requested feedback on the experiences of the joint work in a follow-up and evaluation research. In this article, Dóra Szegő summarizes the framework and lessons learned from our collaboration.
The goal of the research was to synthesize the experiences for ourselves and our supporters. In addition, these lessons and experiences formed the basis for the development of the key framework, values, and support policy of the Solidarity Women’s Programme, launched by the Roots and Wings Foundation in 2024, which will be presented in more detail soon.
Context – The Background of the Experiment
In 2022, we conducted a sociological survey among professionals and organizations working on women’s issues. The aim was, on one hand, to explore the circumstances, attitudes, resources, and challenges characterizing the situation of Hungarian civil actors working for women. On the other hand, we sought to understand the potential supporters and their perspectives, those who are concerned with issues affecting women and are ready to act for the visibility and representation of women’s perspectives. Based on this, we set up the experimental professional program, in which we put the professional tools and resources of RWF at the service of organizations and communities representing women’s topics.
Whom and How We Supported
Between 2022 and 2024, during the pilot phase, we distributed nearly 11 million HUF to 8 organizations (including registered organizations and informal groups) and 9 programs in three different structures. On March 8, 2023, during our Women’s Day Live Crowdfunding Night, four organizations received support: the Szívhangok Troupe, Support Network for Detainees and their Families, Női Váltó Foundation, and the EMMA Association.
The Patent Association‘s program supporting Ukrainian women seeking asylum was assisted in cooperation with a foreign private donor. The Experiential Youth Association collected support for their work through the RWF’s recommendation at the online crowdfunding event held by The Funding Network (TFN) on March 15, 2023. Another significant result of the experimental support program was the establishment of NADE! – the first Hungarian women’s donor circle, which, after a one-year fundraising campaign, supported the activities of three organizations in November 2023: She for She, Szívhangok Troupe, and Mamakör Foundation.
The listed partners were supported with amounts ranging from 500,000 to 3.5 million HUF, totaling 11.7 million HUF. The activities were implemented over a period of 6-16 months based on work plans they created with the support received from RWF. We provided institutional frameworks and professional support for the use of the grants.
The Uniqueness and Impact of the Support We Provided
Based on feedback from the participants, our support was seen as unique and beneficial in several ways. They emphasized that it was significant that they were able to allocate the funds based on their actual needs, which they could define and shape according to their changing realities. One supported organization expressed it as follows:
“You treated us as adults, the relationships were leveled. We enjoy working with you. We don’t have to be ‘supported’ when we work with you, we are partners.”
It was valuable for them that we primarily aimed to accompany their work, understand their situation, and support them in what they truly needed. They generally allocated the resources to areas where it was difficult or impossible to obtain support through traditional channels. These areas included burnout prevention and self-care for employees doing demanding work, building professional and human communities within the organization, and targeted, structured reflection on professional work, such as supervision or planning with expert involvement.
We also asked those working in the supported organizations and communities about the direct impacts they felt from the activities realized with the help of RWF. Overall, we concluded from the feedback that the effect of financial, professional, and human support was greater and more tangible than we would have expected based on the support amounts.
They identified many positive outcomes from the support: improvements in professional work, organizational functioning and sustainability, internal relationships within the organization, and visibility in the public sphere. A common point was the development of their organizational communities, a shift in mindset about resource generation, and their public presence. In connection with this, they shared that the resources raised during the Women’s Day Live Crowdfunding Night brought a completely new experience to their thinking about fundraising: “There was a greater sense of responsibility, transparency, deliberation, and awareness in the use of the funds,” said the leader of a supported organization.
Other mentioned impacts included methodological and professional development, strengthened connections with their target groups, and professional and human reinforcement during difficult periods. For many, external feedback, a mirror—from us and the donors, such as from the participants of NADE!—was crucial in affirming that what they do is valuable and important. They rarely receive professional and human feedback: “What was important for us was that we are noticed, and there is recognition for our work. It feels really good. We even framed the certificate and put it on the wall – we can tell stories about it, celebrate it with the team. It carried us forward” said one supported organization.
