After adoption of the Law on Donations and Sponsorships by Macedonian Assembly in 2006, CIRa has been actively supporting businesses to follow the required legal procedure. Besides organization of workshops for businesses regarding the utilization of the tax incentives, CIRa is also providing direct support in pursuing entire legal procedureregarding the Law on donations and sponsorships.

As the result of the cooperation with the companies, CIRa has successfully established a corporate fund from the given donations by 2 national companies: TINEX and MZT Pumpi. The both companies have supported reconstruction of the burn down houses in Prilep, Republic of Macedonia. CIRa has provided support for obtaining all legal documents to companies and has managed the fund.

Furthermore CIRa plays very active role in helping companies to develop more strategic approach to their philanthropic activitiesby identifying their strategic corporate philanthropy priorities and development of effective corporate strategies.

In June 2008, CIRa has delivered thefirst training for Strategic Corporate Philanthropy in Macedonia for 8 companies working on national and international level. They were introduced with the process of development their strategic plans for donations and sponsorship, as well as with the new approaches in supporting communities and people concerned. 

Additionally, CIRa works with the companies in increasing their social impact within the community by developing tailor made programs, establishing initial contacts with partner CSOs and by facilitating the cooperation.

During 2007/2008, we have developed and implemented the Educational Workshops Program in primary schools around Macedonia about the efficient usage of electricity which was specially created for the national electricity company, EVN Macedonia. CIRa staff was responsible for the Program design and development of the curriculum for the workshops, act as intermediary in matching the company program goals with the relevant local CSOs as partners in implementation and coordinate the proposed activities. It was a perfect example of good partnership between businesses and civil society initiated by the company itself which help us to become aware about the motivation that runs corporate philanthropy.

Within the frameworks of the project named as “Corporate responsibility as a tool for long-term sustainability of Macedonian communities” implemented in partnership with Pontis Foundation from Bratislava, Slovakia and financially supported by Slovak Aid CIRa in 2009 initiated the establishment of the first Business Leaders Forum in Macedonia, platform that unites the small-size, medium-size and big-size enterprises in which the business is run in a responsible way.

CIRa as an organization is strongly devoted to the concept of CSR. The social corporate responsibility of the enterprises is to enhance a sustainable development of the business, which shall raise the profit. At the same time, it shall generate positive economic, social and ecologic effects for the society development, as a whole. In that way, the fulfilment of the EU legislation shall be pursued in terms of workers’ rights, environment protection and surely, an opportunity shall be obtained to link to big multinational companies “– this is the message that rounded up the Conference “Social Corporate Responsibility – Business Intelligence for Competitiveness and Sustainability of the Enterprises“, organized by the Center for Institutional Development, CIRa in the M6 Education Center in Skopje, held May 27, 2010.