Enabling legal framework

This is due to various reasons: socio-economic and socio-cultural factors, lack of time to commit to volunteering, belief that volunteering is an abuse of labour and should be paid, considering volunteering experience as a stepping-stone to future employment, or a way to gain work experience and etc.

In 2007 CIRa was one of the key actors in the drafting the Law on volunteering. At the beginning, we were invited to take part in the working group within the Ministry for labour and social policy for preparation of the draft law on volunteering and afterwards we have been responsible for organization and facilitation of public tribunes/ workshops in 6 different location around Macedonia to provide a broader discussion on the working version on the law for volunteering. Also, with this process we have initiated and facilitated an on-line forum ( This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it ) for suggestions, comments and sharing information about the process for establishing the law on volunteering. 

Supportive activities 

Currently, CSOs recruit volunteers mostly from their membership and does not reach out to the wider community. While there is a critical base of CSOs willing to work on voluntarism issues it also seems that the interests and concrete ideas and activities of the NGOs vary which if not coordinated could lead to scattered initiatives and inefficient use of valuable resources.

CIRa has been supporting CSOs through trainings, consultations and support of direct project interventions for developing their volunteer management.

In 2010 CIRa in collaboration with Bulgarian Charity Aid Foundation (BCAF) from Sofia, Bulgaria (lead organization) and ARC from Romania implemented the project “European Solidarity Initiative - Encouraging Youth Volunteering". The aim of the project was to promote culture of volunteering and philanthropy among youth  in Europe alongside with gaining practical knowledge and skills for practicing volunteering and philanthropy, developing sustainable networks among the Macedonian, Romanian and Bulgarian youth, youth/school/parenting organizations and their counterparts in the neighboring countries and EU member states. The project activities helped to increase the knowledge and motivation of citizens for volunteering and philanthropic initiatives. 

Three day conference was organized as a part of this project with focus on European policies, encouraging environment for donating and volunteering at an early age and developing infrastructure for regional networking. Also 30 minute film “To get a leading role” was produced along with handbook “How to work with young volunteers”.

More info on this project can be found on http://www.youthvolunteering.org/