Together with its partners, the Center for Civil Society Promotion (CCSP) implemented the SMART START project, aimed at increasing the influence of civil society in Bosnia and Herzegovina, Macedonia, Montenegro, Serbia, and Turkey.
This was achieved through technical and financial support for 100 civil society organizations for the development of social entrepreneurship and innovation in their work.
SMART START is a regional project that established a network of civil society organizations (CSOs), strengthened their advocacy capacities, improved internal governance structures, encouraged strategic changes in funding sources, establishing social entrepreneurship, and developed strategic long-term organizational plans.
The project resulted in the creation of new generations of civil society organizations, which are professional and committed to their missions, beneficiaries, and society as a whole. The CSOs developed partnerships with companies from the business sector, benefiting all the parties.
The project ensures the strengthening of the long-term financial stability of the civil society organization through the launch of financial programs, using socially and environmentally responsible strategies for self-financing, social innovations, and models of social entrepreneurship.
One of the goals of the project was to adapt to the social environment for social entrepreneurship through networking of CSOs and other participants, with the implementation of five national promotional campaigns, promotion of social entrepreneurship of CSOs.
The main project activities were:
Through its activities, the project targeted the following groups: 100 civil society organizations, local governments from five countries, and 50 companies that were included in the mentoring program for organizations.