NSOs eye further development on Partnership and Fundraising

The Asia-Pacific Regional Workshop on Partnership and Fundraising inaugurated on 15th October 2011 at the Seoul Olympic Parktel, Korea. The workshop looks into the crucial role that partnership and fundraising play in the development of a Scout association.

National Chief Commissioner of Korea Scout Association Mr Jung, Bok Hyun welcomed the 29 participants representing ten National Scout Organizations from the region and two executives from the World Scout Bureau, Africa Regional Office.

Regional Scout Committee Vice Chairman Prakorb Mukura expressed appreciation to Chief Commissioners of participating NSOs for seeing the importance of fundraising and partnership at the national level. Committee Member Shim Sang Ho, Consultant Kim Kyu Young and Secretary General of Korea Scout Association Hong Sung Soo graced the opening ceremony.

In his opening remarks, Regional Director Abdullah Rasheed shared that it has been a long time since the region started focusing on fundraising and partnership through workshops and publications. The first workshop was “International Seminar on Financial Resources” held 2003 in Indonesia, followed by “APR Workshop on Developing Partnerships through PR” in 2006, Indonesia. In June 2010, the region released the Fundraising Guidelines to NSOs.
Mr Rasheed added that through sharing of experiences among the participants, direct learning and greater collaboration are created. He also highlighted the APR initiatives and support to NSOs on the area of fundraising and partnerships detailing out the elements of funding opportunities through the APR Scout Foundation in the form of grants and soft loans.

He also gave an update on the recently launched Messengers of Peace Project, a WOSM initiative to involve individual Scouts and NSOs worldwide in peace-building activities.

Among the areas being discussed are the Marakkech Charter, planning and evaluating partnerships, principles and strategy of fundraising, methods of fundraising and present trend, planning and developing fundraising and writing project proposals.

KSA International Commissioner Dr Eugene Gui Kim serves as the Workshop Director, supported by APR Finance Sub Committee Chairman Mr Sonny Kim SeoungSu, APR Director for Development Support and Finance Mr S Prassanna Shrivastava. Resource people from Korea includes Youth City Hall committee member Dr Kim Oksoon, Certified Fundraising Executive and member of Association of Fundraising Professionals Dr Bekay AHN, Director of Korean Committee for UNICEF Ms Kyung Hee Kim. From Malaysia is Mr Supramaniam Kalaimani, Coordinator of ENO.

Participants have expressed their appreciation for the warm Korean hospitality and the hardworking team. NSOs represented were Bhutan, Fiji, Indonesia, Korea, Malaysia, Maldives, Macau, Mongolia, Nepal and New Zealand.