Advocacy for Introduction of Social Contracting Mechanism at Local Level Training for HIV-service NGO Representatives Trainer’s Manual

In developed democracies, NGOs make substantial contributions to social and economic development. They have two interrelated functions: facilitating reform and development of civil society institutions, representation of interests, advocacy related to policy change, and implementation of reallocation of funds and services for target groups serviced by one or another NGO. The contribution made by NGOs to economic development is substantial. According to research data received by John Hopkins Institute (USA) in 35 countries internationally, the percentage of "third sector" employees in the overall employment market in different service sectors comprises 29.3% in education, 19.1% in social services, 17.9% in healthcare, and 15.2% in culture. Economic activities of NGOs constitute a critical factor of financial sustainability in the performance of civil society and charitable organizations. In Ukraine, NGOs have three key types of revenue: budget of different levels, charity, and self-financing based on economic activity. Research findings received by John Hopkins Institute (USA) in 35 countries internationally suggest that the ratio of different types of revenue in NGO budgets has the following values: social services, 44% budget funding, 37% economic activity, and 19% charity; environment protection, 42% budget funding, 30% economic activity, and 28% charity. To assure sustainability of NGO performance, multiple sources of funding should be assured, which has special significance in provision of HIV/AIDS related social services that should be guaranteed by the state and supported by earmarked funding from budgets of different levels. Budget funds are the key source of revenue for organizations providing such social services. Services for groups of people vulnerable to HIV are funded, prevalently, with local budget based funding and using social contracting mechanisms. The training "Advocacy for Introduction of Social Contracting Mechanism at Local Level" is designed for NGO management and specialists. The training covers the following subject matters: role of NGOs in the field of social services provision, description of potential sources of budget allocations to subsidize necessary social services for vulnerable groups, legal regulations applicable to social services system, lobbying principles relevant to local level budget funding, social contracting procedures and documentation, and budget funds administrators and approaches to cooperation with them. The training is facilitated by a team of trainers consisting of two people who are experts in the matters of advocacy and allotting budget funds to assure provision of HIV/AIDS related social services. The training duration is two days, taking 12 hours. The training participants are expected to have some knowledge of social contracting and social services funding, but the training aims to improve their knowledge and skills in these areas. The training agenda includes the following sessions: introduction, social contracting fundamentals and competition based funding mechanisms in different level budget funding, experience of introduction of social contracting at local level, overview of current mechanisms for funding NGOs from budgets of different levels, introduction of competition based mechanisms in social contracting, identification of priority challenges to funding with competition based mechanisms, and role of HIV-service NGOs in advocacy for social contracting. The training participants are expected to design a poster where they list the social services provided by their organizations to vulnerable groups of population. The poster will be used in the upcoming days of the training. The training objectives are to identify expectations of the training participants, overview the training objectives, and overview the training agenda. The training agenda includes registration of participants, completion of pre-training evaluation questionnaires, welcoming address and introduction, introduction of participants, expectations, agenda overview, rules of work, and social contracting fundamentals and competition based funding mechanisms in different level budget funding.