VOLUNTEERING INFRASTRUCTURE

Besides the Ministry of Social Policy and Youth, the main public bodies responsible forsupporting volunteering in Croatia are:Various governmentalbodiesare responsiblefor supportingvolunteeringusing projectfunding, projectpartnershipsand exchangesof experienceand information.The National Foundation for Civil Society Developmentwas founded by the Croatian Parliament on 16 October 2003 with a special law (The OfficialGazette, 173/03), as a public foundation with the purpose of promoting and developingcivil society in Croatia. The National Foundation offers professional and financial supportto programmes which encourage sustainability of the non-profit sector, inter-sectoralcollaboration, civil initiatives, philanthropy, volunteerism and which improve democraticinstitutions. It is financed from the national budget, provided by the Office for Cooperationwith Civil Society Organisations, from the earnings of games such as prize games, from the mainassets, donations and other funding, in accordance with Article 16 of the Law on Foundationsand Funds. In collaboration with regional volunteer centres it takes part in (co-)organising thenational conferences on volunteerism in Croatia. In accordance with its strategic objectives,it grants the annual award ‘School - a friend of the community’ through which it selects, andpresents to the public the most innovative volunteering initiatives in elementary schools andmodels of youth volunteering in high schools in Croatia.The Office for Cooperation with Civil Society Organisationswas founded by a Regulation on the Office for Cooperation with Civil Society Organisations in1998, to attend to expert assignments from the Government of the Republic of Croatia, withregards to creating conditions for cooperation and partnership with the non-governmental andnon-profit sectors, and especially with civil society organisations. The office has a wide rangeof activities: from proposing new legal framework for non-profit nongovernmental operations,to monitoring the implementation of the National Strategy for the ‘Creation of an EnablingEnvironment for Civil Society Development’ and measures of the Operational Implementationof the Strategy, to developing financing activities through the national budget, other publicsources and European Union (EU) funds.The National Board for the Development of Volunteerismis an advisory body for the Croatian Government. Its activities are public and it implementsmeasures and activities with the purpose of promoting and further developing volunteerism.In collaboration with authorities, The National Board for the Development of Volunteerismproposes measures for the advancement of volunteers’ status in society, it proposes regulationson volunteer privileges, it decides about the National Volunteer Award, it initiates newregulations concerning volunteerism or changes the existing ones, introduces the VolunteerCode of Ethics within which the Ethics Committee operates, and it undertakes other activitiesfor promoting volunteerism. The National Board for the Development of Volunteerism has19 members, representatives of the public sector, civil society organisations or independentexperts, appointed by the Government of the Republic of Croatia. The Board has a president anda vice-president elected by the members of the Board.The Council for Civil Society Developmentis a qualified advisory body of the Government of the Republic of Croatia. The Council worksfor the development and implementation of the collaboration programme between the CroatianGovernment and the non-profit sector. The programme deals with the implementation of theNational Strategy for the Creation of an Enabling Environment for Civil Society Development,with development of philanthropy, social capital, partnerships and inters sectoral collaboration.The Council has 23 members and a president elected by the members of the council.70 Volunteering infrastructure in Europe 5 Croatia